Author Archive

Ken Olsen, RIP

Today’s Globe carries the obituary of Ken Olsen, the founder of Digital. I never met Olsen and never worked at DEC, but the story reminded me of the glory days of the computer industry in Massachusetts in the 1980s with Digital and Wang serving as the global leaders in that…

Read More »

Blowellians v Townies

Growing up in Lowell in the 1960s and 70s, all of my contemporaries had as a goal to move out of Lowell as quickly as possible. Most did. I felt a similar urge but after four years away at college and another four in the US Army, I realized that…

Read More »

Scenes from Winterfest

I was downtown on Saturday morning and checked out the entries in the snowman making competition on JFK Plaza. Above is the entry from the JG Pyne Arts School; below is the one from the Butler. This walk through was the closest I’ve ever come to attending a Winterfest event…

Read More »

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church

The first Byzantine styled Greek Orthodox church in America Holy Trinity was designed by Lowell Architect Henry L. Rourke and was influenced by Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Completed in 1908, the exterior was refurbished in 2010-11. The scaffolding was just recently removed. (Photos and text by Tony Sampas)

Read More »

Up on the roof

On the roof, it’s peaceful as can be . . . James Taylor never experienced ice dams. Through the years I’ve become an expert on these frustrating winter constructions. For the uninitiated, ice dams occur when the snow on your roof melts from the bottom due to the space beneath…

Read More »