~ Malden Musings ~ Happy Birthday, Dom Fermano

By Peter Levine

He’s Dom Fermano… and we are most definitely not! The original Edgeworth matinee idol, Malden’s very own OG, and much like his legendary paisan Frank Sinatra, Dom’s been doing it his way since day one — with swagger, smarts and a whole lot of Edgeworth soul.

And would you believe it? This May, the man, the myth, the Malden legend Dom “The Unofficial Mayor of Wherever He Stands” Fermano (charisma sourced in Italy, applicable worldwide) turns 85 years young! Still sharper than you or me, smoother than a Sinatra ballad and rocking that “hardest working man in show biz” title like a champ (think Tony DeMarco meets Rocky Graziano).

So next time you see Dom, tip your hat, shake his hand and wish him a happy birthday — trust me, he’s keeping score! (Just kidding… mostly.) Here’s to you, Dom — a great friend, the real deal and a class act. Wishing you many, many more years of laughs, love, tales from yesteryear, San Rock Festas and bocce ball! Hope you had a great surprise party!

It is said in “Malden Musings”…

• Delighted I was as I opened last week’s Malden Advocate to see my former next-door neighbors on Seaview Avenue, the Walkers, receiving a family award from the local scout district! Malden Troop 603 Committee Chair Steve Walker, Bear Scout Dillion Walker of Pack 615 and Dillion’s pop, Pack 615 Cubmaster Andrew. Look at Dillion, grown up and so handsome! Congratulations, Walker family, tell Cathy I said hello!
• Luigi Di Marco, originally of Brittoli, Provincia de Pescara, Italy, on April 2, 2025, at 80 years of age. Life carries on but love continues. Rest in peace. “Le mie più sentite condoglianze” to the Di Marco family.
• 90 Salem Street, we salute you! Now a show piece of a structure sprouting up out of the ashes of an estate that saw better days during the (Walter J.) Kelliher administration! The First Baptist, Converse Memorial Building, the Davenport Memorial Home/Estate, the Central Fire House, now 90 Salem Street, Malden’s very own version of the Yank’s legendary Murderer’s Row! Fuhgeddaboudit (said in my best Donnie Brasco voice)!
• Audrey P. (Shulman) Adleman, 84, of Melrose, formerly of Malden. May her memory be a blessing.
• We get letters… Bobby O’Brien, step right up: “Let me contribute my GOATs, but not necessarily Maldencentric. My post-1960 best area athletes: Malden – John Salmon, Red Harris, Neil Hurley, & Paul Murphy. Melrose – Richie Umile & Doug Prentice. Medford – Eddie Rideout & Bill Monbouquette.” Thank you, Bobby, very impressive.
• I did a Google on Doug Prentice — simply amazing athletic career! He’s stone-cold Melrose from what I can make out, but I am sure he visited Malden back in the day. Melrose — never known for their pizza or taverns (also known for their lack of “packys”). Melrose friends — said with all due respect, of course. Insert smiley face.
• More on DP: Doug got a full boat to play football at Boston College; later signed as a free agent by the Atlantic Braves; pitched a great game at Lowell in 1983 for Melrose (Rams) in the ICL State Finals against (Billerica’s) Tommy Glavine and was All Middlesex League in hoop. Amazing! Doug, reach out if this makes it into your living space.
• I saw the future of comedy a couple of weeks back at the Disabled American Veterans Hall on Willow Street (thank you, Pat McFee) and his name is Tugboat Manny. Details to follow.
• Best hockey slinger in Maldonia history that nobody remembers… Malden Catholic’s Eddy Sullivan? Boston College Beanpot Tournament record holder and stone-cold Malden (via Edgeworth) back in 1961 at the Beanpot, Eddy tied a record by scoring five goals in a single game. The Herculean effort had been achieved only by Harvard’s Bill Cleary in 1955, later by fellow Maldonian (and Edgeworth guy) Mikey Powers in 1973. More on Eddy in the very near future.
• I keep telling my brother Joe, I don’t always get it correct but if I write it wrong, Maldonia usually lets me know (“the more I write, the more I’m wrong,” correct Greg?). Dagnabbit (said in my best Yosemite Sam voice)! Maldonia reached out to me once again in the form of a missive from young Al Glynn. Seems pops was miffed that I got the chronology of the long-gone Charlie Brown’s/Strandway reversed. In no uncertain terms, he let me know that when the Strandway closed it then morphed into Charlie Brown’s (not the other way around, as I had misinformed Maldonia, once again). Duly noted, young Al, and please let your handsome parents, Al and Barbara, know that I look forward to seeing them at the San Rock Festa this summer. I wouldn’t mind seeing you and your handsome mug again either!

“Raise a Glass: Remembering Maldonia’s Greatest Bartenders”: There was a time — not so long ago, though it feels like another lifetime — when every neighborhood in Malden had its own corner bar, its own familiar faces, its own little piece of home. Places where the jukebox played too loud (or didn’t play at all), where the lights were dim (or nonexistent) and where the bartender wasn’t just someone serving drinks — they were part-time counselors, peacemakers/bouncers, relatives or old friends.

In those smoky rooms (remember smoky rooms?!) where laughter (does anybody remember laughter?) and (at times) extreme shenanigans took place, bartenders stood as steady fixtures of the community. They remembered your name, your story, your favorite booth or bar stool and (of course) cocktail of choice. And maybe, if you stayed late enough, they’d share a few stories of their own (and a few drinks on the house).

Today, I want to honor a few of the names that helped shape those golden years — the first installment of the Greatest Bartenders in the History of Maldonia:

• Pete Trabucco, Highland Café/Cremones
• Walter Wishoski, Mike’s Café
• Franny Spadafora, Albert’s Beer Garden at the San Rock Festa
• Jimmy Palermo, Anthony’s Restaurant/Italian American Citizen’s Club
• Mike Picillo, Loyal Order of Moose Lodge
• Frankie Villa, Italian American War Veterans Club
• Paul Gennetti, Highland Café
• Maureen Wortman, Anthony’s Restaurant
• Dante Mercurio, The Stadium Café
• Tommy Denehy, Ancient Order of Hibernians
• Bobby McCoy, The Roadside
• Dave “The Elbow Enforcer” Angelo, IACC/Highland Café
• Mary Brown Spadafora, Anthony’s Restaurant
• Ralph Kelly, Loyal Order of Moose Lodge
• Richie Morando, Highland Café/Hilltop Steakhouse
• Steve Kelleher, Malden Legion Post 69
• Jason “The All American American” Munroe, East Side A.A.

Of course, everyone had their bartender — the one who always seemed to know when you needed a drink or just needed someone to listen to (or knew when to shut you off). These names are just a start. Tell me yours. Tell me your/their stories. Because in Malden, it was never just about the bar — it was about the people who made you feel like you belonged. Am I right?

As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” — “Across the Universe” to Maldonia, April 1970. The world shook as Paul McCartney shattered Beatle Nation with a simple press release — his departure — a quiet thunderclap that signaled the end of an era. While the headlines screamed and fans mourned, somewhere beyond the known, in a place called Maldonia, my life took a memorable path. Five childhood friends ventured out of their safety zone — Edgeworth — for a short trip, a memory that would last a lifetime. In remembrance of that day in April of ’70 when the Beatles broke our hearts (and the day in early 1969 when I purchased the record that would change my childhood), I bring to you (once again), dear readers (no need to thank me), this Maldonia tale of yesteryear…

We started walking to the Square on that long ago Saturday morning at about 10. We walked everywhere back in the day or rode our 10-speed Schwinn’s as most kids in pre-two- or three-car households did. We walked down Charles Street past the A.O.H., Wendell’s Barber Shop, DeMarco’s Café (now home to Pisa Pizza), the Italian American Citizen’s Club and the Gas Tanks, then turned left onto Commercial Street. I recall post Yankee Village Commercial Street in those days (right in the middle of the big Urban Renewal push in Malden) as an industrial wasteland; large, dark, ominous brick buildings — mostly vacant and desolate — they reeked of chemicals, industrial waste and Malden’s less than glamorous manufacturing past. We gleefully picked up random heavy projectiles, threw them at the windows of abandoned brick monstrosities, smashed a few, then mischievously trotted the rest of the way to Pleasant Street (which in those days had no large, soulless City Hall building in the middle of it — aka The Beast That Ate Pleasant Street). The walk to Jordan Marsh from there was a short one. Our goal that distant day in May of 1969 was to procure our very own copy of the latest Beatles LP — called by some simply the White Album. The 4 Mop Tops were on top of the world in 1968, and those of us who loved pop music in the All-American berg of Malden were just as crazed about them as the rest of the universe. We trudged up to the third floor (?) where they stocked their vinyl; paid (I believe) close to nine dollars; brought the platter home and for months wondered why there was no inner album sleeve to marvel at! I am now on my 56th year (yikes!) of enjoying that very same mind-blowing vinyl album. Best $9 my mother ever spent. LOL.

Postscript 1: I also became a Kinks fanatic when moms surprised me on Christmas morning 1975 with “The Kink Kronikles” festively wrapped under the tree with my name on it. She knew her children well.

Postscript 2: Even I was confused by my own timeline; for clarification purposes I submit the following: The White Album was released in November of 1968; we walked to the Square in early 1969 (mom probably didn’t give us permission to walk past Highland Avenue until I turned 12 (LOL); Sir Paul turned the world upside down in 1970.

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