St. Leonard's Band of the North
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VOL. 113 - NO. 32 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, AUGUST 7, 2009 $.30 A COPY ST. LEONARD’S BAND OF THE NORTH END 1937-1938 by Al Natale Some members of the St. Leonard’s Band: Standing: Antonietta Moschella, Al Natale, Fr. Ronald Siciliano, John Annacone and Vincent Ristiano. Kneeling: Tony DiMasi, Siciliano from Hull Street, Porcella, Ralph D’Amato and Mike Frazulli. Pictured here are the Senior and Junior Band—Fife, Drum and Bugle Corps and their Majorettes. Many stories have been tition and won first prize. written about the North End, Winning this first prize unteer their services to phant March” from the Opera The immediate success but one era has never been created a great amount of make all the uniforms and all Aida. Father Saxton was so of this band inspired the written about and that’s excitement in the neighbor- the necessary alterations. happy that we won first prize, Sacred Heart Parish, the when Father Saxton of hood which attracted the Father Saxton decided to he had us march through Mt. Carmel Parish in East St. Leonard’s Parish and attention of other children organize a full marching the streets of the North End Boston and St. Anthony’s Mr. Joseph Tragone, Music who wanted to join and play band by adding Trumpets, to show everyone the trophy Parish in Revere to form Director organized the Fife, an instrument. The moth- Trombones, Clarinets, Tu- that we won. We received a bands of their own and they Drum and Bugle Corps — the ers of these children were bas, etc. Later that year we hero’s welcome from the did very well — live music year was 1936. also thrilled to see the hap- again entered the C.Y.O community and also a trip to was everywhere. That first year we entered piness of the children that competition. We won first the New York World’s Fair of The community spirit was the C.Y.O City-wide compe- they formed a group to vol- prize by playing the “Trium- 1939. wonderful. News Briefs Mayor’s Column by Thomas M. Menino, Mayor, City of Boston by Sal Giarratani Boston is a major hub for education sports teams, and interested individu- and athletics. We’re a leader in higher als to strengthen academic and athletic Obamacare Too Costly education and just a few years ago, the support for scholar-athletes in the Bos- The Democrats up on Capitol Hill in Wash- Boston Public School system was ton Public Schools. In short, this new ington, DC are pushing its health care reform awarded the Broad Prize for Urban public-private partnership is going to package quickly through the halls of Congress Education, national recognition of our create a scholar-athlete support system in hopes of getting it on President Obama’s commitment to educating children. Of that is a source of pride for parents, desk, maybe, by the Labor Day holiday. How- course, the winning spirit of our cham- coaches, students, and our entire City. ever, it appears like a budget buster for sure. It pionship-caliber professional sports We’ve seen firsthand the academic could cost taxpayers anywhere from $600 bil- teams is undeniable. With this history benefits that athletics instill in youth. lion to 41.5 trillion, depending on whether the in mind, I was thrilled this week to an- The work ethic, team spirit, and can-do Senate or House version gets adopted. All I see nounce another win for our City, and in mentality that sports encourage in par- is more long-term debt. particular the hundreds of student ath- ticipants are difficult to replicate else- According to a recent New York Post editorial letes in the Boston Public Schools, as where. The skills that scholar-athletes (July 16), “… at a time when the federal gov- we launch the Boston Scholar Athlete learn on the field translate to the class- ernment already has taken an ownership stake Program. room, and the Boston Scholar Athlete in auto companies, banks and mortgage com- Led by the generous support of John program will build on the existing panies, Democrats now want to empower Wash- Fish, CEO of Suffolk Construction, and $4 million annual budget for school ath- ington to decide when and where Americans an initial funding contribution of $1 mil- letics. In fact, within the next three aca- get medical care. lion from Suffolk’s Red and Blue Foun- demic years, the initiative aims to raise Strange Bedfellows Department? dation, the Boston Scholar Athlete pro- an additional $7.5 million in funding gram intensifies our commitment to and equipment for our school sports Down in New York, State Attorney General making sure that students excel on the programs. Andrew Cuomo is reportedly preparing to take field, in the classroom, and after gradu- In time for the beginning of the on Democratic Governor David Paterson in the ation. The program and foundation will new school year, the initial $1 million (Continued on Page 15) pool the considerable resources of teach- ers, coaches, businesses, colleges, (Continued on Page 15) THE POST-GAZETTE SATELLITE OFFICE IS NOW OPEN AT 35 BENNINGTON STREET, EAST BOSTON This office is open on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM and Thursdays from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PMPM, for the convenience of our East Boston and North Shore clients and contributors Call 617-227-8929 for more information Page 2 POST-GAZETTE, AUGUST 7, 2009 Words Have Consequences by Sal Giarratani As a police officer since for himself and all who work 1985 for the State Depart- with him. ment of Mental Health, I was All Americans have a right dismayed by the actions of to free speech, but some- the Boston Police Officer who times you need to think sent out an e-mail to a Bos- about the repercussions of THE ETERNAL FLAME ton Globe columnist that only mean words. Back 125 years added fuel to the fire over ago, Irish immigrants were The whole concept which kind in a hollow reed. She was worshiped by the the recent arrest of Henry often caricaturized in nativ- reveres the sacrificial fire, When this act was discov- Romans during ancient Louis Gates, Jr. and the sub- ist-slanted newspapers as the candlelight vigil, and ered, Zeus ordered that times independently of any sequent uproar concerning monkeys. The most popular every manner of eternal Prometheus be seized and connection with Greece. racism in our society. As I of these cartoonists was flame, appears to have been chained to a rock, high on a The worship of Vesta goes read the Herald story (e-mail Thomas Nast who loved born with Greek Mythology. mountain, and each day a back to the time when it fuels rage over race uproar drawing the Irish as rats. It all started with Hephaes- monstrous eagle tore at his was difficult but necessary July 30,) I agree with the What Nast did was racist. tus, the flame passed to liver, which grew whole to obtain fire. Then, as well officer’s lawyer who com- Turning human beings into Prometheus, one of two again each night. as even now, among some mented that the cop had his animals is reprehensible. brothers who were charged As man developed his fa- primitive tribes, they devel- First Amendment right to The mayor used the by the gods to create man, cilities to control the use of oped the custom of always express himself. However, word cancer to describe the and to provide him with flame, the fireside became keeping a fire alive for use this is really about some- police officer and the e-mail. the means necessary for his the center of family life, and in the community, and even thing more than a “poor Should the police officer in preservation. Zeus became the Greek goddess Hestia to carry it to new settle- choice of words”. Calling an question be fired? That is angered when Prometheus was worshipped as the pro- ments. This custom was pre- African-American man a a question for a hearing to tried to trick him, so the tector of the family hearth served in the religion of later “banana eating jungle mon- decide. At the very least, the mighty one threatened to and the founder of the fam- Greeks and Romans even key” and telling a newspaper e-mail was dumb. It creates destroy the human race by ily unit. Meanwhile, the rev- after more modern technolo- reporter to “Go ahead, ax me a problem in the African withholding fire, and to cre- erence which had developed gies had been developed. what I think?” a terrible American community. The ate other beings in place of for Hephaestus in Greece choice of words for a Boston police and community need humans. Prometheus was encouraged the worship of The sacred fire, the source police officer who works out to be on the same page in so concerned about saving Vulcanus or Vulcan in Rome. of all Roman life and power, of B-3 Mattapan. fighting crime and violence. those poor mortals that he Also, after learning about was kept alive in a structure Boston Police Commis- E-mails that create mistrust went up to Mt. Olympus, Hestia, the Romans devel- known as the Temple of Vesta, sioner Ed Davis and Mayor serve no good purpose. The stole fire from the gods, oped their worship of Vesta, and this will be the subject of Menino want him gone from writing of this e-mail was and brought it back to man- goddess of the Roman hearth.