By Maurice “Mossy” Martin
Condolences to the family of Jackie Geary, who passed away last month. A 1965 Mission High graduate, Jackie was a hard worker and a terrific athlete. He worked at Boston Gas and was a part time bartender at the famous Ed Burke’s Tavern. Jackie was an outstanding wide receiver and punter for the Killilea Club, who thrilled Mission Hill fans at Fens Stadium with his long touchdown receptions. R.I.P., Jackie. In last month’s Mission Hill Gazette, Gov. Maura Healey penned a well-written column on our recent state budget. The governor correctly pointed out the good things happening in our nice state; however she didn’t mention unsustainable spending, with the recent fiscal year budget increasing to nearly $58 billion. This is occurring at a time when more taxpayers are departing our state than arriving. This conundrum should be addressed by the Legislative body and Gov. Healey in a timely and transparent manner. The Mission Hill Post 327 Golf Fundraiser will be held Sat. Sept. 21; tee-off is set for 11:30 a.m. This is a wonderful event, which raises money for our veterans and Mission Hill institutions. A hole in one on the seventh hole will be rewarded with a $15,000 check. If you are interested in playing, sponsoring a hole or donating a gift card for our raffle, our M.H. Post Commander, Col. George Rollins can be reached at 703-209-2124. The Mission Hill Road Race will take place on Saturday, Sept. 28, at Kevin Fitzgerald Park at 9:30 a.,.(Walkers start at 9 a.m..) T shirts are available with proceeds benefiting the upkeep of Fitzgerald Park. For more info go to missionhillroadrace.racewire.com. Condolences to the family of Paul Griffin who passed away in July.
Paul was the longtime owner of Griffin’s Tavern across from Forest Hills Station before selling the bar a few years ago. Occasionally the bar would attract a few unsavory characters but Paul, a rugged and tough bartender was always equal to the task. I got to know Paul about 20 years ago when my son, Rob, worked at the bar. Paul was a good guy from the old school, and I loved hearing his stories from yesteryear. If you see Mairead Moore serving the thirsty customers at Brendan Behan’s Pub, wish the pretty woman a Happy Birthday (Sept. 4). Since Mairead served drinks at Flann O’Brien’s a decade ago I’ve always called her my favorite bartender but she is also a close and dear friend. There will be a TAG Sale at the path between the Church and the Rectory Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. to raise money for the St. Vincent DePaul Society. The Friends of the Poor Walk will take place Saturday, Oct. 5, starting at Mission Church. Join Father Phillip Dabney for the stroll along the Southwest Corridor Park Path to Green St. for the four-mile, round-trip walk.
Michel Soltani, proprietor of Brendan Behan’s invites the participants to his Jamaica Plain Pub after the Walk. Also on Oct. 5 the Mystic Rose Concert will perform at Mission Church at 2 p.m. There will be music from the famous Pilate’s Daughter play and the donation request is $25. It was nice chatting with Sal Giarratani at Mike’s Donuts last week. Sal has been writing for the Post-Gazette for the last 50 years. The Post-Gazette is an excellent weekly paper, published in the North End. It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon at Brigham Circle last month for the Best Mission Hill Tomato Contest. It was a fun day with nice music provided by the trendy “Tokyo Tramps,” featuring Yukiko Fujii and Satoru Natagawa. Garrett Haulk was the winner with the biggest juiciest tomatoes, and Garrett’s mother, Francie Haulk, had the best cherry tomatoes. The kind Haulk family often share their tomatoes with their appreciative Hillside Street neighbors. After the event I was pleased to stroll home with a tomato in hand. Maurice can be reached at [email protected].