Hill Happenings

Frank Garvin is on the big screen, earning a small part alongside Casey Affleck in the American drama, Manchester by the Sea. Locals recall Frank from the Mission Hill Theatre Group in the 1980s, including his brilliant performance as Oscar in the Odd Couple. Garvin grew up in Charlestown before falling in love with Mission Hill via Ed Burks Tavern where he tended bar and told stories.

In the 2010 movie, The Town, Frank portrayed a Boston Police officer. Frank was also a policeman in real life, serving as a detective in Chelsea before rising to police chief. Now retired from law enforcement, Frank is a class act with a big heart.

About fifteen years ago a friend of mine on Mission Hill, a single mother, was worried sick because her 14-year-old daughter hadn’t been home in four days. She told me that her troubled teenager was hanging out in Chelsea with older kids, so I brought her to the Chelsea police station and we sat down with Chief Garvin. After explaining her plight to Frank, with tears in her eyes, Frank put his arm around her and said, “Don’t worry honey, we’ll find your daughter.” Chief Garvin had the phone tapped of a Chelsea drug store, the last sighting of the teenager. Two days later, she was found and reunited with her mother. This story has a happy ending, as 15 years later mother and daughter are doing well.

Condolences to the family of Kevin McCarthy, who passed away last week. Kevin was a great guy. During the summer, I would often walk by his Hillside Street house and he would greet me with a lusty hello from his porch. Kevin was retired from the VA hospital, where he worked as a nurse. Kevin was a veteran who served in the United States. Army. He was a motorcycle enthusiast, who loved life. Kevin will be dearly missed.

My condolences to Anne Menton (Hurley), a lovely woman who lived in Brookline who recently passed away. Anne is the mother of Mission Hill resident, Carol Menton.

In a stunning display of arrogance and greed the Massachusetts Senate and House voted to give themselves massive pay raises. If the heist is successful, House Speaker Bob DeLeo will get a $45,000 raise with representatives and senators also cashing in, although they recently receive a raise. This comes from the same people who attempted to raise the gas tax, although we pay for them to drive to and from the State House.

There will be a beehive of activity Sunday in the bars and restaurants, as the Pats play Atlanta in the NFL championship, a nice boon to the Mission Hill economy. Cheer for the Patriots, of course, but if you are wagering, be careful because the Falcons look terrific.

The past few Sunday at Mike’s Donuts I’ve enjoyed talking football with Father Denis Sweeney. The gentleman priest, who is the director of students at Mission Church, knows his football. Father Sweeney predicted the Pats winning by 17 points against Houston and they won by 18 points. Against the Steelers, Father Sweeney had the Patriots winning 34-17 and they won 36-17. If I were to be on Sunday’s game, I would check with my higher authority.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.