~ Malden Musings ~ Andrea Giannattasio Remembered

By Peter Levine

It is said in “Malden Musings”…

• Congratulations to Paul Hammersley, Karen Andrews, Dana Brown, PJ Bell, Dave Allan, Dawn Zanazzo and the rest of the gang at Malden Overcoming Addiction for celebrating their 10-year anniversary. MOA does such great work, most of the time flying under our radar, but know this, MOA, you are loved and appreciated. Keep fighting the good fight and thank you for doing this for us.
• Please welcome City Hall’s new law clerk Stephanie Cafarella – starting in the Legal Department in July. Fun fact…on her day of birth, Stephanie was the only person born in Salem Hospital. True story.
• Happy September birthdays to these outstanding Maldonians…former Yankee Village paisan Timmy Hurley, Edgeworth’s best and brightest Timmy Bourque, and Mary Beth DeVincentis from that famous DeVincentis clan.
• Malden High School graduated 423 kids in 2024. This is the same class that most likely has no recollection of any structure being at the corner of Salem and Ferry Streets – just a big, ugly hole filled with weed trees growing taller by the day. I digress. When we graduated in 1975, there were 709 of us that glorious day on the iconic Macdonald Stadium green. So many classmates that year! To this very day I run into ’75 grads and have no idea who they are. Jack Freker who?! I kid.
• Also in that group of 709 was one of the most courageous people I think I have ever met, the late Andrea Giannattasio.
• Please welcome City Hall’s new Housing Program Coordinator Ben Gately, who started with the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development last month. Fun fact…Ben once worked security for singer Bad Bunny (yeah, Bad Bunny ain’t no Aerosmith but they are like wicked popular)!
• Speaking of Malden’s finest wearing the blue, this week’s “Malden Musings Apropos of Nothing Shout Out” goes to one of Malden’s best, Officer Mike Polston! Patrolling the highways and byways of Malden with his trusty sidekick canine Mattis by his side, keeping us safe and sound as we nap on the recliner. Mike is one of the good guys amongst us. Keep on rockin’ Mike, see you round the neighborhood!
• Did you hear about 15-year-old freshman Jayden Mcguffie scoring 6 touchdowns (342 yards on 18 carries) for MHS a couple of weeks back? No? You will when I profile him in the near future.
• Fellow Constable on Patrol George MacKay is a big fan of Officer Polston. George and I chatted one early morning at our old stampin’ ground, Devir Park, and George just gushed when Mike’s name came up. He told me Mike’s love for Malden falls just short of his love for his beautiful family, whom he proudly raised right here in good old 02148! Thank you for sharing, George, and keep up the great work, Mike!
• Congratulations to Billy Settemio on being reelected as capo dei capi aka President of the Italian American Citizen’s Club on Pearl Street. Under Billy’s steady leadership (and very large brain), the IACC has become one of the more popular social clubs on the North Shore with a membership that has grown leaps and bounds each year he has been at the helm (a real leader; think Vic Morrow’s character Sgt. Saunders on the old “Combat!” TV show). In his spare time, Billy “The Stable Genius” Settemio is a Cemetery Trustee in Malden, is Nolan and Kennedy’s favorite “Papa” and most years grows the biggest and tastiest tomatoes in Edgeworth. Oh yeah, and he married extremely well (hello Michelle!). Mazel tov, Billy (aka Willie Whiff – inside joke).
• Sad news to report if you bleed Blue & Gold: Shortly after turning 18, James Hyppolite tore his ACL while competing on the football field for MHS and will be out the rest of the season. Our sincerest condolences, my friend, but it is not the end of the world. Stay strong, get better, then get back to being the best James Hyppolite you can be. Again, Malden has your back.
• Apropos of absolutely nothing…Thinking back to 1972, our ninth grade at Beebe, we might have had the prettiest girls in the city: Andrea Giannattasio, Kathy Perrotti, Jane Bradley, Pam Picillo, Debbie O’Malley, Gerry O’Connor, Debbie Macnamara, Rose Tomasello, Tina Gaudette, Kathy Sainato and Cathy Wright to name but a few.

You are a (very) longtime Maldonian if you remember…

• Here’s a little known Malden brush with Presidential fame: Next time you are enjoying a cold Sam Adams and the “Famous Pearl Street Combo” (Steak Tips, Lamb Tips, Sausage and Spare Ribs – St. Louis Style) at Pearl Street Station Restaurant, keep in mind that in October of 1952 then President Harry Truman and his daughter Margaret made a whistle stop at the B&M Station on Summer Street and were “mobbed by adoring crowds.”
• Speaking of that historic day, the late, great Virginia Ruane recalled the day vividly: “I remember so well when President Truman was running for re-election. He stopped at the B&M Station and greeted all the residents of Malden from the back of the train. What a treat! When I heard that President Truman was coming to Malden, I decided I was not going to miss the opportunity to meet the President. My son, Gerry, was 2 years old, but I dressed him comfortably and put him in his stroller and the two of us went to see the President. And then to top it off, he introduced his daughter, Margaret, who was just a teenager. She was a big hit and I think that helped him get re-elected. The Summer Street Depot was owned by the Boston and Maine Railroad. Around the year 1958, the Railroad decided to sell the Malden Depot, and Freddie and Louise Spadafora decided to buy it. At that time, they operated and owned a small cafeteria named “Spady’s Cafeteria,” right across the street from the depot. They had wonderful plans to make a big attractive function hall there. Drastic changes had to be made to make this typically unattractive cold appearing building into their dream, a beautiful function hall. How could anyone think of making it into a beautiful function hall or classy restaurant? Freddie and Louise Spadafora did! In the meantime, a young Albert Spadafora worked with and for his aunt and uncle, Louise and Freddie, and learned the expertise for running a successful business and was able to open up his own function hall on Canal Street in Malden. Today, Anthony’s is the leading function hall in the area.”
• One of Malden’s best kept secrets? Pearl Street also serves up some of the best pizza around! That ain’t no lie!

In the “you can’t put your arms around a memory” department…since Butchie Gennetti’s passing, a pall has hung over these here five square miles we call home/Malden. Things remain the same but have changed, each of us continuing to mourn and remember in our own small ways. With that said, here are some words from Keri Gennetti, straight fire from her heart: “The world has lost a legend. My Uncle Butch could be described in countless ways through countless stories and memories and if you knew him, you certainly have one or two of your own. I absolutely have my lifetime’s full of them but for me it’s always this one thing: family functions. He was the definition of ‘dance as if nobody’s watching.’ We knew that NOW it’s a party when he arrived and the party was over when he grabbed the American Flag, and we marched around whatever venue we were at behind him. He taught me to be myself on the dance floor (and in life) and through the years always danced at least one dance (always fast and upbeat lol) with me at every function. It’s a small memory, but it’s mine, and I cherish it. I don’t need to go into all the qualities that made him the incredible person he was, he was my dad’s favorite person on earth, so if you know, then you KNOW. To my cousins Lisa, Dina, Carla, Sal, and Maria there are no words, yet so many to tell you how sorry I am. He was a father figure to so many but dad to only 5. Thinking of and sending SO much love to all of you.”

As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” – in case you are a recent transplant to Malden, a very small glimpse into the life of Andrea Giannattasio as related nine years ago by her younger sister (MHS 1982) Christine Giannattasio Mader. “So, what do I say to Malden High School Class of 2015 as I present the Andrea Giannattasio Memorial Scholarship? My sister, Andrea Giannattasio was a graduate of the class of 1975. Diagnosed with leukemia during her sophomore year she fought the battle, in and out of remission for two years. With the help of tutors and the support of family she graduated with honors with the hopes of attending Smith College. Unfortunately, she lost her battle just one month later. She left behind the legacy of academic and leadership excellence along with spirited community involvement. Forty years later you will presently find a sign above the entrance to the Malden YMCA stating, ‘Our programs are dedicated to the spirit of Andrea Giannattasio.’”

Postscript 1: Andrea made a lasting impression on all her classmates. Me included. Those who knew Andrea will never forget her determination to succeed, her easy smile and immense will to live. The sadness we felt, when we heard of her passing, will remain with us forever. My Forestdale Cemetery visits are not complete unless I stop at her resting place and take solace at her tombstone; “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you got till it’s gone…”

Postscript 2: So, next time you enter the Y, please take a moment, glance up and remember a remarkable young woman and Maldonian, Andrea Giannattasio.

—Peter is a longtime Malden resident and a regular contributor to The Malden Advocate and can be reached at PeteL39@aol.com for comments, compliments or criticisms.