Page 6 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, December 2, 2022 Like us on Facebook advocate newspaper Facebook.com/Advocate.news.ma G ~ Malden Musings ~ Malden of our Youth Law Offices of Terrence W. Kennedy 512 Broadway, Everett • Criminal Defense • Personal Injury • Medical Malpractice Tel: (617) 387-9809 Cell: (617) 308-8178 twkennedylaw@gmail.com rowing up in Malden was special. At times I thought our childhood experiences were probably not much different than those of our neighbors to the north, south or wherever. Upon further refl ection, I concluded that growing up in Malden was indeed an awesome and unique time and place to spend my childhood. The way Malden is laid out lends to its uniqueness. How some neighborhoods were defi ned by the ethnicity of its residents lent to that uniqueness. According to political consultant/MHS Alumni Hall of Famer Michael Goldman: “Malden was a hodgepodge of neighborhoods in the 1960’s. Edgeworth was Italian on one side of Highland Ave and Irish on the other. Highland Ave where BOTH the Irish who came to Malden directly from Ireland as well as the Irish who spent time in Canada before emigrating down to America ...two distinct neighborhoods. Suff olk Square (before ‘slum clearance’ in the late 50’s) was Jewish and Black with smaller areas of Irish and Italians. Downtown Malden (always called ‘The Square’) were the remaining Protestants and Yankees. The West End was mixed (money drove the demographics/single and two-family homeowners) with some Swedes/Polish/Lithuanians scattered in with Italian and Irish. Ward 1, including Main St/Cross St/Belmont School, were Irish and a smattering of Jews. Oak Grove/Hawthorne St/Lebanon School were professional people with higher income brackets than most in Malden. Maplewood consisted of working blue collar people.” I just loved growing up in Malden! Neighborhoods were often defined by the park that was central to the location. The ~ Home of the Week ~ SAUGUS - Desirable Brookdale Condo offers this spacious 1 bedroom unit, beautiful, updated kit with quartz counter, peninsula with seating, builtin desk, hardwood flooring, great open floor plan, extra storage, located just outside of Saugus Center. Offered at $275,000 335 Central Street, Saugus, MA 01906 (781) 233-7300 View the interior of this home right on your smartphone. View all our listings at: CarpenitoRealEstate.com This is the original Devir Park sign that greeted Maldonians 100 years ago. Green Street Park gang were good old boys. Same with the Oak Grove/Patchell Park hooligans. The Amerige Park boyos with the amazing amount of hoop players (and card players) it produced. There were the Edgeworth/Pearl Street/ Whitman & Highland crews, with “The Bakery” being the focal point. Newland Street, Devir Park, Harvard Street Park, Lincoln Park, Belmont, Maplewood Square, Judson Square, Forestdale and the Vista Street gang, the Linden Square (Robinson’s News)/Linden Park crowd; Trafton Park had its characters – as well as Ferryway Park. Coytemore Lea Park was special. Suff olk Square was mostly gone growing up, but their past was alive and well. The “Rez” was a go-to place. Cannot forget Waites Mount! I haven’t even touched on Malden Square – the Signor Pizza crowd, the Brigham’s crowd, the Park Street crowd (where the saying was “What goes on at Park Street stays on Park Street”) and on and on. I also fi rmly believe that the fact that we were all crowded together within (less than) fi ve square miles made us all, for the most part, anyway, friends. Of course, the occasional fl are up would occur, but mostly we saved that for our archenemies next door – “Medfi d.” Turns out, some of the best people I ever met came from Meff a (the folly of youth)! Point being, I don’t remember much hatred going around but I do recall a tightknit community. Speaking of Malden’s storied past, the question “Where has the Malden of our youth gone?” is thrown around at various cocktail parties in Malden. This is a nebulous question, possibly meant rhetorically – nevertheless I am going to attempt to give my spin on this age-old question and how it pertains to us longtime Maldonians in present day Malden. Before I begin, I must say, without hesitation, that I love Malden of 2022. I am a fi rm believer that we are living in the best of times. Three successive administrations with innovative, highly progressive leaders (Ed Lucey, Richard Howard and Gary Christenson) have transformed Malden into one of the more desirable locations to raise a family and to grow old. Anywhere. With that said, the Malden of my youth... • was fi lled with Little League and Babe Ruth League coaches that were fully invested, fully engaged and lifelong role models • had two movie theaters within walking distance of each other • had educators that cared, who thought “outside the box” and were part of the community • had Donnie Brunelli • had athletic coaches that pushed you to be better, who showed you the fundamentals and took a vested interest in your abilities • like Mr. Grimes, Mr. Pitts, Mr. Patrie, Mr. Covelle, Mr. Adorn and a just back from the Vietnam War Johnny Marsinelli • had an Italian Feast every second weekend in August on Pearl Street since the beginning of time (and still do) • had neighborhood restaurants and pubs where they knew your name and what you drank, and knew what your parents drank also • had a downtown that was safe, accessible, full of life and still quaint • had neighborhoods with distinctive characteristics and characters – with locals marking their territory as the previous generation before them MUSINGS| SEE PAGE 21
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