HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – The St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke announced its 64th recipient of the JFK Award.

The John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Award is given each year to an American of Irish descent who has distinguished themselves in their field. Last year, the recipient was the President and CEO of Liberty Bank, David Glidden. This year’s recipient is Holyoke native, actor Lenny Jacobson, according to a news release sent to 22News from the St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke.

Lenny spent most of his childhood on the fields of McMahon school playing soccer or the basketball courts of the YMCA in Holyoke. Lenny went to Blessed Sacrament School and then graduated from Holyoke Catholic High School, where he was a member of the 1991 Western Mass Division III champion basketball team. Then, in 2001, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.

Lenny Jacobson in the Holyoke St. Patrick’s parade in the white hat.

After some success in commercials, his big break was on the Showtime series Nurse
Jackie as the character Lenny the EMT. Since then he has worked on series including NCIS, CSI,
Big Time in Hollywood, FL & Narcos. He has also appeared in the films Bumblebee and Like Father. Lenny also appeared on HBO’s Peacemaker and played Wayne Cobb on Apple TV For All Mankind.

“To watch that cycle from when we grew up, watching with our parents, and then being old enough to get out on your own and then watching my friends and their kids, and the cycle of everybody in Holyoke getting to experience the parade is truly, truly wonderful. To me, being honored in this way for something that I’ve grown up a part of, and watching and experiencing. It’s really wonderful,” expressed Jacobson.

He told 22News that sitting in his grandfather’s truck bed watching the parade as a child was the beginning of a long, meaningful relationship with the tradition. Even while in Los Angeles for the last 22 years, Lenny has been able to get back to Holyoke a couple of times a year to see local friends and family.

President Karen Casey says, “I’m very excited to have Lenny Jacobson as our 2023 JFK award
recipient! He’s a hometown boy who has excelled in his career, I think he should bring a lot of
Holyokers are out to watch the parade! He and Holyoke should be very proud. I look forward to
seeing him.”

This will be the parade committee’s 64th JFK award in the event’s history. The Holyoke St. Patrick’s parade is just around the corner, happening on March 19th. The 46th St. Patrick’s Road Race will be held on Saturday, March 18.