Page 6 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, June 11, 2021 Malden Today, Tomorrow and Yesterday – Anthony and Neal Spadafora Memorial By Peter F. Levine I t is said in Malden today, tomorrow and yesterday… Nice to see the beautiful granite benches memorializing the lives of Neal Spadafora and his dad, Anthony (Papa Tony), on the path along the Malden River behind the Cambridge Health Alliance building. I can still see Neal out back of the bar on Canal Street with his fishing rod pulling out the strangest looking fish. Chris Rigano; Edgeworth 1981-2021. From Renee Straccia’s heart via Facebook: “I don’t even know where to start. It just doesn’t feel real. Rest easy Chris, you watch our babies up there, you have an army down here to make sure Stef, Kay, Joey and Tink are always good. Have a twisted tea and peanut butter whiskey shot for me up there. Watch over our babies.” Happy 104th birthday (May 10) to Malden’s “Chuckin” Charlie O’Rourke. The Boston HerAnthony Spadafora memorial bench (Courtesy Photo) ald’s “Fenway Park’s Greatest Moments” printed a few years back called the November 16, 1940, matchup between Charlie’s Boston College Eagles and the Georgetown football squad number three on the greatest moments at Fenway list. The Eagles were unbeaten since New Year’s Day while Georgetown was on a 23-game win streak. Before a capacity crowd at the then 28-year-old ballfield, BC trailed 10-0 but came back to win 19-18 to seal an undefeated season on the way to a Sugar Bowl Championship on New Year’s Day. The dean of all sportswriters, Grantland Rice, called it perhaps the greatest football game ever. Maldonians with long, long memories called Charlie the greatest athlete of his generation and possibly of all generations. Malden High School was a breeding ground for BC football players, filling the Everett Aluminum Aluminum Everett 10 Everett Ave., Everett 617-389-3839 Owned & operated by the Conti family since 1958 • 62 Years! “Same name, phone number & address for over half a century. We must be doing something right!” Owned & operated by the Conti family since 1958 • 57 Years! family since 1958 • 60 •Vinyl Siding •Carpentry Work •Decks •Vinyl Siding •Vinyl Siding •Free Estimates •Fully Licensed •Roofng •Free Estimates •Carpentry Work •Fully Licensed •Decks •Roo ng n • Fully Insured • Fully Insured • Replacement Windows www.everettaluminum.com g Now’s the time to schedule those home improvement projects you’ve been dreaming about all winter! roster with so many Golden Tornadoes in those days that the war cry out of the BC huddle was “Go Malden!” Charlie was a sports deity back in his day. Another notch in his Malden High School Hall of Fame Career belt was a game played on January 1, 1941, and voted one of BC’S “Greatest Sports Moments” by a panel of experts. Malden High School’s very own “Chuckie” Charlie O’Rourke pulled a Doug Flutie Hail Mary–type play in one of the biggest games in BC history: “With three minutes remaining in the Sugar Bowl, quarterback Charlie O’Rourke ’41 scampers 24 yards for a touchdown that wins the game against TenMALDEN: TODAY| SEE PAGE 8 Spring!
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