~ Malden Musings ~ Paul Gilligan & Dave Russo at MHS GTC Fundraiser

By Peter Levine

The Malden High School Golden Tornado Club Fundraiser at Giggles on Route 1 last week? Absolute gold. A night packed with laughs, legends and enough Malden star power to light up the Zakim Bridge.

I had the honor of breaking bread (or, more likely, sharing a plate of Giggles’ famous pizza) with some stone-cold Maldonia MVPs: Rec Director and Dorothy’s dad Joe ‘Chills” Levine; MHS football coach Witche “Kevin’s big brother” Exilhomme; and the city’s unofficial historian/storyteller/raconteur, Marty Gately. But the heavy hitters didn’t stop there. Front and center, I spotted GTC Board Member Katie Nicholson Bowdridge and her husband, Mike.

Fun fact: Mike happens to be cousins with former Atlanta Braves set-up guy Kevin McGlinchey, who happens to be the third best athlete in his family behind his moms and pops (maybe throw his Auntie Rose on that list and he is possibly the fourth best athlete). Another fun fact: Katie worked the front desk at the old Y along with Erika Christenson Israelson and Lisa West – the golden era of awesome front desk workers at the old Y, and that ain’t because each of them would give me an extra towel if I asked – insert great big smiley face. Also in attendance: GTC Board Member and Athletic Department powerhouse Jeanne Marquardo (one of my fave Grassos for sure); MHS girls softball coach Rebecca Krigman (who also happens to be one of the first women to climb the fabled grease pole during the San Rock Festa); volleyball and JV basketball coach Danny Jurkowski; track coach Marc Ferrera; friend to just about everybody on earth – multi-sport star at MHS from 1977 and wicked good kid Benny Talbot; legendary wrestling coach Phil Gormley and his son (sorry, kid, memory’s not what it used to be!); the one-and-only Johnny “CJ” Lopresti; and the man who might actually hold the record for most Hall of Fame inductions in Massachusetts – Steve Freker.

And then, the real magic happened. Two of Malden’s funniest cats, Dave “I’m not that kind of Indian” Russo and Paulie “handsome is a light switch away” Gilligan, took center stage and had the crowd in stitches. For a couple of hours, they made us forget about the midwinter blues, sky-high egg prices and whatever else was weighing us down.

Now, full disclosure: I’ve known these two guys for so long that trying to count the years would just be depressing. Paulie, in particular, has been part of my world forever. Back in the day, I’d walk into little brother David’s room and see Paulie, his brother Danny, Johnny Swanson, Sonny & Dean Trioli, Joe Victor, Mike McCauley, a Skiffington or two, Bo & Kevin Hannon, Johnny Olsen and the rest of their mischievous crew playing poker into the wee hours. Then we’d hit the court for some hoops. Then concerts. Then just life, growing up in Malden, from Oak Grove to Edgeworth and everywhere in between.

Paulie and Dave, my friends, keep ’em laughing – because lord knows we all need it in these mishigas times we live in.

It is said in “Malden Musings”…

• Led by the steady, reliable hand of Malden Parking Department rising star Ernie “the first man they look for and the last man they wanted to see” Ardolino Jr., the Department’s Enforcement Officers were out in full force last week doing a fantabulous job as Malden battled its first major winter event. “Hogan’s Heroes” just killed it as they blanketed the cityscape, tagging transgressors for the good and welfare of all Maldonia. In the crazy things people say department… One of the Parking Control Officers driving down a street in Ward 2 reports that he was approached by a middle-aged bloke who disliked that the PCO was handing out tickets so diligently. When the PCO rolled his window down, the disheveled and portly geezer’s verbal assault was obnoxious, beyond reprehensible and a real head scratcher; “What are you, (German dictator during World War II), giving out all those tickets?!” Not one of Malden’s proudest moments.
• Just a friendly reminder: The MHS Golden Tornado Club can always use your help, financially speaking that is. If you’ve got some extra gelt lying about (hint, hint to any “philanthropists” who love MHS), no better place to invest it than the future of Malden and this country, the student athletes who wear the Blue and Gold at MHS. Thanks for listening.
• Malden High School’s “Top Male Athlete” for 1985, Timmy Carey, no doubt you belong in the MHS Athletic Hall of Fame, and here’s hoping the GTC committee agrees also. GTC committee, please don’t let other “voices” distract you from your important business. Insert snarky smiley face.

In the Malden Beyond Edgeworth Department… Once again, from up on high, the inimitable Dana Brown reaches back into that very large brain of his for more great tales from Maldonia past…

“In honor and memory…Blizzard of 1978 – I was a 19-year-old freshman at Boston College…”

“Lots of us have Blizzard of ’78 stories; here’s what I remember. I was a freshman at Boston College and on Monday night (first night of the storm) I was at the Beanpot Hockey Tournament at the Boston Gaaarrrden with friends Donnie Brunelli (Brunelli Building), former MHS House Principal Tom Mahoney, Ricky Malatesta (legendary MHS teacher and golf coach), among several others. As the night wore on the Public Service Announcements were coming fast and furious. ‘Leave now!!’ was the message. ‘Trains will stop running soon.’ ‘We are in the middle of a blizzard.’ ‘Go home!’

“After much discussion and some arguing, a bunch of us decided to leave. Ricky Mal had parked his car at Malden Center and was willing to drive us home if we left now. We hopped on the train, the ‘rattler’ as Malden educator/pol/man about town Bobby McCarthy likes to call it, and we made our way to Malden. Once there Mal got us all to where we needed to be. In my case I was dropped at my high school girlfriend’s house, in Linden. There I stayed for several days, finally getting home via a truck driver who picked me up as I walked down an eerily quiet Salem Street, making my way to Ferry Street, then home to Pratt Street.

“Tom Mahoney got back to his house in Chelsea by walking over the Tobin Bridge. Somewhere I remember him telling us he had slept overnight at the Garden and walked home the next day.’

“In any event, those days will always be remembered by me for the absurd number of people who walked everywhere for days into a week or more. No one drove. FYI, no cell phones, no computers, no video games…we did lots of shoveling. Neighbors helped neighbors. Neighbors helped strangers. I was a commuting student to Boston College and missed a bunch of days of classes. My romance with my high school sweetheart ended soon thereafter. Perhaps I had overstayed my welcome!”

As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say “Just one more thing, sir” – each time I walk/travel past the intersection of Highland Avenue and Oakland Street, I salute the Sgt. Joseph J. Lumino Memorial Square plaque in front of the Highland Smoke Shop. I never met Mr. Lumino personally but I was generously gifted a copy of the diary this real-life hero kept during some of the bloodiest battles of World War II. Fascinating, riveting reading from a real American hero from Malden. An excerpt for you, dear reader, from the personal diary of “Malden’s One-Man Army” Sgt. Joe Lumino – US Army 45th Division. Joe killed over 75 enemy combatants at the Battle of Bloody Ridge during World War II (earning him a Silver Star). Joe’s family still have the “V-Mail” (V for Victory) postcard from him, which was a care package sent by Joe’s mom. It reads how all the guys in his unit got “one swig” out of the malted milk she sent them and how “good it was.”

Printed with permission from his family: “Before attacking Biscari the Nazis were shelling us and the German Air Corp were dropping bombs near us, but we kept right on going. We were too dumb to know what war really is. I got cut from hitting the ground but refused aid as I did not want to report it for fear it would get in the papers as a casualty. My wife and folks would do plenty of worrying. It is a joke the way they give out Purple Hearts. Another great battle was Bloody Ridge. There was a swell story in Collier’s Magazine about the 45th fighting there. I fired 12 boxes of ammo in 65 minutes. The German tanks were coming very close to us and our artillery knocked it out. They helped very much.” To be continued.

Postscript 1: Once again, I want to extend my deepest and most heartfelt condolences to our friend Danny Gilligan and his family on the unimaginable loss of his beloved wife, Lisa. The world dimmed a little the day we lost Lisa – she was truly one of the most beautiful souls to grace this earth and call Malden home. Danny, please know that we share in your grief, and Lisa’s warmth, kindness and spirit will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her. Her memory will never fade. Danny, you are in our thoughts and prayers during this most heartbreaking time.

Postscript 2: Lest we forget… It’s hard to believe it’s been six years since we lost one of Malden’s finest, a true gentleman and a friend to so many – MPD Officer Algert “Al” Macy. Time moves too quickly, but memories hold steady, and Al’s legacy remains as strong as ever. Al left us in May of 2019, slipping away peacefully at home, surrounded by the love of his family – a farewell as gentle as the man himself. He was just 71, but those years were rich with purpose, friendship and service. A lifelong Maldonian with roots in Portland, Maine, Al wore many hats in his time: U.S. Navy Veteran during the Vietnam Era, devoted member of the Irish American Club, the American Legion and The Eagles. And, of course, he was a brother in blue, serving Malden proudly for 36 years.

If you had the honor of knowing Al, you know exactly what I mean when I say he was one of the good ones – the kind of man who could light up a room with his presence, always quick with a kind word, a laugh or a helping hand. I was lucky enough to call him a friend, our bond formed in the old Y’s Health Club, where stories and laughter flowed as freely as the hard-earned sweat.

Today, in 2025, his spirit lives on in the brave young men and women who walk the same beat, protect the same streets and carry the same honor in their hearts (hello, Gus, Evan, JP, Glen, George, Trent, Sal, Noelle and the rest of you). Al set the standard, and he set it high.

We miss you, Al. But as long as we remember, as long as we share your stories and speak your name, you will never be forgotten – not by your family, not by your friends and not by the city you loved so dearly. Rest easy, Big Al.”

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