History | Mark Sardella

Archive for the ‘History’ Category

Old School

18Nov10

The town is preparing to accept bids from developers that will determine the future of the Franklin School, and if things go as expected, another of a generation of nine schools that the town built around the turn of the 20th century will enter a new phase in its long existence.

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Tags: Beatrice Moody, buildings, Daily Item, Dorothy Remick, Elizabeth Brawley, Elizabeth Strout, Franklin School, Greenwood, Greenwood School, Hamilton School, Hilda Hayden, Hurd School, James Bolton, Jim Bolton, John J. McCarthy Senior Center, Lincoln School, Montrose School, Nazareth Academy, schools, teacher, teachers, Thomas Allard, Tom Allard, Wakefield, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Mass, Wakefield Massachusetts, Warren School, West Ward School, Woodville School

Parade of Pols

09Jul10

Maybe I’m the only one, but I like seeing the politicians in the Wakefield (MA) July 4th Parade. The marching bands are great, and they provide an element of entertainment relief in what would otherwise be an endless stream of pols. But the main reason I go to the parade every July 4th is to […]

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Tags: 4th of July, 4th of July Parade, Alley Oop, Anthony Guardia, Bill Hudak, candidate, candidates, clown, Craig Spadafora, Daily Item, David Lucas, Donald Wong, election, elections, Eric Estevez, Fourth of July, House of Representatives, Independence Day, Independence Day Parade, JFK, John F. Kennedy, John Tierney, July 4 2010, July 4th, July 4th Parade, July Fourth, Katherine Clark, Massachusetts, Massachusetts Senate, Michael Day, Monica Medeiros, Parade, parades, Paul Brodeur, politician, politicians, Richard Tisei, Scott Brown, Senator Scott Brown, Steve Grossman, US Senate, Wakefield, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Independence Day Parade, Wakefield Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Mass, Wakefield Massachusetts

World War II Committee Raising Funds

28Dec09

Memorial “pavers” to go on sale They’ve already raised over $25,000 from voluntary donations and the sale of t-shirts and sweatshirts. Now, the World War II Memorial Committee is about to embark on a major fundraising effort that they hope will bring them much closer to their goal of $200,000 – the amount that they […]

Filed under: Columns & Essays, Community, Feature stories, History, News, Wakefield | 3 Comments
Tags: 2nd World War, Dick Pearson, fundraiser, Jim Murphy, John Encarnacao, pavers, Phyllis Hull, Second World War, soldiers, veterans, Wakefield, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Mass, Wakefield Massachusetts, Walk of Remembrance, war memorial, World War II, World War II Memorial, World War II Memorial Committee, World War II Monument

Honoring Those Who Served

14Nov09

Veterans Day 2009 in Wakefield, Massachusetts As featured speaker at yesterday’s Veterans’ Day exercises, US Army veteran Sam Stella delivered his remarks in an auditorium lined with the photographs of Wakefield soldiers who died in battles fought in distant places long ago. He focused his comments on the roles that United States servicemen and women […]

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Tags: Albert Turco, American Legion, Betsy Sheeran, Galvin Middle School, Gen. John Rogers Galvin, James Good, John Carney, John Encarnacao, Katherine Clark, monument, Patrick Glynn, Paul DiNocco, Sam Stella, soldier, soldiers, US Air Force, US Army, US Marine Corps, US Navy, veteran, veterans, Veterans' Day, Wakefield, Wakefield Choral Society, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Mass, Wakefield Massachusetts, World War II, World War II Memorial

Veterans Deserve Big Turnout on Nov. 11

05Nov09

Next Wednesday, Nov. 11, Wakefield, Massachusetts observes Veterans Day with ceremonies beginning at 11 a.m. in the Galvin Middle School Auditorium. While Memorial Day each spring focuses on honoring deceased veterans, Veterans Day is intended to honor and thank all US military personnel who served in all wars, particularly living veterans and those currently serving […]

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Tags: Air Force, American Legion, Army, Daily Item, Gen. John Galvin, General John Rogers Galvin, Marines, military, Navy, US Air Force, US Army, US Marine Corps, US Navy, veterans, Veterans' Day, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Wakefield Massachusetts

Hoag’s Castle Burned 35 Years Ago

25Sep09

Unique landmark in Wakefield, Massachusetts I never got to see the castle before it burned down 35 years ago next month. But as a kid attending the Greenwood School, I certainly heard about it. “Have you seen the castle?” was a frequent schoolyard inquiry. In that typical childhood way, the goal of the questioner was, […]

Filed under: Columns & Essays, Community, Feature stories, History, Profiles, Wakefield | 11 Comments
Tags: Acorn Ave., castle, Castle Clare, castle Wakefield, Clarence Hoag, Greenwood, Greenwood Castle, Greenwood MA, Greenwood Massachusetts, Greenwood School, Montclare Estates, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Mass, Wakefield Massachusetts

Have We Forgotten 9/11?

11Sep09

In a column earlier this year, I apparently offended a few people when I offered the following observation. “For too many Americans the emotional memory of the horror and outrage of 9/11 has faded.” On the eighth anniversary of September 11, 2001, it seems an appropriate time to address the matter of how we remember […]

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Tags: 9/11, American Airlines, New York City, September 11, terrorism, terrorist, terrorists, United 93, World Trade Center

Russell Nelson, Teacher

05Sep09

93 year-old WWII vet taught in Wakefield, Massachusetts for 30 years The school calendar is so engrained in most of us that the arrival of September each year invariably evokes memories our own school days. It may only be a passing memory of a classroom, a classmate or a favorite teacher. I took things a […]

Filed under: Columns & Essays, Community, Feature stories, History, Profiles, Wakefield | 9 Comments
Tags: Army, classroom, Ernie Pyle, Essex MA, Essex Mass, Essex Massachusetts, Ie Shima, Junior High, Junior High School, Leyte, Lincoln School, middle school, pupil, pupils, Russell H. Nelson, Russell Nelson, school, schools, student, students, tank, tanks, teacher, teachers, United States Army, US Army, veteran, veterans, Wakefield, Wakefield Auto School, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Mass, Wakefield Massachusetts, Wakefield Schools, war, wars, World War II

Pleasure Island Remembered

18Jun09

Legendary Wakefield Amusement Park Opened 50 Years Ago Writing about my recollections of Pleasure Island on the occasion of its 50th birthday forces me to acknowledge that I am at least as old as the park. So let me stipulate up front that I was but a wee lad, still wet behind the ears, when […]

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Woodstock Meets Facebook

08May09

As soon as Swine Flu became the trendy disease of the week, you had to know that it was only a matter of time before it got its own Facebook page. Significantly, Swine Flu’s less hip cousin, influenza, isn’t on Facebook. (No, you can’t catch Swine Flu from the Internet.)