U.S. Navy image The USS Constitution was one of the original six frigates of the United States Navy, commissioned by the Naval Act of 1794. “Old Ironsides” was the nickname given to this 18th century frigate during the War of 1812 after its naval battle with the HMS Guerriere. In 1830…
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Web photo courtesy of catseye-marble.zip I was out early with Ringo the dog this morning, before 6 a.m., and the thick grass on the South Common and flawless sky over Lowell were of such pure color that I began thinking about the bright cat’s-eye glassies that I collected and played…
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Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, second from right, has been a leader in challenging top officers in the military to take action to reduce the number of sexual assaults on women in the army, navy, marines, and air force. Today’s NYTimes includes an article about how women in Congress are demanding that…
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Composer and singer Carole King visited Lowell last weekend to express her support for Congressman Ed Markey in his campaign to win election to the US Senate from Massachusetts. She says she is especially grateful for his support of public policy that addresses the impact of global warming. I was…
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Today at 1 pm and tomorrow at 10 am (that’s Friday and Saturday), we’ll have our last two spring 2013 tours of Lowell Cemetery. Back on Friday, May 17 we had 75 people attend and the next day there were more than 90, so the tours remain popular. This weekend’s…
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Following is an excerpt from my manuscript for the book “Mill Power: Reclaiming Lowell’s Place and Story,” which I wrote for the National Park Service in 2011-12. The book covers the years 1966 to 2012, documenting the origin and impact of the national park in Lowell in the context of…
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I spent most of the 1960s as a preteen living at 505 Wilder Street on a block that had the Morey School at one end (corner of Pine and Wilder) and Lavoie’s Dairy at the other (corner of Shaw and Wilder). The dairy was a fascinating place. Each morning, its…
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On this day – May 29, 1917 – John F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts to Joseph and Rose (Fitzgerald) Kennedy. John Fitzgerald “Jack” Kennedy – often referred to by his initials JFK – was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963.…
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This past weekend I attended the Memorial Day Services hosted by the Greater Lowell Veteran’s Council on Saturday. Events begin at the Ladd and Whitney Monument in front of City Hall where each of the member groups of the Veteran’s Council step forward and read the names of their members…
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This past Saturday, my wife and I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of Alice Louise Hubbell and Samir Mahesh Shah at the West Parish Church in Andover, Mass. We’ve known Alice for many years because she is the daughter of my friend and colleague Mary Lou Hubbell of…
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