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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, September 13, 2019 Page 5 Phoebe Hernandez joins East Boston Savings Bank as Residential Loan Officer E ast Boston Savings Bank (EBSB) announced the appointment of Phoebe Hernandez as Residential Lending Officer. Phoebe specializes in originating mortgages and refinancing for Saugus and surrounding communities. Phoebe is a current Saugus resident. Her professional career began at Bank of Boston, in Winthrop, Mass. For over 20 years she has taken upon different roles in retail banking and deposit operations at Fleet Boston Financial in Boston and Bank of America in ASKS | from page 2 a war zone. It looked like Berlin in World War II … buildings blown up, on fire … things upside down, covered in dust, windows blown out of stores and desolate, nobody around for blocks and blocks. And I’ve spent a long time in New York over my lifetime, and you don’t see a situation where there’s nobody on the street – but you did back then. Q: Did you get to go into St. Paul’s Chapel, the church near Ground Zero that miraculously survived? A: No. We didn’t go in, but we were in the street around it. That became an unofficial memorial. What really touched me in the days following that – all the photos and messages that people left on the fence around the church. People were looking for loved ones; they didn’t know whether they were dead or alive, or transported to a hospital. All those letters – that was one of the things that stuck with me. Q: So, prior to September 11, 2001, you had applied to the New York City Fire Department. A: Yes, I did, myself and a few friends, back in our late teens or early 20’s; I went down and I took the entrance exam. I believe I was a Saugus firefighter at the time, so I believe it was post-1991. I don’t know the exact year, but I’m guessing it was ’92 or ’93. I mailed in my application and got a letter back from the City of New York saying I had been accepted for the exam, so I drove down for the weekend and took the written test. I passed the written exam and they invited me back for the physical. I did well and I passed it, but I was at a slight disadvantage, because at the time I was not a New York City resident. They give preference to the people from New York, which is understandable, and I agree with that. So I was on the West Newton. Recently, she was an Assistant Vice President/Branch Manager at Eastern Bank in Saugus. Phoebe is an alumnus of The Partnership, Inc., Conexión’s Advancing Latino Leadership program and the New England School for Financial Studies (Babson College) Bank Executive program. She has been very active in the Saugus community and looks forward to continuing her participation. Phoebe was a member of the Saugus Rotary Club from 2009-2017. During her tenure list to get hired. They had hired a lot of firefighters ahead of me, and the list expired right before they got to the group where I was, so I never got hired. Q: But a couple of your friends got hired? A: Yeah, a couple of my friends got hired, and a good friend of mine – his name was Gerard Dewan – Jerry Dewan; he was from Peabody. We used to hang around when we were teenagers … he used to come and visit me when I was a dispatcher. He used to come by, drink coffee and we’d hang out a bit. Before I was a firefighter, we used to say, “Man, wouldn’t it be great to get on a fire department in a big city like Boston or something like that, or even New York.” I said I was planning on taking the exam and giving it a shot. To make a long story short, we both took the test. I think he may have taken it more times than I did. I took it once. They never got to me. I got hired in Saugus. I was happy. I had young children; I didn’t want to uproot them and move to New York City. I said, “You know what – I’m so fortunate that I got hired in the town that I grew up in. I like this and I’m not going to try to go somewhere else.” But he didn’t have a family at the time, so he took it [the exam] again, and eventually he got hired. Q: And he was one of the victims. A: He was one of the victims. He was a firefighter on Ladder 3 in Manhattan. He and his crew died on September 11. … When we were young, we aspired to be firefighters. I always remember Jerry. Every time I go down to New York and go by a monument or a plaque that has the names, I always go and look for his name. I just give it a little rub every time I go down [to New York]. Q: And you thought of him today? A: Oh, absolutely – absolutewith the club, she was a board member and took on the leadership role of Vice President of the club. Phoebe speaks English and Spanish fluently. She looks forward to her new role as a Residential Lending Officer and is ready to assist you with your lending needs. Phoebe is working out of EBSB’s Saugus Center Office and can be reached at 857-5241052 or phernandez@ebsb.com. Founded in 1848, EBSB is a Phoebe Hernandez East Boston Savings Bank Residential Loan Officer ly. I thought of him last night. On social media, everybody starts posting pictures of this guy and that guy. Here we go again, it’s Year 18. Q: Any other firefighters that you knew who were victims at the World Trade Center? A: Remotely – Jerry was probably my deepest connection to that day. Q: Did you know he was already gone when you went down to New York a couple of days after September 11? A: No. I had no idea that he was working that day. I know that there were some guys who were on vacation; they were New York City firefighters on vacation with their families and they couldn’t get back to help. I can’t imagine not knowing whether your crew was dead or alive and you can’t get there to help. Q: So, how long was it before you learned your friend had passed? ASKS | SEE PAGE 7 proven community bank that offers products and services that meet the deposit and financing needs of both consumers and businesses. EBSB currently operates 38 full-service branches and operates a Mobile Banking Unit in the greater Boston metropolitan area and offers a variety of deposit and loan products to individuals and businesses located in its primary market, which consists of Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk and Suffolk Counties. Start Your Weekend at the Marina Dance Party! Friday, September 13 at 9 PM Dance to all the Hits of Yesterday & Today! DJ JUSTIN Saturday, September 14 at 9 PM From Techno, House & Everything Else! DJ LOGIK MONDAY'S SHUCK! $1.00 Oysters SUNDAY BRUNCH BUFFET Only $19.95 / 11am-2pm Featuring Al Whitney Jazz Band BOOK YOUR NEXT FUNCTION WITH US * GIFT CARDS AMPLE FREE www.marinaatthewharf.com 543 North Shore Rd. Revere 781-629-3798 PARKING AMAZING WATER VIEWS

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