~ Malden Musings ~ Tales from Linden USA, Part 3

By Peter Levine

Hello Maldonia, Chris Moro, MHS Class of 1979, here – “Keeper of The Flame, Linden U.S.A.” – bringing you Part 3 of my Tales from Linden U.S.A. At the end of my second excerpt, I asked my fellow “Linden Knights” to reach out to me and share their stories of growing up “Linden Men” in God’s country, Ward 8, yes… “The Red-Headed Stepchild of Maldonia” – Linden. Linden, sometimes referred to as the Ward with “darkness on the edge of town,” as a nod to Springsteen when he would good-naturedly shout out to his rabid fans, “is there anyone alive out there?!?” [My note: I’m not quite sure what this means but I thought Chris made it flow well – insert smiley face.]

So, one day I’m at a local bank when I run into a “Linden Man,” Mr. Allan Small (he of the unstoppable jump/set shot) and he tells me that he read my article in the “Edgeworth Times,” oops, did I say that?! Sorry, Pete, I had to get that dig in this article, somewhere. Al tells me he enjoyed the piece and looked forward to reading the third install. It was nice to get a vote of confidence. Thanks, Al!

I also had a chance to talk to Eddie Casaletto (of the Andrew Street Casalettos) and he told me he had a great story about his grandfather (Lynn Street). Hopefully, soon I get a chance to put it in print.

This past spring I attended my high school reunion. Hard to believe it’s been 45 years – “Oh my God” said in the best Jonathan Higgins Magnum P.I. voice. Seeing everyone was great! It was there that I got a chance to see a whole host of “Linden Men” from our glory days of yore…oh, they pass you by (Bruce alert! Another nod to Bruce and his song “Glory Days”).

Linden Men roll call goes as follows: Tommy Moro (Andrew St.), Walter Hall (Oliver St.), Frank Lazzarone (Morris St.), Bobby May (Eastern Ave.), Mike O’Leary (Fairview Terr.), Eddie Moffit (Coleman St.) and Joey “Okie” O’Keefe (Coleman St.). Some of the Senior Linden Men that I see quite a bit are my big brother Steve “Steff” Moro, Johnny “Pops” Ruelle and Honorary Linden Knights Jimmy Pelosi and Frank “The Tank” Tenaglia.

This brings me full circle to my first Linden Knight Tale, brought to us by Joe O’Keefe. I’m telling Okie about my quest to have Linden U.S.A. recognized. I go on to ask Okie if he could give me a story about his days of growing up in “Linden USA.” He says ahhh… “Beatmen” (inside joke), I don’t think I want to see them in the paper (LOL).

Then Okie says, wait, I’ve got one you’ll remember, Chris. The tale was not so funny when it happened, but as the years go by it becomes quite amusing. Funny, how we perceive circumstances and events change as time goes by. I present to you for your reading pleasure the “Tale of the Telephone Pole.”

Sometime in the 1970s, Joe O’Keefe receives his driver’s license. By the skin of his teeth, by the way. You see, Okie was not very comfortable (or proficient) behind the wheel. Now Okie is at the gas station at the intersection of Eastern Ave. and Broadway across from Holy Cross Cemetery. Okie’s vehicle? Let’s just call it “The Beast.” The Blues Brothers Bluesmobile before there was John Belushi and Dan Akroyd’s Blues Brothers and Bluesmobile.

Okie is feeding his Beast its favorite meal: leaded petrol (ahhh…the nectar of the Gods)! Suddenly, the sky opens! It’s coming down like cats and dogs (can you even say that anymore, especially during this presidential season?! LOL). Anyways, Okie is now in full-blown panic mode, knowing that his windshield wipers don’t work. Well, technically, they do but there is no rubber left on them! Okie jumps into the Beast, pumps the pedal, turns the key, throws it into gear and off he goes. Straight across the intersection, but not out the exit but the entrance, where he must swerve the Beast around an incoming car – consequently hurtling across the road. Bam! Right into a telephone pole on the Holy Cross side of the intersection.

A crack and bam so loud it nearly wakes the souls of the dearly departed. No worries though, Okie is fine. The telephone pole? Not so much. Okie’s mission to reach the Linden Projects as quickly as possible had been derailed. Funny seeing that the railroad track coming from the “Linden on the Saugus Branch” is just a stone’s throw from the Cross. If you remember, in my first excerpt I was inspired by the “true” Keeper of the Flame, Linden U.S.A., Elliot Paul, author of the same “Linden on the Saugus Branch!”

I am rambling…some months later that same year, the high school football team, which I am a member of, are riding in this yellow school bus heading to a road game. If I recall correctly, we were on the way to “Tanner Country” in Peabody. As we hit Broadway, Jimmy Pelosi looks out the window and notices a pile of brand-new telephone poles sitting on the side of the road.

The brains of the outfit, Frankie Tenaglia, suggests we get the driver to pull over so we can get one of those poles (later dubbed, “the great heist”) so Okie doesn’t have to pay for that pole he “inadvertently” destroyed in the recent past. I chime in and say, “Great idea, we can slide it in the back door of the bus” (yeah, that’s the ticket!). Meanwhile, at the front of the bus is the MHS Coaching Staff, including Paul “Hawk” Finn, Tommy Kelly, Rich “The Rock” Cullen, Skippy Zimmerman and Lou Racca. They are taking all this in – not so much Hawk. He and quarterback (the late) Stevie Powell have their heads buried in the day’s game play books. Coach Kelly and Cullen are smirking at each other while overhearing this harebrained scheme from the rear of the bus. Then suddenly Coach Racca erupts! “I’ve heard enough of this buffoonery! Listen up you clowns! You have a big game to play today; so help me, we lose this game…we will pull over on the way back and we will get one of those (expletive deleted) poles, but trust me men, you will not like where that pole ends up!!” A collective “oh boy” can be heard.

Later, the following year, Okie is sitting on a loading dock at Eastern Chem-Lac at 1100 Eastern Ave. Okie and a coworker are on their break. Okie turns to his mate and says, “Hey, you see that utility company across the road (Eastern Ave.) installing that pole – remember when you asked me why I was working here instead of enjoying my summer before heading off to college (Springfield) to play ball?” Okie then points across Eastern Ave. on the Cross side and says, “That ‘Telephone Pole” is why I’m working here – to pay for that (expletive deleted) pole!”

There you have it folks, a tale from a “Linden Man.” Thank you, Joe O’Keefe, for that little ditty of a long-forgotten memory (long live our glory days!). Chris “Keeper of the Linden USA Flame” Moro signing off (for now). As Spock would say, “Live long and prosper, Maldonia!”

It is said in “Malden Musings”…

• Giovanni Soares on the recent retirement of little sis, Barbara Scibelli: “Barbara Scibelli made a remarkable impact on every student who had the pleasure of knowing her. Even students who she might not worked with often or at all, like me. She was and is awesome, and I’m glad to have gotten to know her as a Malden High student. Our family talks about her and her brothers often, and we feel honored to have gotten to know them. Also… she looks just as fabulous now and EVER!! I wish her nothing but the best. Thank you, Ms. Scibelli, for all your hard work.”
• Apropos of nothing? November 6, 2024, 8:02 in the morning; Alexa play WMEX, “Eve of Destruction” by Barry McGuire. Believe it…or not. LOL.
• This holiday season, Malden is heavy with grief. The Caso, Carroll, Gilligan, Joyce, McVicar, Stein and Luke families are profoundly heartbroken, mourning the recent loss of beloved family members. In this time of sorrow, their memories are cherished, and their absence is felt deeply by all who loved them. As we gather with those we love during the holidays, let’s hold these families close in our hearts, wrapping them in the warmth of our collective thoughts and prayers. Grief touches us all differently – some will shed quiet tears; others will wrestle silently with the weight of these losses. In our own ways, we will all seek to navigate the heartbreak. Through it all, the strength of Malden shines, uniting us in compassion and resilience. Let us honor their memories by supporting one another, finding solace in togetherness and remembering that even in sorrow, we are not alone.
• “I almost felt you touching me just now / I wish I knew which way to turn and go / I feel so good, and then then I feel so bad / I wonder what I ought to do”—Merle Haggard. Suzanna Levine, 74, of Salem, beloved Friend of Malden. May her memory be a blessing.

As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” – Thanksgiving, for me anyway, always signified food, family, football and maybe a Ballantine Ale or two – making it the best holiday on the calendar. Tradition matters and in Malden we have the annual Malden versus Meffa football game and the “Night Before Thanksgiving Tradition,” which was originated, I believe, in Malden at the old Highland Café in the late 1970s by the Class of 1975 (a group of friends that needed very little reason to get together and drink beer). Father Time has a way of making us appreciate the holiday even more. As we travel together through this convoluted existence of ours recognizing our transience, we tend to take less for granted: to stop, enjoy, live in the moment and hug it out a lot more than we did in the past, savoring those fleeting moments, especially with little ones, in our lives.

DPW Director Bobby Knox has really good words and spoke eloquently to this very same subject a year or two back: “Another Thanksgiving over and a lot of loved ones have passed through the years as the table gets smaller each year. I reflect to the early days when I was young and went to my grandmother’s house on Whitman Street and had the best Thanksgivings (my favorite holiday) with family, friends, and Malden football. I would love to roll back the clock to walk through the door after Malden beat Medford and have Turkey Day with my grandparents/parents and extended family one last time. Thank you for everyone that made yesterday another memory for my family. Enjoy your family because the days don’t last forever.” Thanks again, Bobby!

—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.