Man About Canton: 50th Reunion for Class of ’61

DID YOU KNOW …

The Canton High School Class of 1961 will hold its 50th class reunion on Saturday, October 29, at the Hilton Hotel in Dedham. Seventy-five former graduates have already signed up to go. Those interested in attending who have not signed up can contact class president Jim Halley at 401-295-4421, or email Susan Callahan Marathas at sheezbusym@msn.com.

A Canton High School regulation from 1961 called for a dress shirt with a necktie, which may either be a four-in-hand tie or a bow tie. String ties, however, were not allowed. Shirts could be of any color. How times have changed!

MAC sends congratulations to Nick and Mary Bartone, who celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on Saturday, September 3.

Andy Zides, former Canton resident and CHS graduate, is the new assistant principal of the Cottage Street Elementary School in Sharon. Zides was a standout baseball player for Canton High School, the Canton American Legion, and Quinnipiac University. His resume includes stints at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, the Pawtucket Red Sox, and the Tampa Bay Sun Rays in Florida. He also taught English at Brookline High School.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, 20 percent of the town of Canton is made up of commercial and individual properties, while Avon, at 39 percent, tops the list in the south shore. Norwood checks in at 28 percent, Foxboro at 22 percent, Stoughton at 18 percent, and Sharon at only 6 percent. The state median is 9.2 percent.

Fifty-four million people in America receive Social Security. Sixty-four percent are retired workers, 15 percent are disabled workers, 8 percent are widows, widowers and parents, 8 percent are children, and 5 percent are spouses.

The town of Canton has appointed Nadya Branca as its new animal control officer. Branca, a former part-time ACO, will replace Paul Bastable, who resigned last month following a drug-related arrest in Stoughton.

The Board of Selectmen and the School Committee have appointed Canton resident Jody Middleton as the town’s new human resources administrator. Middleton, who has spent the past four years as an employee benefits specialist at Clean Harbors, was chosen from a pool of roughly 50 applicants and was offered the position by a vote of 8-0.

According to a 2010 Pew Research Center Study, 40 percent of “Generation Xers” and 36 percent of their successors, “Generation Y” or “Generation Next,” have at least one tattoo. An estimated 45 million Americans have a tattoo.

The Canton Retired Men’s Club will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, September 20, at the Canton Public Library at 10 a.m. The guest speaker will be the always entertaining John Jenkins, who will present a program on the 1967 Boston Red Sox “Impossible Dream Team.” You can arrive at 9:30 a.m. for coffee and donuts.

In Massachusetts, Tropical Storm Irene knocked out 350 National Grid poles and 76 poles used by NStar Electric Company. The two utility companies had to replace or restring over 120 miles of primary and secondary wires. More than 850,000 Massachusetts customers were left without electricity because of the storm, including some who went without power for almost a week. The state’s highest wind gusts (81 miles per hour) were measured at the Blue Hill Observatory at 11:35 a.m. during the storm on August 28.

Attorney MacLaren H. MacGregor, a Canton selectman from 1959-1964, died on August 10, his 96^th birthday. Mac retired as a U.S. Naval commander in 1969. He practiced law in Canton for over 40 years. In addition to serving Canton as a selectman, he was on the Housing Authority and for many years served as the Republican town moderator. As one of Mac’s associates, Attorney Paul Carroll, said, “All of Canton looked to him for leadership and guidance, especially during the 1960s and 1970s.” Canton will miss Mac MacGregor.

To do good things in the world, first you must know who you are and what gives meaning in your life.

This is all for now folks. See you next week.

Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=7956

Posted by Joe DeFelice on Sep 14 2011. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.