Malden today, tomorrow & yesterday: Arthur Kahn sighting

Picked up pieces while waiting for 15 Ferry St. aka The Fallon Building to find its new home and be brought back to life…

• On Saturday, May 7, I chatted up local legend Arthur Kahn at the “Eddie Trabucco Bench Rededication” in front of the YMCA. Arthur’s fastball may not be hitting the high 90’s any longer, but he is still sharp as a tack and a delight to speak with. Always a pleasure to see Arthur, he and is family go way back; Arthur’s dad, Barney, started a jewelry business in the Square back 85 or so years ago. Called by many as the anchor of the Square, Malden Jewelry was the go-to place for many generations of Maldonians for their class ring, new Color TV or transistor radio. It was located right next door to where the old Granada Theatre once stood or where Ming’s is today.
• Speaking of Arthur, his heart, as big as the whole outdoors; besides Veteran’s Services Director Kevin Jarvis there are scant few who do more for our veterans in Malden. On a side note, no matter how many times I hear Arthur tell the story about how his suit was stolen out of his locker years ago at the new YMCA, I still get a kick out of it!
• I also spoke with Frankie Molis at the rededication. Frankie is Robin to little brother Kevin’s (Chief of Police) Batman. Together they have many years of making Malden a better place for all of us. Frankie may fly under the radar, but nobody in this city for the past 50 years has worked harder at making a difference.
• Tommy Coleman passed away recently. He’s the Coleman brother that you didn’t know existed – unless you grew up on Clinton Street or were one of his many cousins, of course. Everybody knows Jimmy, Billy, Paul, Chris and Terry, but it seems that Tommy was the quiet one of the family. While his siblings were at Amerige or Coytemore Lea Park running wild, Tommy was studying, a bookworm to the very end, having a collection of books well over 10,000 from what I have heard. Here’s to the Coleman brother that we didn’t know.
• Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Maldonian from border to border, coast to coast and all ships at sea. Let’s go to press… Yes, that was a sigh of relief you heard throughout Malden on Friday night, April 29, as Mayor Christenson announced he will seek reelection in 2023. Maldonians were dancing in the street from Jimmy Murphy’s Trueman Drive in Ward 8 to the forgotten Malden, The Fellsway, across from Devir Park in Ward 2. Spontaneous keg parties, pop-up porch celebrations, and block dance parties were also reported throughout the city that night, but at the time of this writing, cannot be completely confirmed.
• I like this. Butch Gennetti has worn many hats over the years: Malden Police Commissioner, Malden Police Officer, Vice President at the Italian American Citizens Club, Unofficial Mayor of Edgeworth and occasional drummer when the mood hit him or whoever would have him. Last week Butchie was awarded a sort of lifetime achievement award/citation from the Saint Rocco Society for his decade’s worth of contributions to the good and welfare of the annual Saint Rocco Feast. I was told he was caught off guard by the announcement. He recovered quickly, though; as his family stood and cheered, you could see he was proud as a peacock and that Butch Gennetti strut was back. Speaking of his family, Butchie’s wonderful children were on hand for the event. Butch, the patriarch of the family, has often been described by his children as a cross between Lucas McCain from “The Rifleman,” Ward Cleaver from “Leave it To Beaver” and Mike Brady from “The Brady Bunch.” True facts. Congratulations, Butchie, well deserved!
• “An Empty Bottle, A Broken Heart, & You’re Still on My Mind.” No words can express how the Malden community feels about the loss of Virginia Ruane. Dignified. Brilliant. Principled. Beautiful. She will be missed for a very long time.
• Charlie MacKay was also at the “Eddie Trabucco Bench Rededication.” Fascinating cat to talk to. A fine athlete growing up, Charlie excelled at long distance running at Malden High School before going off to serve in Nam. Later he became Malden Police chasing me and my friends out of Devir Park and off the Bandstand on an occasion or two.
• You are a very longtime Maldonian if you recognize these names of candidates running for office in 1973: Ken Meader (Mayor), Bill Doucette (Council), Marty Durant (Council), Charlie Devlin (School Committee), Mike Morrill (Council), Joe Irvin (Council), Bill Mingo (Council, Ward 6), Norm Lang (Council), David Rosen (School Committee)) John Sullivan (Council), Jimmy DiGiovanni (Council), Robert Buckley (Councilor-at-Large) and Chris Chopelas (Council, Ward 5).
• The flowering trees that line the Pleasant Street Parking Lot are a wonder to behold! Great job to whoever is responsible, really good choice!
• Congratulations to Malden Catholic senior four-year starting point guard Tony Felder Jr. for not only copping All-Scholastic honors from The Globe but also maintaining straight As! Quite a young man.
• Fear not! I will have more on the Eddie Trabucco bench rededication later.

“This is the end, beautiful friend, this is the end, my only friend, the end” – don’t forget to join in on the festivities and enjoy a fun family event at “The Final Game” at Malden’s best open green, Devir Park. Takes place on Sunday, June 5 beginning at 4 in the afternoon. See many of your boyhood idols from the Malden Merchants/Augustine’s A’s Inter-City League Championship years. A special guest will be singing our National Anthem and will be the master of ceremonies for the event. There’ll be music and refreshments for the kids. The organizers will be paying tribute to many former players, including those that have passed on. Also, a few of the players will be telling their favorite old baseball stories from those memorable years. Come see guys like Steve Ring, Joe DiSarcina, John and Andy Brickley, Dave Polcari and Davie Caiazzo along with many more. Mayor Gary Christenson will be in attendance as well as a few other honored guests. Should be a great event. Enjoy Devir Park as we once remembered it.