THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 31, 2023 ~ Malden Musings ~ Page 3 Arthur Pierce By Peter F. Levine A rthur Pierce. Arthur Pierce. Arthur Pierce. Arthur Pierce. Arthur Pierce. I need to remember the name of 26-year-old Arthur Pierce. I would like Malden to remember the name of 26-year-old Arthur Pierce. Arthur Pierce was a member of the 803rd Engineer Battalion involved in fighting on the Bataan peninsula. Arthur Pierce survived the 65-mile-long Bataan Death March during fighting in World War II only to die of disease/malnutrition at age 26 as a Japanese POW in 1942. The remains of Army PFC Arthur Pierce of Malden, Mass., were unceremoniously buried in a communal grave in that far away land but according to The Boston Globe – through the miracle of science – were recently identified with mitochondrial DNA analysis. Arthur Pierce is coming home. Praise the deity of your choice. According to those same reports, in the near future, he’ll be celebrated before being laid to rest in Augusta, Maine. Arthur Pierce. Arthur Pierce. Arthur Pierce. Arthur Pierce. Arthur Pierce. This just in... At times I do go on when it comes to Edgeworth. Hey, you spend 60 years of your life in the same neighborhood, that’s what happens! It all started 60 years ago... gotcha! You thought I was going down that well-worn Edgeworth memory lane path again, didn’t ya?! Well, I won’t bore you and take you there (yet), but I will print an email I received from a kindred soul named Marilyn Day. She contacted me shortly after I wrote my 1977 Edgeworth Reunion article. The article touched her. Her email touched me. I made an emotional connection with Marilyn and her sister that could only be made by growing up in that little piece of real estate tucked away in the corner of a place called Malden, Mass. It’s a feeling handed down from generation to generation to generation; to those of us who ran those very same streets. To those of us who helped a compadre, or their parents, drive into Chelsea or Everett in early spring for fertilizer for the backyard tomato crop. To those creatures of the night who had their first Schlitz at Little Pearl or Devir Park or behind Johnny Hartigan’s Quonset Hut on Thacher, or behind the Gas Tanks. To those of us who stood in awe during the Saint Rocco Feast at Devir Park while the fireworks exploded overhead – drownspent the majority of our childhood holidays and special occasions there. My mother was a Todisco from Linden. All four grandparents came from Italy in the early 1900’s. “Mr. Levine, thank you for the A newspaper notice announced the sacrifice made by Malden’s Arthur Lewis Pierce. ing out the sounds of the Joe Sica Orchestra playing on the Bandstand. To those of us who bought their French Bread for Sunday dinner at DiPietro’s, freshly killed chickens at Freddy’s Market or ground beef for the meatballs at Forgione’s Market. To those of us who helped a parent or grandparent drive into the Chelsea Produce Market in early spring in search of that perfect grape for the homemade wine. To those of us who sat in a worn-down wooden booth – with jukebox and tablecloth – at the Stadium or the Highland or the Rosebud or Mike’s or DeMarco’s or Tricca’s or Brandano’s or Maher’s or the Gold Star Cafe. To those mothers who shared recipes with each other handed down through the family. To those of us who went to the Emerson when it was an old wooden fire trap to the “brand-new” brick and mortar that still stands today. It’s an emotion handed down with the passage of time: a feeling capturing the zeitgeist of that era. An old Jewish prayer goes something like this, “as long as we live, those memories will also live; for they are now part of us; as we remember them.” Okay, enough with this long-winded, meandering diatribe. A letter from Ms. Day: “My sister and I thoroughly enjoyed reading your recent article. It brought back so many memories! Our father, Arthur Cuscuna, was front and center in the photo. He knew every inch of Edgeworth (the center of his universe) and for that matter, most of Malden. “Even though he moved to Saugus in 1952 when I was born, my father never really left Malden. That was where his heart remained until he passed away in 2005. Lifelong friendships and many ‘haunts’ were the draw. My mother, sister and I knew that if he was not at home in the evening or weekends, he was somewhere in Malden! “Your style of writing made it so easy to appreciate the complexity and simplicity of the times. Your digressions brought back memories of a different kind. Most of our family on both sides lived in Malden, so we wonderful walk down memory lane. Recalling the names, the places and the flavor of being a Maldonian conjured warm feelings and hearty laughs. “I hope you enjoy the feedback. Sincerely, Marilyn Day.” I enjoyed your feedback a great deal, Ms. Day. As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” – Willie Barron received a full basketball scholarship to Western State College in Colorado, receiving his bachelor’s in 1966. Then came Boston State ColMUSINGS| SEE PAGE 18 AUTOTECH DRIVE IT - PUSH IT - TOW IT! Cold Hard Cash for Your Vehicle! RIVE IT - PUSH IT - TOW IT $$ CASH FOR YOUR CAR, TRUCK OR SUV! $$ GET YOUR VEHICLE SPRING READY! 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