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by Rick Winterson Sunday morning on May 21, there was the 8 a.m. Memorial Mass at St. Brigid Church for Timothy John Cook – Tim “Doc” Cook – who was a Corpsman in the Marines in Iraq. Afterward, the Timothy “Doc” Cook Foundation awarded three $1,000 scholarships in his name. This event, the Fourth Annual, took place in St. Brigid Hall. Thomas Casper, Eric Lopes, and James McDonnell were the three scholarship recipients. “Doc” was a hero in many ways – one of them, a highly unusual way. He was a Corpsman who brought medical care to the wounded on the battlefield, under actual hazardous combat conditions. In addition, he noticed that the ambulances for transporting the wounded away from the battleground were inadequate. They [...]

The A Street Park is another small green gem in South Boston, nestled in the ell formed by the State Street Building and the new parking garage. It has gentle grass slopes, curving pathways, and plenty of playing surfaces for those proverbial “children of all ages” who live in South Boston. A crowd of perhaps 100 or more showed up for a coffee-and-doughnuts mid-morning fete, on one of the few sunny May days we’ve had recently. In his remarks, Mayor Marty Walsh spoke of “green space” plans, echoing the “Emerald Necklace” concept of Frederick Law Olmstead 150 years ago. With Councilor-at-Large Michael Flaherty and Rep. Nick Collins, and accompanied by a boy named Jack, Walsh unveiled the Park’s sign.

Joseph Nee was an “Angel”, an angel nicknamed “Dodo” – the kind of angel one finds only in South Boston. You’d see him everywhere, enjoying himself and urging everyone else to have a good time, too. But behind the scenes, Dodo was a quiet, effective, non-stop mover-and-shaker for the good of our community. That was especially true of the South Boston Collaborative Center. Join us Tuesday evening, June 6, at 6 p.m. for the rededication of the Collaborative Center in Dodo’s name, immediately followed by a reception celebrating his life at The Lawn on D. by Rick Winterson The South Boston Collaborative Center was established in the mid-1990s to combat the epidemic of drug-related, teenaged suicides plaguing the South Boston community. Joseph Nee, more frequently [...]

Six Archbishop Williams High School students from South Boston were among the 124 graduates at the Braintree school’s 65th Commencement Exercises on Thursday, May 25. Front from left: Deirdre Grealy, Baileigh McCarthy, Jaelyn Kenneally. Rear: Brendan Toland, Matthew Hogan. Not shown: Christian Roche.

by Rick Winterson History counts. This year of 2017 is the 200th Anniversary of Eastern Bank, which is the largest mutual bank in New England, and which has a branch in Perkins Square at 470 West Broadway. In addition, May is Small Business Month. America’s small businesses have historically been the key source of job growth in the U.S., as well as becoming the seeds-and-roots of many high-technology global corporations. So it was fitting that South Boston’s Eastern Bank Branch had another of its Annual Business Appreciation Evenings, hostessed and emceed by Michele Hart, Vice President and Branch Manager. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Michele is a Southie resident, the wife of Jack Hart, and the mother of four daughters. Small businesses from all [...]

by Rick Winterson Retirement parties are joyful celebrations – perhaps the single most joyful way to say “Goodbye” to a much-loved individual. Such was the gathering in the Seapoint Ballroom that celebrated the retirement of Mayra Rodriguez-Howard, one of South Boston’s many angels. Mayra was best known locally for her work at the South Boston Community Health Center (the SBCHC). Her creation, if you will – the Youth Ambassadors of South Boston. Her accomplishments are far too many to describe in just a few words, but you could see from the variety of well-wishers who showed up how much Mayra will be missed. There were her colleagues from the SBCHC, of course, especially Linda Doran. Activists like Helen Allix and Ed Flynn were on hand; [...]