THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, NOVEMbEr 21, 2025 Page 13 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus We are just six days away from Thanksgiving, one of three popular American holidays that string together the final six weeks of the year. Six weeks might seem like a long time. But with so many holiday-related activities between now and the rest of the year, this period seems to breeze by much too quickly. Saugus, like every other community in America, will soon be hitting the busiest times of the year – times for family and friends to share good times, friendship and fellowship as we await a new year. Enjoy the time you spend with family, relatives and friends as the year 2025 winds down. A library tribute to Tom Sheehan Anyone who walks around in the main lobby of the Saugus Public Library between now and Dec. 5 will get a chance to see and embrace the spirit of the late Tom Sheehan, the proud Saugonian who dedicated his retirement to writing books – many of them about the place he called home. Sheehan, who passed away at age 97 on Oct. 16, wrote more than 50 books – many of them about Saugus and many of them available for residents to borrow from the library for their leisurely reading. Last week, the library paid a special tribute to Sheehan by putting them on a display table in the main lobby. “Mr. Sheehan was a prolific writer and a proud Saugonian through and through,” Saugus Public Library Director Alan Thibeault said this week. “It’s only fitting that we prominently feature his works here in his hometown library,” he said. Sheehan had a burning passion for writing from his teenage days as a Saugus High School student in the Class of 1947, where he loved to write poetry. He was a Korean War Veteran who served two years in the U.S. Army, discharging as a staff sergeant. After the service, Sheehan finished his bachelor’s degree at Boston College before spending three decades writing company policies at Raytheon in North Andover and raisA TRIBUTE TO TOM SHEEHAN: A collection of books authored by the late Tom Sheehan will be on display in the main lobby of the Saugus Public Library through Dec. 5. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) ing a family. But when he really got into his writing, he went on to write more than 50 books and still had more writing projects in the works at the time of his death. He was versatile in his prime as a writer, penning poetry, personal essays, local history and novels – love stories, war stories and even Westerns. Sheehan’s days of writing are over, but his spirit lives on at the Saugus Public Library. If you are headed to the library this weekend to grab some reading material, check out the Tom Sheehan book collection for something to take home. This week’s “Shout Outs” We received a few recommendations from our readers this week for Saugus residents to be recognized for contributing to the betterment of Saugus. From Janice Jarosz, a frequent contributor to The Saugus Advocate: “A shout out to the Saugus Fire Department concerning a recent incident last Friday evening at the MEG building. We had just begun greeting many of the visitors who were hoping to view all the Christmas trees. But, as they came through the door, the smell of gas seemed to be coming in from somewhere outside. “National Grid was working on installing a new gas meter, and something must have gone wrong so, we all evacuated the building, called the fire department and within minutes they were on the scene. “It took another hour for the repair, and all the while those handsome firefighters kept their watchful eyes on the progress and stayed until the area was safe. How lucky we all are to have such a fine Fire Department!” From Precinct 6 Town Meeting Member Jeanie Bartolo: “A big ‘Shout Out’ to three Saugus Fire Fighters who recently received promotions: Lieutenant Matt Fowler, Temporary Lieutenant Nick Landry and Temporary Lieutenant Frank Raimo. Congratulations!” From Selectman Frank Federico: “Our town is so lucky to have volunteers like Chris Howe. He has done so much to take this program to the next level.” Federico was one of a dozen readers to comment on the Advocate Newspapers Facebook page in response to last week’s article about the success of the Saugus Youth and Rec Girls Basketball program since Howe took over as the program director two years ago. (Please see SAUGUS’ MOST PROLIFIC BOOK AUTHOR: It’s been said by local historians that nobody wrote more published words about Saugus than the late Tom Sheehan, who wrote more than 50 books before passing away last month at age 97. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) “A surging Saugus sport” in the Nov. 14 edition of The Saugus Advocate). Seventy-eight readers indicated that they either loved or liked the article. From John Benoit, president of the Saugus Babe Ruth League and the Saugus Little League, who offered a multi “shout out” to several people who contributed to the successful revival of Babe Ruth League baseball in Saugus: “After a 10+ year hiatus, we have brought Babe Ruth baseball back to Saugus! This fall, we had 15 boys between the ages of 12-15 years old play together on the same Saugus Babe Ruth team and they made a big splash!! They went 7-3 on the season and won the fall championship game against Peabody! Big thanks to Bob Davis who helped make the World Series park available for them to play on and kept the field well groomed for this next generation of ball players. Also, a shout out to Old School for helping our boys look sharp on the baseball field with the fitted caps and making a snazzy logo celebrating Sachem pride!” Want to “Shout Out” a fellow Saugonian? This is an opportunity for our paper’s readers to single out – in a brief mention – remarkable acts or achievements by Saugus residents or an act of kindness or a nice gesture. Just send an email (mvogeatcomcast.net) with a mention in the subject line of “An Extra Shout Out.” No more than a paragraph; anything longer might lend itself to a story and/or a photo. Saugus United Parish Food Pantry The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry is open today (Friday, Nov. 21) from 9:30-11 a.m. at 50 Essex St. in the basement of Cliftondale Congregational Church. The food pantry welcomes all neighbors facing food insecurity on Friday mornings. Volunteers are also welcome. Please call the Food Pantry Office (781-233-2663) or go to the website (cliftondalecc.org) for details. Festival of Trees continues this weekend at The MEG The second weekend of the 15th Annual Festival of Trees begins today (Friday, Nov. 21) from 3 to 8 p.m. at The MEG Building (54-58 Essex St., Saugus). Visit the historic building; enjoy some holiday refreshment THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 15
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