Maldonian celebrates 80 years! L THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, January 12, 2024 APPRECIATION | FROM PAGE 3 ongtime Malden resident and stalwart community member Lenny Iovino recently turned 80 years young! Mayor Gary Christenson stopped into a recent celebration to present him with a citation in recognition of his milestone birthday. Lenny, who served the Malden Public Schools for 36 years as a teacher and then principal of the Salemwood School, also served as the principal of the Lincoln School. He later went on to represent Ward 4 as their School Committee member for 15 years. The Mayor thanked Lenny for his devotion to the students of Malden. er Dennis, for whom an adjacent baseball fi eld is named, also attended the school, with both brothers having memorable athletic careers. The true fairy tale of the “kid Pictured from left to right: Ward 1 School Committee Member Mike Drummey, Lenny Iovino and Mayor Gary Christenson (Courtesy of City of Malden) from Everett” continued when he went on to attend Harvard. O’Donnell excelled as a student and an athlete at Harvard. He was a terrifi c player on both the football and baseball teams. He earned six varsity letters, and in his senior year he captained the baseball team. To show his gratitude to the baseball program, in 1995 he donated $2.5 million to endow the baseball coach’s position. Harvard’s baseball fi eld bears O’Donnell’s name. In 2012, O’Donnell and his wife donated $30 million to the University. “It’s payback,” O’Donnell said in the Gazette interview. “I got a scholarship because someone was smart and thoughtful enough to provide for a guy like me. I wasn’t a dumbbell, but I wasn’t the traditional blueblood. I got a break to go to Harvard. I want others to have a break. I do it because of a selfi sh reason: It feels good to make a diff erence.” O’Donnell was also the most renowned and prolific donor in Malden Catholic High School Page 5 history. For decades, perhaps the school’s most well-known alumnus has provided tens of millions of dollars of targeted donations to make sure what adds up to hundreds of families and thousands of students thrive at the tuition-based parochial school. A founder and former owner of the Boston Culinary Group, whose major focus for decades was on concessions for just about every major venue in New England – including TD/Boston Garden and Fenway Park – when asked about his monster fi nancial success, the consistent Top 50 Wealthiest Mass. residents list businessman would respond, “I sold a lot of popcorn and candy!” In his hometown of Everett, it is said that O’Donnell was a regular benefactor of Everett High sports programs as well, particularly when it came time to pay for the splendid championship rings worn by the players from blue-collar worker homes or recent immigrants through the wild success enjoyed by the 13-Super Bowl champ Crimson Tide football teams. O’Donnell’s crowning achievement in his philanthropic eff orts was the formation of The Joey Fund, which he established following the death from cystic fi - brosis of his only son, Joey, in 1986. To date, The Joey Fund has raised over $500 million to support cystic fi brosis research for the past 38 years. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation leaders say the funds raised for research through the O’Donnells and The Joey Fund have fueled substantial progress in revolutionizing treatment of the affl iction and working toward a cure. A close friend of former U.S. President George W. Bush, a former classmate with whom he shared a love of baseball, O’Donnell was Bush’s top fundraiser in the Eastern United States through two campaigns. He was an unoffi cial advisor to him and other Presidents as well as numerous governors, mayors and business giants. O’Donnell worked out front and also behind-the-scenes, adeptly and successfully in all parts of his life, business and philanthropy. He was a triedand-true manifestation of the well-known phrase: “He never forgot where he came from.” There is no doubt that there are lines of people up above, those Joe helped through the years, waiting to greet and thank him once again. R.I.P. to one of Everett’s finest, no doubt the way he wished to be remembered. SABATINO INSURANCE AGENCY 519 BROADWAY EVERETT, MA 02149 Auto * Home * Boat * Renter * Condo * Life * Multi-Policy Discounts * Commercial 10% Discounts * Registry Service Also Available Sabatino Insurance is proud to welcome the loyal customers of PHONE: (617) 387-7466 FAX: (617) 381-9186 Visit us online at: WWW.SABATINO-INS.COM
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