Kirk was graduated from Wakefield High School in 1915 and furthered his education at St. John’s Prep in Danvers and the Huntington School in Boston.

After his service in World War I in the United States Marine Corps, he returned home to carry on with his brother the hay and grain business that his father had established at the corner of Armory and North Ave.

Kirk was instrumental in the building of a rink on Armory Street and in 1930 he organized a town hockey team. He was a star defenseman on the squad which played its home games at night on the Armory Street rink. During the day, Kirk would find time to instruct youngsters at the rink.

In 1935 Charlie organized a youth baseball league which played its games at the ball field now known as Vets Field at the head of Quannapowitt. At one point, it was reported that 1700 spectators observed an all-star game in which the youngsters of the town participated. Something of this scale was unheard of at the time.

It was in 1937 that Kirk organized and coached the first modern day Wakefield High School hockey team. This team did not compete in league play until 1942. It was then that Wakefield became known for its hockey prowess when they first battled in a game which was to serve as a tryout for WHS to enter the old Emass hockey league. The game was played on Ell Pond in Melrose and Wakefield raised some eyebrows and earned a spot in the league beating Melrose 1 - 0.

Subsequently, his teams gained two league championships and he held the position of head coach of the WHS hockey team for 32 years. Kirk held a one of a kind record in local school athletic history as holding a longer period of active coaching than any other coach of any school in the area.

In fact, in 1968, there was a special town meeting which voted to petition the state government to make an exception to the mandatory retirement age of 70 so that Kirk could continue as head coach at WHS. A special bill was filed at the State House on Beacon Hill and eventually passed allowing Wakefield to retain its head coach.

It was a year later that Kirk completed his coaching career at WHS after 32 years of service in that capacity. He was well known as the "Dean of Hockey" who employed hockey as an instrumental tool for building character as well as instilling a competitive spirit in the young athlete.

In 1950, Kirk started an organized youth hockey program in town funded largely with his own money. Later in the 1950’s he organized PeeWee hockey and in 1958 he initiated the Pop Warner Football Program in Wakefield.

The West Side Social Club honored Charles Kirk as their "Citizen of the Year" in 1956. He was honored as the official starter of the annual Daily Item Road Race in 1959 and in 1961 he received the "Pop Warner Service to Youth Award".

It was in 1974 that he was inducted into the Massachusetts Secondary School; Hockey Coaches Hall of Fame. He was also given a lifetime pass to all high school athletic events that year.

In 1975 the Wakefield Hockey Association honored Mr. Kirk with the establishment of the Charles T. Kirk Trophy to be awarded to a Wakefield High School senior on the varsity hockey team.

April 1987 marked the initiation of the Charles T. Kirk Scholarship as part of the Wakefield Citizens Scholarship Fund. Saturday, April 18, 1987 was officially proclaimed "Charles Kirk Day" in Wakefield by the Board of Selectman. That same day, the Wives of the West Side Social Club held a "Charles Kirk Night" at the WSSC in his honor to raise the necessary funds in order to make the Kirk Scholarship permanent.

In 1993 Kirk was inducted into the Wakefield High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Sadly, Charles T.Kirk died May 9, 1985, just a few weeks after he presented the trophy in his name to Mike Foley at a ceremony sponsored by the Wakefield Youth Hockey Association.

One admirer of the man said "Some fellows give of their time and talents, but only while their own children are involved in a sport. Charles considered all Wakefield kids his own."

After conducting research and interviews with past members of the Wakefield Youth Hockey Association as well as reviewing past articles published in the Wakefield Daily Item, the following should detail the guidelines to be used in the selection process.

"The Charles T. Kirk Trophy should be awarded to the varsity hockey player who has played in the Wakefield Youth Hockey Association and  who has best developed his potential and has continued to improve throughout high school"

This specific wording first appeared in an article in the Item on June 8, 1977. The identical wording once again appeared in the Item on April 10, 1984.

However, later, on April 23, 1985, it was reported in the Item that:

"the Kirk Award is given annually   to the player who has shown the most consistent improvement in his high school career" Then again in an article from May 24, 1989, we read: "...given to a member of WHS varsity who showed the greatest improvement over his high school career."

It is apparent that although there is no mention in these last two references to the award that the award winner be a player from the Wakefield Youth Hockey Association, it is understood that this be true as ascertained from the earliest newspaper accounts of the Kirk award as well as the personal accounts from individuals involved in the establishment of the award itself.

Selection should be based on a varsity hockey player at Wakefield High School who has played in the Wakefield Youth Hockey Association and has best developed his potential and has shown continued improvement throughout his high school career.

Selection Process

The following should serve as a guideline in the selection process.

    1. The Wakefield Youth Skating Association should appoint an individual to head the selection committee or group.                                 

    2.    Said individual should choose at least three individuals familiar with the athletes and the Wakefield High School varsity games to be in a position to adequately assess each senior's effort during the season

    3.    This group should, prior to the season be informed of the seniors eligible to receive the Kirk Trophy.                a.) must be a member of the varsity team and
                b.) player must have played in the youth hockey program in Wakefield

    4.    At the end of the varsity (to include all tournament and state tournament games) the group should meet to select the one individual who best meets the criteria established for the winner of the Kirk Trophy. That player being the one who has shown the most improvement in his high school hockey career at Wakefield High School.

    5.    The group should keep the selection results confidential and report the award winner's name to the President of the Wakefield Youth Skating Association.

    6.    Arrangements should be made for:

            a.      the proper inscription to be added to the perpetual trophy,
            b.     obtaining the individual trophy to be presented to the winner, and
            c.     establishing the specifics regarding the presentation ceremony.

The Dom Guiffre Memorial Award
Established Feb 2002

Background
Dom Guiffre ran the Wakefield Youth Hockey Clinic for over 25 years. In 1960 he and Al Sabatelli were involved. When the Sunday Clinic / Intramural program moved to Melrose in the mid 60’s from the Flynn Arena, Dominic took charge. When it moved to Hockeytown in Saugus he continued as the Clinic Director.. In 1973 he started with girls in the program. Dominic continued as the clinic Director until he retired around 1986 because of failing health. Dominic ran the clinic for over 25 years and only missed 2 or 3 Sundays due to another favorite hobby - golf. Dom passed away in Nov 1988. Dom never had any children in the program. His daughter Donna was an instructor with Lori Ann MacKay. There are many current parents and coaches who benefited from the Guiffre run program.

Criteria

"The Dominic Guiffre Trophy is awarded to a senior girls varsity ice hockey
player who has exemplified the ideals of dedication, character and
commitment to sportsmanship in the best traditions of Wakefield Hockey"

The following should serve as a guideline in the selection process.

a.) Player must be a senior

b.) Players must exemplify the ideals of dedication, character and commitment to sportsmanship.

c.) Wakefield High School Girl's Varsity Head coach and WHS Athletic Director select the recipient.

The Dom Guiffre Memorial Award Winners

The Dennis Gentile Memorial Award is given annually to a second year player** who plays in the "B" level of the Mites, Squirts, and PeeWees. One award is given annually at each level.
** criteria changed from "defenseman" to "player" with approval from the Gentile family - May 2001. 

A second year player is one who moving up to the next age division the following season.
- a second year mite is going to squirts the following season
- a second year squirt is going to peewees  the following season
- a second year peewee is going to bantams the following season

Deane Ramsdell Memorial Trophy Winners