~ Malden Musings ~ Tony & Gavin Howard

By Peter Levine

It is said in “Malden Musings” …

• Tommy Walsh’s son-in-law Tony “The Barber” Howard and his adorable eight-year-old son Gavin paid me a visit recently. I just love Tony! From precocious teenager strutting his immense ego – oops, I mean hoop talent – all over Malden to successful self-made businessman to adoring husband and father, Tony has fought the good fight in life and come out winning. Bigly! His company ABH Services kicking out the jams throughout the North Shore and beyond! So much to say about this wonderful young man; we are all very proud of everything he has accomplished in life. Killing it as father and rumored to be in the running for Malden Musings Father of the Year!! True Malden Back in the Day Story…Pippin (Tony), Jean Bain, Arthur Carbone and Tommy Blanchard (if you know Malden hoop from the ’90s, you know these very talented cats and know how formidable this quartet was) would go park to park from Malden to Medford to Everett, taking no prisoners and destroying all comers, leaving a trail of tears along the way. True story! Great seeing you, Pippin!
• Happy Sept 18 birthday to one of the finest young men Malden and Malden High School has ever produced, James Hyppolite. James is a senior at MHS and upon graduation plans on conquering the world! You’ve got a friend in Malden, James, happy 18th and keep up the great work!
• Mac Singleton’s name came up recently and I was reminded of an email I received from the one and only Fran Mauriello. Take it away, Fran: “I’m sure your brother Joe (Levine) misses my good friend Mac Singleton as much as I do. Mac and I were in the same MHS graduating class (1961) and we played all sports together. Before he passed away, we were playing “singles” tennis together well into our 70’s. Since high school graduation he would call me Frank Malzone because for 3 years at MHS, I was the third baseman, Italian, and my initials were FM. He was a wonderful human being, great to all kids, and funny. He wasn’t happy that I received the 1961 (only) baseball trophy over him, so, each year I had him come to house, hold my trophy for one minute, then give it back to me to put back on my mantle. Many laughs!” Thank you, Fran, for sharing such wonderful memories.
• “Inside information”…sources inside Mr. Singleton’s camp told me Mac was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1966 (I am working on a comprehensive background check on Mac’s baseball career – stay tuned), but instead embarked on a career in professional football, signing out of college with the then Boston Patriots. In addition to the Patriots, during his playing career Mac played for the farm clubs of the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos and was named captain of the Lowell Giants and Boston Steam Rollers. Amazing man, amazing life!
• William J Holland Jr. speaks: “Peter, I came across the article in Wicked Local today while searching for something else, I must say your knowledge of Malden through the years is truly astounding. I lived in Edgeworth until 1972 though I returned to Malden each weekend until joining the Navy in 1976. Many of the places you mentioned are etched in my memory. Mike’s Cafe was on my paper route. I was friends with both Alvin Owen and John Surette, they were both in my division at Beebe in ’71. So tragic. I remember the darkness over the class just before we graduated. I would have attended MHS, however we (my family) moved to Stoneham in ’72. My early teens were spent working for Arthur Gobbeo at the newspaper shop first on Pearl St. across from Saint Peter’s then later at Avon St. and Highland Ave. One paragraph in particular caught my attention, you mentioned the senior apartments at Fellsway East & Pleasant St. George Grimes, Charlie Femino and Bobby ‘Tish’ Lareau and the Vista St Gang – those guys were my friends. I was a part of that crew. I’m still in touch with Tish to this day, he lived on Estey St, and I was over his back fence on Wentworth Ct. Peter, thanks for taking me on a walk down memory lane. Good luck and keep up the ‘Musings’…. btw the pizza at the Highland is what all others are measured by for me even today.”
• I love when the late World War II hero Jack Garrity’s daughter Lorri contacts me. Take it away, Lorri McBride: “Great, great stories, Peter. As a former, but always in my heart, Maldonian, I enjoyed every bit of it! My grandfather (Jack’s dad) was known as the ‘Shamus of Suffolk Square’ even though he was an Irish cop. Learned some Yiddish on the route. Visited In people’s home. Ate the food. Even went to Temple sometimes to better understand the folks. Alexander Joseph Garrity, originally from Charlestown. Loved Malden to his core.” Thank you, Lorri.
• “Malden Musings” apropos of nothing…I again watched that fantabulous episode of Quincy M.E. starring one of the finest actors of our time, Jack Klugman. This episode (“Next Stop, nowhere”) centered on the (then) current “epidemic” of slam dancing to punk music. First airing in 1982, punk rock and slam dancing were somewhat passé at this point – peaking around 1980 or so. Nonetheless it was a fine episode (and no, Quincy did not join in the mosh pit fun). We saw our first mosh pit (or what resembled a mosh pit) at Cantone’s on Broad Street in Boston’s Financial District in April 1978. We stumbled upon an oddly named band called Human Sexual Response, and at “Land of the Glass Pinecones,” they had us! We became rabid followers that very same night. A few short years later Humans bassist Rich Cortese was living on Adams Street. We had an extremely enlightening conversation with him one night in Albert’s Beer Garden at the Saint Rocco Feast. Years later I would find out that our hoop buddy with the outsized personality at the old Y was none other than (the late great) Mario Cantone, owner of the Italian Restaurant turned iconic punk rock hot spot. Mario’s son Mario is a famous actor/comedian most notably of “Sex and the City” fame.
• Steve DeBenedictis writes: “Timmy [Carey] was/is a true character. There isn’t anything he couldn’t do with a ball, or a puck. Arguably, the best natural athlete to come through the city of Malden. He may not remember this, but on his inaugural trek to High St./Belmont School, where he became an adopted member of the neighborhood, riding bikes was a part of the daily activities. To this day I can’t believe that someone of his ability had no idea how to ride a bike! He was clueless. Ha ha! Just a funny memory from our childhood. Timmy is the best!! Not trying to stir up any controversy or beat a dead horse, but the MHS HOF is incomplete without Timmy Carey as a member! Sorry, Tim! I know you aren’t going to like that part.”
• I’ll work to rectify that, Steve.

As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” – old friend Jimmy Dinitto figuratively jumped out of the woodwork after reading a recent column of mine. Not hearing a peep from Jimmy since the Nixon Administration, he was happy as a pig in mud when he read his name along with his childhood goombahs shouted out as fine hoopsters out of the Groovey Grove. Growing up during those hazy, crazy early ’70’s, Jimmy and his boyos were, each and every one, stand-up guys. Like the rest of us, searching for our “place in the crowd” and playing plenty of b-ball along the way. As Johnny Most would say, fiddling, diddling, then daddling our way from hoop court to hoop court then through the educational system, first at Beebe down Pleasant Street to MHS. Nice bunch of lads he and his crew. I’ll let Jimmy take it from here: “Bags, as in Larry Bagley, sent me a copy of the Advocate. Your Musings ARE quite enjoyable! I too have many fond memories of those days of yore! Many familiar names of our fellow classmates. I always wonder what became of many of them. Sadly, I only hear about when someone has passed away. Bob Connearny, Rich Danforth, Billy ‘Wildman’ Carberry… to name but a few. I’d love to see the ‘other’ prior Musings, before I let you know of some omissions. As for myself, I officially retired on December 9th, 2022, after 35 years of public service to the children and families of Brockton. I was a bilingual teacher for most of that time, but was also called an ESL, science, health, and physical education teacher. There are definitely many stories to tell. I also became a decent tennis player, after my traumatic leg injury of 1984. Competed nationally thrice, ’89, ’93, and ’96! I was varsity tennis coach at BHS for over 25 years too. I’m now coaching boys’ tennis at Foxborough High. What a world of differences between the two systems. My only remaining MHS friend who I talk with almost daily and who’s my BFF is Larry Bagley. ‘Those were the days my friend we thought they’d never end…!’ Feel free to read this last quote in song. Thanks for the Musings! They definitely warmed the cockles of my heart.”

—Peter is a longtime Malden resident and a regular contributor to The Malden Advocate and can be reached at PeteL39@aol.com for comments, compliments or criticisms.