THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, July 31, 2020 ~THE ADVOCATE ASKS~ Page 3 Saugus’s new Director of Public Health, John Fralick, discusses key legacies of his life and career Q: It looks like wrestling has been a huge part of your life for many years. A: Wrestling has taught me so many diff erent things. It’s been said that once you’ve wrestled, everything in life is easy. It teaches you a lot about discipline. It teaches you a lot about setting goals. It’s like a self-bullying protection program that teaches you how to protect yourself. The sport itself teaches you so many great things – the camaraderie it gives you, the self-confi dence it builds. If you can call yourself a wrestler, it’s a title that demands respect. I owe a lot of my successes in life to being a ~ HOURS ~ Open 7 Days a Week Monday thru Sunday KEEPING A FAMILY LEGACY GOING: Eight months ago, Saugus Director of Public Health John Fralick III’s wife, Chelsea, gave birth to twins – a boy and a girl. They named them Madelyn and John IV. (Saugus Advocate photos by Mark E. Vogler) Editor’s Note: For this week, we sat down with John Fralick III, who began work this month as the town’s new director of public health. We asked him about how wrestling helped shape his personal and professional life, the infl uence of his dad on his chosen career, the people named “John” in his family, why he came to Saugus in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the challenges the town faces in its battle against the Coronavirus. Fralick is a 2003 graduate of Woburn High School, where he excelled as a three-sports athlete: wrestling, football and lacrosse. He made a name for himself as a wrestler, captaining the Woburn High team and eventually being inducted in the school’s sports Hall of Fame (2018). He continued to wrestle at Bridgewater State University, where he graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Health. He was the wrestling team’s captain during 2005-07 and ranked sixth nationally during his senior year. He continues his ties to the sport as a coach with the Woburn Youth Wrestling Program. It was during his days at Bridgewater that he decided to follow in his dad’s footsteps. John Fralick, Jr. has been health director at the City of Woburn for 33 years. Before coming to Saugus, John served a decade as health director at the Town of Stoneham before accepting the Saugus job. He and his wife, Chelsea, live in Wilmington and have been married since 2017. Eight months ago, Chelsea gave birth to twins: Madelyn and John IV. Highlights of this week’s interview follow. part of that sport. It defi nitely was a blessing. Q: How did you get involved in the health fi eld? What was the turning point as far as getting you involved into the health fi eld as a professional? A: When I was at Bridgewater, it was a question of selecting a major…and nobody knows what they want to do when they fi rst get there. My mother was a teacher. My father was in the health fi eld in terms of public health. He’s been the director of Public Health in Woburn for 33 years. Q: And he’s still there? A: Oh yeah. It was a question of whether or not at the end of my sophomore year I knew what I was going to do, and whether I wanted to declare a major; it was a question of what I wanted to do. Originally it was maybe I would be a health teacher or just be a teacher in general. I like history. I like Spanish. So, I started playing around with that idea. I got some secondary ed courses and was looking into what I would need for my licensure. Towards the end of my junior year, I started shifting and I declared in health and minored in music. And I really started to play around with the idea ASKS | SEE PAGE 4 * Breakfast * Lunch * Take-Out WE ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS! INDOOR SEATING & OUTDOOR DINING We Practice Safe Social Distancing & Cleaning 325 Main St., Saugus * (781) 558-2070 irontownsaugus.com
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