El Salvadoran immigrants give back by volunteering to restore Malden city seal

By Tara Vocino

The Malden High School Class of 1988 President is giving back 36 years later by helping to restore their class gift – a city seal – outside of his high school alma mater. Tragically, three graduates of the Class of ’88, John Rooney, John Ciavarro and Cliff Sauvageau, had died in 1988, so the class wanted to do something to honor their memory by placing their names at the top of the structure. Over the years, the concrete city seal that stands at the corner of Ferry and Salem Streets, had fallen in disrepair due to weather conditions.

MHS Senior Class of ‘88 President Victor Mejias, Jr., who is a mason at Victory Property Management, took the task on his own shoulders and sought help to restore the six-and-a-half-ton, 16-ft. city seal. On Monday, he went to his former employer, Nelson Masonry & Construction Corporation, to repair the water damage and foundation cracks.

“I feel I had to give back to my community, the school and public,” Mejias said outside Malden High School. “I don’t think there’s enough of that.”

Nelson Masonry & Construction Corp. Manager Nelson Martinez volunteered his time along with fellow mason, Antonio Telule, who also emigrated from El Salvador having served as a US Army Major/Sgt. in Iraq. The cost of the repairs would have been approximately $6,000 in labor, materials and time.

“This country offers a lot of opportunities,” Martinez said while standing beside the city seal. “And I like restoring things.”

Martinez is also originally from El Salvador but has been living in the United States for 31 years.

Mejias said the seal had seen better days – with nothing being done about the deterioration caused by time and weather for over three decades, and he thought it was time to get it some help.

“This country did so much for Nelson, and he wanted to give back in some way,” Mejias said about his helpers. And he was grateful to be able to help in restoring the city seal in the country that gave them a home and to also keep alive the memory of some fellow classmates who meant so much to so many.