Page 2 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 Stories from Old Everett: Remembering Chickie By Lenny Nicolosi C hick Corea was a proud Italian-American kid who lived on Abbott Avenue in Everett, Mass., in the sixties. His mother and father had emigrated from the Calabria region of Italy. At that time, Everett was dominated by hardworking Italian and Irish immigrant families trying to make it in America. I was a 16-year-old sophomore at Everett High School, and one day while walking in the rain Everett’s COVID-19 risk level drops to yellow By Christopher Roberson O n February 19, city offi - cials got the news they had been waiting months to receive – Everett had fi nally moved from the red category to the yellow category on the state’s COVID-19 dashboard. As of February 16, the city’s positivity rate had fallen to 4.95 percent, according to the state Department of Public Health. In addition, the number of communities still in the red category has decreased to 62. School Committee Chairman Frank Parker said he has “mixed emotions” about Everett’s new designation. “On one hand, I’m very happy about it but we can’t let our guard down,” he said. “On the other hand, I lost my mother to COVID on January 19. When she got sick she was three weeks away from her first scheduled vaccination.” Superintendent of Schools Priya Tahiliani said the move to the yellow category has reinforced the district’s plan to move forward with hybrid and ultimately in-person instruction. “This news certainly reaffi rms our view that the time is right to bring back more students for in-person teaching and learning,” she said. “Conditions are improving in several critical areas, and momenCOVID-19 | SEE PAGE 16 Lower Your Car Payment – Today! on my street, a car pulled up beside me and a voice yelled out “Hey do you want a ride to school?” It was Chickie (childhood nickname), who was 18 years old and in his senior year. He told me he would give me a ride to school every day if I showed up on time at his house. Well, that was a no-brainer for me. There was nothing like Italian hospitality in the neighborhood back in the day. We soon became friends and he invited me to the basement of his house to hear him play. Chickie played piano, drums, guitar, bass, and trumpet. Gee, I thought to myself; if I wanted to become a musician one day I could do the same. Why not, after all, he made it all look so easy! Chickie was Italian, I was Italian; “Eh, it’s in the blood!” What was I thinking? I loved music but my passion was playing Baseball. It came easily to me and was a lot more fun. After high school, Chickie went to New York to pursue his dream and attended Columbia University, later transferring to Julliard. However, he quit both OLD EVERETT | SEE PAGE 13 Buy or Refi Don’t Miss Out On Today’s Low Rates! Apply at memberspluscu.org and you could be approved INSTANTLY! memberspluscu.org 781-905-1500 MEDFORD NORWOOD DORCHESTER EVERETT PLYMOUTH For Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 617-387-2200 or Info@advocatenews.net *APR = Annual Percentage Rate. 2.49% APR for up to 48-month term. Monthly repayment of $21.91 per $1,000.00 borrowed. Payment does not reflect credit life and/or disability insurance and may differ slightly due to rounding. APRs are based upon credit score. Rates listed above reflect excellent credit scores. Other rates and terms available. Rates effective 2/1/21 and are subject to change without notice. Membership requires a $25 deposit in a share/savings account.
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