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THE REVERE ADVOCATE–Friday, October 4 , 2019 Page 23 Len Piazza, a real hometown guy L By Carol Tye en Piazza is a real hometown boy. Born on July 28, 1927, in the Revere Hospital, he went to three Revere schools: the Shurtleff, the McKinley, and Revere High School, from which he graduated in 1945. In the ’45 yearbook, he is described as “wearing sharp socks, tall and willowy, a good worker, always on the go, one of the comics in the class, and a great man with the ladies!” Len hasn’t changed all that much in his 92 years. Like so many others of his “greatest generation,” Len entered the service (the U. S. Navy) immediately after graduation. After basic training as a firefighter, he assisted in the commissioning of the USS Leyte, which was then our largest aircraft carrier, with a crew of 5,000. Although he loved traveling to Cuba and passing through the Panama Canal to Peru and Chile – especially because everyone loved Americans then, he was happy to be honorably discharged in 1948. Len returned to his parents’ house at 148 Warren St., where he received his bonus of $20 a week for one year. (He gave his mother $10 and kept $10 for himself.) His first job lasted only one day. When he came home from the East Boston shipyard with holes burned in his clothes, his mother (on the advice of a neighbor) sent him to Dewey Square to the Acme Steel Company. To his interview he wore a white wool jacket and bright blue pants, and he was hired as a shipping clerk at $39 per week. Throughout his 16 years of employment there, the company KINGSTON | FROM PAGE 13 Revere Municipal Employees Federal Credit Union for the last 19 years with the last 11 serving as the manager/treasurer. My employment has afforded me the opportunity to work with teachers and other school staff each and every day, helping them with their financial needs. This has granted me the unique ability to see what goes on in the schools. This valuable time has afforded me the opportunity to see what we need to do to help the children and all those involved in the Revere Public Schools. I spearheaded the opening of a branch of the Credit Union at Revere High School. This has brought some degree of financial literacy to the over 2300 students and staff in the building. It is common for me to go to RHS advisories to talk to the students about financial literaed through all the departments. At the time that the company was bought out by Mobil Oil, he was managing $3,000,000 in accounts. The business from which Len would retire in 1992 was Bicknell and Fuller Corrugated Container Company. There he received continual recognition for his success in design, sales and customer service. His contribution to the success of the company resulted in his being named vice president of sales. Sadly, Len’s beloved wife, Len Piazza recognized his talent and work ethic, moving him up the ranks and sending him traveling all over New England to train employees at other sites. We all know that Lennie is very social. On a night in 1949, when he accompanied his cousin Josephine to a party, he was particularly attracted to a redheaded girl. So he joined with three guys from Broadway to take four girls, all telephone operators from Beachmont, home in a cab. And he was thrilled to get the telephone number of that redhead, Shirley Young. They were married in 1950; their reception was at the old General Edwards Inn, and they moved into the first floor apartment at 177 Bellingham Ave., where they raised their daughter, Deborah Ann, and their son, Robert Leonard. When Acme Steel moved to Philadelphia, Len applied to the Container Corporation of America, then located in Medford. This time he wore a blue suit to the interview. Once again his talent and work ethic resulted in his being continually promotcy and how to be prepared for their financial futures. Financial literacy will be required to graduate in the coming years as the State adds it to the curriculum. Dedication and hard work are important to me, aside from all I do for my city, I still work a part time union job. I am a proud and loyal member of UFCW Local 1445. My union affiliation has taught me the value of working together to achieve a common goal. The common goal I look forward to the most is working for the children of Revere. This work will include building a new Revere High School to prepare our children for 21st century careers. We must work together to ensure that each student has every opportunity to reach their potential. Thank for your time and I hope you consider me for one of your six votes. If you have any questions or Shirley, passed in 1996. Len remained the caretaker for Shirley’s aunt for many years. He still lives at 177 Bellingham Ave., the house in which Deborah and Robert were raised. In his retirement years, Len is a civic activist. The list of his contributions to our community include the Children’s Charity of the Beachmont VFW, the Beachmont Summer’s End Barbecue to benefit MDA, the Revere Historical Society, which as president for three years he shepherded through extremely hard times, the Rumney Marsh Burying Ground (rebuild and Bocce Tournament), the Beachmont Improvement Committee and the Knights of Columbus. He is also an usher at the Immaculate Conception Church. In all these endeavors, Leonard is an active participant. He is still motivated by a strong work ethic to use his talents to serve his/our community. With us today to celebrate Lennie’s life are his daughter, Deborah Sullivan, who came down from Maine, and his son, Robert, from Lynn; his granddaughter, Caitlin, is home taking care of her two little boys. concerns, please feel free to email me. JohnKingston4Revere@ gmail.com Mayor announces repairs completed at Senior Center; proposes $250,000 for future maintenance and repairs Special to The Advocate M ayor Brian Arrigo on Thursday announced the completion of a number of repairs made to the RossettiCowan Senior Center. His office will also undertake a needs assessment for potential further renovations. Mayor Arrigo will propose earmarking $250,000 of future capital funding for repairs and maintenance. “When we were notified of some infrastructure issues in our senior center we took immediate action,” Mayor Arrigo said. “Our seniors deserve the best and we won’t allow maintenance issues like these to be kicked down the line.” Completed repairs included repairs to the elevator, water pumps and other electrical and sanitary corrections, including: • Solidifying hydraulic guidelines and correcting elevator operational issues • Installation of a new sump pump, electrical outlet and dedicated electrical line to remove water and prevent future issues • Cleaning of the basement floor to remove water, stains and debris and allow easy access • Removal of older, out of use electrical panels, junction boxes and other electrical components • Collection and removal of trash and junk

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