On June 5th, 1944, one day prior to the largest seaborne invasion in history, General Dwight D. Eisenhower penned a brief, potent letter. With great trepidation and acceptance of the burden of leadership, Eisenhower composed a note that would only see the light of day if the D-Day invasion failed.…
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Remembering D-Day which took place 79 years ago today. On June 6, 1944, a pivotal event unfolded on the shores of Normandy, France, forever altering the course of World War II. D-Day, also known as Operation Overlord, was the largest amphibious assault in history, initiated by the Allied forces to…
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Earlier today I traveled to UMass Lowell’s South Campus for a program presented by the school’s Saab Center for Portuguese Studies. “North of Boston: The Portugues American Experience Beyond the Hub”, included presentations by academics and researchers from Lowell, Somerville, and Portugal. I was among the speakers. I promoted the…
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Sunday, June 18: 12:00 pm Mass in French honoring St. Jean Baptiste. (French/English worship aid provided.) At Immaculate Conception Church, 144 E. Merrimack St., Lowell, MA. Light refreshments and naming of the Greater-Lowell Franco-American of the Year will follow in downstairs church hall. (Stair-free access on Fayette St. for upper-church…
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Boarding School Blues: Ch. 58 By Louise Peloquin Ch. 58: Peeps & Twinkies “Spit it out PF, not your teeth, but what happened at home. We missed ya. Weird past couple of days around here. Got extra recreation time, got to blab in study hall and, to top it all…
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While doing historical tours of downtown, I’ve often said that Lowell was the Silicon Valley of 19th century America. Back on September 16 & 17, 2017, I provided some evidence for that assertion during the Creaticity Art and Maker Festival in Downtown Lowell when I joined with Olu Ibrahim, the…
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In a reversal of roles two weekends ago, I became a tour attendee rather than the tour giver when I experienced the Boston/Cambridge Innovation Trail. Inspired by the well-known Freedom Trail, the Innovation Trail is a grassroots initiative consisting of 21 stops beginning at Downtown Crossing in Boston and ending…
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A Lowell Evolution By Steve O’Connor “I can’t wait to get the f*** out of Lowell.” How many times did I hear those words spoken in the smoke-filled bars of my youth? How many times did I say them myself? Even then I saw the setting sun that spread roses…
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Butterscotch Caviar By David Daniel In his younger days my cousin Curt traveled widely and he’d tell amusing stories of his adventures. He always had fond names for people and things. Like his high school girlfriend, for whom he carried a torch for years. Apparently (this was before they split…
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