Condolences to the family of Patsie MacDougall, who passed away last month. Patsie was a beautiful and elegant woman who raised her family in Mission Hill at 31 Tobin Court. It was nice getting to chat with Patsie the last year or so. Most recently, Patsie was at the Mission Hill Road Race. Although her health was failing, Patsie always wore a nice smile, and she was such a warm person. Patsie will be missed.
More than 600 people attended the premiere of the terrific documentary “The Mission” last month at Northeastern University. “The Mission,” produced by Brian Culkin, chronicles life in the Mission Hill projects and features many superb basketball players, several of whom made it to the NBA. It also underscores the perils of drugs and crime. Notables in the crowd included Ray Flynn and Herald writer Steve Buckley, who are in the documentary. The late and great Mission High hoop player Franny Ward was in the documentary, shown hitting the game-winning shot for Mission in the Tech Tourney at the Boston Garden in 1965.
It will be a few months before “The Mission” will be shown on television. The Herald’s Gayle Fee wrote last week that “‘The Mission’ would be a dandy on ESPN.” The film will be shown again April 11 at 7 p.m. at the Tobin Gym.
It was nice chatting with Sandra Fernandez last month at Mike’s Donuts. Sandra works at her family-owned Chacho’s Pizza & Subs in Mission Hill across from the library.
On Saturday evening at Fenway Park, the Red Sox will honor Lt. Col. George Rollins during the Sox-Tigers game. George, who grew up in the Mission Hill projects, is a West Point graduate. Now retired from the Army, George served in Afghanistan at the tender age of 61.George will be introduced after the fourth inning.
It’s a long way to Tipperary: Ciaran Forristal has a good face for television, as NESN filmed the smooth bartender at Flan O’Brien’s mixing drinks on St. Patrick’s Day. Ciaran hails from Tipperary, Ireland.
Across the street at The Crossing, while sipping a draft beer, I noticed a few innovative specials. How about a tall Angry Orchard cider and shot of Paddy Whiskey for 7 bucks. If you are light in the wallet you can get a 16-ounce Narragansett for $3. I was reminded of the old days when Narragansett was a sponsor for the Red Sox. Famous Sox announcer Curt Gowdy would say, “Hi, neighbor. Have a ’Gansett.”
Somethings Afoot: Several Mission Hill folks attended “Somethings Afoot” last month at the Stoneham Theater. Nick Sulfaro, from the Mission Hill Sulfaro clan, did a fine job on stage playing Clive. Sulfaro was also the production assistant of the play.
Former Mass. Speaker of the House Sal DiMasi, convicted of corruption, is halfway through his 8-year sentence. He has cancer and he should be released immediately. To make matters worse, DiMasi is incarcerated in federal prison in North Carolina, making it a burden for his wife and kids to visit him. This is cruel and unusual punishment. He needs a pardon from the president. I asked my state rep., Jeff Sánchez, to ask Gov. Patrick to ask his friend, Mr. Obama, to intercede.
Congrats to Mission Hill’s Janet McCarthy, who serves in the Air National Guard, on receiving the Cleveland L. Parker Award. Janet, a sergeant, earned the award in the field of medical services as a non-commissioned officer. Along with being a lovely young lady, Janet is a true patriot.
Handball guru Mike Killion was mentioned in the February issue of Handball Magazine. Mike received the accolades following his victory in the Stoneham Handball Tournament. It was the biggest sports write-up Mike received since the Mission High School paper, The Ecolph, wrote about Mike when he was a football player for Mission in 1964.