In light of the 50th anniversary of newborn screening, a practice that originated here in Massachusetts, Governor Deval Patrick has proclaimed this week to be Newborn Screening Awareness Week. And while newborn screening is a tremendous medical practice, yielding information that allows for doctors to effectively detect and treat issues in newborns that could cause developmental delays or intellectual disabilities, it’s certainly one of the more original proclamations Governor Patrick has ever instated throughout the Commonwealth.

Mayor Tom Menino has made similar proclamations for Boston as well during his 20-year tenure in City Hall, helping residents to more ably celebrate people, places, events, and actions that have helped shaped the small piece of world we live in for the better.

Governor Patrick has made it abundantly clear that he will not seek a third term as Governor of Massachusetts, foregoing the 2014 election and opening the door for a new person to occupy the State House and usher in an epoch of holidays and celebrations the likes of which have yet to be seen in the Bay State.

So to help ring in Newborn Screening Awareness week and take a retrospective look at what the Governor has urged Massachusetts residents to commemorate, here are 10 unique proclamations by Governor Patrick over the course of his career.