LOWELL — For nearly four decades, the clock atop Lowell City Hall kept ticking because Wally Burns made the same climb week after week.
Once every seven days, Burns ascended the 71-step spiral staircase up the city’s 180-foot tall clocktower. At the top, he’d manually reset a 30-pound weight that slowly descended from a cable, powering the clock’s 6-foot minute hand and 4-foot hour hand.
According to City Manager Thomas A. Golden Jr., the City of Lowell formally dedicated the clocktower to Burns on Saturday, July 18, 2026. A decorated World War II veteran, Burns worked as the Lowell City Hall custodian from 1957 until 1995. He passed away on December 11, 2018, at age 91.
“Wally gave so much to this city. Today, we ensure that his contributions will always be remembered. Every time we glance toward this tower we will be reminded of a man who truly made every moment count,” Mayor Erik Gitschier said during the ceremony. “May it serve not only as a tribute to his legacy, but also as an inspiration to future generations to lead with integrity, compassion, and a deep love for our city.”
City Councilors Rita Mercier, Sean McDonough, and Sidney Liang also attended the dedication. Mercier, who knew Burns during his years working for the city, remembered him as a dedicated and exemplary employee.
A memorial plaque now hangs near the third-floor door leading into the tower. The clocktower had been unofficially known as the “Wally Burns Clocktower” during the decades he cared for its machinery.
Maintenance Manager Dan Kelleher now resets the weight with a motor rather than by hand.
Two of Burns’ eight grandchildren spoke at the dedication ceremony, remembering him as a loving family man who took great pride in caring for City Hall.
“He took great pride in his job because he knew people depended on that clock every day,” his granddaughter Avery Burns said. “One story that really captures who he was is how, after a snowstorm, he walked all the way from his house in Pawtucketville to City Hall, with my aunt by his side, just to shovel the front steps before anyone arrived. That says everything you need to know about the kind of person he was. He never looked for recognition. He simply cared about doing the job well and taking care of the city he loved.”
City Manager Golden said Burns’ service continued long after he returned home from war.
“Wally Burns was a decorated World War II veteran who made it home and served his hometown for nearly four decades before retiring,” Golden said. “He set an example of true dedication to the community while working as a custodian in Lowell City Hall.”
Burns left behind five children, eight grandchildren and an extended family. His name now rests beneath the tower whose hands he kept moving, marking not only the passage of time, but a lifetime of service to the city.
