Published for the employees and retirees of Boston Gas 1987/Vol. 57, No. 9 Gas Lines November 1987 The Rainbow Tank is sweet sixteen-Hollywood's calling! Thousands of commuters saw it for footage and interviews. And, bright, promising future for Bos much has been said about the being repainted every day, all the word came from Hollywood ton Gas and its employees. rainbow. As with any work of summer long. Dozens of phone that a movie would be made. Boston Gas has the unique op art, the pros and cons are a matter calls were received from an Tinseltown was finally ready for portunity to renew and regenerate of personal opinion. No one can interested public. National and our "Rainbow." our promise for the future every deny, however, that it took for local news media inquired on a Why all the interest? There's five years, when we brighten the ward-thinking and progressive regular basis. Television crews nothing new about the rainbow. Boston skyline by refurbishing leadership on the part of our and reporters scrambled to the top Surely, they were not interested in and repainting the rainbow tank. company officials to make the the 20 workers hanging from Much has been written and (continued on page 2.) scaffolding 140 feet in the air, the 2,000 gallons of paint used, the First Class fantastically bright colors, or that Bostongas U. S. Postage it is the largest copyrighted work One Beacon Street PAID of art in the world. Boston, MA 02108 Boston, MA Certainly, there is a passing Permit No. 71 interest in all of these factors, but the real interest is in what the artist i# felt when the design was con ceived—hope. To the late Corita Kent, her rainbow was a symbol of hope for a bright future for the City. Her rainbow over Boston began a new era in the City which is still evident all around us. Boston has grown into a vital, modern, ever-growing metropolis emulated by cities across the Two stars-Eva Marie Saint and country. In 1971, as today, our rainbow tank. Corita's rainbow represented a BOSTON GAS HISTORY
1822 - 1972
\ '.-TV '"Y r H/ y\ .1822-1972. M^I &;«. >. 4a^l.-..,J
Beginning with this issue of Gas Lines, in commemoration of the 150th did resemble the "smoke" Sir Walter y Anniversary of the founding of Boston Gas, a series of articles will outlineJ Scott ridiculed. In addition, some of the history of the gas industry in Boston and the history of the Boston Gas the promoters made such extravagant Company. This information is based on historical documents, old newspaper statements that they added to public articles and writings of historical significance found in the company archives. distrust of the product. The first installment deals with the use of gas in European cities during the For example, Frederick A. Winsor, early 1800's, prior to its introduction to Boston. a noted pioneer in the field, exhibited such optimism that he unhesitatingly In the year 1822 Boston, finally been greeted so favorably in the cities promised gas could be used for "tan abandoning its town meeting, was char of Europe. In 1803, Sir Walter Scott, ning skins" and "smoking bacons and tered as a city and, in July of that the novelist and poet, wrote a friend, hams." As to using gas for illumina year, gas lights first glowed within the "There is a madman proposing to light tion, Winsor exclaimed, "gas illumina precincts of the newborn municipality. London with smoke!" Phillipe Lebon, tions may be carried on to the utmost The history of Boston's life and growth the first French inventor to enter the extent of beauty, a flame which will as a city parallels the story of gas and field, went bankrupt from the free show play in all forms, submit to instant its remarkable success in Boston, mak he gave Parisians in 1801 when he lit changes, ascend in columns to the ing 1972 the sesquicentennial celebra the apartments and gardens of a hotel clouds, descend in showers from the tion year of both the City of Boston with gas. Napoleon himself called the trees and arise from the water." When and Boston Gas Company. whole affair "une grande folic." Nine all London was afraid of being poi When Bostonians caught their first teen years passed before gas gained a soned by the poorly purified gas, Win glimpse of "inflammable air," as gas firm footing in the French capital. sor contended that a day would come was then called, they had no notion Many of the troubles encountered by when people would cut small holes whatsoever of the influence the new early promoters of gas were due largely in their gas pipes, "for the express •-Uluminant was destined to have on the to the poor quality of the first gas pro purpose of having the advantage of in ^ture. But history suggests that the duced. There was such a lack of tech haling continually the gas, which is the first appearance of gas met at once nology in the pioneer years—particu favorable thing imaginable for the with an admiring gaze and a "good larly in the process of purification— health." public" in Boston. This reception was that some of the gas used in London Bostonians had to wait another gen significant because gas had not always eration before they could see the grandeur of gaslight. The work done RAINBOW CONTEST by William Murdock, the father of gas light in England, • and the steady im- ..... provement in the quality of the gas When It Rains Rainbows, It pours -- produced, were forces that could not How many songs are there with "rainbow" in the title? fail to win recognition of the utility and When Gas Lines asked this question in the August issue, it was with the value of gas. In 1810, the London assumption that employees, by racking their brains, could come up with at police urged Parliament to install gas least ten or fifteen song titles. Boston Gas employees, however, are always lighting to preserve public safety in the full of surprises. streets of the city at night. In 1813, The winning entry, submitted by Dorea McConaghy, legal services, con ' Westminster Bridge was illuminated tained the titles of 141 songs. Dorca's prize will be dinner for two at Pier 4. with gas lamps, and, by 1816, gas had Runner-up Bob Lovely, engineering, listed 120 songs. Paul Bergeron, become commonplace in London. customer relations, 72 songs; Gcraldine DiNapoli, legal collection, 46 songs; Inevitably, reports of these achieve Barbara Lemieux, general accounting, 43 songs. ments were conveyed to Boston. As In all, seventeen employees an I their families responded to.our question.* early as 1806, David Melville who is Kathi MacGillivray, daughter of Bill MacGillivray, sales prospector, and credited as being the first pioneer in Thomas Kelly, customer relations, gave their entries an added touch with the gas field in America, had installed art work representing their conception of a rainbow. • "* gas lights in his home in Newport, Other entries were submitted by Mary Flynn, cashiers; Anna Mannion, Rhode Island. In 1816, the first gas I general accounting; Allen Badger, pressure group; Jacqueline Wcnz, con- .company in the United States was char ,J^ sumer information; Jim Coughlin, customer relations; Valorie Donohue, tered in Baltimore, and in 1822, Boston ^y meter control; Frank O'Hara, engineering, Jane Kearney, advertising;-Robert newspapers such as the Boston Messen Kamb, engineering; and Sylvia D;on, merchandise accounts. ger and Daily Advertiser began print All song titles were authenticated by Boston Music Company. * * ing favorablcoomments concerning the ' .arrival of gas in the United States. Next month: "Boston Sees the Li&ht" dT\ r--'1 -''' ^^'^LOOKSNG 15© YEAMS / . /J> y I '•-~™fWi/...'-TTrn y v TOSTON §EIE§ TMIE LSGMT (Second in a series of articles outlining the history of Boston Gas Company) After gas was successfully intro attention. We understand that pre under the sidewalks. In granting ap duced in England and the first gas parations are making for introducing proval to lay pipes, the aldermen also company in the United States was it into extensive use." provided the city's first "public utility" chartered in Baltimore in 1816, it was The Mr. Bacon on Court Street in law. They stated that in laying the only natural to assume a favorable 1822 was the proprietor of an apothe pipes, all pavement and bricks must public opinion should be awaiting the cary, making the first gasworks in* the be taken up under the supervision of inauguration of a gas company in Bos city of Boston a drugstore. On August the commissioners of the highways and ton. 19, 1822, a group of men, referred to at the expense of the association. Thus If there was favorable public opin as "the association" and as "the City the city's first Board of Aldermen set ion then it must be inferred from the Gas Company", "prayed permission" the field of law and regulation of public absence of hostility to gas, rather than from the newly established mayor and utility corporations. declared from any direct, affirmative aldermen to lay pipes for the purpose The newly organized association im evidence. The newspapers of the time of supplying gas to customers in Bos mediately began planning a site for were busy reporting news of the Peru ton. their gasworks from where they would vian Indians' victorious war .of inde This petition, referred to a special supply gas made from the distillation pendence from Spain and, in the committee for consideration, declared of oil. This was the cause of a long United States, the granting of the first the petitioners' readiness "to produce delay in the realization of their original patent for artificial teeth to Charles gas, set forth the advantages achieved goals since, in those early days, the ~v Graham of New York City. Evidently, by the use of gas in other cities, and path to commercial success and prac- y it had not occurred to the local news ask authority to lay pipes in Boston ticability lay in the development of gas papers to describe such local events as which shall have a maximum diameter made from coal and not from oil. the excitement caused when Bostonians of three inches". Only in the very rare On January 22, 1823, the Massa first saw the ''inflammable air" take instances in which it may be necessary chusetts General Court passed an act fire and brighten the night. to cross a street, they said, will the chartering the Boston Gas Light Com The first- user of illuminating gas in laying of the pipes require that street pany, allowing it a capital not to ex Boston was Daniel Darby, a Devon pavements be torn up. The petition ceed $75,000, and affirming the com shire Street boot and shoemaker, who ers also said they intended to lay their pany's right, with the assent of the * lit his shop in 1817. But the first writ pipes for the most part under the side mayor and aldermen of Boston, to lay ten evidence of gas in Boston was a walks. Lastly, they called attention to pipes in the city's streets. Named as short paragraph in the Boston Daily the use of gas in the future for lighting incorporators were William Prescott, Advertiser on July 15, 1822: the city's streets and public ways at a Alexander Parris, Bryant P. Tilden, "Several attempts have been hereto 25% reduction in cost as compared to Nathan Hale and John C. Gray. fore made to introduce gas lights the present use of oil. For all commercial intents and pur into this town without success. We The petitioners included some of the poses, the charter of the Boston Gas are not acquainted with the causes outstanding names in the city: Alex Light Company as a Massachusetts of the failure. An experiment has ander Parris, John Raulstone, John corporation has continued in existence lately been made with better prom- Randall, David Maplcy, William Prcs- ever since. This charter makes the ise. A company formed for the pur cott, Daniel Pearson, Horace Gray, company the oldest gas company in pose of furnishing the gas has suc Edward Clark, Joseph Kidder, Ucorgc New England and the second 'Idcst in ceeded in obtaining that which bums Doane, B. P. Tilden, J. C. Gray, W. the United States. However, the in entirely free from smell or smoke, Webster, W. P. Main, F. C. Gray, F. corporation of 1823 did not mean im and they offer to furnish it for gen Dexter, P. T. Jackson and Charles P. mediate success for the new company. eral use on such terms as will make Curtis. The impracticability of the plan to use it the cheapest as well as the most On August 27, 1 822, only eight days oil as the source of gas supply delayed perfect artificial light. They have after receipt of the petition, the special the general manufacture and sale of ..>, made a very satisfactory experiment committee reported to the aldermen gas in Boston until 1828. \) at the shop of Mr. Bacon in Court that the petition should be allowed. Street, the splendid appearances of That same day, the aldermen granted Next month:^'Production and Compe which has nightly attracted much the association the right to lay pipes tition"
6 of imposing a duty on Nova Scotia coal was before a congressional com mittee, Mr. W. \V. Grecnough of the Boston Gas Light Company announced ••
11 *M ',].> LOOKING BACK 150 YEARS ©• u---L y LJ K-I^-ZI
.THE MAKING OF AN INDUSTRY (Fourth in a series of articles outlining the history of Boston Gas Company)
Following the lead of the Boston Gas 1854 Newton and Watcrtown Gas so that the old Boston Gas Company Light Company, other companies were Light Company became one of Boston's household in formed to supply the areas now a part 1857 Waltham Gas Light Company stitutions along with Plymouth Rock of Boston or Metropolitan Boston. 1884 Bay State Gas Company and the Mayflower. Competition among companies was 1896 Massachusetts Pipe Line Successful management of the com keen during the mid to late 19th cen Company pany through the nineteenth century tury and duplication of facilities was By the early 1900's, several of the common, even to the extent of different companies would merge into what be called for intelligence and breadth of companies laying pipes in the same came known as the Boston Consoli policy. With the city's growth in popu streets. dated Gas Company. lation and the constantly changing and ,- Numerous companies were formed Previous to 1852, the Boston Gas enlarging needs of industry here, cour during the 19th century: Light Company was practically a family age and resourcefulness were needed to 1846 Charlcstown Gas.Light concern, under the management of keep the organization abreast of the Company George Darracott. From 1849 to 1861, times. 1852 Roxbury Gas Light Company the president of the company was the In 1853, W. W. Grccnough was m:ule 1852 South Boston Gas Light Honorable Samuel A. Eliot. He had treasurer and general manage :. 1 Ic held Company been mayor of Boston and member of these ofTiccs for 36 years until 1SS^. 1853 Jamaica Plain Gas Light Congress, was treasurer of Harvard One of the first steps of the Grccnough Company College and the father of Charles W. management was the sale in 1854 of 1853 Brooklinc Gas Light Eliot, president emeritus of Harvard. the Roxbury mains and rights to the Company Eliot was succeeded as president of the Roxbury Gas Light Company. This act 1853 East Boston Gas Light company by John A. Lowell, 1862 to of partition was reversed by the con Company 1877, whose grandson, A. L. Lowell solidation fifty years later. Shortly after 1853 Chelsea Gas Light Company was also president of Harvard. Asso Grecnough took charge, in an act 1853 Citizens' Gas Light Company ciated as director of the company with reflecting thd consumerism of the times, : (Quincy) Eliot and Lowell were George W. Ly he hired a complaint clerk by the name 1854 Dorchester Gas Light man, Charles P. Curtis, Augustus Low of Johnson who worked for the com Company ell and other equally distinguished men, pany 56 years. 8 1. THE ERA OF CONSOLIDATION, STABILITY AND GROWTH (Fifth in a series of articles outlining the history of Boston Gas Company.)
In 1896, the Massachusetts Pipe improvements to plant and mains Company, Waltham Gas Light Com Line Gas Company was chartered with were begun. In 1908, a new plant in pany, and the Citizens Gas Company powers for making and selling gas. Everett with a 14 million cubic feet of Quincy. rhis company visualized the possibil daily capacity began/the manufacture In 1927, the Boston Consolidated ity of the consolidation of other gas of water gas to mix with the oven gas Gas Company building at the corner :ompanies in Greater Boston. In brought from the coke company. But of Arlington and Stuart Streets was 1898, it built a large gas holder and the growth of the business began to dedicated. The thirteen-story office large gas plant for purification and exceed the capacity of the new plant building was the largest in the world measurement of gas in Everett and in a short time. to be heated entirely by gas. Prior to laid its large mains to connect and To secure a steady supply of coal 1927, the company headquarters were feed other companies. One of their of properly blended quality, Massa at 24 West Street, Boston. outstanding engineering projects was chusetts Gas Companies in 1908 ac Other developments were also tak the construction of the Maiden bridge quired coal mines in West Virginia. ing place. An inventive genius, Hein- tunnel under the Mystic River. The A fleet of collier-type steamers was rich Koppers, developed the coke- tunnel, which was 952 feet long and added, accomplishing economical and oven to a new stage of perfection in 54 inches in diameter, connected the dependable transportation of this coal Germany. The Koppers' interest in Everett Works and the City of Boston to the Everett plant. troduced this modern coke-oven to the for gas distribution. The gas industry in Boston was pro United States and for years their en In 1897, the New England Gas and gressing rapidly. The advent of elec gineering, operating and research or Coke Company was organized and it tric lighting in the 1880's marked the ganizations made substantial contribu built a by-product plant of 400 coke beginning of the. gas industry's new tions to the development of the coal ovens in Everett for the manufacture character as a fuel industry, rather mining and coke plant industries. Be of coke and gas. This plant adjoined than a lighting industry. Prior to lieving in the soundness of investing the works of the Massachusetts Pipe 1900, about 80% of all gas sold in in related industries, the Koppers' in Line Company. Boston was for lighting. terests acquired Massachusetts Gas Although rudimentary cooking with Companies in 1929 through the forma In 1898, the state legislature re gas had been practiced for many years, tion of Eastern Gas and Fuel Asso quested the Board of Gas Commis box-like gas stoves and queer-looking ciates. By so doing, the same efficient sioners to consider and report to them heaters became popular in the late coordination was gained among coal a plan for the consolidation of the 1860's. In 1883, a gas stove with a mines, selling companies, steamships, corporations supplying gas in Boston. water back was among the first water docks and coke plants as Massachu The board submitted a plan for con heaters and in 1899 the first automatic setts Gas Companies had accom solidation in 1899, but it was opposed water heater was produced. The plished by forming the Boston Consol by the gas companies and no action 1890's saw gas-fired steam boilers, idated Gas Company from many followed that year. melting furnaces, coflee roasters and smaller local gas companies. In 1902, the Massachusetts Gas other industrial applications. In 1930, Eastern Gas and Fuel As Companies, a voluntary association, The first utility appliance sales store sociates purchased the Charlcstown was formed to take over the New was opened in Providence, Rhode Is Gas and Electric Company and, in England Gas and Coke Company and, land in 1873. Shortly after that Bos 1931, transferred it to Boston Gas. in 1903, this new organization was ton Gas opened its first appliance .cen Also in 1930, Boston Consolidated permitted to consolidate the eight gas ter on West Street. Gas heating, long Gas extended its franchiscd territory companies operating in Greater Bos restricted to room radiant heate.s and into the towns of Wayland. Concord, ton. The consolidation became the gas steam radiators, gained wide ac Lincoln, Sudbury, Bedford, Littleton, Boston Consolidated Gas Company in ceptance as a central heating method Ayer, Acton and Groton. 1905, eliminating much confusion and in the years after 1916. In 1932, a new distribution service expensive duplication of facilities. The James Lorin Richards was presi station was built at McBride Street. old companies passed out of exis dent of Boston Consolidated Gas Jamaica Plain, on the site of the old tence and the new company began its Company from 1905 until 1921. Dur Jamaica Plain Gas Company. All cus remarkable career under President ing this period, the company assumed tomer service and distribution activi James L. Richards. control of the East Boston Gas Com ties functioned from McBride Street As soon as the companies were pany, Chelsea Gas Light Company, and Seyon Street in Waltham. consolidated, many extensions and Newton and Watcrtown Gas Light (To Be Continued)
8 • , iso\hSi\s//
eiGKLIGHTS FROM 1930 TO TODAY (Sixth and last in a series of articles outltliing the history of Boston Gas Company)
During the depression-ridden 1930's, ton Street building, the Everett gener president in 1937 by E. M. Farnsworth, Boston Consolidated Gas Company ating plant and the Allston station, who had been the vice president and continued to prosper economically and which sent gas into the new territories. general manager since 1934. its employees became a closely-knit In January 1931, the Boston Con To provide for .the ever-increasing family-type unit through social activ solidated Gas Company Credit Union demand for gas during the new decade ities with increased concern for their was established and James A. Stewart, of the 40's, a ten-million cubic foot joint benefit. treasurer of the company, was elected waterless gas holder, similar to that at As the company expanded its fran its first president. The following month Commercial Point, was completed at . chise to the western suburbs in 1930, the company added the Charlestown the Everett plant. These holders were the employees formed their "Employ Gas & Electric Company to its family the largest of their kind in New En ees' Association" for the purpose, of when it was purchased by Eastern Gas gland. promoting activities for their civic, and Fuel Associates. In 1941, in a unique experiment social, athletic, and educational wel In 1932, the company's new service revolutionizing customer service, twelve fare. Woodbury Hale was elected the facility was completed at McBride special company service cars were first Association president. September Street in Jamaica Plain and, in the equipped with short wave radio receiv- * ^ 1930 was Volume I, Issue I, of the same year, a touch of the company's ing and transmitting* sets. '*-"' company magazine, with a large "?" social consciousness was evidenced by During the war years, many of the where its title should be. A contest a window display at Arlington Street company's young men and women left was held to find a suitable name for which explained the benefits and ad for the armed services. At home, pre the new magazine with a $25 prize vantages of gas appliances — all cautionary steps were taken to protect for the winner. Judging the contest was written in Italian. company property in case of air raids Dana D. Barnum, president of the 1933 saw the introduction of a by setting up 23 mobilization centers company; Walter Beckjord, general new air-cooled Electrolux gas refrig and employees joined the war eifort manager; and Gerald A. Higgins, the erator which was heralded as one of through war bond campaigns, blood magazine's first editor. the most important developments in drives and camp shows. Employees Five hundred and seventy-five titles the gas industry in many years. Sales also formed a troupe which traveled were submitted. With seven entries in all areas increased in 1934. Gas to all the state's Armed Forces camps almost identical to the winning "Gas heating costs were drastically reduced to entertain servicemen. At war's end, Lines", the prize was increased to $35 and more than 1,400 house heating 193 returning war veterans were hon and shared equally. One of the seven installations were sold. ored by the company at a dinner at /winners was a young man working in The Boston Consolidated Gas Com the Hotel Statler. On that occasion, the distribution department who had pany Band was founded in 1934 under seven company men killed in the war joined the company five years before the direction of Fortunato Sordillo. were honored posthumously. — Russ Woodward. Now training For many years the band was the The year 1947 was a great milestone supervisor in the engineering depart toast of parades and concerts through in the company's history as it cele ment, Russ retires on January 1, 1973. out the city and state. brated its 125th anniversary. As part "I remember it well," said Russ, when Through the years, the company of that celebration, several hundred u reminded of the event. The $5 we was fortunate to have outstanding ex employees and friends attended a gala each received went a long way in those ecutive leadership such as Dana D. birthday ball at the Arlington Street days." Barnum, president of the company and auditorium. In July 1930, when the company former president of the American Gas In April of 1948, Earl H. Eackcr, expanded into the western suburbs, Association who, in 1935, was elected vice president since 1942, succeeded the event was appropriately celebrated president of the American Standards E. M. Farnsworth as president. j)) with a tour by town and city officials, Association, the national clearinghouse Tragedy struck the company in May including Mayor James M. Curley of for standards and safety codes. Mr. of 1942 when an employee was killed Boston. The tour included the Arling Barnum was succeeded as company (Continued on Pa^e 10) 8 «*...»**.. .,'K uiccnougn iiuiNii^-. ..iv.ni, the company's business increased "*' ^ ' >. rapidly. The piping and fixture busi ness of the Company was sold to a for Daniel J. McGon:i<;lc, customer ser- Mrs. Julia A. Donoghuc, wifc'of mer foreman of the fitting department, vice,\vho was cited recently in a letter John A. Donoghuc, methods and/pro and a number of the old fitters began from \ grateful lady, "May I express cedures, who graduated cum/laude businesses of their own. The resulting my sincere gratitude to a young man from Boston College in June/with a ^competition led them to seek customers whose name is Dan McGonaglc. I BA in English and Education. Mrs. not only in every new building erected, shall never forget his kindness and Donoghuc, a former employee of Bos but also among business firms and peo courtesy. 1 am not a very young grand ton Gas house heating and Engineering ple who had never been asked to use mother, whose car broke down in a division, completed her education in gas. In 30 years the number of gas cus most inconvenient location. As I have just 29 years, after taking time out for tomers had grown from 3,000 to 30,- recently been ill, I thought it unwise marriage and raising seven children. 000 and the rich Boston Gas territory to attempt the hike it would entail to began to attract the attention of outside reach help. I s&t for a solid hour W. Gary Twohig/ school contact capitalists. Not only the Boston Gas watching cars whiz^by before I heard representative, volume sales, who was Light Company, but also the South a cheerful voice spy, 4Excuse me, awarded a certificate of commendation Boston, Roxbury, Dorchester, and other Madam, can I help you'? Boston Gas and two awards from the Greater Bos suburban companies became prosper Company, I salute^you, for hiring the ton Chamber oLCommcrce for his out ous, and the metropolitan Boston dis caliber of people you evidently do, and standing performance in the Chamber's trict became a prize eagerly sought by to the young man, a millfon thanks." spring "contact" membership drive. enterprising invaders. In 1861, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts established several in spection laws. The new laws set the minimum illuminating power of the gas at 12 candles and the gas was required to be sufficiently purified from sulphur ated hydrogen, ammonia, and carbonic acid. Later, the standard candle power was raised to 16 and quantitative, re J 5 * ? " \ / ' " - * 5..* strictions were placed on sulphur- and ammonia. ^ In 1882, the Boston Gas Light Com- V^iany built a coal gas plant at Commer cial Point in Dorchester, which repre sented the best possible construction at the time. Both the North End Works directed by W. A. Wood and the Com mercial Point Works directed by C. D. { Lamson were operating at peak effici P K^^ Ton /' • f ^ "^ -WvN^ ^:W-i ency. Mr. M. S. Greenough, son of W. W. Greenough, was the company engi neer. He successfully supervised the construction, operation, manufacture Y ^2 and distribution of gas. He was a leader in the industry, serving as president of the American Gas Light Association in 1886 and 1887, and president of the New England Association of Gas Engi- / necrs. */\.~. * The Boston company was in excel lent condition to withstand attack from competitors; electric lighting had not yet begun effective competition with gas, the company works and mains \v *rc ample and in excellent condition, the gas sold at a premium and sales were increasing rapidly. In 1887, the entire CKNTKAL DISTRICT produced four more $50 United States Savings Bond winner* in the capitalization, including capital stock distribulion department's monthly safety contest. Their names remained in the "haf for &ud hands, of all the gas companies in being accident-free. Presenting the bond on the job to Fdward Fccncy, the June winivr, is (^Massachusetts was $12,626,208. The Jim' Welch, distribution office supervisor. Looking on with envy arc (left to riyht) Gerald Hnnnibald, Bob Doyle, and crew foreman John Mitchell. Insets—At left, John McDonoiU'.h. gas industry had arrived. March winner; center, Arthur Coughlin, April winner; and right, Arthur Contini, May w fu (to be continued) ller who also won the first savings bond when the contest begin in November 1971. HIGHLIGHTS 1400 Scries" was installed. That same operating the company from the Mc year, the franchise territory was ex Bride Street facility, Boston Gas, (Continued from Page 8) tended northwesterly to Harvard, Carl through Eastern Gas and Fuel Asso in a 52 million fire and explosion at isle, Shirley and Boxborough. ciates, signed a long-term lease for \\\'o the Everett plant. The company now served 32 com floors of office space in the John Han It was the dawn of.a new era for munities over 475 square miles. cock Tower in downtown Boston. the company and the New England In January 1964, Claude F. Mach- Plans were made to occupy the new gas industry when, in 1949, Eastern en, vice president, succeeded Earl quarters in the fall of 1973. Gas and Fuel Associates joined with Eacker as president of Boston Gas. The company began its 150th year the New England Gas and Electric The following year the Southampton > in 1972 by expanding its territory Association and Providence Gas Com Street go* holder, IPHS R promlfloftt further west with its merger with the pany in sponsoring a new natural gas Roxbury landmark, was dismantled. Norwood, Wachusett and Central pipeline company. The new company, That same year, the company head Massachusetts gas companies, adding Algonquin Gas Transmission Com quarters at Arlington Street were sold 15 communities, 25,000 new customers pany, was formed to bring natural gas and the employees were relocated to and 89 new employees. January 1972, to New England. After nearly 130 years the McBride Street^ Operations Cen "also saw William J. Pruyn, senior vice of manufactured gas, Boston Consoli ter. president of Boston Gas, elected presi dated Gas would begin distributing Boston Gas entered the late 1960's dent of the company and Claude F. natural gas to its customers. with great optimism as the demand for Machen named chairman of the board In 1950, company employees again natural gas continued to climb. Gas and chief executive officer. responded to a call to arms as the sales in all areas were rising steadily While acquiring new companies Korean War began. Two company and the demand for gas began exceed and additional customers, Boston Gas men lost their lives in the conflict. ing the supply. Boston Gas had shown also announced in February of 1972 The monumental task of converting great foresight in constructing an in an agreement to sell the Charlestown gas appliances for natural gas use — stallation which would play a key role Electric division to Boston Edison. which would not be completed until in maintaining adequate supplies of gas. In October 1972, the company was 1960 — began in 1953 in the towns of In November, 1967, construction of a expanding once again with the an Groton, Littleton, Ayer and Acton. liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant be nouncement of Eastern Gas and Fuel That same year, President Eacker was gan at Commercial Point. In 1968 Associates' purchase of three more gas elected president of the American Gas the first shipload of LNG arrived at companies: Mystic Valley, Lynn and Association at its 35th annual conven Commercial Point from Algeria aboard North Shore gas companies and Mas tion in St. Louis and the company ex the Aristotle; marking the first time sachusetts LNG Corporation. When panded south of Boston with the mer LNG was imported to the United the purchase is approved, the com ger with Old Colony Gas Company, States. panies will be merged with Boston Gas, adding 20,000 customers and 123 em In October 1969, the second strike adding 600 employees, 175,000 cus ployees. in the company's history began, end tomers and 27 communities to Bos In 1955, the company name was ing 77 days later. The following year, ton Gas' franchise area. The com officially changed to Boston Gas Com construction began on the second LNG pany's customers will total over 500,- pany and the following year all the ap tank at Commercial Point and "Old 000 in 74 communities covering 900 pliances in the eight Old Colony Dis Fatty" — the 200-foot-high gas holder, square miles when the merger is com trict towns were converted to operate which had been a Boston landmark for plete sometime in 1973. on natural gas. 47 years — was dismantled. Built in So much for the past. What does During the mid-50's gas sales in 1923, the holder was one of the largest the future hold for Boston Gas? A creased rapidly. To meet the great in the country. few things to ponder are the concern demand for gas in the western suburbs, Upon completion of the second for the nation's energy supply; the the company installed 45 Vi miles of LNG tank, Boston Gas had the largest company's gas supply; alternatives to new mains and over 1,500 new service single operational LNG storage facility pipeline gas; more imported LNG; lines. in the United States. The plant has a the manufacture of synthetic gas; sup ' One of the greatest projects in the storage capacity of 2.14 billion cubic porting the efforts to develop explora company's 136-year history was feet of natural gas in liquid form— tion for gas of! the New England coast; launched in 1958 — the adjustment of more gas than is used in the entire consumerism; social responsibility, and 700,000 appliances in the central dis city of Boston in a two-week period. more. We strive to fulfill an unwritten trict to use 800 BTU gas. Headquar A new era in the distribution opera company philosophy: ters for the conversion operation vas tions of the company began in 1971 To continue to progress, adapt and 71 Amory Street, Roxbury, under the when Boston Gas became the first gas meet the energy needs of our cus direction of John T. McKcnna, field company to utilize insertion of 8-inch tomers while providing the best pos coordinator, and the company's present plastic pipe in renewing existing gas sible service. To meet our obliga assistant vice president of operations. mains. That same year, work began tion to our investors by striving to By 1960, all appliance conversions in on what would become the largest work give them a good return on their in-' Xht wrwpr&svy's franchise territory were of art in the world as the "rainbow" vestment. To be a socially respon completed. design created by artist Corita Kent sible corporate citizen by involving The age of the computer arrived at was painted on Boston Gas* 150-foot- ourselves in the needs of our com Boston Gas in 1961 when a new data high LNG tank at Commercial Point. munities and customers. . • . processing system known as the ''IBM In October 1971, after six years of * * *:. i • fg Boston'gas
BOSTON GAS COMPANY
The nation's second oldest gas distributor and New England's largest, Boston Gas serves 74 cities and towns in eastern and central Massachusetts. A network of over 5,700 miles of gas distribution mains brings this clean-burning fuel to approximately 500,000 customers. The company heats over 300,000 homes and many municipal, apartment and commercial buildings and supplies gas to over 35,000 commercial and industrial establishments.
The company employs about 1,700 people and has executive offices at One Beacon Street in downtown Boston. The majority of Boston Gas personnel are based there and at operations centers in West Roxbury and Maiden. Satellite stations throughout the territory supplement these three principal facilities.
Boston Gas and the City of Boston share a common birthdate. In the summer of 1822, the year Boston town became a city, gas lights were first lit in the Dock Square section of the city. The city and the company have grown together ever since.
In its first 130 years, the company manufactured its own gas from coal. Prior to 1900, most of this gas was used in Boston for lighting, and gas lamps still dot Beacon Hill and the Back Bay sections of the city.
With the advent of electric lights in the 1800s, gas use shifted from primarily lighting to cooking, hot water heating, house heating and various commercial and industrial applications.
The growth in the uses of gas paralleled the growth of the company's franchise terri tory. During the early 1900s, Boston Gas merged with many small gas companies throughout Greater Boston. In the last half century, as Boston Gas expanded into the suburbs, the company changed dramatically. The 1950s saw the conversion from manufactured gas to natural gas piped from the U. S. southwest. The 1960s and '70s brought computerization of records, the use of plastic pipe, the widespread use of liquefied natural gas to help meet heavy winter demand and the construction of a substitute natural gas plant.
Throughout the decades, the company has always had responsible and dedicated employees to deliver the gas safely and efficiently meet customer needs.
In the same way the company's history is rooted in Boston and the surrounding area, Boston Gas' underground mains are embedded in the communities it serves. The company is, therefore, committed to improving the quality of life for its customers, employees and the general public.
One Beacon Street Boston, MA. 02108 (617) 742-8400 '/>
k OJU': May 7, 19 71
LJivliy viUi vL; viiii; J 'J v.- ; ^ ^ Jim Connors
Rrier'SS Date: 144 McBride Street, Boston, Mass. 02130
BOSTON, MASS., May 7, 1971 --Perhaps the largest work-. of art in the United States, and possibly .the .world, is being considered for an installation of Boston Gas —- on its 150-foot high liquefied natural gas (LNG) tank in the , Dorchester section of Boston.
Transforming the huge white tank into perhaps the world's largest "canvas" -will be internationally acclaimed artist Corita Kent* '
"Corita Kent has -been commissioned* by Boston Gas to . capture, in her unique style, .the spirit of Greater Boston as well as 3oston Gas, its* employees and its product — natural gas," said C. F. Machen, president of Boston Gas. "We believe her use of vibrant colors, Unrestricted movement and imagination will accomplish this."
To brighten the skyline of Boston, Corita Kent has created a rainbow of color — purple , green, blue, red, yellow and orange — in free flowing sweeps across the LNG tank. Her original art has been done first on an exact-scale model of the LUG tank. BOSTON GAS - page 2
Corita Kent began work on her design late last December. ,: Her preliminary model was submitted in March and her final model accepted May 6. It is hoped.that transfer of her design to the tank can be accomplished this summer.
•The tank# which stores gas in a liquefied .state at 260 degrees below zero/ will be transformed into a - 73/374-square foot alfresco art object. By comparison, the Massachusetts State House dome is a little over 5/800 square \ feet. . '.•'." Corita Kent first attracted widespread attention while she was director of the art department at Immaculate Heart .College in Los Angeles. Her medium is serigraph (silkscreeri £> *; print) 'utilizing' the Sprinted worcl ingeniously and interestingly* • .Quotations used in her serigraphs — which come to life in her art :— come from scholars/ poets, writers and others. Miss Kent's art is in the permanent collections of 37 museums/ including Boston's Museum of Fine Art^ and in galleries across the United States and around the world. She presently* lives in Boston and travels extensively. " MONDAY, MAY 10, 1971
TOP SPOT Tank Full of Rainbows By Edgar Driscoll Jr^ Globe Staff
There'll bfe a.permanent rainbow near "the Southeast Expressway come summer if the Boston Gas CCrnpany has its way. 'It has commissioned the international ly acclaimed artist, Corita Kent of Marl- ix>rp street, Back Bay, to decorate its 150-foot high liquefied natural gas tank , on.Commercial: Pointy Dorchester, adja- • cent to the Expressway •: ••'* " A former Roman Catholic nun, who as Sister Corita won all sorts of top awards for her .swinging prints, she has come up with a rainbow design of primary colors which .has met:with. Boston Gas officials' approval. Negotiations are now* underway to paint what may well be one of the world's largest "canvases'* under Miss Kent's di rection. The gay bands of color, executed in hei free-wheeling, expressive way, will be in orange, yellow, vermillion, blue, green and black. They will arc over the curved tank.and down its sides, at widths of up to 35 feet The tank to.be painted is the white one ARTIST CORITA KENT displays model with 'the "Bostongas" insignia on it. It of repainted gas tank. holds 290,000 barrels of liquefied gas at (Charles Dixon photo) .260 degrees below zero. This is the equiva lent of one billion cubic feet of vapor gas, submitted in March and he final design or enough to supply the entire city of Bos accepted May.6. ton for a week. "Corita Kent has been commissioned A second tank nearby, which is ap by Boston Gas to capture, in her unique proximately the same size, has not been style, the spirit of Greater Boston as well painted yet. Plans call for its being as Boston Gas, its employees and its pro- painted next fall and it is likely that Miss uct — natural gas," says Claude F. Mach- Kent will, be asked to design a companion en, president of the company. "We believe design for it her use of vibrant colors, unrestricted movement and imagination will accom Miss Kent began work on her latest — plish. this." and certainly largest creation ever — last December. Her preliminary model was TANKS, Page 4 HUB gets a-tank full of rainbows • TANKS the trim, bright-eyed artist villion at the New York* Continued from Page 1 said .yesterday. "It seemed World's Fair. "But I've al a neat thing to do with the ways had a passion to paint A small, dynamic tank's oval.form. To me a billboards. Now this is the woman, now in her early- rainbow represents hope, closest I've come. The tank 50s, Miss Kent resigned uplifting, spring . ... is a round billboard, you from the Order of the Im "It's a joyous expression, might say." maculate Heart of Mary joining Heaven and earth The artist, who is cur two-and-half years ago together," the former nun rently being honored with. after 32 years in the con said, quoting from Genesis a. % 12-page spread in the vent. As.artist-teacher'and DC. of the Bible- in which . new Gaphics magazine, a director of the Order's Col God promises to "put a national publication, says- lege in Los Angeles,- she, bow in the sky as a sign of •she hopes her ranbow will was the first to sing the a covenant between Him make people feel better as praises of the Lord via -pop and •man." * they travel the Express-. art ": : Miss -Kent said the way. "I want to do a different biggest thing she's ever . Said a pleased Gas Co. thing ... You should be done before was the 4 foot •official, "I think she'll true ..to your "own con by .40 foot mural she exe make it a million smiles science. - That's a good, cuted for the Vatican Pa- long." old-fashioned way of say ing you know what God's will is," she said at the-* time of her leaving the sisterhood. Today, her hoUcolor, joyous silk screen prints are in the collections of 37 "major museums here and BOSTON HERALD TRAVELER. TUESDAY. MAY II, 1971 B : abroad, including the Bos ton Museunvthe Metropol itan Museum and the Mu seum of Modern Art, New York. Why .a rainbow for the 73,374-square foot* tank? (the dome of :the State •House is a little over* 5800-square feet). -'Tve been interested In rainbows for quite a while,"
RAINBOW-COLORED scale model Is shown by Back Bay artist Corita Kent, whose design will be reproduced on Dorchester gas tank in background. Phdne: 522-5600
| Date: September 27, 1971 .». J For further information contact: A. P. Sanda, ..y '; :i;\i f \ - <&'•::-l ^^^ j 522-5600, Ext. 103 -'^il'M
Release Date: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ^ 14'TMcBride Street, Boston, Mass-. 02130
Work began today on what is perhaps the world• s largestv
work of art—the Corita Kent rainbow on Boston Gas1 150-foot-
high liquefied natural gas (LNG) tank overlooking Dorchester
Bay in Boston. .
When completed, the tank, which stores natural gas in a
liquefied'state at 260° belowvzero, will be transformed into
a colossal 73,374 square-foot alfresco art object. By comparison,
the Massachusetts state Bouse dome is only a little over 5,800
square feet. "To Corita Kent," Claude F. Machen, president of
Boston Gas stated, "the rainbow represents hope,* uplifting and
spring. To Boston Gas it represents much more. It symbolizes the
vitality of a company which shares both a proud history and an
exciting future with the communities it serves. As Boston Gas -
enters its 150th year, the rainbow reflects the enthusiasm and
optimism of"the company, its- employees and its customers." -
Under the watchful eye of internationally-acclaimed artist
Corita Kent, workmen of Okerad Signs, Inc., of Weymouth, began
transforming the rainbow of orange, yellow, red, blue, green
• more NEWS FROM BOSTON GAS—2. and purple from a scale model to the tank. "I've been interested in painting rainbows for quite a while/1 Corita Kent stated. "it seemed a neat thing to do with the tank's oval form. To me it's a joyous expression, joining heaven and earth together."
The first splash of rainbow was the orange stripe at the top of the side of the tank. Working on scaffolding* workmen first sketched the top of the stripe and immediately painted it.
Before continuing the stripe downward, the staging-was lowered and the Boston Gas logo was painted on the tank. As work resumes tomorrow, the staging will be brought again to the top of the side of the tank and one half of tha orange stripe Com pleted. Then, working clockwise around the tank, each stripe will be brought from the top of the side down. The final stage of the painting will be connecting the stripes across the crown of the tank. With favorable weather, work is expected
to be completed in approximately two weeks.
"It is our intention to hdve the rainbow completed for the
American Gas Association convention coming to Boston October 17-20,
Mr. Machen stated. "This is our opportunity to show the leaders of the natural gas industry what can be .done with an industrial plant so that it adds to rather than detracts from the community.
Every plant facility in every industry requires periodic main
tenance and face lifting. With a little thought and a little work a company can make a genuine contribution to its neighbors.M
The rainbow caps a new Commercial Point. What was once a
number of large, unattractive gas holders, oil storage tanks and NEWS FROM BOSTON GAS—3. outbuildings is now a beautifully landscaped, esthetically appealing, industrial complex. Surrounding the two LNG tanks are acres of tree-studded lawn, gravel paths and paved drives lighted with natural gas lamps. "Boston Gas takes great pride in the appearance of its LNG plant," Mr. Machen stated. "Through the artistry of Corita we can now share this pride with*, the people we serve." all people living and traveling in Greater Bos ton, Boston Gas commissioned internationally acclaimed artist Corita Kent. Her instructions were to capture the spirit of the company, its employees and customers, and the city. "The rainbow," Corita explains, "seemed a neat thing to do. To me it is a gay thing iehliglfs representing hope, uplifting, and spring. It's a joyous expression joining heaven and earth together.". • ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM BOSTON GAS Corita's original design was executed on an eight-inch-high scale model of the LNG A New Landmark tank. From that model, pictorial artists from Okerad Signs, Inc., of Weymouth; and paint ers from general contractor Roy O.Leonard, Inc., of Framingham, transferred the rainbow design to the 150-foot-high tank. In its com pleted form, the rainbow is a 73,374 square foot alfresco art object By comparison, the Massachusetts State House dome is only 5,800 square feet The public reaction to this colossal work of art runs both pro and con. Those familiar with Corita's work have expressed amaze ment at its size; others have simply expressed amazement But as with any work of art, be it huge or minute, opinions will vary, since art is a matter of individual taste. The rainbow is and will be many things to many people. Transcending this, however, is Towering over Dorchester Bay by the the undeniable fact.that it is one of a kind; Southeast Expressway is perhaps the largest there is nothing quite like it anywhere in the work of art in the world — the Corita Kent world, just as there is nothing quite like the 1 rainbow on Boston Gas liquefied natural gas people it represents. (LNG) tank. What once was a homely area of gray gas holders, oil storage tanks and out buildings now sparkles with acres of grass, trees, gravel paths and paved roadways lined with natural gas lights. And over it all —the 144 McBrlde Street rainbow! Boston, Mass. 02130 To complete this remarkable transforma Bostongas tion and to share it with our customers and n/7i lAf^
WORLDS LARGEST COPYRIGHTED OBJECT :-•*" What has been acclkimed as the world's copyright can then be renewed for an largest work of art since the. Pyramids additional 28 years. • has become the largest copyrighted ob Rothrauff explained that copyrights ; ; ject in history. '* M "VJ- • • ' are issued only to things that have . The rainbow design on Boston Gas 'intrinsic, artistic merit,"such as novels, •'•- Company's liquefied natural gas tank sculptures, paintings, drawings, cera- ' overlooking Dorchester Bay in Boston, mics, artistic jewelry, original designs a giant 73,374-square - foot alfresco / applied to textiles, and the like. The . art object created by Internationally ac copyright application technically called claimed artist Corita..Kent, has been for it to be accompanied by a "full-. granted a copyright by the Library of scale sample* In addition to the $6 Congress. filing fee, he added, but it did allow The copyright protects the design, a for substituting color photographs "if free-wheeling rainbow. In orange, red, Impractical to submit an original full blue, green and purple,: from being scale model." . copied foranyusewithoutthecompany's To fulfill a-"publication requirement" permission for a period of 28 years, for the copyright, the company dis according to Guido A: Rothrauff, Jr., . tributed a quantity of replicas of the senior vice president and general coun rainbow tank in the form of a 2$-.. sel for Eastern Gas and Fuel Associates, inch-high ceramic paperweight imprin parent company of Boston Gas. The ted with the copyright notice.
THE RAINBOW.DESIGN on Boston Gas Company's liquefied natural gas tank overlooking Dorchester Bay in Boston, acclaimed as the world's largest work of art since the Pyramids, nas become the largest copyrighted object CORITA KENT
Photo by ThnFrusb Corita Kent's art can be found in the permanent collections of thirty-seven world-famous museums includingthe VictoriaandAJbertMuseuminLondon, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the National Gallery of Art, and the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. Her silk screen prints are sold in twenty-three art gal leries across the U.S., and are carried at the Corita Headquarters and Lois Burnett Gallery in Los Angeles. She designed the critically acclaimed fifty- foot mural for the Vatican Pavilion at the 1964 New York Worlds Fair, and her work has been seen in hundreds of exhibits. She has also accepted commis sions from more than twenty-five companies includ ing Nieman-Marcus, Westinghouse Broadcasting Co., and the Container Corporation of America. Corita designed her first silk screen prints in 1950 and, at present, the total body of work exceeds 600 originals. More than twenty-five of these have been made into greeting cards. She taught at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles where she directed the now famous Art Department. Corita was named one of the "Top Nine Women of the Year"by the Los Angeles Times and was chosen by Harpers Bazaar for its special edition of "Amer ican Women of Accomplishment.1* Her articles have appeared in Ladies' Home Journal and McCall's magazines. DAMN EVERYTHING BUT THE CIRCUS is her sixth book. Record mencan Home Largest daily circulation in New England • 15 Cents Phone 542-4000 Wednesday, October 20. 1971 72 Pages Noon Stocks! Chief Justice Speaks Out Judges Babying
Story on Page Three
Sign company employes use a scaffold (left) in making their wsm^^^^^^^mm&s^M con*r^u*'on *° Boston's world of art. .They're high up on the '^^f^^Sw^^M $'de °* *• 150-foot-tall gas storage tank in Dorchcester, cov- ^^ ^^i ^b^^^g^^ ering it with a rainbow of orange, yellow, red, blue, green and purple. Corita Kent, who designed the painting, said: Mlt
seemed a neat thing to do." j& fM%%
V**M$.
wm. r *J 2.L.B j BOSTON HERALD TRAVELER. THURSDAY, NOV. jf. 1971 ::x^ rii^iii •^t§'-;lf- ruggea
By DICK SOLITO ^"4^V^?"; painters who assisted him, all :5£ *«i "•-•A. •: * • • Si .'^:*--*•••?•*' employed by the OakeradSign. v*. ahnost/i^i tonal artist whot.draped :the;v^ ^ ^ ,a i^^ ,^ colorful rainbow over one of.r,^,;mL |a/«i *-v^^T^^. the Boston Gas Company's'v dynamic lady.. .->*.«? >&$$Z*$x&85> tanks in Dorchester^ femem-' •sihe is Corita Kfent oi'thV'f ? bers the winds that vexed him Back Bay, aninteniatibnally ^> on the job. . . . -•:.>.v, v-V; .prominent • artist, and. former ARTIS£•• T CORITA KENT. shows'm^^ "The wind seemiemss - t~o ;cir->-:r,/~_ ;.*; \s- Vv••-^- ->•.-•: ^r "v* culate in' crazyw , 'patternMffar«e'••'V vi^• v'Contau^, fas . *sh*e ^sign s her,- . around the tanks and.creates•^orks and h popularly known, problems by swaytag-thea^ scaffolding," MqBumie saioV #f desi&lorJ?e ^ «P«* .in.. n,ftmBn, . - ,. . '.^-Jfoot tank at Commercial Point -• One moment -you re. in..^ B ^0 6 x- ^ ^ front of your work and:then--^J yentetal5Ml,^.". r" The artist, continued, IThe. you're four feet away hanging *^ ^ ,, ! . •"LrrtT \She said, 'That was aha Her desi n model is small and .my brush/ oA for life " ' "^- ;;-'-:• ^^ e »^d* was ; moment .They "were thra : .strokes, are very rough. .••'• v * -•-•--v??r.^accepte : d last May,.was*a 7}£ by the factt they had/pert ^He recalled,."! didn't have- by 8-inch wooden model 'of the with a real intention of.com-':.; a. good night's sleep from the Eviction and power that satis-, done., anything like itbefo tank decorated by a -rainbow; ;VThey compared it to. pidnti tiine work started.-'. That wis .£iof "bright colors .of orange, fied . me..'.The edges • come" : Sept 27. \^:^!0^fyi}l r .from, the'oomph or vitality* a* billboard and it\gtt .\*t -yellow, blue, ~\ green. :^and rough. So we. talked it:;Qt /But it wasn't the impromptu /tha mt 1youo uputu itn m it. ."..so.the . ,~«w „ noou t uic iwptvwpm ..purple....purple.!.. i>:>- -,> *&'!•'&:& •#. I *?:• * J P " • • •• ™ ~r- - for three davs since itwas trapeze act, at heights up to.;--^ mg e y l 15i«\0 feetw , tthawt -„^gav e McBurnie^t>™:. .• .^symbo -,•: , l . becaust..-..._e. "on«._•e. of.. th. e Jit is a nttle shocker .thatthe ^|? ^ . ^ ^W : • Smce then things really..w< insomnia ioj^ three weeks.
tfi rA
BOSTON GAS STORAGE TANK, Which has dazzti motorists on the Southeast Expressway, has bee* named tank of the year. . vVv^xg'*"* y -'*l/.lr,*jJv! Fane/ Sforqge$an$
W7/7S AJ wqrd jdr ^Am In what must be one of the most unusual awards of the year, the Boston Gas Co. was presented with a plaque for its contribution to "pop art Thursday. •;.'** <". 7 ;' The award honored the un usual design of the company's natural gas storage tank at 220 Victory rd., Dorchester, and was presented by the Steel, Plate Fabricators Ass'n of Hinsdale, which makes :•> ARTIST CORITA kfeNT such an award annually.,-.. - The tank which won the' was executed by Confident award is 165 feet high and a former Roman Catholic ma looks something like a striped who now teaches art and^dtes candy cane, with a free- design work in Los Angeles? flowing- design, of bright orange, yellow, red, blue, green and purple...... v . Earl'A. Bratton, executive director of the fabricating plant, presented the plaque to William J. Pruyn, Boston Gas president. In presenting the plaque, Bratton said, "The Steel Plate Fabricators Ass'n wants to recognize the engineering ex cellence represented by the tank, and especially to honor Boston Gas for its contribu tion in providing an aesthetic contribution to the com munity. "The company has demon strated how a little imagina tion can help transform an industrial facility into a visual asset to the urban environ ment." .*..'... .-•.'*' .->r CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR October SO, 1972;
Boston "Oas Company's Uqueffe4*ratuf^^** ^Industrial tftnlCTs "the largest copyrighted object in history. The giant 73,374 square foot orange, art red, blue, green, and purple rainbow design by artist Corita Kent is protected by copy- right for 28 yetfrs. \ The Treasures ^.^^ in Corita's Rainbow "^
his month-as a 2000-gallon fresh have a tendency to portray the darkest coat of paint dries cm Boston's part of the struggle. That's valid, but most famous work of public art- I'm more, private about that My Tmarks the one-year anniversary friends know I don't need the whole of the artist's death. world to know" Were thi$ 1970, the year the Boston Corita, according to Mickey Myers, Gas tanks first received rainbow her former art student in Hollywood splashes and became the world's largest pushed her art into an uncharacteristic, and close friend in Boston, "had more piece of copyrighted art, Corita Kent, distinctly non-pop phase, causing her than her fair share of dark nights of the then 54 and a resident of the city for to dig deep and produce some of the soul She had a great deal of depression, two years, would have been standing by most original and developed work of her really had to push herself to accomplish the Southeast Expressway, gently career. every brush stroke," and her owh art driving workmen crazy with exacting The striking transformation in Cori work "did not inspire her at all." demands and specifications. ta's art paralleled events in her life. In What people saw on the canvas had, Were it just three years earlier, Sister 1979, Corita's sister, Mary Catherine, of course, always been a different story: Mary Corita, the Hollywood nun, would suddenly died of cancer after nursing vibrant colors and bold designs. So it be pictured in front of one of her Byzan Corita through two bouts of the disease. was something of a surprise even, to tine works on the cover of Newsweek, It was a devastating time in the artisf s some close friends when suddenly, in introducing pop art to middle America. life but one she was reluctant to place of the hard-edged realism that To this day, the superficial aspects of acknowledge in her work. As she told characterized her pop phase, there was Corita's (the way she signed her name) The Boston Globe in 1981,aMany artists suddenly a new softness expressed in style which seems to'be pastels, transparent inks and indelibly etched into the pub lyrical, almpst ethereal lic's consciousness are some imagery. 1960s cliches — rainbows, What helped ease Corita* flowers, hearts and other into the difficult process of unfailingly bright, graphic self-exploration was a imagery. Ironically, the friendship she developed with trademarks that gave her Elinor Mikulka, a painter widespread recognition ulti from Watertown, Massachu mately caused many critics to setts. One day the two were dismiss her work as too com commiseratingover the agony mercial to be in the context of getting new artwork of "serious art." started when Mikulka sug In perspective, Corita gested a joint trip for scenic deserves reconsideration. inspiration. Corita, who was Long before her death from inexperienced in landscapes cancer last year at age 68, her and reclusive in her working early "work- was well known process,- was initially-reluc—- and sought after. She had tant. But in 1981 they began pioneered the use of visible taking weekly trips, often to language and commercial parts of New England Corita icons in her serigraphs, had never explored. As My paintings and built environ ers recalls, they painted ments. Not as well known, "together, but separately," however, was a brave exper never even showing each iment she began in 1981 that other their work.
PHOTOGRAPH: JEFPRETTHICBAUTH I0ST0NIA • SEfTEHIEI/OCTOIEI IM7 • 21 A K T V I K W S
For her part, Mikulka found that the including several that have never been reply to criticism of the use of market trips "helped us become more obser seen. "I haven't begun to tap what (this place iconography. "(Corita believed) vant, see more colors. (Corita) became latest work) is telling me," she says there was nothing that wasn't beautiful," interested in her work in a way she excitedly. "I find the depths of devel Myers recalls. "She said that if you car hadn't been for many years. It was like opment to be almost frightening. I find ried that theory around with you, you she was discovering what she was capa stuff in that work that rivals Whistler, tended to block out a lot less than if you ble of for the first time ... finding she Turner, [any of] the great watercolor felt you already knew where beauty could play with muted colors, with masters." existed." monotone, in a way she never allowed Perhaps indicative of the fact that like Responding to the critics who argued herself to do previously." contemporaries Andy Warhol and Rob that messages belonged on posters, not Next to Corita's bed at the time of ert Rauschenberg, the^name "Corita" paintings, Corita would say, "I think of her death was one of her last prints that conjures up certain notions, very few it more like a singer putting words and juxtaposed a quotation with an image, critics were even aware of the striking music together, which .doesn't make it another of the artist's trademarks. 'Die changes in her work during the last five less music." The New Yorker affection message—"Expanding beyond what we years of her life. In fact, Corita's com ately placed her "between Rembrandt know we can be"—meant for Corita the mercial ventures, such as the Boston and Gutenberg," while The Saturday risk of revealing more of herself on can Gas tanks, caused some critics to dismiss Review praised her for having "courage" vas. It was not an easy concession, but the artists work. But it was these same to be unabashedly poetic about the pos- as Myers, now the artistic advisor to advertising and corporate associations sibilities for human growth. Conta's estate, points out, "Artists —commissions from Digital, Group W Surely courage is an appropriate word • can't hide what they're living through — that enabled Corita to donate her to describe the artist. With each of her unless they're working from a formula energies to favorite causes such as The battles against cancer, Corita grew and Corita didn't." United Farm Workers in the 1960s, simultaneously introspective and In sorting through the Back Bay Amnesty International, Physicians for revealing on canvas while remaining apartment where Corita lived alone for Social Responsibility and Hands Across socially conscious and giving of her tal the 19 years before her death, Myers America during the last fiveyears . ents. This generosity, coupled with her came across some of the last works, Mickey Myers cited the artists own uniquely unpretentious philosophy of making art accessible to more people (she deliberately kept the prices of her work artificially low for this reason), makes the term "pop artist" a bit of a ICON misnomer. She may be more accurately n Only Andy Warhol termed a "populist artist. could turn an idol Into- Corita, who left Hollywood for Boston an icon. to escape the trappings of celebrity, was . Witness it yourself. nonetheless thrilled by public reaction See the largest collec to her work. She considered her com tion of Warhol's most mission by the U.S. Postal Service for a stunning serigraphs. Exclusively at the "Love" stamp in 1985 one of the high Morgan Gallery. lights of her career because it would You'll also find reach such a broad audience. And she works by Jim Dine. would, no doubt, be genuinely delighted Jasper Johns. Roy by an event that took place in Sioux City, Lichtenstein. And the Iowa, last December, where an art cen kinetic light sculptures ter that was featuring a Corita retro of Bill Parker. spective suddenly found its walls bare: Gallery hours: Tues.-Fat.,10-6 and by a man had come off the street, viewed appointment. ^£S^ the exhibit and purchased every piece. It is this visceral, impulsively and --expansive-response ttat-won-Corita^- widespread recognition in the 1960s and 1970s. It may well be the next and final HVU phase of her work, with its added dimensions that requires a second look, 222 Newbury Street that will give her career just that. Boston. Mass. 02116 617-536-2686 Andrew Levinsky is a Newton-based free-lance writer.
22 SEMEHIEI/OCTOBE K IM7 ff t^C^ " c f '-w News and feature guide on Page 2 Telephone 929-2000 Classified 929-1500 Circulation 929-2222 • * © 1987 Globe Newspaper Co.
Vol. 231; No. 149 FRIDAY, MAY 29,1987
PAINTER AND HANGER
A worker on a «^feW4angl<*frw»4foe *^ , ,£xL— ,ji i-'"-l ' I'UJiumrff Dorchester Argus-Citizen Corita Kent Leaves Bright Legacy to Dorchester by Chrij Lovett "At first I thought it was a waste," Point and the curving line of Dor graphics, not the small-scale, contex she said. "Now, I'm proud of It." chester Bay. / tual words we hear about art and ar While bombs fell on Hanoi and "It's a beacon from land, sea and chitecture today," said Boston Land Within months after the rainbow servicemen from Dorchester fell in air," said Mary 0. Shannon, execu- , mark Commission executive direc was completed, the' Pope's 'Hill combat, and while families back live secretary of the Boston Art Com tor Judith McDonough. home fled to the suburbs, a sign of Neighborhood Association was battl mission. ing plans by Boston Gas to odd un Bagnall called the Rainbow Tank hope sprang up, 150 feet above Com "I don't know how people feel "a joyous gesture In color." mercial Point. derground storage tanb for propone. Boston Gas later dropped its plans about paint spilled across a gas "It's essentially the exploration of Covering a billion cubic feet of and Nancy Harrington, president of tank," said Shannon, "but It's some what a medium does," he said. "It's liquified natural gas with red, blue, thing that should attract people's at the association at the time, later splashes of paint, but in such a free green, orange, yellow and purple tention and make them use their came to think- differently about the way and such a monumental way brush strokes, it remains the largest imagination, at least for a little rainbow. that it's like fireworb." object ever copyrighted. while." More recently, Kent has been For artist Corita Kent, it was "a • "I think it was always like a pleas People who bothered to write known for designing the first and neat thing to do." • ant thing. Now it's a symbol," said about how they felt either praised most widely sold "Love" postage Between the first brush strokes- Harrington. the bright colors or condemned their stamp, and for producing the anti- applied 15 years ago Saturday—and simple, child-like quality, according nuclear billboard design for Physi Kent's death of cancer last Thursday "You pass the Rainbow Tank, you know that you're in Dorchester," she to Boston Gas public relations man cians for Social Responsibility. at age 67, her rainbow, that most eva said. ager Frank A. .Arricale. That the "She was essentially a communi nescent of subjects, has outlived both comments were evenly divided cator,'! said Bagnall. bewilderment and nostalgia to be If you pass the tanb on Morrissey makes Arricale conclude that most "She felt that she wanted to prod; come a landmark. Boulevard or^.the Southeast Express people approve of the Rainbow uce an art that was widely available "I thought it-was bizarre at first way, you see the Corita signature roll Tank. with economy," he said. "She felt and it grew on me," said Barbara by, fast or slow, depending on the "We thought it was pretty revolu that art was not a luxury item." McDonough. a Neponset resident traffic If you look from Ronan Park tionary at the time to- put a large - Despite her sympathies with the who lives within a mile of the rain or the UMass. Harbor Qampus, It is work of art before the public that anti-war movement, and later with' bow. the rainbow'that marb Commercial could rub either for or against us," he anti-nuclear campaigns, Kent was said. not a proselytlzer, said Deborah Kent did submit Ideas for a design Brown, owner of Bunnell Frame on a twin tank that Boston Gas built Shop on Newbury Street. The shop is at Commercial Point in 1970, two the Boston dealer for Kent's prints, years after the Rainbow Tank. Plans and her worb are the only ones for a second tank design were Brown displays, aside from worb dropped; said Arricale, because "it collected by her father, Boris Mirsky.. would look toa busy, side by side." • "She was a very sweet, strong, The tanb replaced an earlier gas quiet woman who made all of her holder that rose and fell with its con feelings shown through her art," said tents. Painted in sections of gray and Brown. red-and-white checkerboard, the "She-felt very strongly about the^ .holder was a more changeable and. nuclear, arms'campaign and Physl-.' less premeditated landmark. clans for Social Responsibility," said In Kent's work, the Rainbow Tank Brown. "She felt that individual peo Is a prime example of the stylistic ple working very hard could change change after she left the Order of the things." •' Immaculate Heart of Mary, where Kent also boycotted a celebration Facing Morrlswy Boulevard and she had been a Roman Catholic nun introducing her stamp on the set of tht Rainbow Tank. for 32 years. . * ' , the Jelevision series Love Boat be Her earlier worb have been de cause she thought it trivialized her "It is a true legacy of someo scribed as more complex, employing work, said Dorchester artist Mickey put together a synthesis b greater numbers' of colors In more Myers, a close friend and former stu popular urt and the spiritual explicitly religious subjects. dent of Kont. , we all have at the back In the late sixties and early seven "Corita's work for so many people minds." said Krim. ties, Kent embraced and transformed is symbolic of love and hope," said And Kent's seemingly " commercial and "pop" art in simpler, Myers. "But what needs to be under brush strokes, according to Kr more brilliant ond abstract plays of lined In her work and her friendship be the the one saving splendo primary color. is that love'and peace and friendship heart of an expressway traffic "She revelled in it. She thought are only achieved with hard work."* "They give a sense of joy, e she could say just as much with a The results on the Rainbow Tank, der a rainy, foggy set of cond brush stroke as with a figure of St. first executed by a Weymouth sign he said. Sebastian, complete with arrows," company, have been compared to the Kent has denied that one said Bill Bagnall, former director-of legendary toil on the ceiling of the brush strokes was intended to the DeCordova Museum, which Sistine Chapel. profile of North Vietnamese Corita Kent, 67, of cancer, artist won renown for gas tank design By Edgar J. Driscoll Jr. Globe Staff Corita Kent of the Back Bay. Internationally known artist. teacher and former Roman Catho lic nun. died at home of cancer Thursday. She was 67. Her most monumental work, at least in terms of size, is the rain bow design of primary colors that adorns the Boston Gas Co.'s 150- foot high, liquefied natural gas tank on Commercial Point. Dor chester. adjacent to the Southeast Expressway. It Is the largest object ever to be copyrighted by the US Copyright Office. During her career she had won all sorts of top awards for her brightly colored, freewheeling. semi-abstract or abstract prints and posters. She was considered- the first to sing the praises of the Lord via Pop art. In 1985. she designed a new. jfjfrf! >>= o - o x vertically oriented 22-ccnt Love 1971 photo = c . i? £ U stamp for the US Postal Service CORITA KENT with the word "Love" slashed on It In her distinctive style. She fefent way now." she told an In called it "a high point in my ca terviewer In 1976. "I guess you reer. because the stamp will be could say that my energy Is direct J! ills! seen all over the world." Her de ed inward these days,* she said, sign became one of the most popu reflecting on changes within her lar commemorative postal Issues self as the result of a major cancer ever, with more than 700 million operation two years before. sold. She was born In Fort Dodge. - r The gas tank work, designed in Iowa, and raised In Los Angeles. 1971 and executed in'orange, yel She was a graduate of Immaculate low. vermilllon. blue, green and Heart College In 1941 and received black, has been viewed by mil her master's degree from the Uni lions of drivers over the years. To versity of Southern California In 1951. She entered the sisterhood • — « i C w J* O : her the rainbow design conveyed & 4J J;= » t a c So "hope, uplifting and spring." in 1936. M* Some of those commuters dls- In the early 1940s she was a * J cerned the form of North Viet grade school teacher In British Co nam's leader, the late Ho Chi lumbia. She began teaching art at 3 • MInh. towards the bottom of one Immaculate College in 1946. of the splashy forms.. When asked For years, she exhibited in Bos about this, the artist replied that ton at the old Botolph Group Gal the likeness was "as unintention lery on Newbury Street Among al as the faces people find In • major museums owning her work clouds." are the National Gallery of Art. the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Miss Kent whose works of art the Museum of Modem Art and are In the collections of some 40 the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. major museums throughout the Although In recent years she world, was a Sister of the Immacu primarily made a living from cor late Heart of Mary for 32 years be porate commissions, the commis fore she resigned from the order In sions allowed her to support her 1968. As Sister Mary Corita. she causes, such as the United Farm spent many of those years as head Workers, Amnesty International. of the art department at Immacu the Campaign for Human Devel late Heart College in Los Angeles. opment and the Women's Interna When she left the order and tional League for Peace and Jus settled in Boston, she explained "I tice. want to do a different thing .... Miss Kent leaves a sister. Sister You should be true to your own Mary Ruth, 1HM. of California; a conscience. That's a good, old- brother. Mark Kent of Seattle, fashioned way of saying you know Wash.; and several nieces and what God's will Is." nephews. Over the years, her exuberant A celebration is planned at a prints - more than 800 limited date yet to be announced for the editions - went from the fairly Los Angeles campus where she naturalistic to the semi-abstract. taught the abstract and Pop art. in which she found inspiration In common- (_ place objects. In her Pop works' she lifted the lettering, symbols. colors and layouts of the commer \ cial sign world and gave them spiritual meaning. Laced into her compositions were quotes from Scripture, poets, playwrights and philosophers. Through them ran a positive, uplifting strain while dealing with the futility of war. racism and the despoiling of the earth. She had a strong social conscience and often undertook commissions for a wide variety of social causes, most re- . cently the official poster for Hands Across America. ' The blue-eyed former nun made her first serlgraph In 1952 while teaching at Immaculate Heart College. By the mld-'eOs her work had gained national atten tion and she was being ranked with artists such as Robert Raus- chenberg. Andy Warhol and Jack son Pollock. In the '70s her work became more subdued. "My work still says the same things that it did when 1 was going through my 'rainbow period,' but I tell the story In a dlf- *At midnight, Gorita Kent, artist and activist, dead at 67 she cut a huge By PAUL SULLIVAN lta Kent, was also active in matic rainbow on the gas free-flowing rainbow on ARTIST CORITA KENT; the peace and th,e anti-nu tank, done with six bold our tank are symbolic, not birthday whose works ranged from clear movements. and sweeping strokes and only of her artwork but of cake, the landmark Boston Oas An artist, teacher and signed only "Corlta/* Corlta the gracious lady tank In Dorchester to last sllkscreen prlntmaker, Boston Oas President herself," Bacon said. year's U.S. Postal Service's John J. Bacon said: "Cori* One of Corita's best encrusted r, known professionally as LOVE" stamp, died yes Corlta. her works w«*pe In ta's rainbow design, paint friends and protege, Back with pink and terday in her Back Bay fluential in both the com ed on our tank in 1971, has Bay artist Mickey Rosscll, home, after a six-month mercial and fine arts. become such a local land who was with her when she yellow frosted battle with cancer. . But Kent is remembered mark that it Is hard to Ima died, added: CORITA KENT Kent. 67. a former nun best by most people In gine the area without It. "The rainbow Is a sym- rosebuds.! •. Designed 'LOVE' stamp known as Sister Mary Cor Greater Boston for her dra "Her warm colors and Turn to Page 61 V *• *** • ^» 8-33' 3 »s.s.»; 02.2 oBOd loucne |s?M4?J a s«:fi -OHD 5.a2. IS*' z3-o o >c 5 3 r sr» « o o J3. *<'5 Sa"a * * ? 0 M C fsrffa u >p * •* 3 U o » 3??$ 3 S:^? * 2 an X ** 8 2.» =.a*r»2c2ft~' S3 2. E n-*, 5* 2 P» 8 5P°2 3 3" «>,2 ? 3^ J* — 3r' i;_-i„ s_° ft to p» » • ftSTr " * * u off*' O O ^3 3- y c o ao III ,<» • fi-So lisiW , p c*< <» j2 fi> -D3r» . * Itro • art X 3 ?3o ' £5 »- * pay 3" 3* O K| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Phone: 742-8400 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B Date October 7, 1994 Bostongas For further information contact: Frank Arricale One Beacon Street ^^hA|^HM^L|^L^^^^^^H ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BOSTON GAS ANNOUNCES THE COMPLETION OF THE FAMOUS RAINBOW DESIGN ON DORCHESTER TANK Largest Piece of Copyrighted Artwork Returns to Boston BOSTON (10/7/94) ~ Boston Gas Company has announced that the repainting of the famous rainbow design on the remaining gas tank at their Dorchester facility is now complete. The original "Rainbow Tank" was removed in November, 1992 due to increased gas pipeline capacity from the Southwest United States and Canada. The original rainbow was designed in 1971 by internationally acclaimed artist, Corita Kent. Corita, a former Sister of the Immaculate Heart, was inspired by the promise of the rainbow in the Book of Genesis and designed the rainbow as a symbol of hope for Boston. When removing the first tank, Boston Gas was committed to repainting the design on the remaining tank because of the symbol it had become for Boston and the overwhelming requests for its return. "Corita's rainbow has become a landmark of Boston, welcoming millions of people to the city each year. We are excited to bring back the world's largest piece of copyrighted art to Boston and its people. The rainbow's brilliant splashes of color represent enthusiasm and optimism for the city," stated Chet Messer, president, Boston Gas Company. -more- Boston Gas Repainting/2 The painting of the tank has become a family tradition. Clarence Okerfelt painted the original rainbow design on the tank 23 years ago, under the watchful eye of the artist, Corita Kent. In keeping this tradition, Robert Okerfelt, Clarence's son, and his assistant, Joseph Bechard, painted the current rainbow on the tank. Although Corita passed away in 1986, Mickey Myers, Corita's former student and the artistic advisor of her estate, supervised the painting to ensure the rainbow was identical to Corita's original design. Mickey, an artist in her own right, worked closely with Corita during the initial painting of the tank in 1971. Transferring the rainbow design from Corita's original seven-inch wooden model of the tank is an intricate process. Robert Okerfelt used photographs and drawings of the original and made 425 large paper stencils to duplicate the design as accurately as possible. To commemorate the original "Rainbow Tank," the colored paint chips from the rainbow have been captured in three-inch square lucite cubes and are available for sale. Proceeds from the lucite cubes will benefit Boston Partners in Education (BPE), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting academic and social development of students in Boston public schools. BPE also assists in local public school tutoring and literacy programs, as well as providing training and technical assistance to teachers, administrators, parents, businesses and students. Corita supported BPE for many years due to her love for children and her dedication to improving education. To date, more than $11,000 has been raised for BPE from the sale of the lucite cubes. The "Rainbow Tank" commemorative cubes can be purchased for $12.95 through Boston Partners in Education. To place an order, checks should be made payable to Boston Partners in Education and addressed to: The Rainbow Commemorative/P.O. Box 9200/Waltham, Mass. 102154. Quantities are limited. ### \r Boston'gas "RAINBOW TANK" FACT SHEET • The "Rainbow Tank" was, and now returns, as the largest copyrighted work of art in the world. • The original "Rainbow Tank" was erected by Chicago Bridge & Iron Company in 1969, and was dismantled in 1992 due to a reduced need for stored liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the Commercial Point/Dorchester facility. • The original design, that has now returned to the remaining Commercial Point gas tank, was created in 1971 by artist Corita Kent to symbolize hope for Boston's future. • The painting is a four-step process consisting of primer, intermediate and white coats, then the application of the rainbow colors: orange, yellow, vermillion, blue, green and purple. • Rainbow artist Corita Kent lived from 1919 to 1986. The painting of the rainbow is being overseen by Mickey Myers, the artistic advisor of Corita's estate, who was also involved in the original painting of the rainbow. • Robert D. Okerfelt of Duxbury, son of the original painter Clarence Okerfelt, sketched the rainbow outline on the tank. • Amount of paint: 425 gallons of white; 10 gallons of orange; 20 gallons of yellow; 25 gallons of vermillion; 20 gallons of blue; 15 gallons of green; 40 gallons of purple. • Rainbow artwork surface measures 73,374 square feet compared to 5,800 square feet of Massachusetts' State House dome. Corita's signature on tank measures 5 1/2 feet high by 16 feet long. • To commemorate the original "Rainbow Tank," the colored paint chips were placed in lucite and are available for purchase as individual pieces of art. Proceeds benefit Boston Partners in Education, an inner-city nonprofit which Corita Kent supported. The "Rainbow Tank" commemorative cubes can be purchased for $12.95. Checks should be made payable to Boston Partners in Education and mailed to: The Rainbow Commemorative/P. O. Box 9200/Waltham, MA 02154 • Tank height: 140 feet; width: 152 feet; circumference: 477 feet. • Tank capacity: 331,000 barrels or 13,900,000 gallons of liquefied natural gas, equivalent to 1.2 Billion cubic feet of natural gas (enough gas to supply entire City of Boston for one week). ### One Beacon Street Boston, MA. 02108 (617) 742-8400 %j Boston'gas Corita Kent Corita Kent, internationally known artist and teacher, was born in 1919 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and raised in Los Angeles. Corita, whose works of art are in the collections of some 40 major museums throughout the world, was a Sister of the Immaculate Heart for 32 years before she resigned from the Order in 1968. As Sister Mary Corita, she spent many of those years as head of the art department at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles. For years, she exhibited in Boston at the Botolph Group Gallery on Newbury Street. Among major museums owning her work are the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Her most monumental work is the rainbow design of primary colors that adorned the Boston Gas Company's 140 foot high, liquefied natural gas tank on Commercial Point, Dorchester, adjacent to the Southeast Expressway. It was the largest object ever to be copyrighted by the U.S. Copyright Office. This tank was removed in the fall of 1992 as the storage space was no longer necessary. The rainbow is now being repainted on the remaining tank. The gas tank work, designed in 1971 and executed in orange, yellow, vermillion, blue green and purple, has been viewed by millions over the years. To Corita, the rainbow design conveyed "hope, uplifting and spring." In 1984, Corita designed a new stamp for the U.S. Postal Service with "Love" slashed on it in her distinctive style. Her design became one of the most popular commemorative postal issues ever, with more than 700 million sold. Due to her love for children and her dedication to improving education, Corita was a strong supporter of Boston Partners in Education (BPE). BPE is a nonprofit organization that supports academic and social development of Boston's public school system, and advocates for a quality public education for students in Boston and beyond. To commemorate their 20th anniversary, Corita generously designed an anniversary poster for Boston Partners in Education just before her death in 1986. Corita died in Boston on September 18, 1986. One Beacon Street Boston, MA. 02108 (617) 742-8400 Q Bostongas Mickey Myers Mickey Myers met Sister Mary Corita Kent in Los Angeles when Mickey was 9 years old. (Mickey's father had commissioned Corita to design an album cover for a record he was producing.) Their association spanned 33 years. Mickey studied art from Corita at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles and their friendship resumed in Boston, when Corita moved here. Throughout the Boston years, Mickey and Corita conferred with each other on several projects, including Corita's commission from the Boston Gas Company for the original gas tank now being painted on the remaining tank in Dorchester. In the early 70s, Mickey actually painted Corita's design of a 40 ft. rainbow mural in the cobalt treatment room of the Bon Secours Hospital in Methuen, Mass. Mickey serves as the Artistic Advisor of Corita Kent's estate, and co-produced PRIMARY COLORS: THE STORY OF CORITA, a one hour documentary for PBS (1991). In her own right, Mickey Myers is known for her limited edition silkscreen prints, particularly a spirited series of crayon images. Over 25 posters have been made from her prints and distributed internationally. Her current work is in pastel, reflecting the images of her present residence in Vermont. ### One Beacon Street Boston, MA. 02108 (617) 742-8400 O Boston'gas BOSTON PARTNERS IN EDUCATION Boston Partners in Education (BPE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting academic and social development of Boston's public school students, advocating for quality public education for students in Boston and beyond. BPE was founded in 1966 as School Volunteers for Boston with 28 volunteers who were trained, and placed in three schools. Today there are nearly 4,000 volunteers who help out approximately 40,000 Boston school children each year. The initial purpose of the program was to create a school library system for Boston Public Schools, as well as assist Spanish-speaking immigrants in becoming integrated into the school system. Today BPE has expanded to include management of grass roots programs, parent workshops, as well as providing training and technical assistance to schools, community agencies, and businesses through its affiliate, Education and Management Consultants. BPE has been a founder and leader of the Massachusetts Association of Partners in Education, The National Association of Partners in Education, and The International Partnership Network. Artist Corita Kent was a strong supporter of BPE because of her love for children and her dedication to improving education. Corita donated over 100 of her prints to BPE for their 15th anniversary, and the prints were then placed in Boston public schools for everyone to enjoy. Just before her death in 1986, Corita also designed a poster for BPE to commemorate their 20th anniversary. ### One Beacon Street Boston, MA. 02108 (617) 742-8400 FASHION Strap-a-Bear HEYRI MADE I OR KIDS. BUT Tlately, trendy teens and chic moms are strapping on teddy bears, too. From Barneys (where they're sold in the chil dren's department) to the Tutto Typical card: Creature and coeds Survivor Dean, looking through one of the reclaimed portholes Bene boutique in the Hamp tons, the plush-bear backpacks are runaway best sellers. So popular that the Alaska-based manufacturer, the Mango Ted Collectible dy Bear Co., can scarcely keep up with the demand. "They're Gore pure whimsy," says Kim Stall - F THE PROLIFERATION OF er, the buyer at Manhattan's I trading cards —serial killers, E.A.T. gift shop. Whether Vietnam, even GATT negotia they're stuffed with pj's for a tors—hasn't made you sick. sleepover or slung over an Ar these just might. The Topps Dinner plate Pitcher mani suit, the fad's just more Co.'s Mars Attacks cards fea proof that people never out ture such ghoulish scenes as a grow their love for teddy giant bug decapitating a woman while two naked women stand by or a horrified boy crying as an alien vaporizes his dog. The cards are so gruesome (and fre quently misogynistic) that Topps pulled the 55-card series shortly after its 1962 release. But with the set selling for Royal Doulton marble sink Teacup with White Star logo $2,000, the company has reis sued the cards, along with 45 new and unimproved ones. "The gore excites the kids," says Topps's promotion manager, Artifacts of a Disaster Gayle*Young. With a Martian N APRIL 15, 1912, "TITANIC" BECAME SYNONYMOUS WITH comic book already out, look O"disaster." But at the time, the Titanic was the most opu-' for a possible animated TV se lent vessel in history. A controversial show opening this week ries and a movie next. Or don't. at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, LUCY HOWARD and MARC PEYSER presents 150 treasures rescued from the Atlantic since 1985 — with bureau reoorts all restored, via chemicals and electrolysis, nearly to their pre- iceberg grandeur. Many are elegant (silver trays, a bronze cherub light holder, a steward's white jacket), some fascinat PUBLIC ART ingly banal (a hot-water dispenser, two of the ship's 1,241 portholes). Most haunting: the bell that lookout Frederick Fleet rang at first sight of the iceberg. Can You Spot Ho Chi Minh? The show has detractors, including survivors who believe IKE ELVIS, HO CHI the ship should be left undisturbed. The artifacts come from LMinh shows up in the "debris field" that resulted when the boat showered ob strange places. Per jects as it sank and hit bottom, which placates some. "As long haps no sighting of the as they take them off the sea former North Viet bed and not the wreck, it's all namese leader is right." says Millvina Dean, more famous than the who was 9 weeks old when she one in the Boston gas- was rescued along with her tank rainbow, painted mother and brother. Her la by Corita Kent in ther was last seen standing on 1971. Bostonians de the Titanic's sinking deck. manded a new rendi- The old tank, wthHoirithe blue stripe£* "This ship is a grave and tion when the compa- > -/V, Journey to thebottom of the sea should stay as it is." ny razed the painted tank two years ago and left its unpaintedc neighbor alone. Some say Ho No. 2 looks different: squished nose, flat eyebrow. Spokesman Frank Arricale disagrees: "You don't change a Picasso because a group doesn't like it."