Menu
RichardHowe.com – Voices from Lowell & Beyond
Elections & Results
See historic Lowell election results and candidate biographies.
Patchett’s newest book: love, loss and identity by Marjorie Arons-Barron
The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons-Barron’s own blog.
Whistler by Ann Patchett is another confirmation of the author’s elegant writing style, her adroitness at weaving narrative threads into a compelling tapestry, and acuity in probing the complexity of human character and emotion. Her stunning use of metaphors and incisive imagery lasts long after the last chapter has ended. It is a gentle story.
A chance meeting at the Metropolitan Museum in New York reconnects Daphne Fuller with Eddie Triplett, the second of her mother’s three husband’s. School teacher Daphne, now in her fifties, has not seen Eddie since she was nine years old, when, in a car he was driving, went over an embankment, threatening both of their lives. As a result of the accident, Daphne’s mother, Abigail, had divorced Eddie. Daphne and Eddie had had a loving relationship, and the reconnection plunges Daphne into the circumstances of the crash. As Whistler evolves, she brings her younger sister, Leda, into contact with him and eventually mother Abigail.
Daphne always assumed that she was responsible for the accident and indeed for the divorce. Like the peeling of an onion, the narrative explores Daphne’s guilt, her relationship with her biological father, a Gloucester fisherman, and even her mother’s newest husband (Daphne’s second stepfather.) Gradually, we learn the dark secret about Eddie – or rather Eddie and Skip, his college roommate – that was the real reason for her mother’s rejection of him.
Why “Whistler?” It all goes back to the snowy night of the accident, as Eddie and Daphne, who had been headed for a blackberry farm to look at the stars, wait to be rescued in her mother’s car, both injured. He tells her a story about a strong and loyal horse named “Whistler,” and how Whistler stayed with his injured owner, Mary, who was lying on the ground on a cold dark night, certain she would die. The horse is a metaphor for caring and courage, and Eddie’s spinning out of the story helped 9-year-old Daphne face what had to be done the night of the accident. The flashback to the accident occurs intermittently throughout the book, as if to undergird the courage it takes the characters to face truths about their past and present. Patchett brings in other reminders: a painting of a horse at the Met and, later, the discovery of a small metal horse from Daphne’s husband’s childhood, all reinforcing the underlying themes of love and caring and loss in these people’s lives. By the second horse reference, I must admit to thinking, Okay, I get it.
This is not a book about great tragedy, nor even piercing conflict. It is self-contained, generally optimistic and well executed. At a time of societal rage and ugliness, a rather lovely book is a welcome read.
L’Etoile – A Star on Prince Street, Chapter 6
Two years ago, Louise Peloquin began sharing excerpts from L’Etoile, a French-language newspaper published in Lowell from 1886 to 1957. At my urging, she has agreed to compile some of her previous posts with added contextual information into a book manuscript to be called, L’Etoile: A Star on Prince Street. Starting this week, Louise will present draft chapters from the book in serial form here on the blog. Today, we have another installment.
****
L’Etoile – A Star on Prince Street, Chapter 6
The Star Shone Through Them
By Louise Peloquin
Chapter 4 describes how the 24-26 Prince Street team worked in unison to put out L’Etoile. Every L’Etoile Publishing Company member has a story worthy of interest. We shall zoom in on four here:
Yvonne Lemaître
Yvonne Lemaître was born in Pierreville Québec in 1877, and came to the United States at the age of ten. She attended public schools and was educated exclusively in English.
Lemaître claimed she wrote mediocre French but her polished pieces proved the contrary. She had the talent and the rare merit to teach herself the language and came to master all of its stylistic difficulties. She said she owed her linguistic prowess to reading and studying the best French authors. Her proficiency in both French and in English served her well during her career.
She debuted her journalism career at L’Etoile in 1902 and her widely-appreciated chronicles were often reproduced in other newspapers.
In 1904, she joined the editorial staff of Lowell’s Courrier-Citizen.
In 1905, she travelled to Europe and sojourned in Paris for some time. She also travelled through Germany and Holland. While abroad, she sent accounts of her experiences to the Courrier-Citizen.
In 1908, she visited England and Scotland and sent her travel memoirs to the same newspaper. Upon her return, she started writing French pieces again.
After seven years at the service of the Courrier-Citizen, she resigned to focus on writing English literary reviews and analyses for publications including the New Yorker and the Smart Set. Hers was the first review of Jack Kerouac’s debut novel The Town and the City. Her piece lauds the young author’s talent, encourages him to pursue writing whilst highlighting his Franco-American heritage.
In May 1911, she settled in Paris as correspondent for large American newspapers such as the Boston Transcript.
When she left the City of Lights, Lemaître was widely appreciated as a newspaper woman and writer. Lowell’s Sunday Telegram published the following about her: “In the departure of Yvonne Lemaître for the field of foreign labor, Lowell’s journalism loses its most brilliant light.”
Mr. Madden, editor-in-chief of the Courrier-Citizen, wrote:
The readers of the Courrier-Citizen, as well as the newspaper’s personnel, will have reason to regret the departure of Miss Yvonne Lemaître. Miss Lemaître, who intends to settle in Paris, was a regular collaborator in our columns for many years, firstly in charge of Franco-American news then contributing many captivating articles on French literature and on topics of art. It is a pleasure to recognize the editors’ appreciation for her admirable work – an appreciation wholly shared by all of the readers of the Courrier-Citizen.
After leaving L’Etoile, Yvonne Lemaître maintained her link with the paper and her former team never missed the opportunity to highlight her writings in its columns as exemplified by the following excerpts from the September 12, 1917 editorial.
Yvonne Lemaître passed away in May 1954 and is buried at Saint Joseph Cemetery, Chelmsford.
[FR] Le patriotisme des Franco-Américains
Mlle. Yvonne Lemaître, femme de lettres distinguée, publiait l’autre jour dans le Transcript de Boston, un écrit très intéressant. ‘Why François fails to fight’ est une analyse, ou plutôt une revue, des événements récents, tant au Canada que dans les centres franco-américains de la Nouvelle-Angleterre, depuis que la conscription a été adoptée dans les deux pays….
Mlle. Lemaître a fait l’effort de se renseigner dans les bureaux d’exemption. Elle a constaté que les Franco-Américains n’ont même pas attendu l’établissement du service militaire obligatoire pour s’enrôler en grand nombre sous le drapeau étoilé. Et depuis, ils ont répondu avec empressement à l’appel du Président. D’après les rapports officiels des bureaux d’examen, les conscriptionnaires franco-américains ont demandé l’exemption en plus petit nombre que n’importe qu’elle autre race étrangère….
Mlle. Lemaître…a pris la population de langue française de Lowell comme type….
Elle écrit, en parlant de la jeunesse franco-américaine:
‘…young people born in les Etats (the States)… insist that they are Americans first, last, all the time….’
(Lemaître continue) ‘Le volontariat et la conscription ont pris un bon nombre de Canadiens français de la Nouvelle-Angleterre à cause de la fécondité de la race, qui est encore chez eux en honneur, différent en cela de leurs cousins de France. Vu le grand nombre d’enfants dans chaque famille, les hommes d’âge militaire sont nombreux. Une famille de Lowell fournit à elle seule cinq conscrits – dont, fait digne de remarque, pas un seul n’invoqua des raisons d’exemption – cinq frères âgés de vingt et un, vingt-trois, vingt-cinq, vingt-sept et vingt-neuf ans respectivement. Une autre famille a quatre fils ayant l’âge militaire, et six autres en ont trois chacune, huit familles franco-américaines fournissant le nombre extraordinaire de vingt-sept conscrits.
’….Les jeunes Franco-Américains de Lowell…se sont, en temps de paix, enrôlés en nombre remarquable dans l’armée, la marine et la garde nationale. Un des officiers de ce dernier corps militaire s’exprimait en ces termes:
Les jeunes Franco-Américains ont toujours fourni un bon appoint à la garde nationale. A l’appel des armes, la réponse de ces mêmes jeunes Franco-Américains fut frappante….
‘Les cinq compagnies de Lowell, de la garde nationale, comptaient un quart de Franco-Américains quand elles furent mobilisées, et beaucoup, d’après un officier, avaient été refusés pour diverses raisons. Une compagnie de la réserve des ingénieurs de chemin de fer composée de cent soixante hommes actuellement en France, occupés à la construction de chemins de fer, a été organisée par un Franco-Américain de Lowell qui tout naturellement rechercha des recrues parmi ses compatriotes qui répondirent en grand nombre. Ce Franco-Américain est le capitaine de la compagnie. Une compagnie de la State Guard est composée exclusivement de French boys, dont l’un en est capitaine. Ces hommes ont dépassé l’âge de 31 ans, et à cause de charges familiales, ils n’auraient pas été acceptés dans l’armée régulière. Des Franco-Américains ont reçu leurs brevets d’officiers après avoir suivi les cours à Plattsburg, N. Y.’
En somme, toute cette première partie de l’étude de Mlle. Lemaître sur le patriotisme des Franco-Américains a été résumée par le Globe de Boston… et a fait le tour de la presse de langue française des Etats-Unis.”
________
[EN] The Patriotism of Franco-Americans
Miss Yvonne Lemaître, distinguished woman of letters, published a very interesting piece in the Boston Transcript the other day. ‘Why François fails to fight’ is an analysis, or rather a review, of the recent events in Canada as well as in New England’s Franco-American centers since enlistment began in the two countries….
Miss Lemaître made the effort to obtain information from exemption bureaux. She observed that Franco-Americans had not even waited for the establishment of obligatory military service to enroll in great number under the Stars and Stripes. And since then, they have eagerly responded to the President’s call. According to the examination bureau official reports, Franco-Americans who enlisted asked for exemptions less than did members of any other ethnic group.
Miss Lemaître… took Lowell’s French-language population as an example….
She writes, speaking about Franco-American youth;
’…young people born in les Etats (the States)… insist that they are Americans first, last and all the time….’
(Lemaître continues) ’Volunteering and the enlistment have taken a considerable number of French-Canadians from New England due to the group’s high birth rate which remains honored and differentiates them from their cousins from France. Given the large number of children in each family, military-age men are numerous. A single Lowell family has five enlisted brothers – age twenty-one, twenty-three, twenty-five, twenty-seven and twenty-nine respectively. And it is fitting to note that not one brought up reasons for exemption. Another family has four military-age sons, and six other families have three. Eight Franco-American families provided the extraordinary number of twenty-seven men.
‘… The young Franco-Americans of Lowell have, in times of peace, enrolled, in remarkable numbers, in the army, the navy and the National Guard…. One officer from the latter expressed himself in these terms:
The young Franco-Americans have always furnished a good complement to the National Guard. To the call to arms, the response of the same young Franco-Americans has been striking….
‘The six National Guard companies of Lowell counted one quarter Franco-Americans when they were mobilized…. One company of railway engineer reserves, made up of one hundred and sixty men presently constructing railways in France, was organized by a Lowell Franco-American looking for recruits among his compatriots. They responded in great number. This Franco-American is the company captain. One company of the State Guard is exclusively made up of French boys whose captain is also one. They are over 31 years old and, because of their family obligations, would not have been accepted in the regular army. Some Franco-Americans received their officer’s certificates after following courses in Plattsburg, N.Y.’
To sum up, this part of Miss Lemaître’s study on the patriotism of Franco-Americans was summarized in the Boston Globe… and has made the rounds of the French-language press in the United States.”
Antoine Clément
Son of Olivier and Angelina (née Vezina) Clément, Antoine was born in Dracut 1902. Recognized as a brilliant student at Lowell’s Saint-Louis-de-France school, he obtained a scholarship for Assumption College in Québec then attended Saint John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts. His fragile state of health prevented him from completing his studies for the priesthood.
On November 15, 1923, he joined L’Etoile as a translator and subsequently became a reporter and a feature writer. In 1942, he was appointed as editor. In 1943, when financial burdens caused by World War II required publication changes, he helped facilitate the newspaper’s transition from a daily into a triweekly.
Clément was editor of L’Etoile until August 17, 1957 when L’Etoile died. He then translated for Nashua’s L’Impartial until its closing in 1964. He worked as translator for the monthly Echo de la CMAC of Lowell which he had founded. He occasionally contributed to L’Action of Manchester, New Hampshire and wrote weekly features for the Travailleur of Worcester. For 30 years, he was a feature writer for L’Union Saint Jean Baptiste d’Amérique.
While pursuing his career as a journalist, Antoine Clément was extremely active in Lowell’s Franco-American organizations such as the “Cercle St. Louis,” which he presided, and the “Club Richelieu.” His tireless work at L’Alliance Française was widely recognized. He served as secretary for 10 years and president for 20 years. He published two volumes on L’Alliance Française and an account of his years as editor.
He was very much involved in La Société Historique Franco-Américaine as its secretary and, from his Centralville home, founded the Bulletin de la SHFA in the 1930’s.
His books and hundreds of articles on “La Cause Franco-Américaine”received national and international recognition. He was decorated by the French government, the Société Historique Franco-Américaine, L’Alliance Française, L’Union Saint Jean Baptiste and L’Association Canado-Américaine.
Antoine Clément is known to be one of the greatest artisans of the 20th century Franco-American community. He passed away on June 14, 1970 and is buried at Saint Joseph Cemetery, Chelmsford.
Clément’s July 3, 1944 editorial in L’Etoile highlighted the courage and commitment of the many Lowellians who served in World War II on the front lines as well as behind the scenes. It was recorded at WLLH as an allocution destined to listeners in France and broadcast on the War Information Office program on July 4:
[FR] La part des Franco-Américains de Lowell dans l’effort de guerre
(Allocution enregistrée à WLLH pour être irradiée demain au programme de l’Office de l’Information de Guerre destiné à la France)
La contribution de la population de langue française de 25,000 à 26,000 âmes de Lowell, Etat du Massachusetts, à 26 milles environ au nord-est de Boston, à l’effort de guerre de la patrie des Etats-Unis, est à peu près identique à celle des nombreux centres franco-américains de la Nouvelle-Angleterre, et elle n’en est pas moins étonnante.
Plus de 3,000 soldats, marins, aviateurs aux champs de bataille aux quatre coins du globe, sans compter nombre de gardes-malades, de WACS, de WAVES et de SPARS. Plusieurs milliers d’artisans de tous genres travaillent à nos usines de guerre locales ou à celles des villes voisines. De nombreuses aides prêtent leurs concours a la fabrication de nécessaires de voyage que la Croix-Rouge donne aux militaires partant pour outre-mer.
Nos clubs ou associations servent périodiquement le déjeuner le dimanche matin aux militaires de passage au USO. Ces mêmes groupes font d’élégantes réceptions aux marins français dont les navires mouillent de temps à autre dans la rade de Boston. Notre population a contribué maintes caisses de vêtements, de médicaments et d’autres comestibles et de divers lots suite aux appels faits pour les malheureux français ou pour leurs prisonniers dans les camps nazis. Elle continue de ramasser des vêtements pour les civils de Grèce et d’Italie, et tantôt ce sera pour la Belgique. Et que dire de nos écoliers qui font la récupération de vieux journaux et périodiques pour répondre à un besoin pressant de papier.
Les nôtres ont prêté généreusement leurs économies aux cinq Emprunts de Guerre jusqu’ici et lors de la campagne franco-américaine pour l’achat de cargos Liberty. Lowell passa au premier rang des villes franco-américaines avec une souscription de plus de $200,000 en obligations de guerre. Notre population a également donné de ses livres français pour le divertissement des marins français à New-York. Et les oeuvres de bienfaisance pour les militaires se multiplient aux fêtes sous la direction des nôtres, aux les cercles de couture et de tricot et dans les foyers où les mères, les soeurs, et les bien-aimées ne manquent pas de confectionner vêtements ou friandises pour les êtres qui leur sont chers sous les drapeaux en pays étrangers. Les tableaux d’honneur en nos temples, salles de réunion ou d’association, les monuments et les parcs à nos militaires vont se multiplier avec les nouveaux départs constants.
En tout ceci ne se fait pas en vain puisque l’aurore de la liberté a planté de nouveau sur le monde civilisé, quand le 6 juin dernier les débarquements du Corps expéditionnaire allié sur les côtes historiques de Normandie nous annonçaient la venue prochaine d’une victoire totale et finale. Ce fut, depuis, jour de prières pour la protection de nos soldats, marins et aviateurs, de supplications au ciel pour que la phase la plus horrible de la guerre soit de courte durée afin que nos fils nous reviennent au plus tôt après avoir vu le tricolore de la France libre claquer de nouveau au vent à côté des étendards des Nations-Unies dans une paix juste et de durée pour l’univers entier.”
________
[EN] The Part of the Lowell Franco-Americans in the War Effort
The contribution of the 25,000 to 26,000 souls in the French-language population of Lowell Massachusetts, about 26 miles north-east of Boston, to the United States homeland war effort is about identical to that of numerous Franco-American centers in New England and it is no less astonishing.
More than 3,000 soldiers, sailors and aviators are on the battlefields in the four corners of the world, without counting numerous nurses and members of the WACS, WAVES and SPARS. Many thousands of artisans of all specialties work to contribute to the war effort in our local or nearby factories. Many aids assist in the fabrication of travel kits the Red Cross gives members of the overseas-bound military.
Our clubs or associations periodically serve Sunday lunches to the members of the military passing through at the USO’s (United Service Organisations, founded on February 4, 1941 to strengthen the Military service members by keeping them connected to family and home).
These very groups organize elegant receptions for the French sailors whose ships anchor from time to time in Boston Harbor. Our population has contributed many crates of clothes, medication and food items in response to the various calls to donate to the needy in France or for prisoners in Nazi camps. Our population continues to gather clothing for civilians in Greece and in Italy and soon for those in Belgium. And what about our schoolchildren who recuperate old newspapers and magazines to respond to the pressing need for paper.
Our population has generously dipped into its savings to contribute to five War Loans up to now and during the Franco-American campaign for the purchase of Liberty cargos. Lowell ranked first among Franco-American cities with a subscription of more than $200,000 in war bonds. Our population has also donated some of its French books to entertain the French sailors in New York. And the acts of charity towards our military are multiplied during the holidays under the supervision of our sewing and knitting circles and in homes where mothers, daughters and beloved do not eschew collecting clothing or treats for loved ones in the armed services in foreign countries.
The honor rolls in our places of worship, in our meeting halls or associations, the monuments and the parks in honor of our military will multiply with the constant new departures.
And all of this is not done in vain since the dawn of liberty has hovered once again over the civilized world when, last June 6th, the Allied Expeditionary Corps landed on the historical coasts of Normandy and announced the coming of a total and final victory. Since then, it has been a day of prayer for the protection of our soldiers, sailors and aviators, supplications to heaven that the most horrible phase of the war may be brief and that our children may return to us as soon as possible after having seen the tricolored flag of a freed France fluttering in the wind next to the banners of the United Nations in a just and sweet peace for the entire universe.
Antoine Clément”
Leo Kerouac
Son of Jean-Baptiste Kerouac and Clémentine Bernier, potato farmers in Saint-Hubert-de-Rivière-du-Loup Québec, Joseph Alcide Léon Kirouack (Leo Kerouac) was born on August 5, 1889. Like many French-Canadians seeking economic opportunity, Leo left his homeland at a young age and headed for New England. He went to live with relatives in Nashua, New Hampshire. There he married Gabrielle-Ange Lévesque in 1915. The couple had three children, Gerard, Caroline (“Nin”) and Jean-Louis (“Ti-Jean,” Jack). After the death of his eldest child at the age of 9, Leo left his Catholic faith and struggled with alcoholism which greatly strained his relationship with Jack.
Gerard’s untimely passing profoundly affected Jack, spurring him to write Visions of Gerard during the first two weeks of 1956 while he was staying with his sister Caroline in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The novel was published in 1963.
Leo found work in the printing trade. His profession inspired his son’s early interest in writing. Before he became Jack, “Ti-Jean” would put together his own newspapers and comics on the floor of the family home. Without a doubt, Jack’s exposure to Leo’s printing and publishing world served to mold his future literary career.
It was at Nashua’s L’Impartial, the French newspaper Louis-A. Biron founded in 1898, that Leo Kerouac learned the printing trade and perfected his professional expertise. There, he mastered his craft. Biron recognized Leo’s talents, appreciated them and decided to put them to use at L’Etoile. And so it was that “Ti-Jean’s” father worked in Lowell’s French newspaper as a linotypist or typesetter. In addition, Biron entrusted the multi-skilled artisan with reporting, writing and translating assignments.
The Kerouac family moved from Nashua to Lowell because Biron requested that Leo bring his skills to 24-26 Prince Street. Jack Kerouac’s Lowell connection was therefore made possible thanks to L’Etoile.
Leo’s career included many other posts. His proficiency led him to open his own print shop, Spotlight Print, in Lowell. The Great Flood of 1936 destroyed the Spotlight building and destabilized the Kerouac family’s financial stability. Spotlight closed in 1937. Leo’s professional activities included managing semi-pro wrestlers, boxers and Pawtucket Social Club bowling lanes. He also briefly worked as an insurance agent.
Study of Jack’s works can lead the reader to understand that the Prince Street stint had left its mark on Leo.
In chapter 14 of Maggie Cassidy, Jack Duluoz conjures up his father Emil:
Smoke whipped from clean chimneys of Lowell. Now at Worthen, Prince and other old mill town streets as my feet shot past I saw the redbrick faded into something cold and rose – unspeeched – throat-choking – My father’s ghost in a grey felt hat walked the dirty snows – ‘Ti Jean t’en rappelle quand Papa travailla pour le Citizen – pour L’Etoile?’ (Remember when your father worked for the Citizen, for the Star?).
(Maggie Cassidy, published by Avon Books, New York, 1959. Quotations from the original edition, copyright 2013 by the Devault-Graves Agency LLC. Memphis, Tennessee. Pages 91-92.)
In chapter 18, Emil Duluoz introduces himself as “a good linotyper with years of experience.” (Page 113).
We formulate a hypothesis about the author’s choice of “Emil” for Jack’s father’s first name in Maggie Cassidy, Visions of Gerard, and Desolation Angels. One of Leo Kerouac’s co-workers was Emile Vandenbulcke who joined L’Etoile’s team as a very young man and whose family lived above the 24-26 Prince Street print shop. The Vandenbulcke’s cultivated a rooftop garden overlooking Little Canada. Emile was one of the numerous young Franco-Americans to enlist in World War II. During his tour of duty abroad, a little flag with a star flew at 24-26 Prince Street indicating that a resident there was serving in the military. Emile returned from the war and L’Etoile welcomed its hero back with open arms.
Our hypothesis is the following: Emile Vandenbulcke inspired Jack Kerouac to choose the name “Emil,” dropping the “e” to anglicize it and/or masculinize it. This is plausible given that Leo and Emile rubbed shoulders daily at L’Etoile. Furthermore, Leo spoke about his work days with his son and family members as the Maggie Cassidy excerpts demonstrate. Jack Kerouac was inspired by the stories his father shared.
While unravelling the threads of Lowell’s past we learn that Jack Kerouac created magical images of his hometown: “What a town when you come to think of it. – Lowell.” (page 115)
And all things Franco-American were part of the magic. Here are a few examples:
Saint Jean Baptiste Church ponderous Chartres Cathedral of the slums.” (page 72)
Some old bums gathering smoking butts at the door of the newspaper room waiting for nine o’clock opening time – past Prince Street.” (page 72)
The French Canadian tenements seen up side streets.” (page 92)
Leo appears in several of Jack’s books – as “Emil Alcide Duluoz” in Visions of Gerard; as “Pop Duluoz” in Doctor Sax, Visions of Cody and Vanity of Duluoz; as “George Martin” in The Town and the City; as “Emil” in Maggie Cassidy and Desolation Angels; as “Pa” in Book of Dreams; as “Charlie Martin” in The Sea is My Brother; as “Joe Martin” in The Haunted Life and Other Writings.
On May 17, 1946, Leo Kerouac died of stomach cancer at the age of 56 in Ozone Park Queens, New York. Before passing, he received Jack’s solemn promise to always look after his wife Gabrielle. And so, unfailingly, Jack did. Leo’s death is poignantly described in The Town and the City.
Leo Kerouac is buried in St. Louis de Gonzague Cemetery, Nashua, New Hampshire.
Marthe Biron Peloquin
Marthe Annette Biron Peloquin, born in Nashua on September 10, 1919, was the youngest daughter of Louis-A. Biron and Marie Thibaudeau.
She worked as a journalist for L’Etoile from 1940 to 1955 and for many French-language and bilingual publications throughout North America. In 1988, she was awarded the «Yvonne Lemaître French Journalism Prize» for her many contributions.
Marthe Biron Peloquin graduated from Lowell’s Saint Joseph’s High School in 1935, obtained her B.A. from Rivier College in 1939 and an M.A. from Rivier in 1986. She received two honorary doctorates, from Assumption College in 1981 and from Rivier in 1989.
In 1950, she married Dr. Laval U. Peloquin, whose whole career took place in Lowell. He was known to make weekly rounds in Little Canada to serve its French-speaking residents gratuitously, a labor of love he considered sacred. He was a board-certified surgeon at Saint Joseph’s Hospital and, forced for health reasons to abandon surgery, became a board-certified radiologist at Saint Joseph’s before passing away in 1976 at the age of 56.
Marthe Biron Peloquin was active on Lowell’s cultural scene. Secretary of the North Middlesex Medical Ladies Auxiliary from 1955 to 1960, she was later appointed to a municipal post on Lowell’s Industrial Commission in 1963. She was a member of the board of directors of the “Caisse Populaire Jeanne d’Arc,” the Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union, from 1970 to 1990, and was also on the Franco-American School board. She was a long-standing member of the “Cercle Jeanne Mance,” a Lowell-based Franco-American women’s club. She was named «Franco-American of the year” in 1979, the first woman thus honored by Lowell’s Franco-American Day Committee.
Her involvement led to recognition outside Lowell and in 1989, she was asked by Governor Michael Dukakis to sit on the board of the Massachusetts Cultural Exchange Commission.
Her steady and selfless involvement in what was her life’s quest: promoting New England’s Franco-American culture and heritage, lead to her being recognized outside of her native region. In 1989, she received the “Palmes Académiques” medal from the Consul General of France. In 1990, she received the medal of “L’Ordre National du Mérite,” an even higher French government distinction. In 1985, Québec Prime Minister René Lévesque, in an official public reception in Québec City, personally named her member of L’Ordre des Francophones d’Amérique for her steadfast work, a rare distinction for an American.
Marthe Biron Peloquin’s outstanding work was done benevolently and selflessly. She was president of the “Société Historique Franco-Américaine” and edited and published numerous bulletins which have their place today in the Boston Public Library.
She was president of the “Fédération Féminine Franco-Américaine” and editor of its Bulletin for 15 years. She was member of the “Comité de Vie Française en Amérique.”
Finally, she was invited on numerous missions all over New England, Louisiana, Québec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and France to speak and run workshops on French-speaking communities in America. She was delegate at the French-speaking communities colloquium held at the University of Lafayette in Louisiana in 1986.
Her entire life was devoted to her family which included all those who were interested in things French whether they be Franco-American origin or not.
Marthe Biron Peloquin passed away on March 12, 2012, and is buried in Saint Joseph Cemetery, Chelmsford.
L’Etoile’s columns encompassed Lowell’s rich cultural scene – films, concerts, conferences, exhibitions, poetry readings, plays and gatherings of all kinds.
As a reporter, Marthe wrote on a great variety of topics. When covering offerings in the arts, her appraisals always included detailed observations. Here is her astute review of a college theater group production of a French seventeenth-century classic by Molière (1622-1673) which appeared on the front page of the December 1, 1949, edition of L’Etoile:
[FR] A la salle Saint-Joseph, du vrai théâtre français
Les collégiens de l’Assomption font revivre avec art et finesse ‘Le Malade Imaginaire’ de Molière et piquent, de plus, le sens esthétique des francophiles de la région.
Le Cercle Dramatique du Collège de l’Assomption de Worcester, Mass. A fait à la population de Lowell l’énorme compliment de lui présenter une comédie de Molière hier soir et sa confiance n’a pas été trompée puisque ‘Le Malade Imaginaire’ a fait salle comble en l’occurence. Un auditoire d’une grande diversité, composé de distingués membres du clergé, de professeurs de plusieurs communautés religieuses, de professeurs laïcs, d’élèves, de gens de toutes les sphères, se piquent d’apprécier une belle pièce, ou encore simplement d’aimer les choses françaises, reconnut, dès la première scène, la maîtrise incontestable des acteurs et le rayon sympathique s’établit immédiatement de part et d’autre.
Le succès total de la pièce tient à plusieurs causes. Mentionnons d’abord la qualité de la comédie sans entreprendre le panégyrique d’un des plus perspicaces psychologues que la France ait jamais produit. Décor satisfaisant et costumes exactes, choix judicieux des vedettes aux point de vue apparence, tempérament, voix et diction; la pénétration des rôles qui ne saurait être que le produit d’une direction vibrante et éclairée et d’une culture générale édifiée de longue main.
L’hypochondriaque classique, le malade imaginaire, l’Argan pitoyable qui doit tant souffrir avant de palper les réalités de son existence, n’aurait pu trouver un plus fidèle interprète qu’Alfred Leblanc dont les muscles faciaux, par je ne sais quel truc de maquillage, avaient pris le descendant. Les yeux roulant dans leurs cernes, la voix vacillante, le geste capricieux, l’attitude voûtée colorée par une chemise de nuit des plus maladives, un kimono bariolé, de bonnet de nuit ceinturé de vert, tout correspondait parfaitement à l’image de Molière. Mais, dans cette image, rien de laborieux, rien de fixe. Argan est d’une flexibilité surprenante. De patient soumis et résigné, d’époux assujetti et dupé, de père autoritaire et dur, il se transforme graduellement, sous le coup des événements, en homme indigné, mari révolté et en père tendre et sympathique grâce aux intrigues de son inestimable domestique, la brillante et audacieuse Toinette. Albert Bouley personnifiait fort intelligemment ce bout-en-train de femme si riche en idées, si vive d’exécution, qui vient à bout de rassembler tous les fils échappés d’une situation bouleversante.
Joseph Loiselle et Jean Martin, dans les rôles importants de Béline, seconde femme d’Argan, et Angélique, fille d’Argan et amante de Cléante, firent également sensation, ne se laissant que très peu handicapés par la difficulté de jouer des rôles féminins. Béline, physionomie d’ange masquant un coeur hideux, faisait une seconde femme dodue, caressante et à la voix roucoulante, comme celle d’un pigeon à ses heures, mais aussi une belle-mère marâtre. Angélique, très gentille et fort gracieuse de sa personne, attifée en robe blue et chevelure blonde, était vibrante de toutes les émotions pouvant traverser le coeur d’une toute jeune fille et pouvant échapper au coeur d’un jeune homme. La gravité de la voix pouvait s’oublier pour qui concentrait sur le sens visuel et offrait quand même un contraste avec celle de son soupirant, Cléante, doué d’un baryton profond, et d’un physique à faire envie du plus joli prince charmant. Chez le Cléante de Claude Jourdain, toute la galanterie et le charme du dix-septième siècle avec ses perruques à couettes, vestons à jabot et culottes courtes, reprennent vie et c’est avec une énorme satisfaction que l’auditoire les voit triomphalement vaincre toutes les difficultés dans son amour pour Angélique.
Roger Lepoutre, fort aristocratique d’allure et de diction, tenait le rôle secondaire, mais influent tout de même, de Béralde, le frère dévoué qui se mêle de débarrasser Argan de ses plus offensantes lubies. Jolie fillette et rusée comme ses aînés, Louison (R. Baudet) ajoutait la note enfantine à la pièce tandis que Monsieur Bonnefoy, notaire, était représenté avec justesse par Gérard Pagé.
Les personnages les plus ridiculisés par Molière dans son ‘Malade Imaginaire’ sont ceux précisément qui cherchent à son époque à abuser la naïveté du commun des mortels. La stupidité humaine est donc portée à son comble par Monsieur Diafoirus, médecin, joué par Claude Dufault, et davantage par son fils Thomas Diafoirus (R. Bouvier), fraîchement agréé par la faculté de médecine de Paris et affichant un monstrueux diplôme enrubanné afin de faire grande impression sur la belle Angélique dont il veut la main. Bouvier, s’oublie complètement dans sa bêtise, prend toutes les allures d’un moron emouraché qui récite fidèlement de mémoire des phrases toutes faites à qui veut prêter l’oreille. Il provoque le rire délirant et suscite une répugnance explicable pour l’instruction de mauvais aloi, la demi-science dont Molière faisait si souvent son profit.
Monsieur Purgent, médecin d’Argan (Lawrence Richard) et Monsieur Fleurant, apothicaire (Gérard Pagé), sont excellents personnages et complètent une distribution très réussie.
Le R. P. Yves Garon, a.a., directeur du Cercle Dramatique de l’Assomption, le grand responsable de la perfection de la présentation d’hier, offrit des explications intéressantes de la pièce, avant chaque acte et le Dr. Raoul Drapeau, M.D., président du comité d’anciens élèves, patronnait la représentation locale, dit une brève bienvenue, quelques paroles d’appréciation sur le beau travail culturel qui se fait à l’Assomption, et remercie les gens d’avoir si bien répondu à l’invitation de voir du beau, du vrai théâtre français dont ils peuvent retirer plus de plaisir, en fin de compte, que des pièces de vulgarité inacceptable.
Le Dr. Drapeau recevait, pour l’organisation d’hier, l’appui du Dr. Laval-U. Peloquin, M.D., trésorier; Louis-A. Biron fils, publiciste; Maître Gérald-H. Bouvier; Dr. Walter Drapeau, Paul Phaneuf; Dr. Joseph-F. Montminy; Dr. Germain Bouchard, M.D.; Robert-H. Achin; Frédérick Achin; Dollard Lambert; François Bourret; Alfred Dion; André Bertrand; Maître Paul Foisy; George Normandin; Pete Lingual; Stanislas Paquin; Raymond Vigneault; Wilfred Beauregard; Amédée Guimond et Maître Paul Achin.
Après la représentation, le comité d’anciens et d’amis de L’Assomption, avec leurs compagnes, reçurent les acteurs et quelques-uns de leurs professeurs à dîner au Beaverbrook Country Club à Dracut. Les Révérends Pères Germain Guénette, a.a., et Anselme Morrison, a.a., ce dernier originaire de Lowell, accompagnaient les membres de la distribution. –
Marthe-A. Biron
________
[EN] At Saint Joseph Hall, Real French theater
Assumption College students artistically revive Molière’s ‘The Imaginary Invalid’ with finesse and, in addition, pique the aesthetic sense of the region’s francophiles.
Last night, the Assumption College Worcester Drama Club offered Lowell’s Franco-American population the great compliment of presenting a comedy by Molière. The audience’s confidence was not mislead since ‘The Imaginary Invalid’ drew in a full house in this case. A greatly diverse audience, made up of clergy members, professors from many religious communities, lay professors, students and people from all walks of life were eager to appreciate a beautiful play or simply to enjoy things French. From the very first scene, the audience recognized the undeniable mastery of the actors and a pleasant atmosphere was immediately established on both sides.
The total success of the play is due to many factors. Without entering into the tribute to one of the most perspicacious psychologists that France has ever produced, let us first of all mention the quality of the comedy. The decor was satisfactory and the costumes appropriate; the judicious choice of actors, as far as appearance, temperament, voice and diction are concerned; the perfect assimilation of the roles, can only be due to vibrant and enlightened directing and to well-established and organized general culture.
The classic hypochondriac, the imaginary invalid, the pitiful Argan who must suffer so much before grasping the realities of his existence, could not have found a more faithful interpreter than Alfred Leblanc whose facial muscles, by makeup tricks unbeknownst to me, had become droopy. Eyes rolling in their sockets, shaky voice, erratic gestures, stooped posture, added to a sickly-looking nightgown, a striped kimono, a green-ribboned night bonnet, everything corresponded perfectly to Molière’s image. But in this image nothing was labored, nothing set. Argan is surprisingly flexible. From a submissive and resigned patient, a subjected and duped spouse, a hard and authoritarian father, he transforms himself gradually in successive scenes from indignant man, revolted husband and tender sympathetic father, because of the intrigues of his priceless servant, brilliant and audacious Toinette. Very intelligently, Albert Bouley personified this live wire, extremely bright, woman so rich in ideas whose lively execution manages to assemble all of the missing threads of an overwhelming situation.
Joseph Loiselle and Jean Martin, in the important roles of Argan’s second wife Béline, and Argan’s daughter Angélique who is in love with Cléante, were also sensational and were very little handicapped playing women’s roles. Béline, whose angelic appearance masks a hideous heart, made a plump second wife with a caressing, cooing voice, like that of a pigeon at times, but also made a wicked stepmother. Angélique, very nice and extremely graceful in a blue dress and blonde hair, was vibrant with all of the emotions crossing a very young girl’s heart and escaping that of a young man. The actor’s voice could be ignored for an attendee concentrating on the visual aspect. It was nevertheless in contrast to that of the suitor, Cléante, gifted with a deep barytone and a physique to trigger the envy of the most handsome of charming princes. Claude Jourdain, imbued with seventeenth-century gallantry and charm, brought Cléante to life wearing pigtailed wigs, vests with jabots and short trousers. It was with enormous satisfaction that the audience saw Cléante overcome all of the difficulties of his love for Angélique.
Roger Lepoutre, with a very aristocratic allure and diction, played the secondary but nevertheless influential role of Béralde, the devoted brother who gets involved in ridding Argan of his most offensive whims. Pretty young girl and sly like her elders, Louison (R. Beaudet) added the childish note to the play while Monsieur Bonnefoy, the notary, was played with accuracy by Gérard Pagé.
Molière’s most ridiculed characters in ‘The Imaginary Invalid’ are precisely those who, at the playwright’s epoch, took advantage of people’s common naïveté. Human stupidity is therefore brought to its peak by Monsieur Diafoirus, the doctor, played by Claude Dufault, and even more so by his son Thomas Diafoirus (R. Bouvier), freshly graduated from the university of Paris medical school and holding a monstrously large, ribboned diploma in order to impress the fair Angélique whose hand he wishes to win. Bouvier forgets himself completely in his folly, takes on all of the behavior of a moron in love who faithfully recites from memory the ready-made phrases to whomever wishes to lend him an ear. He provokes delirious laughter, and solicits an understandable repugnance for bad instruction, the half-science Molière often used to his profit.
Monsieur Purgent, Argan’s doctor (Lawrence Richard) and Monsieur Fleurant, apothecary (Gérard Pagé) are excellent characters and completed the very successful casting.
Reverend Father Yves Garon, a.a., director of Assumption’s Drama Club, responsible for the perfection of yesterday’s performance, offered interesting explanations of the play before each act. Doctor Raoul Drapeau, M.D., president of the alumni committee sponsoring the local performance, gave a few words of welcome, a few words of appreciation for the beautiful cultural work done at Assumption and thanked the audience for having responded so well to the invitation to attend beautiful, real French theater from which more pleasure can be had than from vulgar unacceptable plays.
Yesterday, for the organization of the event, Dr. Drapeau received the backing of Dr. Laval-U. Peloquin, treasurer; Louis-A. Biron Jr., publicist; Attorney Gérald-H. Bouvier; Dr. Walter Drapeau; Paul Phaneuf; Dr. Joseph-F. Montminy; Dr. Germain Bouchard, M.D.; Robert-H. Achin; Frédérick Achin; Dollard Lambert; François Bourret; Alfred Dion; André Bertrand; Attorney Paul Foisy; George Normandin; Pete Lingual; Stanislas Paquin; Raymond Vigneault; Wilfred Beauregard; Amédée Guimond and Attorney Paul Achin.
After the performance, the alumni committee and friends of Assumption, along with their companions, received the actors and several of their professors to dinner at Beaverbrook Country Club in Dracut. Reverend Fathers Germain Guénette, a.a., and Anselme Morisson, a.a. from Lowell, accompanied the cast members. – Marthe-A. Biron
A stunning Japanese fiction writer talked music with brilliant maestro Seiji Ozawa by Marjorie Arons-Barron
The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons-Barron’s own blog.
Absolutely on Music: Conversations is a gift to classical music lovers and a perfect book to read as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, having successfully resolved its contract negotiations, prepares to start its 146th season. The book comprises the recordings of a series of conversations between late BSO music director Seiji Ozawa and best-selling Japanese fiction writer Haruki Murakami. The conversations were held after Seiji’s surgery for esophageal cancer, a time when he was unable to conduct.
Murakami, whose short stories have recently captivated me, is quite learned about both jazz and classical music. The book evolved after he had gone to observe the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy, an annual project in Kyoto. The two continued their conversation afterward at a local bar and, at the suggestion of Seiji’s daughter Seira, decided to record a series of discussions. We are so blessed that the two followed her idea.
They listen to and critique different concerti and symphonies and identify the time markings of the parts of the pieces they are discussing. They note the differences in the same piece under different conductors (except perhaps for the Vienna or Berlin Philharmonic, where Seiji describes the German sound no matter who wields the baton). They also compare youthful to more mature recordings by the same conductor. Given Ozawa’s 29 years with the BSO, much attention is paid to the special quality of that orchestra. (Full disclosure: I have been on the board of advisors for more than three decades, but I keep learning more with every concert, and this book furthered by understanding immeasurably.)
The discussion prompted me to play Brahms First Symphony and Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, and I listened with new ears, wondering which tempo and dynamics were dictated by the score and which were the players and conductors’ interpretations. They also explore uniquely Eastern ways of playing Western music. (Here is Seiji conducting the Seito Keinin Orchestra in Japan with Mitsuko Uchida playing the Beethoven.)
When they discuss the roles of conductor and soloist in a concerto (and the question of ‘who is the boss’), Murakami and Ozawa talk about the dispute between Bernstein’s unprecedented introduction to pianist Glenn Gould’s interpretation of Brahms Piano Concerto no. 1 with the New York Philharmonic. Bernstein and Gould were at odds and made an unprecedented speech to the audience explaining why he didn’t pass off the baton to an assistant conductor. I found a recording of his speech, which I can share with you here.
There is a deep dive into Leonard Bernstein’s popularization of Gustav Mahler, and the energy and intuition that the composer and New York Phil music director brought to Mahler and his highly innovative approaches to traditional composition. We learn more about sustained phrasing, the sound of a blended orchestra versus one in which the component players are communicating with each other in a conversation. Ozawa opines that with Mahler the instruments are often “talking” simultaneously rather than in a dialogue.
Seiji and Murakami discuss the workload of a music director, starting with artistic programming. I was startled to learn that Ozawa had worked for half a century with a William Bernell, a San Francisco programmer, deciding what pieces to perform (even when the conductor was in Boston). They explored the responsibilities for choosing guest conductors and soloists, orchestra member personnel decisions, teaching and training of musicians. They reflect on the complementarity of the symphonic repertory and opera. Their conversations get down to the fine points of violinists’ bowing and oboists’ breathing.
Murakami posits that, for a writer, listening to music improves his style and that, by improving his writing style, he improves his ability to listen to music. “No one,” he says, “is going to read what you write unless it’s got rhythm.”
The back-and-forth conversations over a two-year period leave any lover of literature and music with head spinning and immense gratitude that so many of their references to scores and performances can be found on YouTube. Seiji Ozawa died in 2024, but it can easily be said that, beyond his recorded legacy, he has been kept even more alive by Haruki Murakami. Musicians and non-musicians will both find much to embrace in Absolutely on Music: Conversations.
Lowell Politics: Lowell in Congress
There was no Lowell City Council meeting this week so in today’s newsletter I’ll write about some Lowell political history, specifically our representatives in Congress since 1960.
1960 – F. Bradford Morse – Republican Edith Nourse Rogers had represented Lowell’s Congressional District since 1925. When she died on September 10, 1960, her name was already printed on the ballot for the Republican Primary which was held just three days later. However, F. Bradford Morse, who had been a Lowell City Councilor but more recently had been a senior official in the Veterans Administration in Washington, mounted a successful write-in campaign and became the Republican nominee. In the November election, Morse (123,161) defeated Democrat William C. Madden of Lawrence (102,765).
1962 – F. Bradford Morse – Republican incumbent F. Bradford Morse defeated Democratic challenger Thomas J. Lane of Lawrence.
1964 – F. Bradford Morse – Republican incumbent F. Bradford Morse (137,735) defeated Democratic challenger George W Arvanitis of Lawrence (74,133). In the Democratic Primary, Arvanitis defeated Andrew L. Benson of Melrose and David G. Bloch of Billerica. In the Republican Primary, Morse was unopposed.
1966 – F. Bradford Morse – Republican incumbent F. Bradford Morse defeated Charles N. Tsapatsaris of Lowell.
1968 – F. Bradford Morse – Republican incumbent F. Bradford Morse defeated Robert Maguire. Both were unopposed in their respective primaries.
1970 – F. Bradford Morse – Republican incumbent F. Bradford Morse (116,666) defeated Democrat Richard Williams (67,646). Neither was opposed in their respective primaries.
1972 – Paul W. Cronin – In May 1972, incumbent F. Bradford Morse resigned from Congress when President Richard Nixon appointed him Under Secretary General for Political and General Assembly Affairs at the United Nations. In the general election, Republican Paul W. Cronin of Andover (110,970) defeated Democrat John F. Kerry of Lowell (92,847). In the Democratic Primary, Kerry defeated eight other candidates:
- John F. Kerry – 20,771
- Paul J. Sheehy – 15,641
- Anthony R. DiFruscia – 12,222
- John J. Desmond – 10,213
- Robert B. Kennedy – 5,632
- Frederick J. Finnegan – 2,558
- Glenn M. Cooper – 2,282
- Daniel P. Kiley Jr. – 2,221
- Helen Gilbride Droney – 2,124
In the Republican Primary, Cronin prevailed over three others:
- Paul W. Cronin – 10,812
- Ellen A. Sampson – 4,330
- Armand Morissette – 2,486
- George P. Macheras – 790
1974 – Paul E. Tsongas – In the general election, Democrat Paul E. Tsongas (99,518) defeated Republican incumbent Paul W. Cronin (64,596). In Democratic Primary, Tsongas (45,655) defeated William C. Madden (17,215). Cronin was unopposed in the Republican Primary.
1976 – Paul E. Tsongas – In the general election, Democratic incumbent Paul E. Tsongas (144,217) defeated Republican Roger P. Durkin (70,036). Neither was opposed in their respective primaries.
1978 – James M. Shannon – Democratic incumbent Paul E. Tsongas ran for the U.S. Senate which left an open Congressional seat. In the general election, Democrat James M. Shannon (90,256) defeated Republican John J. Buckley III (48,685) and Independent James J. Gaffney III (33,835). In the Republican Primary, Buckley (11,772) defeated Nicholas D. Rizzo (9,881). In the Democratic Primary, Shannon defeated five other candidates:
- James M. Shannon – 18,529
- Raymond F. Rourke – 17,743
- Robert F. Hatem – 16,359
- John E. Markey – 14,046
- Michael A. McLaughlin – 12,644
- Ronald A. Burba – 3,524
1980 – James M. Shannon – In the general election, Democratic incumbent James M. Shannon (136,7580) defeated Republican William C. Sawyer (70,547). In the Democratic Primary, Shannon (41,207) defeated Robert F. Hatem (34,573). In the Republican Primary, Sawyer was unopposed.
1982 – James M. Shannon – In the general election, Democratic incumbent James M. Shannon (140,177) defeated Libertarian Angelo L. Laudani (25,224). Shannon was unopposed in the Democratic Primary.
1984 – Chester G. Atkins – Democratic incumbent James M. Shannon ran for U.S. Senate which left an open Congressional seat. In the general election, Democrat Chester G. Atkins (120,008) defeated Republican Gregory S. Hyatt (104,912). In the Democratic primary, Atkins (43,538) defeated Philip L. Shea (38,737). In the Republican primary, Hyatt (16,148) defeated Thomas Tierney (11,449).
1986 – Chester G. Atkins – Democratic incumbent Chester G. Atkins was unopposed in the general election and in the primary.
1988 – Chester G. Atkins – Democratic incumbent Chester G. Atkins was unopposed in the general election and in the primary.
1990 – Chester G. Atkins – In the general election, Democratic incumbent Chester G. Atkins (110,232) defeated Republican John McGovern (101,017). Atkins was unopposed in the Democratic primary. In the Republican Primary, McGovern (26,940) defeated Doral T. Coleman (14,548).
1992 – Martin T. Meehan – In the general election, Democrat Martin T. Meehan (133,844) defeated Republican Paul W. Cronin (96,206). In the Democratic Primary, Meehan (50,300) defeated incumbent Chester G. Atkins (26,855). In the Republican Primary, Cronin (11,545) defeated Michael Conway (10,249).
1994 – Martin T. Meehan – In the general election, Democratic incumbent Martin T. Meehan (140,725) defeated Republican David E. Coleman (60,734). In the Democratic Primary, Meehan (35,739) defeated Thomas J. Quinn (10,978). In the Republican Primary, Coleman was unopposed.
1996 – Martin T. Meehan – In the general election, Democratic incumbent Martin T. Meehan was unopposed. In the Democratic Primary, Meehan (23,405) defeated Patrick Raymond (4,156).
1998 – Martin T. Meehan – In the general election, Democratic incumbent Martin T. Meehan (127,418) defeated Republican David E. Coleman (52,725). Both candidates were unopposed in their respective primaries.
2000 – Martin T. Meehan – In the general election, Democratic incumbent Martin T. Meehan was unopposed. In the Democratic Primary, Meehan (16,394) defeated Thomas P. Tierney (4,253) and Joseph F. Osbaldeston (1,687).
2002 – Martin T. Meehan – In the general election, Democratic incumbent Martin T. Meehan (122,562) defeated Republican Charles F. McCarthy (69,337) and Libertarian Ilana Freedman (11,729). Both Meehan and McCarthy were unopposed in their respective primaries.
2004 – Martin T. Meehan – In the general election, Democratic incumbent Martin T. Meehan (179,652) defeated Thomas P. Tierney (88,232). Neither faced opposition in their respective primaries.
2006 – Martin T. Meehan – Democratic incumbent Martin T. Meehan was unopposed in the general election and in the primary.
2007 – Nicola S. Tsongas – Democratic incumbent Martin T. Meehan resigned from Congress in March 2007 after being named Chancellor of University of Massachusetts Lowell. In the special election held to fill the seat, Democrat Nicola S. Tsongas (54,359) defeated Republican Jim Ogonowski (47,782), and unenrolled candidates Patrick O. Murphy (2,175) and Kurt Hayes (1,126). In the Special Republican Primary, Ogonowski (12,022) defeated Thomas P. Tierney (1,471). In the Special Democratic Primary, Tsongas defeated four other candidates:
- Nicola S. Tsongas – 19,821
- Eileen M. Donoghue – 17,385
- James B. Eldridge – 8,042
- Barry R. Finegold – 6,999
- James R. Miceli – 3,297
2008 – Nicola S. Tsongas – Democratic incumbent Nicola S. Tsongas was unopposed in the general election and in the primary.
2010 – Nicola S. Tsongas – In the general election, Democratic incumbent Nicola S. Tsongas (122,858) defeated Republican Jonathan A. Golnik (94,646) and unenrolled candidates Dale E. Brown (4,387) and Robert M. Clark (1,991). In the Democratic Primary, Tsongas was unopposed. In the Republican Primary, Golnik (11,384) defeated Sam S. Meas (7,601), Thomas J. M. Weaver (6,143), and Robert L. Shapiro (4,351).
2012 – Nicola S. Tsongas – In the general election, Democratic incumbent Nicola S. Tsongas (180,928) defeated Republican Jonathan A. Golnik (91,559). Neither had opposition in their respective primaries.
2014 – Nicola S. Tsongas – Democratic incumbent Nicola S. Tsongas (139,104) defeated Republican Roseann Wofford (81,638). Neither faced opposition in their respective primaries.
2016 – Nicola S. Tsongas – In the general election, Democratic incumbent Nicola S. Tsongas (236,713) defeated Republican Ann Wofford (107,519). Both were unopposed in their respective primaries.
2018 – Lori Loureiro Trahan – Democratic incumbent Nicola S. Tsongas did not seek reelection which left an open seat. In the general election, Democrat Lori Loureiro Trahan (173,175) defeated Republican Rick Green (93,445) and unenrolled candidate Michael P. Mullen (12,572). In the Republican Primary, Green was unopposed. In the Democratic Primary, Trahan defeated nine other candidates:
- Lori Loureiro Trahan – 18,580
- Daniel Arrigg Koh – 18,435
- Barbara A. L’Italien – 13,018
- Juana B. Matias – 12,993
- Rufus Gifford – 12,873
- Alexandra E. Chandler – 4,846
- Beej Das – 1,492
- Jeffrey D. Ballinger – 1,381
- Bopha Malone – 1,365
- Leonard H. Golder – 584
2020 – Lori Loureiro Trahan – Democratic incumbent Lori Loureiro Trahan was unopposed in the general election and in the primary.
2022 – Lori Loureiro Trahan – In the general election, Democratic incumbent Lori Trahan (154,496) defeated Republican challenger Dean Tran (88,585). Both were unopposed in their respective primaries.
2024 – Lori Loureiro Trahan – Democratic incumbent Lori Trahan was unopposed in the general election and in the primary.
2026 – The 2026 state election will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. For the office Representative in Congress, Democratic incumbent Lori Trahan is being challenged by Republican Gary Grossi of Acton, and unenrolled candidate Dennis Conlon of Hudson.
****
This week in my Seen & Heard column, I commented on a New York Times article about home title theft; noted another Times article about two people who are trying to save old filmstrips from destruction; commented on the obituary of Gloria Steinem; reviewed the book Two Lives, One Russia by Nicholas Danilov; and recommended the YouTube channel, Moodi Foodi Berlin, which is about street food vendors in Berlin, Germany.
****
Here’s some info on some Lowell Walks I’ll be leading this fall:
Saturday, September 26 & Sunday, September 27, 2026, both at 10am – Walking tour of Lowell Cemetery. The tour takes 90 minutes and begins at the Lawrence Street entrance to the cemetery. It is free and requires no registration. The same tour is offered on both days.
Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 10am – “Secrets of Lowell Cemetery” tour which is part of the of the Poe in Lowell Festival. Edgar Allan Poe came to Lowell at least three times to lecture but also to spend time with a female friend who is buried in Lowell Cemetery. Learn their story and the stories of others involved in their orbit. This tour is free and begins at the Knapp Avenue entrance of the cemetery (77 Knapp Avenue).