‘He meant so much to the town’: Hampton town offices renamed in memory of Bob Preston

HAMPTON — The town offices will from now on be known as the Robert F. Preston Building, in honor of the late “Senator Bob” for his part in both town and state history.

It was Preston who convinced Citizens Bank to sell the building at 100 Winnacunnet Road to the town of Hampton in 1999, arranging a lease for the bank to move across the street. The town offices had been in a temporary space for 50 years following a fire in 1949, and Preston knew he had the connections to find them a permanent home.

But Thursday’s dedication of Preston’s name in blue above the building’s entrance was about more than bringing the town hall to Winnacunnet Road 23 years ago. Preston, a state senator for 18 years, died Dec. 27 at the age of 92. Local officials, business owners and politicians who gathered for the ribbon-cutting said the new lettering will memorialize him as one of Hampton’s most dedicated public servants.

“This is just one example of what Bob Preston was able to accomplish in his time as a citizen and as a state senator,” said Al Casassa, a local attorney and lifelong friend of Preston. He spoke about Preston to a group of a few dozen people that included state Sen. Tom Sherman, D-Rye, retired state Sen. Nancy Stiles and former Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Scott Brown.

Previous story: 'One of the greatest gentlemen I've ever known': Former state Sen. Bob Preston dies at 92

Preston, originally from Lowell, Massachusetts, started working at Hampton Beach when he was a teenager. He met his wife Charlotte there, and the two married and opened businesses at Hampton Beach like Preston Fine Foods and Preston Real Estate, the latter of which is still run by his children.

Preston started his 18-year run as state senator in 1972, winning in a highly Republican town and becoming Democratic leader for eight of his years in office. In that time, he earned a reputation for sticking to his values while working across the aisle.

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Preston stayed involved in the community after he retired from the Statehouse. To make the deal with Citizens Bank happen, he turned to John Tinios, owner of the Galley Hatch, who agreed to lease a building he owned next to his restaurant, according to Preston’s son, Bob Preston Jr.

“(The bank) said to him, if we could find a location very close to here on Route 1, then we’ll sell the building,” Preston Jr. said. “Dad approached John Tinios and said, ‘I have somebody looking to lease some land.’”

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Selectman Jim Waddell said Casassa and Stiles approached him earlier this year about bringing the dedication before the Board of Selectmen.

“There was no question whatsoever that they would approve this,” said Waddell. “He meant so much to the town.”

Bob Preston Jr. said the dedication meant a lot to his family, especially with Casassa as the speaker. He said his father and Casassa’s friendship went back decades, the Prestons and Casassas having double-dated together.

Bob’s sister Martha cut the ribbon for Thursday’s ceremony and said it was an honor for their family.

“We’re extremely proud,” Martha Preston said. “My father did so many big things behind the scenes. Nobody will ever know. That’s the way he wanted it.”

Martha’s sister Maryrae suspects her father might have declined an honor so visible, out of modesty and wanting to remain behind the scenes.

“You know he’d hate it, right?” said Maryrae Preston. “It’s a billboard.”

Still, she said her father deserves to be remembered this way and is glad future generations can learn about the good that was done by "Senator Bob.

“For my grandkids, to say, ‘That was my great grandfather.’ That’s really exciting for me,” Maryrae Preston said. “It’s a good thing.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton NH town offices renamed in memory of NH Sen. Robert Preston