Laugh Out Lymphoma 5-8-2010

L.O.L (Laugh Out Lymphoma)
A night of comedy and dancing to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Massachusetts
After laughing your pants off, you’ll be in just the mood to dance the rest of the night away in the romantically adorned Westin Copley hotel. By joining us on Saturday May 8th, 2010 from 6pm until midnight, you’ll enjoy a fabulous comedy show, music and food, while raising money to fight cancer. We’ll be entertained by the comedy of Kenny Zimlinghaus from Sirius XM Radio. Kenny is comedian from NYC who has been performing around the country. After interning with The Howard Stern Show, Kenny moved on to a morning radio show in Boston for The FNX Radio Network and started performing stand up. He’s performed with Jeffrey Ross, Jim Gaffigan, Todd Barry, Dane Cook and has been seen on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Currently, Kenny can be heard every morning on “Wake Up” on SIRIUS XM’s “Cosmo Radio”. Kenny’s act has been described as “witty”, “honest” “utterly hilarious”. We’ll then enjoy the latest Top 40, pop, hip-hop and dance music to keep the party going.
All net proceeds will benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night® Walk. This is a chance for us to do something good in our community while also having a fabulous evening of free food, wonderful scenery and great company.  It is also an opportunity for us to help fight cancer by raising funds for the Society to use for critical cancer research and services for patients and their families.
The goal of the Light the Night walk (www.lightthenight.org) is to focus America’s attention on the issues of blood related cancers and their devastating effects on families.  Over 600,000 American adults and children are currently living with a blood-related cancer.  New diagnoses are made every 5 minutes while someone dies every 9 minutes from a blood-related cancer. In the time it takes to watch one sit-com, 3 people will die from Leukemia, Lymphoma or myeloma. However, you can help. Please support this important cause.  By doing so, you’ll be helping to save lives.
We look forward to seeing you on Saturday night, Saturday May 8th, 2010 at the Westin Copley Place Hotel (10 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA) from 6pm to 12am. 
 
Tickets and information can be found at www.havefunforcharity.com. If you cannot attend but would like to donate, you can visit:
http://pages.lightthenight.org/ma/BostonL10/keelay99
 
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call Kyle Roderick at (617) 947-1920. As the “Honored Hero” for the 2008 Light the Night walk, I thank you so very much for your help.

Sincerely,
Kyle Roderick

Brockton Historic Trail: The Addams Family Lived Here

Mike Minnock - Mayor of Campello

Mike Minnock for President ’76!  This magazine cover-spoof was made after finding this picture in a shoebox with everyone circling around Mike – as if he were on the campaign trail.  The picture, by itself, speaks plenty about Mike and how the people of our neighborhood have long found him to be someone they want to be around.

At every neighborhood event, Enterprise Club cookout & other local functions, Mike Minnock always seemed to be directly involved with making sure the event went well and that all were enjoying themselves.  If he wasn’t handling the grill he was knotting shoelaces for the three-legged races or asking how you were doing.  He was and is always looking out for his neighbors.  In fact, as a small boy, I thought he was the Mayor of Campello!   

As I grew older I came to recognize Mike’s appreciation for THE City of Champions.  

A fourth generation Brocktonian – you’d be hard-pressed to find someone whom knows any place as well as Mike Minnock knows Brockton.   

For many many years THE City of Champions has been a canvas for the Minnocks’ artistry as they have crafted many of her walkways, patios, stairways, fireplace hearths, brick and stone walls and more.  Not only does Mike’s work do alot to beautify Brockton but he has done work all over the South Shore as well.

Follow the link & see for yourself!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Minnock-Masonry/276368293897?ref=sgm#!/pages/Minnock-Masonry/276368293897

James Edgar, Philanthropist

Col. James Edgar – Community Hero and National Treasure

Many people from THE City of Champions may have heard of James Edgar.  You may already know that he was the first department store Santa Claus in America, donning a custom made red suit for the first time in 1890 – basing his jolly appearance on Thomas Nast’s image of jolly old Saint Nick.

James Edgar was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1843 and came to Brockton in 1878.  He opened The Boston Store (174-182 Main Street) and even before he became the first department store Santa Claus he loved dressing up in various costumes to entertain Brockton’s children.  Among the many costumes he wore were George Washington, a sportsman in a cricket uniform, a sea captain, a clown, and an Indian called “Big Chief”. 

“Colonel Jim” as he was known around the city, later recounted why he chose to dress up as Santa, saying, “I have never been able to understand why the great gentleman lives at the North Pole.  He is so far away … only able to see the children one day a year.  He should live closer to them,”

Colonel Jim as Santa was an immediate hit and people traveled in from Boston and Providence to see Santa in person.  In 1976 an elderly man named Edward Pearson told a publication called Modern Maturity of his first experience seeing Santa.  “You just can’t imagine what it was like,” Pearson said.  “I remember walking down an aisle and, all of a sudden, I saw Santa Claus.  I couldn’t believe my eyes, and then Santa came up and started talking to me.  It was a dream come true.”

Macy’s, the huge New York City department store had orignially claimed to have been the first to use a department store Santa, however, Bob Rutan, Macy’s historian and Director of Event Operations says, “Yes, Brockton is home of the first retail Santa.  H.R. Macy stole the idea from a gentleman from Brockton.  We admit it.”  H.R. Macy did have a store in Haverill, Massachusetts during the time Colonel Jim came up with the idea.

Not only did James Edgar bring Santa to life for many children, he was a great philanthropist.  He donated money for children’s medical care, hired needy city youth to work in his store and passed out pennies to children he would encounter.  Each year, on July 4th, he would host an extravaganza and rent some of the cities trolleys to bring local youngsters in to enjoy the festivites. 

In 1904, Edgar suffered a stroke which partially paralyzed him.  He died at his summer home in Lakeville, Massachusetts, in 1909.

Today a plaque is located at Main and Centre Streets in downtown Brockton noting some of James Edgar’s achievements.

For more information on James Edgar please visit the site: www.1stdepartmentstoresanta.com which has many articles, photos and more.

John Doucette was born in Brockton on January 21, 1921.  

He was a well known film character actor whom, according to IMDB, appeared in over 260 movies and television programs, with about 60 early appearances being uncredited.

 Among some of the highlights to his long and successful career were roles as an architect in The Fountainhead in 1949 and in the 1970 epic Patton when he played 3rd Infantry Division Commander Maj. Gen. Lucian K. Truscott.  Other notable performances included bit parts in High Noon, The Robe , and the mega-budget Cleopatra.  More familiarly, Doucette appeared in the John Wayne films True Grit, The Sons of Katie Elder, and Big Jake.

 Many saw John Doucette as the bad guy in several episodes of The Lone Ranger.  It was a natural role for him given his rough looks, commanding presence and skill with a gun.  He was considered by many to be the fastest draw in Hollywood. His roles, however, went well beyond that stereotype. He appeared on a variety of television shows, including The Adventures of Kit Carson, The Cisco Kid, City Detective, The Joseph Cotten Show, My Friend Flicka, Sheriff of Cochise, Bonanza, Tombstone Territory (as Apache Chief Geronimo), Kung Fu, The Rat Patrol, Hogan’s Heroes, Lock-Up, Superman, Science Fiction Theater and Disneyland.

Brockton native John Doucette’s page at IMDB.com:  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0234732/

Police: Brockton brothers hid heroin in buttocks

Arrests come after lengthy investigation

Steve Balboni, Brockton native

Stephen Charles Balboni or ‘Bye-Bye’ Balboni was born in Brockton, Massachusetts on January 16, 1957 and was a professional baseball player from 1979 to 1993.

In a total of nine seasons in the minor leagues, he hit 239 home runs and drove in 772 runs. He also struck out 930 times. His career minor league batting average was .261.  He won the Most Valuable Player award in 1979 with the Fort Lauderdale Yankees of the Florida State League and in 1980 for the Nashville Sounds of the Southern League.

Balboni his league in home runs six different seasons, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1992 and 1993.  He led the league in Runs Batted In 4 times, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1992.  He led the league in strikeouts in 2 seasons, 1979 and 1981.

 Bye-Bye Balboni made it to the big leagues with the New York Yankees in 1981.  He went on to play in the big leagues through 1990 with a short comeback in 1993.  He played for the Yankees from 1981 to 1983 and then in 1989 and 1990.  He was the starting first baseman for the Kansas City Royals from 1984 to mid-1988, when they traded him to the Seattle Mariners.  He only played in Seattle until the end of the ‘88 season.

 In parts of 11 Major League seasons, Steve hit 181 home runs and had 495 RBI.  He also struck out 856 times.  His career batting average was .229.  In 1985, he led the American League with 166 strikeouts.  He also set the single season home run mark for the Royals with 36 – which still stands today!

 1985 turned out to be his best season for many reasons.  He had career highs in games played (160), at bats (600), hits (146), runs (74), doubles (28), triples (2), homers (36) and runs batted in (88-tied in 1989).  He led all American League first basemen with 1686 total chances and 1573 putouts in 1985.  He also was the starting first baseman in the 1985 World Series. Steve batted .320 with 3 RBIs in the Series and helped lead the Royals over the cross-state St. Louis Cardinals, four games to three.  He also demonstrated good glove work in the field, something he was not known for during his career.

Bye-Bye Balboni’s major league clubs:

 New York Yankees (1981-1983)

Kansas City Royals (1984-1988)

Seattle Mariners (1988)

New York Yankees (1989-1990)

Texas Rangers (1993)

Perry's Case. Exhibit A.

Perry Angelo Rudolpho was a shoe buyer from the midwest whom came to Brockton in 1904 and romped around the city with a girl named Smith.

When his wife later threw Perry out of the house for suspected infidelities, Perry sent her this postcard as an attempt to explain his whereabouts.  When that didn’t work he bought a whole stack of picture-postcards and sent them to her one-by-one claiming to be either just outside the shot or the blurred man you can’t quite get a make on.

Finally Bertha Rudolpho, Perry’s wife, sent him back a postcard of a Saint Bernard wearing a miniature whiskey barrel around his neck.  Perry was so excited that his wife had finally reached out to him.  Then he flipped the postcard over.  It read:  “Y-O-U!”