Linda Farquhar Kogut passed away peacefully at her Roslindale home last month.
I loved Linda, who was a ‘66 graduate and honor roll student at Mission High and also my Tobin Court neighbor so many years ago. Linda loved sports, having attended many Red Sox games with her dad in the ‘60s. Later, during the dazzling days of the Mission Hill Softball League, she seldom missed a game up the Hill to watch her brother, Buzzy Farquhar compete as the catcher for the great “Assorted Nuts” team. More recently Linda enjoyed cheering on her beloved daughter, Joy Kogut, a gifted runner who has competed in many roadraces, including the Boston Marathon.
Linda had a heart of gold and she will be dearly missed.
Wayne Selden had a magnificent season playing for Ironi Nes Ziona in the Israel Basketball Premier League. Wayne, a strapping 6-foot 5-inch guard from Mission Hill, led Ironi Nes Ziona to the F.I.B.A. Europe Cup and Wayne was named M.V.P. in the Final Four. Wayne, 26, previously played in the NBA and in China. Wayne gives back to the community, be it gift cards at Target or backpacks for the neighborhood kids at Christmas time. I last saw Wayne in 2019 at the Reggie Lewis Center, where he graciously held a basketball clinic for the youngsters. It was a few days before he was leaving for China to play for the Shandong Heroes, so naturally I wished Wayne luck, and he chuckled when I gave him a fortune cookie.
The Mission Hill Veterans Post 327, now with 40 members, held a meeting last week at Victory Point Restaurant in Quincy.
Gregg Brasso, the host of “Veterans Voice Radio” on WATB-FM, 7-8 p.m. from Marshfield, was our guest. “Veterans Voice Radio” helps veterans identify and apply for benefits and programs for which they may qualify. WATB is affiliated with WMEX-1510 AM-Quincy, which resurfaced a year ago. When Gregg told me this I immediately recalled sitting on the Mission Hill project benches with the boys and girls listening to the great music on WMEX in the 1960s. Gregg could have knocked me over with a feather when he told me the DJ on WMEX (9 a.m.-2 p.m., weekdays) is the legendary Larry Justice.
Larry is the same guy I listened to spin records on WMEX 60 years ago. I’ve been listening to WMEX this week and Justice, now 82, hasn’t lost his fastball, invoking witty quips in between the oldies music and interviewing famous stars from yesteryear.
A belated happy 50th wedding anniversary to Bill Mullin and Virginia Mullin (Simmons).
Bill and Virginia are a wonderful Mission Hill couple, and I was honored to be an usher in their wedding party back on May 15, 1971.
Said Maggie Lawrence Costa, Virginia’s 1968 Mission High classmate: “This is a marriage made in heaven.”
Happy birthday to Dan Mullin, Bill’s son, who will celebrate his 40th birthday June 5. Bill, Dan and his older son, Mike Mullin, as well as myself, were teammates on the superb Mission Hill Liquors Softball team.
That team was previously sponsored by Winnie’s Pub, owned by Winnie Lyons and we always kept the name “Moreau Club” on the back of our shirts.
The Moreau Club was named after John Moreau, who served in the Army and was killed in action in Binn, Vietnam on Jan. 29, 1970.
John, who was a Mission Hill Little League coach, will be honored by Boston Veterans Services on Saturday, June 26, in a dedication ceremony of John A. Moreau Square at Fisher and Parker Hill avenues. We’ll know the time of this great event next week. It will be posted on the Facebook page, “I Grew Up On Mission Hill, “ as will the celebration following the ceremony.
Check out the murals at 733 Huntington Ave., painted by talented artist, Liz Boston.
Something you might not know: Ivers Whitney Adams, the father of professional baseball in Boston, lived on Mission Hill at 2 Delle Ave.
Adams was the President of the Boston Red Stockings in 1871, and he also owned the team’s home field, the South End Grounds on Columbus Ave. The Red Stockings are currently the Atlanta Braves and the longest continuous sports team in America.
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