THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, October 4, 2019 Page 17 MEMORY | from page 1 “These men who are buried here and served their country cannot speak for themselves,” VFW Post 2346 Commander James Marshall said of the 25 Civil War soldiers and sailors buried in the plot. “Therefore, on behalf of them, I would like to thank Gordon Shepard for his selfl ess dedication to ensure they would have a beautiful place to rest and pay tribute for their sacrifice to our country.” “If they could stand right now, they would salute him. But they can’t, so I will on their behalf,” he said. The National Organization of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War honored Shepard with the organization’s 2019 Founder’s Award for his outstanding service in the memory of Union Civil War Soldiers. It was the group’s only award for the year. Shepard’s name will also be added to a permanent plaque maintained at the National Headquarters of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War in Harrisburg, Pa. “As humble as a man could be” Saugus Veterans Council Chairman Steve Castinetti told Shepard “You have done a hell of a job.” “I always want to give Gordie highest honor that can be bestowed upon somebody who is not a member of the Sons. “This is beautiful,” Norris said, as he walked inside the plot, admiring the restoration work. “I wish all towns would do it. I wish all towns would have a person like Gordon to come out and do stuff like this,” he said. It all began with a sunken A TRIBUTE BANNER: A sign outside of Saugus VFW Post 2346 welcomes the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War and Gordon Shepard. some recognition at the cemetery on Memorial Day when we do our ceremony. And low and behold, he can’t be found anywhere,” Castinetti said. “He’s not one of those who looks for recognition or looks for rewards, but he certainly deserves everything we’re giving him today,” he said. State Rep. Donald Wong (R9th Essex) presented Shepard with a citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives, which recognized his receipt of the Founder’s Award. “We have to remember all the veterans from the past, present and future, because they’re the ones who give us the life we have today,” Wong said. Saugus Historical Society President Laura Eisener hailed Shepard’s work as representing “the true spirit of the Grand Army of the Republic.” SOUNDS | from page 10 If you haven’t seen the video, this one is required viewing for Saugus registered voters. Just google “The Point Media and Linda Gaieski” and make up your own mind whether this is any way for parents to be treated. My eyes tell me it’s no way for the public to be treated. Another chance to hear old Saugus School Buildings story For those folks who missed last Saturday’s PowerPoint presentation of Saugus school buildings hosted by the Saugus Historical Association, you have another chance to check it out. This just in from Laura Eisener, president of the Saugus Historical Society: “At the Saugus Historical Society, Wednesday evening October 9, the Saugus Historical Commission is presenting a talk & power point presentation of pictures of school buildings & class pictures over the years. The presentation begins with one-room schools and progresses through the proud history of each and every school in the Town, those still existing today and those long gone. As soon as 2021 there will only be 3 remaining schools in Saugus. Steve Carlson, National Park Ranger at Charlestown Navy Yard and a member of the Saugus Historical Commission, will provide an introduction. Jean Swanson, Saugus Historical Commission member and chair of 2015’s 200th Anniversary Committee, and “Many people who have gone to attend the graves of their loved ones have noticed how beautiful the cemetery looks as a result of the work he’s done,” Eisener said. Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta called Shepard “a wonderful man … as humble as a man could be …” “I’m here because of my love and everybody else’s love for Gordon Shepard,” she said. “I really appreciate everything you do for the veterans of Saugus, for our community and the United States of America,” Panetta said. “When they say a man is a good man, you are a good man. You are the best.” In an interview after the ceremony, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Commanderin-Chief Edward J. Norris said that only one Founder’s Award is given yearly and that it is the Marilyn Carlson, who was the longtime Vice Chair of the Saugus Historical Commission and a former Saugus teacher, will each present portions of the program. This is a great opportunity for long-time Saugonians and those just passing through to have a chance to look back – and forward! – at school days in Saugus. “For those who might be befuddled by the diff erence between the Historical Society and the Historical Commission (and it’s easy to see why this often happens), we can quote the Historical Commission’s own website: “The Saugus Historical Commission, established under Section 8d of Chapter 40 of the Massachusetts General Laws, is the offi cial Town body charged with the identifi cation of properties and sites in the Town of historical signifi cance and is the principal advisor to the Town on matters relating to historic preservation. “The Saugus Historical Society is a private, non-profi t organization dedicated to the preservation of local history through collecting and exhibiting artifacts on local history, publishing booklets on historical topics, and holding public programs on historical themes. “The meeting begins at 7 PM at 30 Main Street, across from the old Center School (shown in the attached photo). Saugus Historical Society will also have on display in the meeting room a few photos and artifacts from our archives relating to Saugus schools, including the typewriter history teacher Dick Provenzano used to write his popular newspaper column about Saugus history. Light refreshments will be served. It is free and open to the public, whether or not you are a Saugus resident or a member of the Saugus Historical Society.” Families and fi re prevention The Saugus Fire Department invites local families to a free Open House on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Families will learn about fi re prevention and participate in fi re safety activities. The program will highlight the National Fire Protection Association’s theme: “Protect Your Family From Fire.” It’s a great way for families to familiarize themselves with fi re safety, household fi re hazards and things they can do to make their homes safer. It’s also a great way to teach kids about fi re safety. Papa Gino’s will provide free pizza and children’s fi re safety coloring sheets at the Open House. The fi rst 100 children will receive a child’s Fire Hat! Kids will also get to meet a special guest, Sparky the Fire Dog. For more information about the Saugus Fire Department Open House, call Captain James Hughes or Captain Scott Phelan at 781-941-1170. North Shore Computer Society meets Oct. 10 Saugus’s Eric Brown, the webmaster stone at a friend’s gravesite. Norris read a speech about Shepard’s “decades of work in restoring and maintaining the veterans’ graves here in Riverside Cemetery, particularly, for his work in restoring the General Edward Winslow Hincks Post 95 Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Veterans Burial Plot.” Norris noted that Shepard was initially drawn to Riverside Cemetery to visit the gravesite of his old childhood friend – Richard “Dicky” Devine, Jr. – a fellow Vietnam War veteran who was killed in combat in January of 1969. Shepard continued to make frequent visits to his buddy’s grave. “As the years passed, Mr. Shepard notice that his friend’s head stone was beginning to sink into the ground,” Norris said. “He looked at the one beside it and it bore the name of another hero killed during the war. Someone else’s family or friend member. It had been partially covered with grass and creator of Saugus.net, will give a presentation on “Creating Ghostly Interactive Fiction” at the next meeting of the North Shore Computer Society, which is set for 7 p.m. on Oct. 10 in the McCarthy Auditorium at the Peabody Municipal Light Plant (201 Warren St. Extension in Peabody). Learn what interactive fi ction is, where to get it and how to use your computer for some social fun. The North Shore Computer Society is a 25-year-old nonprofi t educational organization that helps people learn about computers and technology. For more information, go to www. northshorecomputer.org, email a message to info@northshorecomputer.org or call 978-977-2618. Oct. 23 A Candidate’s night slated for Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE) will sponsor a forum for candidates for the Board of Selectmen on Wednesday, Oct. 23, starting at 7 p.m. at the Saugus Town Hall Auditorium (298 Central St.). Doors will be open to the public at 6:30 p.m. for this free event. As in the past, SAVE provides this public service forum for candidates for the Board of Selectmen so that each candidate can share their views of the critical environmental issues facing Saugus. The event will also be televised in order to reach as many residents as possible. Candidates’ invitations will be sent out on or shortly after Sept. 20. SAVE and dirt … As Mr. Shepard surveyed the cemetery, he noticed that many of the headstones and plaques bearing the names of his fellow soldiers were in disrepair.” At that point, Shepard went on a mission to clean and straighten out Devine’s gravestone and then the one beside it. Then he kept going, doing as many as he could over the course of numerous volunteer hours. “As the years went on, Mr. Shepard had restored 400 gravesites belonging to veterans,” Norris said. Eventually, Shepard began his Civil War Burial Plot restoration project in 2015. “The plaques in the Grand Army of the Republic Plot were in very bad shape. Some were sunk into the ground and almost all of them were unreadable,” Norris said. “Thank Gordon Shepard for all of his tireless service for all of these fallen veterans,” he said. When Shepard accepted the award, he did what he always does: defl ect the credit from himself and praised someone else. Shepard said he got a lot of help in restoring the Civil War Burial Plot, particularly from Nick Milo of the Saugus Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2346, Dave DeFilippo of Woodlawn Memorials, and Cemetery Department employees Tim Fawcett and Andy DePatto. hopes the public will plan to attend this informative event. For more information about SAVE, please contact Ann at adevlin@aisle10. net. You can also visit SAVE’s websites at http://www.saugus.org/SAVE or http://www.SaugusSAVE.org and follow the link to SAVE’s Facebook group. Public hearing on Wheelabrator plan set for Oct. 15 The state Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has issued a draft approval to Wheelabrator Saugus, Inc., on its pending application to update its existing Emission Control Plan (ECP). Meanwhile, the agency has scheduled a public hearing at the Saugus High School at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15 to give the public a chance to comment before the plan is adopted. The highly technical 31-page draft released by MassDEP provides emission and compliance schedules for the control of certain pollutants emitted from the Wheelabrator trash-to-energy plant on Route 107. People who don’t plan on attending the public hearing may submit written comments directly to MassDEP. The public comment period closes at 5 p.m. on Oct. 16. Written comments may be submitted to wheelabratorsaugus.massdep@mass.gov. Citizens can also mail written comments to Edward J. Braczyk, Permit Chief, MassDEPNortheast Regional Offi ce, 205B Lowell St., Wilmington, MA 01887.
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