13 minute read
City Voices
HARVEY
Casting about for peace of mind
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JANICE HARVEY
Icome from a family of fishermen. I have watched them cast into water all my life, though I have never personally felt the lure of the lure. A deep love of the sport began with my own maternal grandfather, so unfortunately named “Adolph” that we took to calling him “Ad.” I have in my box of treasured photos a picture of Ad, holding a rod and reel in one hand and a smoldering stogie in the other. His slickedback hair was already thinning in his early 30s, and the ravages of multiple sclerosis hadn’t yet introduced themselves. With that rod and reel in his hand, he is happy, grinning through the few teeth he no longer had by the time I came along. Despite the struggles of the Great Depression, or perhaps to escape them, Ad was going fishing.
When my brother Christopher was a kindergartner, my great uncle Eddie gave him a fishing pole for Christmas. Uncle Eddie had less fingers than Ad had teeth, after years of factory work that likely preceded the advent of OSHA laws. In a photo dated 1966, Uncle Eddie, Aunt Julia and my Nana Helen, Eddie’s sister, are standing in Nana’s Lincoln Street kitchen. Behind them and off to the side, oblivious to the camera or anything else in the world, is Christopher, holding with both hands a Zebco 202 set up. Whoever snapped that photo captured the moment when boy meets obsession.
Growing up on Coes Pond, Chris spent all of his time casting for pickerel and kivers, sometimes crawfishing with me along the shore. If he had a buck it went into the till at Eddie’s Live Bait Shop or Paul’s Fish & Tackle on Green Street. (My claustrophobic father, who worked the arson squad as a Worcester police officer, remarked that Paul’s was “a fire trap.” He said the same about Spag’s.) Decades later, when I lived in a Vernon Hill three-decker, I would find myself giving my son John my last dollar for shiners from Gazo’s on Millbury Street. My car perpetually reeked of spilled bait water and the occasional decaying shiner stuck between the seats. It was only a matter of time, since his dad was also a fisherman, that John would be just as enthralled by the smell of rubber worms as his Uncle Chris, nicknamed by my mother “Gadabout Gaddis,” after the television pioneer/fisherman.
If John was interested in a subject, he absorbed it, and wore it like a second skin. School never fully sparked his interest, but fishing became for my son that second skin, that thing that filled his thoughts night and day. What was it about fishing I wondered, that captured the men in my family so completely? What could drive them to gleefully drill holes in ice and sit patiently waiting for a bite in 25-degree weather? What made them watch with rapt attention other men fishing on television? I asked Chris and John to share with me the secret of their passion for waders, tackle boxes and hooks that landed in trees.
“It has always been about my love of and attraction to water. It was the fish that dominated my early years,” said Chris. “Catching the most and the biggest fish was my driving force, but catching gave way to fishing in the order of importance. Fishing created an endless desire to learn. The back and forth between angler and quarry would lead me to understand that the days without a bite were simply lessons in the education of an angler.”
All those years I thought my dumb little brother was just staring off into space. Go figure.
“That’s why they call it fishing, not catching,” said Gadabout.
Fishing, it turns out, is the perfect pandemic pastime. Fishing is all about social distancing. Two’s a crowd for most anglers, and if you can adopt Christopher’s outlook it’s a great way to reduce stress, though I question that he morphs into the Dalai Lama after a whole day without a nibble, having played Monopoly with him. He’s no gracious loser.
For John, catching matters.
For both John and Chris, fishing pushes every worry about the world overboard, at least for a little while.
A new generation of my clan has been introduced to the wonders of catch and ase by Uncle John. On a recent Saturday morning, the kid who sloshed bilge water on my floorboards and hid frogs in his bedroom took all four of my grandkids fishing — two 3-year-old girls, an 8-year-old boy and a 13-year-old for whom he’s been coaching the skills of angling and night crawling since she was in preschool. Teaching kids how to fish seems natural to John.
“Something about fishing gives kids a sense of accomplishment,” he said. “It seems to be good for them in every way.” His 3-year-old daughter Scarlett concurred.
I suspect her great-great-grandfather Ad would agree.
FIRST PERSON
Testing negative for COVID-19 JOE FUSCO JR. white tent. I ordered a jumbo lobster roll then asked the waiter
Maine insisted that we test if he wanted to see my negative negative for COVID- 19 result but he just needed to know within 72 hours of meetif I wanted “buttered hot” or “cold ing our daughter and with mayo.” her family in Wells so we drove Next morning, we drove down over to CareWell Urgent Care on Route One to play mini-golf with Lincoln Street and signed up for the grandchildren. The 2-year-old the procedure. was determined to throw as many
A Q-Tip was inserted in each of of our golf balls as possible into the my nostrils for five seconds. The water hazards. I went back to the cost of the test was $160 or $80 per entrance to replace my ball and nostril, which is $16 a second. inquired whether the attendant
I made a hard copy of the “negawanted to see my negative result. tive” result and put it in my wallet He just asked what color I wanted for our trip to The Pine Tree State. and charged me an extra $2.50. I was a tad disappointed when After 18 grueling holes, we drove we crossed over the state line and to the nearest ice-cream shack. You there wasn’t a Border Patrol asking had to order inside then sit outside to see my papers. at the picnic tables. I opted for a
Our daughter checked us into hot-fudge sundae with Triple-Ecour two-bedroom suite which went stasy Chocolate. When the scooper smoothly because she is a New asked if I wanted nuts and a cherry, Hampshire resident. I asked the I declined the offer and showed hotel clerk for extra towels and her my negative result. She seemed if she wanted to see my negative nonplussed. result but she just smiled and gave That evening, sitting on the patio me the linen. after a couple few gin and tonics, I
We drove to Kennebunkport conveyed to my family the dismay for dinner and dined under a large CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
WORCESTERIA
Is Worcester Business Journal going ‘edgy’?
VICTOR D. INFANTE
CHOICES: Mentioning down-ballot races or ballot initiatives is a bit like saying “Beetlejuice” three times. You know they’re gonna show up. So when I mentioned the Ranked-Choice Voting initiative in Sept. 17’s Worceste ria column, I wasn’t surprised to hear from the Yes on 2 campaign. I WAS, however, a little surprised to hear from them in less than an hour of it being online. Little thirsty, guys! Anyway, a few days later, I was on the phone with Evan Falchuk of Newton, the chairman of the campaign. If the name is vaguely familiar, it’s probably because he ran for governor as an indepen dent in Massachusetts in 2014. “Part of the reason I ran is I thought there needed to be more choices for voters,” he says. “I wanted to build a structure for new candidates.” The refrain he kept running into, though, was: “This sounds great, but I can’t vote for you because you can’t win. Voting for independents is a wasted vote.” Falchuk believes that ranked-choice voting would change that. “If we want to change the way our politics work, it has to be about more than electing new people. We have to do something cre ative and structural; that gives voters more choices, a greater voice, builds consensus instead of division. That’s what ranked choice is.” People have tried to make the process over-complicated – you rank the candidates in order of preference, and then when the ballots are cast the least vote-getters are eliminated and their votes redistributed among the remaining candi dates, until one candidate has more than 50% of the vote – but seriously, if they can figure this out in Maine, we can do it here. Falchuk believes it’s more democratic, and ultimately, would lead to healthier elections. “There’s a lot of data on the fact that it makes campaigns more positive,” he says, “That it changes the whole dynamic about earning support from others, instead of telling people how terrible their opponent is.” Falchuk recalls that, when he was canvassing in the governor’s race, if there was a sign for another candidate on the lawn, he wouldn’t knock on the door. Under this system, he would, because he would want to score that second choice slot. “It makes for a more positive form of campaigning,” he says, “breeds consensus and reflects a majority support, which is what we should want.” It’s Falchuk’s belief that the result would be “more competitive races, more people running, more voter turnout, more minority representation and women representation.” According to the Yes on 2 campaign’s website, some of the initiative’s supporters include William F. Galvin, Maura Healey, Sen. Edward Markey, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Jim McGovern, Rep. Joe Kennedy III and Rep. Ayanna Pressley. The campaign’s honor ary co-chairs include former governors Deval Patrick and Bill Weld, and former Lt. governor Kerry Healey. “We’re working hard,” says Falchuk, “and we believe hard in this cause, that it offers unity and hope for our democ racy at a time when we need that.”
WELL, THAT WAS WEIRD: Did anybody else think Hank Stoltz’s interview with City Manager Ed Augustus Jr. on the Talk of the Commonwealth radio program last week was a little … defensive? Stoltz asked Augus tus right out of the gate about a series of articles on Polar Park in the Worcester Business Journal by news editor Grant Welker, and while he talked ably about the disposition of the real estate surrounding the baseball stadium, including some interesting tidbits about a possible entertainment complex on Green Street, Augustus seemed to dismiss the salient ques tions Welker raised about the city not yet having a lease from the PawSox and not yet owning the land on which they’re building (Note: the interview was before Friday’s announcement by the WRA that the city was set to take ownership of the land). “There have been some people who are anxious for this to fail,” Augustus said. Honestly, the only local journalist who’s root ing for this to fail is Bill Shaner. Most of us are just cynical and dubious. Stoltz then added, “There will always be some fool on the hill who mistakes negativity for edginess.” This is the first time anyone has accused the WBJ of trying to be “edgy.” Journalists – especially business journalists – are sup posed to ask hard questions about public expenditures, not simply play “yes men.” That’s what radio is for!
F I R S T P E R S O N CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
I felt at Maine’s lack of interest in my $160 negative result.
“Maybe tomorrow someone at the beach will give a rat’s ass,” my son-in-law replied.
Next morning, the parking attendant at the beach took our $25, directed me to a handicap spot, and showed zero interest in my paperwork.
We set up our tent, chairs and blanket a good distance from the water and six feet from other sun-lovers. When high tide crept
LETTER
‘White privilege’ a racist term JOSEPH GUSTAFSON The term “white privilege” is as offensive and discriminatory as a racial epithet. It is, in fact, racin around 1 p.m., the beachgoers right by the shore started moving their paraphernalia up closer to us.
“I’m COVID negative. Feel free to penetrate our six-foot bubble,” I shouted to the middle-aged man in the blue Speedo and his lovely wife.
My family just collectively shook their head. The lifeguard asked me if there was an alcoholic beverage in my hot/cold cup.
That evening, our final night in Maine, we just ordered pizza from a nearby establishment. Ridiculed, embarrassed and despondent, I opened the hotel room door for the delivery boy. ist. Unfortunately, many gullible “Whites” have bought in to this extremist propaganda.
Let’s look at the facts. There is a rising Black middle class out there. Their success is due to some government help, but more importantly, their individual effort of skill development, hard work, and plain old grit. Anyone who adheres to these principles can succeed in America regardless of race.
“Your car is from Massachusetts. Did you have to take a COVID-19 test to get into Maine? I heard it’s expensive,” he exclaimed.
“Damn, straight! I can show you the negative result,” I replied, pulling the paperwork and a $20 tip out of my wallet.
I never tasted a better sausage and mushroom pie!
Postscript: Perhaps anticipating the backlash from this essay being published in Worcester Magazine, the state of Maine eliminated the COVID-19 restrictions for Mass. residents on September 23.
Joe Fusco Jr. is a poet and humor
ist who lives in Worcester.
Then there are people like LeBron James, a spoiled, multi-millionaire, who has made his fortune in America, yet continues to scream oppression and racial injustice and can’t stand for the flag when the National Anthem is being played.
Maybe Lebron should play basketball in Iran and see how much money he can make there.
Joseph Gustafson is from Leicester
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Worcester’s EcoTarium enters ‘hibernation’
Science museum’s staff working to minimize impact on animals
VEER MUDAMBI
When Socks, the red fox, barks at the EcoTarium with no school children to hear him, does he make a sound? Why, yes — because the EcoTar- ium staff are there to ensure that he, and all the other animals, remain happy and healthy during the museum’s temporary shutdown.
He was taken in as a kit and raised by a family in Massachusetts, until they realized foxes don’t make good household companions. Rachel Davison, curator of living collections and his primary trainer, always ensures his behavior is interpreted for the guests, emphasizing how different he is from a dog, even as she pets him.
It is the Worcester EcoTarium’s 195th anniversary, making it the second oldest natural history museum in the country. Unfortunately, it is a quiet celebration because, like some of its four-footed in- habitants, it is entering dormancy. The last official day open was Aug. 30. Needless to say, Socks gets extra attention from his keeper nowadays to make up for the lack of visitors.
The EcoTarium closed in March and reopened three months later in June for outdoor visitors. However, the financial impact of the COVID crisis necessitated the need close the science museum for the fall and winter; it’s slated to reopen in 2021. There has been a 65% reduction in staff from COVID-19 related layoffs.
Staff are not the only ones leaving. “We have sadly said goodbye to a lot of critters over the last month or so,” said Davison,
