In Sunday’s Lowell Sun-Nancye Tuttle  interview with author Al Alcorn, we learn of his journey from England where he was born – to Ireland where he and his brother stayed with his grandfather after the death of their parents – to Chelmsford where they came to live with foster parents on a “hardscrabble dairy farm.”  Keith Academy, Harvard and marriage to his grammar-school sweetheart followed along with a career in journalism, teaching and finally mystery writing. Read the full story here.

At Keith Academy Al Alcorn played football and was by all accounts a football star. In a photo accompanying the SUN article, Alcorn is pictured with the starting offensive team that played in the 1959 football season. Some of these players were on the team when Keith beat Lowell High in 1957 – one of only three times this happened. Clearly Al Alcorn is the player wearing #33. Can you identify any of the other ten players? A few hints – one was named in a previous richardhowe.com blog post earlier this month… another is a retired Lowell educator… another is a Lowell czar… another played for North Texas State.. the rest is up to you! If you don’t have the Sunday Sun with the “courtesy” photo of the team, pull the names from your sports memory card! Please share.