North Shore Cancer Center Walk
North Shore Medical Center in Salem will stage the 21st edition of their most successful Cancer Center Walk and Run on Sunday June 26, 2011. The event begins and ends at Salem Willows and works their way through historic Salem. Registration that morning begins at 7:30 am and the official start time is at 8:00 am. Join with thousands of local residents who show up each year to help raise funds to fight cancer. The 2011 edition of the walk has a list of the most generous sponsors, and a list of those contributors can be found on the cancer walk web site. For more information on how you can sign up, visit the walk web site at www.NorthShoreCancerWalk.org. This spectacular regional event has raised millions to provide top-notch equipment to treat cancer patients in the region. We will not be able to walk this year, but hopefully in the not too distant future, I will able to take part in this effort again as we have done many years in the past.
In 2011, Community Over-Ride and Debt Exclusions Projects not Faring Well.
In this region north of Boston, the taxpayers seem to be speaking out against projects that will require their taxes to go up. As the projects have been presented to voters in these local communities more actions have been voted down, than have been approved. There are still several more projects to be considered locally as schools need to be built and educational and operational budgets need to be enhanced. It appears that in more cases than not, those efforts are being defeated, as voters seem to be fed up with increases. To date about half of the presented projects have been turned down.
Danvers Historical Society Annual Meeting
Earlier this week, the Danvers Historical Society held its annual meeting at the Glen Magna Estate. The attendees heard reports from President Joe Joslin, Treasurer Wayne Eisenhauer and Operations Manager Cathy Garari. The weather was sensational and during the pre-meeting reception many members of the Society, that had gathered to hear reports from the officers, were able to enjoy the famous gardens at the historic property owned and maintained by the Society. Prior to the annual meeting the largest crowd to attend the annual meeting in many years were entertained by the local choral group, Essex Harmony that are artists in residence at the Society. That group noted that their next free concert will he held in the recently refurbished Tapley Hall on Page Street during the annual Trails and Sails event sponsored by Essex Heritage. The Essex Harmony conductor and organizer, Glenn Mairo also announced that this year, an expanded holiday concert will be held in their new facility at Tapley Hall. Two new Trustees were elected at the meeting -Michael Morris and Richard Warren will bring a new vitality to the board and their council and support will be appreciated.
Interesting Find at Spaulding Construction Site
As someone who was at least peripherally involved in the building of a replica sailing ship for the Salem Maritime Historical Site, the following story, about marine planking being discovered on a construction site, certainly appealed to me. I was involved in the team that helped raise a substantial amount of private funds needed to complete the construction of the replica merchant ship that helps every day to relate the maritime history of the City of Salem to the many visitors to that historic maritime related city daily. The story that was reported in the Boston Globe today, I found most interesting. The story focused on the discovery of a fantastic supply of pristine antique southern oak that was found buried in the mud at a construction site in Charlestown. The find was uncovered at the site of a new facility being built by Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown. It is believed that the material likely dates back to about 1860 and was probably from Ohio. It was likely to have buried on the site sometime after that date and would have been used by the nearby Navy Yard to repair ships of that era.
Spaulding Hospital has agreed to donate the found “treasure” to a group in Mystic Connecticut, who are in the process of restoring the worlds only remaining wooden whaling ship. The Charles W, Morgan was originally built in New Bedford, MA. and was a floating museum until a benefactor passed away. The ship was than acquired by the group committed to its restoration. The restoration crew working on the ship was fast running out of the needed southern oak that is the material needed to accurately restore the “Morgan”. The crew restoring the ship was using materials from southern oak trees uprooted in recent hurricanes, and was not sure where the needed future material would be found. When the restoration of the “Morgan” is completed, the ship will be re-launched in 2014, and the donation of the material unearthed in Charlestown will make the dream of the restoration team a reality. The Hospital was pleased to donate their find to such a worthy project and kept a very small portion of the find and will use that material to build benches on the site to commemorate the find. A source of mine at Spaulding also advised me that in addition to the oak recovered on the excavated site a substantial cache of granite was also discovered. This is a generous gesture by the hospital and certainly is appreciated by the renovation team, and by all who have an interest in the preservation efforts that occur so regularly in this region. One can most certainly add Essex Heritage whose mission is to preserve the historical, natural and cultural resources of this region as one of those organizations that appreciates the generous gesture of the hospital.
St, John’s Prep Headmasters Event in Swampscott
I am unhappy that the weather conditions on Thursday evening kept us away from a reception in Swampscott that was held to honor the decade of service to St. John’s Prep provided by retiring Headmaster Skip Shannon and his wife MJ. Headmaster Shannon has been a dedicated and committed leader of the Danvers school and his day to day leadership will be missed dearly. The school has also “kicked” off a Headmasters Endowment Fund to continue to offer scholarship assistance to students who might not be able to attend the Xaverian Brothers Sponsored secondary school. This fund will honor the dedicated work of Dr. Shannon as well as the two previous headmasters who I worked with closely, Brothers Edward Keefe and William Drinan.
Recent Newspaper Articles
On Thursday, stories appeared in both the Salem News and the Danvers Herald that focused on the Baron Mayer award for Community Service that I will receive at the Glen Magna in Danvers on June 24, 2011. I am indebted to the two newspaper reporters Ethan Forman and Myrna Fearer. They allowed me the opportunity to provide a little background on the illness that caused me to lose my leg. I was also able to outline the philosophy that allowed me to recover. As a result of that recovery, I am now able to continue to assist a number of local organizations where I provide guidance and support. The reports they provided were most accurate and generous in their praise of my work in this region.
Boston Bruins Head Back to Vancouver
After a rousing game four win, on their home ice, the Boston professional hockey team enjoyed a raucous sendoff as they boarded buses to take them to the airport for another trans continental flight back to western Canada. The Bruins have come back from a two game deficit in the Stanley Cup final to even up the series at two games each. They are now poised, if their will to win continues unabated, to win their first Stanley Cup in nearly four decades. I suspect that the TV ratings for game five on Friday evening might rival all time sports ratings in this City.
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