~ Malden Musings ~ Ron Cox – We Salute You

By Peter Levine

I find myself missing my old friend Ronny Cox and those impromptu visits to the MATV studios. Back in the day, I’d casually poke my head through the front door, step into the inner sanctum of the original pack rat and within moments we’d be lost in conversation – catching up on life, sharing stories and bustin’ beans.

But now, Ronny’s off enjoying la dolce vita in well-earned retirement, and my fixes of his sharp wit and boundless energy are far less frequent. Sure, he’s active on Facebook, and I love watching him embrace life to the fullest, but nothing quite compares to experiencing his humor and personality up close. Ronny isn’t just a presence – he’s an experience. No lie.

The last time we met in person, he handed me a true treasure: his collection of Rolling Stone magazines. Now, whenever I get a moment to myself, I dive into those pages, devouring rock ‘n’ roll history and feeling that much closer to my old friend.

Fear not, Maldonia! I will have a sit down with Ronny in the very near future to talk about and document his exploits growing up in Malden and beyond – one of the “beyond” parts being Ron’s attendance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 when Dylan went electric and was said to have “electrified one half of his audience and electrocuted the other!” My note: I can envision with my mind’s eye Ron and his little gang of post beatniks/pre-hippy secular humanists and critical thinkers clapping furiously as Dylan plugged in!

In the spirit of full disclosure – though longtime readers surely know by now – I am an unabashed, unapologetic admirer of Ron Cox.

Ronny “The Old Ranger” Cox has been a cornerstone of Malden since forever stumbling into MY summer of ’72 and never really leaving. On a bit of an unrelated note, if the universe had any sense of fairness, he’d be a multimillionaire right now – paid in full for the decades of dedication, mentorship and kindness he’s poured into this city. But money was never his currency. Instead, he traded in passion, generosity and an unwavering belief in the power of community.

Maldonia – if you were lucky enough to know him or even cross paths with him – you left a little better, a little happier, a little more inspired. He has always been a free spirit with a heart of gold, a man shaped by the era that raised him: a time when dreams were meant to be chased, voices were meant to be heard and giving back wasn’t a question, but a calling (unheard of today).

Continuing the RC lovefest…Ron Cox is a legend. Not just for what he’s done, but for who he is. And for that, Malden will always owe him a debt of gratitude. MATV (now UMA) hasn’t been the same since he left. And that’s no knock on those who carry the torch today – it’s just a testament to the irreplaceable magic Ron brought to those studios on Pleasant Street. Don’t believe me? Ask stone-cold Maldonians like Greg, Scotty & Ed Lucey, Anne D’Urso-Rose, James “The Hardest Working Man in Show Biz” Mudge, Ose Schwab, Mike “Mr. 02148” Cherone, Karen Lynch, Franny Molis, Frankie Levine or Terlonzo Amos if you don’t believe this verbose and sometimes pompous messenger of things interesting to some, meaningless to most, giving you this column “about absolutely nothing” (to paraphrase a famous Seinfeld line). LOL.

I know, enough about RC, but I ain’t done quite yet…Our friendship spans decades, and my respect for him runs deep. He has given so much, asking for so little in return. Well… there was that one time he took us camping as teenagers and asked – very politely, I might add – that we refrain from smoking or drinking illegal substances. That might have been the only time he ever asked for anything. LOL.

It is said in “Malden Musings”…

• Straight from Valerie Carmody’s heart to Maldonia: “Liggett’s was where my parents met. My mother was working at the lunch counter, and this handsome guy who worked for Mystic Valley Gas came in daily, flirted with her, and finally asked her out! They got married shortly thereafter.” Thank you for sharing, Val. See you at the Big Y!
• Malden High School Class of 1975, it is never too early to start planning for the Big 5-0! Yes, the day we thought would never happen, our 50th Class Reunion! Saturday, September 20, at the Crowne Plaza in Woburn we can stare deep into each other’s eyes and say, “Who the heck are you again?” Except for you, Jack (Freker), who hasn’t changed since that glorious day in ’75 on the field at Macdonald Stadium when we graduated. Contact me for details.
• Howard M. (Rosengard) Ross, 92, of Peabody, formerly of Haverhill, Malden and Lynnfield. Korean War vet, Suffolk U grad and former employee at Malden Jewelry. May his memory be a blessing.
• Welcome to Team Malden…our newest Deputy Director in OSPCD, Jane Ventrone. Fun Jane Ventrone factoid: Jane loves travelling! She’s been to five continents and once took a solo road trip across the South Island of New Zealand.
• Happy birthday to future rock superstar Nick Hames and happy 10th year anniversary of Extreme’s Gary Cherone joining him (unexpectedly) on stage for a go at “More Than Words” at Junior Varieties at Malden High School. Barbara Levine Scibelli may have had a role in arranging this once-in-a-lifetime event. BLS, a behind the scenes mover and shaker (insert smiley face).
• I don’t know for sure, and I’m only taking an educated guess, but with Neal Anderson receiving another award he’s probably had to build an addition to his home to display them all! Congratulations, Neal, on being named to the Black Excellence on the Hill Class of 2025 of the MBLLC! Say that five times fast! State Rep. Steve “D-Edgeworth” Ultrino presented Neal the award amidst the pomp and circumstance at the State House along with his partner in crime, State Rep. Paul “Straight outta Medford” Donato. Way to go, Neal, I’d love a walk through of your trophy room someday.
• By the way, Neal celebrated yet another birthday last week! A mere lad (by today’s standards) of 81 summers, Mr. Anderson continues to defy age and embarrass all of us who are “men of a certain age.” Way to go, Neal; happy birthday, my friend.
• We got a small mess to clean up…in my haste to mention my dear niece Jeri (Scibelli) as many times as I possibly could in last week’s State of the City column, I messed up one time (you guys picked that one up really fast – LOL). My paragraph praising the job Elaina Savino did came out just a tad confusing to a few. Here is how the paragraph should have read if my love for Jeri hadn’t gotten in the way: “Speaking of Elaina Savino, I have to say, Ron Cochran left some big shoes to fill when he left Elaina in charge for her first solo State of the City presentation. Yet somehow all 5 foot 2 of Elaina, with her size 3 feet, filled those shoes and then some by tossing out the old script and coming up with fresh, original and fun format. Jerry (Elaina’s poppy) and Marilena (Elaina’s beautiful mommy) could be heard laughing all the way from Emerald Street.”
• Oh, my goodness, thought I heard many a great rendition of Kris Kristofferson’s “Sunday Coming Down” until I heard the very best when Lost & Found on WMBR 88.1, hosted by Alex McNeil on March 21, played the 1970 Hank Ballard version during his set. Thank you, Alex, for reminding me how great college radio is and how great thou art.
• Jerry Nadler – “May the memory of the righteous be a blessing.” If you thought Harvey had a brilliant mind, wait until you hear about his older brother. More on Harvey’s amazing older brother in the very near future.

In the always look on the sunny side of life department and keeping my Ronny Cox mojo rolling (one last time, I promise), Chris Zell wrote this RC Top Ten list on one of Ronny’s (many) milestone birthday celebrations; let’s have another crack at it and laugh with (at?) Ronny one more time:

Top 10 Reasons Ron Cox Might Be Getting Old:

10. His exercise routine is limited to thinking about bending to touch his toes.
11. He forgets to look in the refrigerator when he can’t find his keys.
12. His hearing is so bad he can’t hear the people laughing at him.
13. His cartoon characters have aches and pains.
14. He complained about the music he was playing.
15. When he talks about “those young whippersnappers” he’s usually referring to Peter Levine.
16. He remembers his high school days as if they were yesterday but can’t remember yesterday.
17. When he reminisces about the good old days it’s in black and white.
18. He gets up once a night to pee when he should get up three or four times.
19. He won’t remember I’ve used this same top 10 list for the last 20 years.

As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” – last year we lost an Edgeworth/Malden icon, but we’ll never really lose the memory of our Patron Saint, Salvatore “Butch” Gennetti. His spirit still lingers in every corner of his home away from home – the Italian American Citizen’s Club – and echoes through the laughter and camaraderie of the San Rock Festa, his sweet spot.

Just yesterday morning, made my day when I saw Butch’s headstone was finally in place at the Forestdale Cemetery – a tribute as timeless and fitting as the man himself. He wasn’t just a part of Malden; he was Malden – woven into its stories, its traditions, it’s very soul.

We’ll keep him alive in every toast, every tale and every gathering. Butch, you’re forever in our hearts. For real, my friend.

Postscript: Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Christian Falzarano turns the big 1-5! Yes, my precious grandson, Christian, officially hit Sweet 15 last week – but in my heart, he’ll forever be that wide-eyed, cuddly three-year-old perched on my lap as we dove into endless Chip & Dale marathons on my old-school, chunky Compaq desktop.

Christian, you are a brilliant burst of light in my life – more than words could ever capture. Your laughter, your kindness, your very presence is a gift I cherish every single day. So, here’s to another 15 years of adventure, love and magical moments! Keep shining, my beautiful little rainbow connection.

—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.