In the middle of Lowell’s St Patrick’s Cemetery, right next to the chapel, sits a monument to the graduates of Keith Academy who died during World War Two. While at the cemetery this Memorial Day, I photographed the monument which bears the following description:
DEDICATED TO THE MEN
OF KEITH ACADEMY
WHO MADE THE SUPREME
SACRIFICE IN WORLD WAR II
IN MEMORY OF
Donald Adie
Robert Balfrey
Edward Barry
William Coffey
Daniel Cooney
Thomas Cryan
James Farley
Chester Gearty
Joseph Harley
John Hurley
Joseph Keefe
Robert Lamarine
Christopher Makris
Arthur Noel
Edward O’Melia
James O’Rourke
Edwin Riley
Herbert Roberts
James Smith
George Tracy
John Twohey
Frederic Webster
Today the newly restored Lincoln Monument in Lowell’s Lincoln Square was unveiled. The restoration is magnificent in its own right, and as City Manager Bernie Lynch stated at the ceremony, the restored monument will hopefully serve as a type of catalyst for the continued restoration of the Lower Highlands neighborhood. Besides the monument itself, the highlight of the day for me was the wonderful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by the 24 students from the nearby Lincoln School who joined the celebration clad in Lincolnesque stove pipe hats. Here’s a slide show from today’s unveiling with a handful of pre-restoration pictures I took last August:
Maybe it’s the time of year – the decennial census and all those college and university graduations and commencements – that makes this issue pop-up now. There are statistics currently available from the new census data about the states having the highest number of college degrees for those adults between the ages of 25 and 34. No surprise – at 53.4% – the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ranks second behind Washington, DC at 63.5%. By my calculation that gives Massachusetts the rank of #1 among the fifty states. The U.S. national average is 37.8%. With D.C. included – New England has four other states rated in the top 13 – Connecticut 6th at 46.3%; New Hampshire 9th at 45.6%; Vermont 12th at 43.8% and Rhode Island 13th at 43.4%. Check out an interactive map of all states for more information here on The Chronicle of Higher Education website.
There is a long boxing tradtion in Lowell. From the Silver Mittens training and bouts back at the Immaculate Conception CYO and later the Boys Club to the local, regional and national Golden Gloves bouts and tournaments and onward to the professional boxing scene, Lowell has done it all. With guys like Arthur Ramalho boxing is a tool – a way to get to the tough kids in any Lowell neighborhood and give them a chance and give them respect.
In a Globe North story today, writer Karen Sackowitz focuses on Arthur Ramahlo the West End Gym boxing guru who has run a gym and trained fighters since 1968. Yes, Lowell’s “Irish” Mickey Ward - the subject of the upcoming film “The Fighter” is part of the story, but the heart of the tale is Ramalho and the way – in the words of Lowell police officers Mike Miles and Mickey O’Keefe – “he changes the lives of so many kids.” Arthur has a philosophy and it seems to work -
“I have a saying,’’ he said. “Building boys is better than mending men.’’
You can read more about Arthur Ramalho, the making of the Mickey Ward movie - ”The Fighter” – in the Lowell environs and at The West End Gym on Lawrence Street here in the Globe.
The ground breaking for the new Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center at Umass Lowell took place on June 8. Many dignitaries took part in the event. This is a very informative video posted by the university showing highlights of the ceremony.
Thanks to Dick for the additional background on the Abraham Lincoln Monument. His post includes a photo of the “Before” condition of the monument. We’ll have photos of the “After” condition following the unveiling of the restored monument today at 11 a.m. The rain is light, so join us for this community celebration.
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