Author Archive

We need you! – (PIP #31) By Louise Peloquin      We’ve met three young locals – Raymond Marcouillier, Aimé Martin and Paul Blanchette – who served in the armed forces during World War II. (1) On the home front, where were civilians working? The following advertisements give us examples of job…

Two weeks ago the Lowell City Council rebuffed an effort to revisit the 1989 court order that continues to control how students are assigned to the Lowell Public Schools. In my coverage of that meeting, I suggested some historical context of that court order might be of interest to readers.…

Charlie Gargiulo’s memoir, Legends of Little Canada, captures life in Lowell’s “Little Canada” and the trauma experienced by its residents when their homes were demolished by Urban Renewal. Legends is available from Loom Press. In a serialized sequel to Legends, Charlie is sharing some stories about his beloved Uncle Arthur.…

“Over there in the Pacific” – (PIP #30) By Louise Peloquin After the World War II reports on soldier Raymond Marcouillier (1) and seaman first class Aimé Martin (2), here is one on seaman first class Paul Blanchette. After the war, Paul Blanchette worked as civil agent in the City of Lowell postal…

No single issue dominated Tuesday’s Lowell City Council meeting although several items deserve mention. The Lowell Public Schools came up several times, most notably when Superintendent of Schools Liam Skinner appeared to answer questions about a batch of “bad bills” the Council was being asked to ratify. For several years…

Medal of Honor Citation: George Charrette – Spanish American War – US Navy. In connection with the sinking of the U.S.S. Merrimac at the entrance to the harbor of Santiago de Cuba, 2 June 1898. Despite heavy fire from the Spanish batteries, Charette displayed extraordinary heroism throughout this operation. The…

A Rescue at Sea – (PIP #29) By Louise Peloquin A young seaman from Lowell shares one of his World War II experiences. L’Etoile – December 1, 1944 Description of a rescue at sea by a Lowellian _________ Seaman first class Aimé Martin witnesses an unforgettable scene. –  The English…

Tuesday’s Lowell City Council meeting was dominated by the debate on a motion jointly filed by Councilor Kim Scott and Mayor Dan Rourke requesting “the Council, through the Mayor, bring forward a motion requesting the School Committee to begin the process of vacating the consent decree to accommodate changing of…

Yesterday I posted a review of the Apple TV series, “Masters of the Air” a drama about US Army Air Force aviators flying B-17 heavy bombers over occupied Europe during World War II. Many men from Lowell served in the USAAF during the war and endured experiences much like those…