WWW.FENWAYNEWS.

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JANUARY 2010 | free

“Comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable”

covering the Fenway, Kenmore Square, upper Back Bay, Prudential, Longwood Area & Mission Hill since 1974 volume 36, number 1 December 4, 2009-January 8-28, 2010

The biggest Fenway Stories of 2009? See page 4

Arts Academy Grad Cops Top ‘Dance’ Prize Students Hold Upper Hand
in Fenway’s Housing Market
T
by lauren landry
hree months ago, Elissa Garza, a
20-year-old Emerson college junior,
moved into a Peterborough Street
apartment with her best friend in
only increasing, as students continue to
move into the area. Thirty-eight percent of
Fenway residents are between ages 20 and 24,
according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“The housing stock is limited, and

courtesy of topidol.wordpress.com
order to be closer to work and school. Before
their move, one woman lived in their apart-
ment, paying double the rent Garza pays now.
“If you’re willing to do a split situation,
the Fenway is definitely one of the more
affordable rental areas in Boston,” Garza said.
The large number of students living
in the Fenway has increased pressure on an
Russell Ferguson, an alumnus of the Fenway’s Boston Arts Academy, took top already competitive housing market, making
prize on the reality show So You Think You Can Dance on December 16. Shown the neighborhood one of the most expensive
with dance partner Noelle Marsh, Ferguson taught the country about “krumping” areas in the city to rent an apartment. Similar
during his rise to the top. While at the BAA, he studied ballet, modern, jazz, tap, pressures exist throughout Boston, which has
and African dance, all standard elements in the school’s dance curriculum, which made rents in the city 85% higher than the
includes 10-12 hours of instruction every week—on top of academic subjects. national average, according to a 2009 report
prepared by the Kitty and Michael Dukakis
Center for Urban and Regional Policy at
there are far more students in the area than
there are dormitories” said Michael Kane,
executive director for the National Alliance of
HUD Tenants, an organization that promotes
affordable housing for local residents.
The Fenway is a convenient
neighborhood for students who go to schools
such as Northeastern or Simmons College and
want to live close to campus, but the cost has
pushed out families. Four students crammed
into a two-bedroom apartment can afford to
pay higher rents than a single parent.
“Families are being priced out of larger
units,” said Jessica Shumaker, deputy director
for media and public relations of the Boston
Redevelopment Authority. “Four or five

A Bright Light in the Fenway Passes on

Northeastern University. students in a rental can afford to pay the rent

W
by Lorin Frankian
illiam “Billy” T. MacRae, Jr.,
51, lived in the Fenway for 27
years. During this time, he
never had a home—a bed to rest
his tired body, a private or safe place to hold
his belongings. Billy was homeless.
For many in the West Fens, Billy was like
family. His smile and sparkling brown eyes
masked his exhaustion and frustration with
the disease he struggled with for most of his
life, alcoholism. His laughter was like that of
a jovial young boy’s. He simply loved life and
being on the move.
Billy was 5’9, had a rail-thin frame,
tanned skin covered by homemade tattoos,
many of which displayed old girlfriends’
names. He
loved his
jeans and
baseball caps.
Maintaining
his reputation
for being well
put together
was no joke.
He dressed in
new clothing
he found
or received
from his
sister, Doreen
William “Billy” MacRae
Killion. “I
remember when we were kids I used to call
him Mr. Wonderful,” said Doreen. “When
he was young, he was very smart and such
a handsome kid. All the girls wanted him.
He was meticulous, neat as a pin, and he had
style. He was cool! He reminded me of Patrick
Swayze or KC of KC and the Sunshine Band.”
When Billy was a teen, he belonged to
the Sea Cadets, in Hough’s Neck in Quincy,
where he grew up. Billy and his family’s
life “revolved around boats and water,” said
Doreen. He was very close to his mother and
father, who died in 1994, and his brother
Bobby, who died in 1999. Combine those
losses with working at bars around Boston,
and Billy spiraled down by age of 36.
Communication with his two daughters
was random due to his challenges but Doreen
noted that Billy was a “hard worker.” He
worked as a pizza cook and at a -rental
operation, a position that kept him close
to the water that he loved. At that point he
was a functional alcoholic. He joined the
National Guard in 1982 and upon his return
he decided to get his GED. Doreen rejoiced
in remembering that “he would take me
shoveling in the winter when we were kids and
then he would buy me penny candy. He loved
and was very protective of his family.” Doreen
las saw her brother nine years ago at a family
picnic at Turkey Hill by the water in Hingham.
The day after Thanksgiving, Billy’s body
was found floating in the Neponset River.
“The state police ruled out foul play because
his body was fully intact and unharmed,”
said Doreen. “We are thinking Billy may
have experienced a seizure and ended up
in the river while trying to make his way
back to Boston,” she said with great sadness.
Ironically, the night before Thanksgiving,
Billy had made the choice to enter detox.
“This was a big step, a step Billy has taken
before—but this time he seemed to be truly
ready to accept the help he needed to get
sober. No one got to know who he really was.
> please turn to Billy Macrea on page 5
Retreads Yield to radishes at Marshall’s Farmstand
by Steve Wolf
The last place you’d expect to find a farm stand is in an
old garage, but a Gloucester farmer thinks his will do just fine
in the former Goodyear store at the
corner of Boylston and Kilmarnock
streets in the West Fens.
Bob Marshall opened the
doors—and we’re talking big, roll-
up garage doors—to Marshall’s
Fenway Farmstand on the
Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
Unlikely location or not, he seems
to have a hit on his hands. Within
the first week, he says, he had
“people coming in to wish [him] well
and say ‘We’re glad to have you as
part of our community.’”
At least part of the store’s
appeal lies in the wide range
Customers at Marshall’s grand opening, December 12.
of goods on sale. In addition to a
healthy representation of produce,
including organic offerings, Marshall’s offers imported olive
oils, local apple cider, unusual snacks and baked goods),
prepared foods like lasagna, choice poultry and meats, local
eggs, and dairy products. And since he hails from Gloucester,
Marshall offers fresh-caught seafood.
Much of the food, in fact, hails from the North Shore,
including prepared items and dairy products. Marshall also
plans to carry a full line of local produce once the growing
season arrives. “The produce here will be at least 90% from
local farms,” he says, reeling off a list of items that sounds like days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
In 2000, non-family households made easier as opposed to a family with only one or
up nearly 84 percent of the neighborhood. two incomes.”
Residents have speculated the numbers are Boston has the second most unaffordable
rental market in the United States, according
Tuesday, Jan 19 to Jessica Martin, the research manager for the
Boston Indicators Project.
“Rents are pushed up by students,” said
special Tim Davis, an independent research consultant
and former housing researcher for Boston’s
election Department of Neighborhood Development.
“However, if rents go beyond a certain point,
students can’t afford them either.”
Nearly six months after Ted Kennedy’s
Kane said the colleges and universities
death voters will finally pick a new U.S.
need to start repaying the city.
Senator. Polls open at 7:00 a.m.
“The universities are tax-exempt, so they
and close at 8:00 p.m.
are not paying for the land they occupy,” Kane
For more information, visit
said.
cityofboston.gov/elections/
In lieu of paying taxes, Kane suggested
or call the Election Department
schools grant access to their athletic facilities
at 617-635-3767.
and provide educational and employment
Don’t know your polling station?
opportunities for city residents, improving
Visit wheredoivotema.com
> please turn to Housing on page 5
a dream in the dead of winter, including peaches from Harvard
and tomatoes and sweet corn from Ipswich. “My concept is,
I pick it that day and it’s here that day,” he says. “I mean, you
can’t get any fresher than
that.”
Marshall credits a
persistent Samuels &
Associates for connecting
him with the old Goodyear
store, which Samuels has
owned for several years.
When he first saw the
space, “I was scared off by
it.” But Samuels staffers
kept showing him other
businesses the company
had put in place around the
neighborhood, including an
art gallery and a yoga studio.
(Crossfit Fenway, a personal
training business, occupies the other half of the building.)
The location itself was persuasive: between Samuels’ two big
developments—1330 Boylston and the Trilogy—and smack on a
main route into and out of the Longwood Medical Area.
“I’ve been overwhelmed with well-wishers,” Marshall
says of the enthusiastic welcome he’s received from Fenway
residents. With activity returning to the corner—and with some
tasty reasons to stop in—it’s easy to understand where that
enthusiasm comes from.
Steve Wolf lives in the West Fens. Marshall’s is open seven
 | FENWAY NEWS | JANUARY 2010

Serving the Fenway, Kenmore Square, Audubon

A
Fenway residents stand up for the 55 Bus—again Circle, upper Back Bay, lower Roxbury, Prudential,
Mission Hill, and Longwood since 1974

t the beginning of January, the Fenway Community at night, during a Red Sox game, or when ice and snow cover
Fenway News Association
Board of Directors
Development Corporation delivered a petition with more the sidewalks. Everyone who spoke emphasized their reliance Jon Ball • Steve Chase • Helen Cox, president
than 350 signatures of Fenway residents to the new head on the #55 bus to meet daily transportation needs, including Joyce Foster ª Elizabeth Gillis, clerk
of the state’s transportation department, Jeffrey B. Mullan. getting to work, to school, to medical and legal appointments,
Steven Harnish • Ruth Khowais
Gloria Platt • Steve Wolf, treasurer
This letter accompanied the petition and was also sent to more than and to shopping.
a dozen elected state and city officials. Over the past several months, Fenway residents have Editor: Stephen Brophy
mobilized to save the #55 bus. They have handed out flyers WEB EDITOR: Jonathan Kim
Dear Secretary Mullan: alerting fellow riders to the possible cuts, written letters and Production Designer: Steve Wolf
We write on behalf of the Fenway Community Development postcards to public officials demanding continued full service, Writers: Jon Ball, Alison Barnet, Helen
Corporation—a membership organization dedicated to and gathered more than 350 signatures on the attached Cox, Tracey Cusick, Lori A. Frankian,
promoting neighborhood stability and diversity in the Galen Gilbert, Elizabeth Gillis, Katherine
petition. The petition calls on “the MBTA and the Massachusetts
Fenway— to present the enclosed petition. Signed by more than Greenough, Steven Harnish, Erin Harper,
Department of Transportation not to reduce service on Kaileigh Higgins, John Kelly, Ruth Khowais,
350 Fenway residents, it calls on you and your department to this essential transportation lifeline that runs through our Jonathan Kim, Pamela King, Shirley Kressel,
maintain full service on the #55 bus line. neighborhood.” Marc Laderman, Lauren Landry, Aqilla
Last summer we learned about a consultant’s report At our most recent community meeting, held on November Manna, Erica Mattison, Kerry Mooney,
recommending that the MBTA consider eliminating the #55 bus 16 and attended by more than 70 residents, we were pleased to Richard Pendleton, Camille Platt, Meena
as a cost-cutting measure. The report suggested that access hear from State Representative Byron Rushing’s office that the Ramakrishnan, Mike Ross, Matti Kniva
to Green Line was good enough to make up for the loss of the #55 route now appears to be safe from cuts. Spencer, Clyde Whalen, Margaret Witham
service. This news deeply disturbed many Fenway residents. With this letter, however, the Fenway CDC and Fenway PhotographerS: Lois Johnston, Patrick
At community meetings we organized in the fall, seniors and residents formally request a written commitment from MassDOT O’Connor, Lauren Dewey Platt, Matti Kniva
residents with disabilities described how challenging it would Spencer, Steve Wolf
not to cut the transportation lifeline for our elderly and disabled
be for them to have to travel to Hynes, Kenmore, or Fenway CALENDAR: Helen Cox, Stephen Brophy,
residents, the #55 bus route. Penina Adelman, Meena Ramakrishnan
stations on the Green Line in good weather-never mind late Thank you for your attention to this matter. Proofreaders: Jon Ball, Tracey Cusick,
Subscription Coordinator: Cathy
Jacobowitz
> billy macrea from page 1 the station remains a mystery. Take a look > HOUSING from page 1 BOOKKEEPER: Cathy Jacobowitz
He had a regular life—we grew up in the at how and where Billy died—in the water. relationships with the students. Distribution: Jon Ball, Della Gelzer, Keith
suburbs in a nice house with green grass and Doreen believes that, “God had to be with him By creating a better relationship with Harriel, Aqilla Manna, Lauren Dewey Platt
he had a family who loved him. Parents that and said ‘your run is done’. Maybe an angel the students, Fenway residents may stop The Fenway News is published monthly by the
loved him to death! No matter how much you took him into the water.” filling up U-Hauls and moving. There are Fenway News Association, Inc., a community-
loved him, we just couldn’t tie him down, we Billy was one of my angels over the past only a few long-term residents living in the owned corporation dedicated to community
couldn’t seem to help him. He wasn’t brought 20 years. He was a dear friend, an uplifting community and Joyce Foster, a member of the journalism. If you would like to volunteer to
up like that—but he just ran to wherever he spirit who put everything into perspective for board of directors for the Fenway Community write, edit, photograph, lay out, distribute, or sell
advertising on commission, please contact us at:
wanted to be. Alcohol controlled him like a me on a daily basis. He touched me deeply. Development Corporation, said neighborhood
The Fenway News,
monster.” He was one of over 6,200 homeless people stability has become a concern. PO Box 230277, Astor Station
After an urgent call from one of Billy’s within Boston struggling to get by day to day. “Without the investment of time and Boston, MA 02123
friends, Doreen’s husband, Sean raced into Billy’s death has left many Fenway residents concern represented by long-term residents, 617-266-8790
Boston to terribly saddened. He was a fighter! Winter the fabric of the community is shredded,” editor@fenwaynews.org
take Billy to after winter, Billy survived. I never knew how Foster said. www.fenwaynews.org
Andrew House he did it. I gave him blankets, offered to take In hopes of retaining current residents Subscriptions $24/year ($15 for limited income)
for detoxing. him to seek shelter and/or treatment, but he and lowering rents, City Councilor Michael
His family was declined due to his desire to remain safer than P. Ross created the “No More Than Four” ©2009 Fenway News Association, Inc.
hopeful that he may be in one of Boston’s many shelters. initiative, which prohibits more than four
they would “Baby, I’ll be OK—I promise,” he would say to undergraduate students from living together city to go to college, but the universities aren’t
soon be re- me. Billy’s enormous heart and survival skills in a single-family unit. Through this initiative, providing enough housing.”
connecting with were unlike anyone I have ever met! landlords will have to lower rents because no The colleges and universities in the area
the man they It is so very strange to not see him longer will they be able to cram six to eight will need to work with the city.
had missed for hanging out at the laundromat on the corner students into one apartment, Johanna Sena, “We obviously need to encourage
so very long. of Jersey and Queensberry; near the bus stop director of community relations for Ross, said. [colleges’ and universities’] growth when
But after 24 on the edge of the old McDonald’s lot; at “The goal is to keep residents and gain appropriate, as it is beneficial to the economy,”
Billy as a boy hours, “Billy the Duck House; or in front of the 7-11. The residents by having more reasonable rents,” Shumaker said. “But we need to make
became agitated silence from the wheels of his carriage is Sena added. sure that this growth is positive for the
and asked to leave the shelter,” stated Doreen. deafening. I still expect to see him, but he is An increase in on-campus housing could neighborhoods.”
Andrew House could not hold him against his no longer around. also lead to more affordable prices. To create a Lauren Landry is a graduate student in
will. “His nurse pleaded with him,” Doreen Walter Noons remembers Billy as one better environment for students and long-term journalism at Emerson College.
said, “but Billy was being Billy” and that of the most kind-hearted, loving, and caring residents, Kane said the city needs to work
meant he was on the go. people he has ever known. I can attest that with the colleges and universities to produce
The night he died, the Andrew House van Billy weathered many, many storms. We had more sufficient on-campus housing. > Frequency <
dropped Billy at the North Quincy T stop and two decades of memories, deep conversations Over the last ten years, Boston has seen The Fenway News reaches the stands every
off he went into the night. No phone call was and many laughs. Weeks before Billy died, he almost 10,000 new dorm beds come online, 4-5 weeks, usually on the first or last Friday of
made to alert his family of his departure from gave me a picture of himself up against the according to Shumaker, who also said that one the month. Our next issue will be appear on
the shelter. Sunday morning, November 29, 7-11 wall. He signed it, “To my good friend housing unit is made available for every four Friday, JANUARY 29.
Billy’s body was found by a person walking a Lori—Love You, Billy.” His gifts and strength dorm beds created.
> Deadline <
dog along the Neponset River. will remain in my heart forever. I now have Schools are still accepting more students
than they have on-campus housing for.
The deadline for letters, news items, and ads
“I would cry and knew that nothing a new family thanks to Billy. I will soon be
would change it,” says Doreen. “He was so going to meet his family— our connection “That’s the fundamental contradiction,” is Friday, JANUARY 22.
trapped by alcohol. I cared tremendously and will remain forever. . . as will his laughter and Kane said. “There’s going to be an increased > Advertising <
would think, ‘I can’t believe my brother is smile hovering over the West Fens. rental inflation. Individual students are not Contact our business manager at
doing this.’” What happened after Billy left Lori Frankian lives in the West Fens. responsible for them. We brought them to the ads@fenwaynews.org

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 FENWAY NEWS | JANUARY 2010 | 

Quality-of-Life Issues Took Center Stage in 2009

T
by city councilor mike ross
his year has been a good one for
the Fenway neighborhood. We have
many victories to celebrate, but
also much to do. I know that the
community will continue to flourish in 2010.
Here are some of the developments in which I
have been proud to play a role in the Fenway:
• After nearly a decade of negotiations, this
fall saw the unveiling of a new plaza on
Boylston Street between Mass Ave and
Hemenway. The improvements attracted
new businesses such as coffee shops and
bookstores. When the weather gets warmer,
musicians from the Berklee
School of Music will perform
in the space, which will
attract new visitors to this
part of the Fenway.
• The Boston City Council
passed a law that allows
restaurants to open their
outdoor seating at any time
of year, instead of forcing
owners to move patrons
inside between November
and May. This new rule has
The Ross
already paid dividends, with
local restaurants reporting
Report
higher receipts due to the
warm days we had in November.
• Spurred on by dedicated residents and Fen-
way Civic Association, the City has started
soliciting ideas for businesses that would
use the abandoned Duck House on Agassiz
Road. I hope that by this time next year,
we’ll see a coffee shop, bike rental store,
or other business bringing new life to the
park. I am also encouraged by the Emerald
Necklace Conservancy’s bringing back
Gatehouse Number Two, a historic structure
which will serve as a visitor’s center and the
group’s future home.
• After almost a year of delays, the rebuilding
with the community to find innovative
of Restaurant Row on Peterborough Street
solutions to the Fenway’s challenges. As
took a major step forward after the owners
of the property agreed to an out-of-court
settlement in my office. This will pave the
way for these valued businesses to reopen
sooner, restoring vitality to West Fens.
• We worked to decrease crime in the Back
Bay Fens. Our partnership with the Boston
Police Department is making the area safe
while ensuring everyone’s right to enjoy
their park.
• We strengthened the University Account-
ability law, which now requires universities
to notify groups of more than four
students living in a single address
that they are in violation of the law.
This year’s Greater Boston Real Es-
tate Report Card found that Boston
has the second-highest rents in the
entire country. We must continue to
work to bring down the cost of rent-
ing or buying a home in Boston so it
is within reach of the young people
who will shape the city’s future.
I continue to believe that the
best years for both the Fenway and
the entire city lie ahead. In 2010
we need to embrace innovation
to retain both newcomers and
longtime Bostonians, and we need to look
at new models of education. I will continue
to push the City to be more transparent,
letting residents know what it is doing and
how it is spending their money. We must
continue to make homes and businesses more
environmentally-friendly, and we must work
to bring businesses that will develop the green
technologies and jobs that will make Boston
successful in the decades to come. And it’s
critical that we keep our neighborhoods
diverse—all ages, ethnicities, and income
levels should be able to afford a home.
I look forward to another year of working always, don’t hesitate to contact my office with
your questions and ideas.
 in memor ia m
Walter Leon Kouyoumjian
Born March 24, 1928 in New York to Rose and Leon Kouyoumjian, Sr., longtime
Fenway resident died at Brigham & Women’s Hospital of heart-related illness on the
morning of December 21.
Walter served in the United States Air Force from 1946 to 1949 and was stationed
in Korea and Japan. After his honorable discharge from the service he attended Stevens
Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New
Jersey, and earned a BS in mechanical
engineering, graduating in 1953. He
later received a masters in education at
Fitchburg State College.
Walter worked as a mechanical
engineer and taught at post-secondary
schools and colleges in Maine,
Massachusetts, and Vermont. He had
many interests, including dancing,
photography, and politics, and he had
spent time farming in Northern Maine. He
enjoyed reading history, and science fiction
and was an avid reader of The Nation
magazine.
After retiring, he servedon the board
of directors of the Fenway CDC and as an
elected member of the Ward 5 Democratic
Committee. He volunteered with various
organizations, including the Boston
Harbor Island Alliance and, especially close to his heart, the Eastern Service Workers
Association. Walter is survived by three sons, Leon, Paul, David; by a grandson Walter;
and by his former wife Joyce Freedman. He was predeceased by his sister Lucille Witz
and his brother Leon Kouyoumjian.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 16, from noon to 3:00 p.m.
at Canestaro’s on Peterborough Street. For more information on the memorial, contact
vartan617@gmail.com or 201-945-3599. Memorial gifts should go to Eastern Service
Workers Association, 247 Bowdoin St, Dorchester, MA 02122 (617-265-9200).

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10biggest
 | FENWAY NEWS | JANUARY 2010
Fenway
Stories
of 2009
Peterborough Street fire
1 A January 5 fire wiped
out six popular restaurants
and a dry cleaner at the corner
of Peterborough and Kilmarnock
streets, but its impact reverberated
through the year. In February, more
than 150 people trekked through
bitter cold and snow to a meeting
at Church organized by the Fenway
CDC. They talked about the loss of
the restaurants as gathering spots
and wellsprings of street life in the
West Fens. Residents also got a look
at a rap video created by students
at the McKinley School—for many
their first contact with the school and
its students. In July, a small grant
from the Parks Department allowed
McKinley students to work with
Cost cutting
threatens
#55 bus
2
The MBTA’s threat
to eliminate the #55
bus route was the talk
of the West Fens from
the moment a Fenway
Civic Association e-mail announced
the news in September. The T had
identified the route as one of many it
might need to eliminate in an effort
to address its ballooning deficit—
although at least some observers
think the list was compiled as a way to
get riders to pressure the legislature
into increasing agency funding.
More than 70 residents turned
out for a meeting the week before
Thanksgiving to protest the cuts,
where Elizabether Corcoran-Hunt,
Rep. Byron Rushing’s representative,
assured them that the route is safe for
the time being. Given the T’s history
of nibbling away at the 55—reducing
service freqeuncy and lopping two
hours off the nighttime schedule—
expect the issue to resurface in 2010.
No year is ever boring in the Fenway, but 2009
seemed to offer more than its share of twists, curve
balls, surprises, and announcements that promised
to reshape our neighborhood. From the loss of the
Peterborough Street restaurants to big changes in
the Back Bay Fens to the pleasure of seeing the “lost
block” of Boylston spruced up as if for an HGTV
makeover show, these twelve months changed the
neighborhood.
A list like this is arbitrary and subjective, of
course. You may not agree with our rankings or even
7
our choices—but that’s what our letters column is for.
We think that these ten stories rank among the most
important things that took place in and around the
Fens over the last twelve months.
other volunteers to paint murals on
PHOTO: phil farnsworth
the burned-out storefronts. A CDC-
organized street fair in late September
officially unveiled the murals and
brought welcome press coverage.
Perhaps the best news, however,
arrived in late November, when City
Councillor Mike Ross brokered a
deal among the property owners (it
should be noted that the restaurant
operators did not own their premises).
The November agreement appeared
to pave the way for reconstruction
planning to start, and The Fenway
News will keep you posted as this
story continues to develop in 2010.
The fire on January 5 destroyed six popular
restaurants and a dry cleaner (left). Above,
diners flocked to the restaurants on one of
the first warm days in spring 2008.
3 Emmanuel rehabs Clemente Field
The City’s agreement to give Emmanuel College practice at certain times; Emmanuel has the field for much
effective control of Roberto Clemente field in
exchange for the college’s investing $4 million in a full
renovation of the dilapidated facility stirred
of the rest of the time on weekdays; and everyone else has
to squeeze their play time in on weekends. 1
outrage in the neighborhood. Many residents
decried the City’s willingness to trade away
public acccess to a public park, no matter
how worthy the sponsor or how nice the
rehab might be. City Councilor Mike Ross
got caught in the crossfire, at first attacking
the plan, then drawing attacks himself for
helping broker a deal. (He argued that by
working with Emmanuel he was able to
increase the public’s access to the new park.)
PHOTO: alison pultinas
After being fenced off all spring and summer,
the fields reopened in late August, looking
preternaturally green because of newly
installed artificial turf. Under the terms of
Emmanuel’s agreement with the City, Boston
Latin athletic teams get to use the field for Boston Latin’s football team practiced on the new field at the end of August.
4 1330 Boylston Street opens
Boylston Street took another step toward its brave new future
in March with the opening of the second building developed by
Steve Samuels under the 2001 rewrite of zoning rules for the West Fens.
Some residents loathed the building’s height, but it brought a range of
benefits, including a new home for Fenway Community Health, now the
country’s largest health center focused on GLBT health issues (and still
welcoming to non-LGBT residents). Few residents complained about
the addition of The Upper Crust, and fewer still can predict how the
added population will affect the Fenway. Will our new neighbors improve
neighborhood voter turnout? Will they support the Peterborough Street
restaruants when they return—and the new farm stand across the street?
Stay tuned...
 FENWAY NEWS | JANUARY 2010 | 

5 Move-in day trashes the East Fens

Residents’ anger at student self-absorption boiled over in September as the
annual turn-over of apartments on September 1 left East Fens streets looking
more like landfills than residential areas, thanks to the mountains of trash left
behind by departing students. That anger, however, may help avert a similar
disaster next year. Northeastern’s community relations head Jeff Doggett
attended a subsequent neighborhood meeting to discuss the possibility of future
coordination between the university and property owenrs.

6 Institutional plans advance

Three of the Berklee College of Music continued to
neighborhood’s 500-pound hold meetings with a city-designated
gorillas (that is, institutions) advanced citizen advisory group as it mulled

7
planning initiatives in 2009 that may ways to consolidate its scattered
Makeover for the ‘Lost Block’ utlimately have big impacts on the
neighborhood. Wentworth Institute
facilities at the corner of Mass Ave and
Boylston Street. Having lost a bidding
After more than 30 years of fumbled attempts, a coalition of local prepared to submit its institutional war for the St. Cecilia’s churchyard on
businesses joined Berklee College of Music and City Councilor Mike Ross master plan to the BRA, something Cambria Street in 2008, the school will
to plan and complete a redesign of one of the ugliest stretch of sidewalk the city requires all large campuses likely have to build something much
in Massachusetts—Boylston to do at least once every 10 years. taller on that corner than West Fens
Street between Mass. Ave. and and Back Bay residents will want to
Hemenway Street. Construction see. Meanwhile, the BRA convened
commenced in late summer and a second citizen advisory group to
it was completed by October review the Christian Science Church’s
15, when the official ribbon plan to develop part of its large plaza
cutting took place. Only one between Mass Ave and the Prudential
property owner refused to Center. The church proposed letting
PHOTO: steve wolf

cooperate—Patrick Lyons, who private developers build as much as

left his tenant, a T-Mobile store, 900,000 square feet of offices or
with an entrance that looks like housing in an effort to stabilize its
the broken tooth in an otherwise shaky finances.
beautiful
City smile.
Councilor Mike Ross cut a ribbon
In summer, kids from across the city flock to
at the dedication ceremony on October
the fountain on the Christian Science plaza.
15. he’s joined by (left to right)

CDC’s Carl Nagy-Koechlin steps down Recession puts

8 After 12 years at the helm housing units, dusted off development
of one of the neighborhood’s
three major membership organiza-
its 1992 “urban village
plan” and adopted it on hold
tions, Carl Nagy-Koechlin stepped as a vision for future

9
down as executive director of the Fen- development in the It took the worst
way Community Development Corpo- neighborhood, and helped economic downturn in
ration in June. lead the successful fight to 70 years to bring the
PHOTO: matti kniva spencer

Koechlin came to the CDC in 1997 preserve Fewnay Park. Fenway’s construction
from the Somerville CDC, where boom grinding to a halt.
he had been director of housing. Carl Nagy-Koechlin, flanked Numerous high-profile projects—from
by former CDC staffers Northeastern dorms to the Joslin
During his tenure, Fenway CDC built
Jaime Smith (left) and Shelly
an assisted-living facility on Mass Clinic’s grandiose lab-and-condos
Dein (right) in February at
Ave, purchased 97 affordable rental Canestaro’s.
tower scheme—were placed on hold.
In an off-season trade, the Red Sox
swapped the McDonald’s site for
Gardner carriage house bites the dust
10
a parking lot on Van Ness that the
Abbey Group owned. But with real
estate financing in the toilet, the only
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
thing the Abbey Group could afford to
ended all possibility of saving the contested
do with the McDonald’s site was...turn
carriage house at the rear of its property by
it into a parking lot (sadly, minus its
completely demolishing it in July. Neighbors
40-year-old trees). Developer Steve
and preservation groups had challenged the
Samuels finished 1330 Boylston in
plan, but the museum administration wanted
the West Fens and even managed to
to make way for a new structure designed
attract two restaurants to its retail
by architect Renzo Piano. The opponents
space (one will open this spring).
took the fight to the state’s Supreme Judicial
Although he couldn’t redevelop the
Court. Opponents of demolition argued that
parcels he owns on the north side of
destroying the carriage house—which Gardner
Boylston, he managed to fill several
herself is thought to have designed—violated
empty storefronts with a fitness
the terms of the will. The museum argued
center, a dry cleaner, and an honest-
that allowing construction of the annex would
to-god New England farm stand—a
honor Gardner’s legacy by moving non-exhibit
small bit of happy fallout from the
functions out of the original building so it could
dismal economic meltdown.
be devoted entirely to her collection.

Some also-rans...
Northeastern’s longtime head of community relations, Jeff Doggett, resigned to
take a job at Boston College... Location shooting for movies thrilled some residents
but irked many others with fake gunfire and nighttime filming... A robbery at
Boston Cab sent a seriously injured dispatcher to the hospital... Plans to renovate
the Duck House on Agassiz Road moved ahead, spearheaded by members of
Fenway Civic Association... Annoying special events at Fenway Park increased
with four nighttime rock shows and the NHL’s “Winter Classic”... Boston’s Islamic
Cultural Center finally opened on a site near Roxbury Community College.
 | FENWAY NEWS | JANUARY 2010

Fenway’s ‘Maestro’ brings music to parks this summer

W
By Kaileigh Higgins was just a hyperactive kid singing and dancing been here ever since. since become permanent. In his eight years
eekdays you can catch in Montana. His parents divorced when he was Slevira spent the next 15 years as a there, the program has tripled in size, the
Ricardo Slevira walking along young, and his mother, whom he credits for his freelance musician, besides teaching private students have won gold medals, and they have
Queensbury Street with his love and dedication to music, raised Slevira lessons and running grant-financed programs performed on the Symphony Hall stage.
violin on his back and a skip and his two siblings. for inner-city kids. “I was really teaching the For his next endeavors, at Ramler and
in his step on his way home from teaching at “I remember sitting on the kitchen floor gamut,” Slevira said. Fitzgerald parks, Slevira will be putting on
Boston Latin School. entranced by it, by music,” Slevira said. He ran several programs throughout four concerts during the summer months,
Slevira, a Boston, teaching music to kids in four schools with a program put on by musicians from his
longtime Fenway under a grant from Boston Conservatory. “I company, Ambiance Music, in addition to
resident better found that [the kids] all wanted to work [at guest artists. Encouraged and supported by a
known to his music],” Slevira said. “They felt special.” friend and fellow member of the Fenway Civic
students as After four years, the program ended Association, Freddie Viekley, Slevira has
“Maestro,” has for lack of financing. Slevira went on to the received financing for the next six summers,
spent most of his Blackstone School in the South End, teaching and hopes to garner additional money and
career sharing fourth-graders to play classical music. Slevira support from Fenway businesses.
his love of music gave them the opportunity to play for many “I want consistency and tradition, just
with others as audiences, trying to expose his mission and like the Esplanade,” Slevira said. “I want (the)

photo: lauren dewey platt

a teacher. He work to the community. Ramler and Fitzgerald Park music series to
now takes a “My motto is ‘Viability is gotten through become (a) tradition that these neighbors know
step to share it visibility’,” Slevira said. “So the more people about, they talk about, extend to their friends,
with the public saw us, the more we were of value.” bring people in, reward themselves, treat
in upcoming He then taught private lessons in suburbs themselves.”
summer seasons. such as Lexington and Belmont, but he still Slevira plans to be a part of those neigh-
He won a thought that something was missing. borhood traditions for a while. “I love the Fen-
grant in 2009 A new grant will enable Ricardo Slevira to program concerts for six “I missed the inner city,” Slevira said. “I way, I wouldn’t live anywhere else. I plan on
from the Mission summers in parks in the Fenway and Mission hill. missed the feisty, brave attitudes. That’s all staying here for a very, very long time.”
Hill Fenway “Entranced by how she was happy singing, the they were asking for, an opportunity to make Kaileigh Higgins is an undergraduate
Neighborhood Trust to produce a summer song she was singing was happy; it’s like all of some music. So they fit me really well.” student in the Northeastern University School
concert series for the next six years in the sudden the world was changed and it was It was also during this time that Slevira of Journalism.
Fenway’s Ramler Park and Mission Hill’s happy, just by singing.” began to play for
Fitzgerald Park. In the fourth grade, when he was invited the Boston Ballet
Slevira, who can be seen giving a to play the violin, he became dedicated to Orchestra, which
summer concert series of his own at his his craft and truly competitive. He continued he said was a
Victory Garden plot three times a day, his love of music throughout his high school “dream come
practicing and playing outside for whoever years and then decided to continue his studies true.”
is around, is excited about his most recent in college. He earned the Presidential Music Slevira was
community music endeavor. Scholarship at DePauw University in Indiana. then approached
“I’m very proud to say I’m a music “Music was a huge part of my life,” by Boston
director for two city parks,” Slevira said. “I get Slevira said. “I decided, ‘Sure! I’ll go to music Latin School
a big chance to influence the neighborhood. school!’ ” to become its
I get to provide some deserved therapy and He headed east to the Boston interim director
culture for these neighborhoods.” Conservatory to enter a graduate program of orchestras
Before he began his journey to bring in music performance. He moved into the for one year.
culture to the neighborhood, Slevira said, he Fenway in 1989, set up his garden, and has His position has

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 FENWAY NEWS | JANUARY 2010 | 

☞ f e n w a y h I S T ORY ☜

In the 1950s, Young Martin Luther King

Made a Critical Decision in the Fenway
by Elizabeth Gillis
“You have everything I ever wanted in a woman. We ought to get married some
day.”
Coretta Scott was understandably startled. She had just met Martin Luther King,
a young minister. They had been introduced by a mutual friend and had talked on the
phone the previous evening.
Martin had asked if they might meet for lunch. “I have a green Chevy that usually
takes ten minutes to make the trip from Boston University but tomorrow I’ll do it in
seven.”
When Martin pulled up at the New England Conservatory of Music, Coretta’s first
impression was that he was too short (five feet seven inches) and perhaps rather spoiled.
They spent the lunch hour at Sharaf’s Cafeteria on Massachusetts Avenue and talked
about many serious subjects. Martin was impressed with her knowledge and interest in
civil rights and other current issues.
Coretta had come a long way from a one-room segregated school in Alabama.
After a scholarship to Antioch College in Ohio, she came to Boston so that she could
study voice. Her ambition was to be a concert singer.
A boarding house on Beacon Hill provided a room and breakfast for $7 a week.
Coretta didn’t always have enough money for food. One evening meal consisted of
graham crackers and peanut butter. So she asked the landlady if she could earn her
way. They made an agreement that the young music student would clean rooms and do
laundry in order to pay her rent.
Martin invited her to a concert at Symphony Hall and they took long walks. Still
she was reluctant to be involved with a minister. Clergymen, she thought, were too pious
and narrow-minded. And, besides, if they decided to marry her hope for a career in
music was gone.
Martin’s father, “Daddy” King, was a prominent minister in Atlanta and he had
picked out a prospective bride from a well-to-do family for his son. But Martin would
have none of it. He said later that, “After an hour, my mind was made up.” He had found
the woman who would be a good companion to share his work and raise a family.
So they were married in 1953 at her family home in Alabama. They spent their
wedding night at the home of a friend who owned a funeral parlor. Hotels were for white
people only.
They came back to Boston for a year in order to complete their respective studies.
Then they were on their way to civil rights work and fame.
Elizabeth Gillis lives in the West Fenway

H
ow many of you remember Marion ever considered what really is going on? How
Boxer? She was the “cookie lady” super athletes are engaged in bone-breaking
for the neighborhood dogs. When activity. Obviously, the biggest challenge is
St. Cecilia House first opened, disrupting the brain. How many players, with
Marion had a suite on the sixth floor in which millions in the bank, find themselves in la-
she threw a lot of eating parties for her friends. la land? The whole thing should be reduced
Six months ago, she suddenly shifted over to to tag-football, but it wouldn’t appeal to the
assisted living. A recent phone call divulged crowd.
that assisted living is great in activity, but Interviews are funny. Not everyone is a
each person is restricted to a single room. She trained speaker. A question is asked by the
sends along a happy how-are-you to all her moderator, the guest tries to answer. During
acquaintances here. the answer, he runs out of words and has to
Incidentally, if you ever have a problem, substitute stuff like “ah,” “you know what
contact me. I run a problem-solving outfit I mean,” “you hear what I say”. Due to a
called the Whalen Wall. lack of something to say or pausing to think.
It started with a sit-down Meanwhile viewers, unsettled by
strike for stand-up comics. the mess, turn to another station,
If the present recession perhaps even the heartbreak of
continues, maybe the New “Jerry, Jerry.”
England states could be put up Hello, headquarters. This
for sale and the rich could buy is hindquarters calling. Isn’t our
them. Maybe Oprah Winfrey language great?
could support all of us. This state was originally
Have you noticed the meant to be called Mass-sets, but
tremendous use of hands on somebody sneezed in the process
television? They could change and put the “ah-choo” in there.
the name to Handsevision. If you can smile when all are
Everybody on television, who blue and say it doesn’t matter. If
has something to say, uses their you can shake off care and woe
West Fens resident
hands for accompaniment. and trouble makes you fatter.
Clyde Whalen gives
If you’re going to speak on If you can keep a pleasant face,
“The Fenway Report”
television, stand up, don’t sit. when all about are blue. Then
every other week
You’ll look a lot better speaking, have your head examined, ’cause
on neighborhood
if you stand up; and if you can’t there’s something wrong with you.
Network News on
break the habit of hands, have People often wonder why so
cable channel 9.
them tied behind your back, many players from the South and
before you go on. from the West Coast make such
Have you noticed the government won’t good baseball players. It’s simply the weather.
allow kids to work before a certain age? But In the South and West, you have more time
religion, on the other hand, is not hampered by to practice. Canadians, on the other hand, are
that restriction. great at hockey because of the cold weather.
Many rich people now in assisted living Nobody knows where golf is best except Tiger
haven’t walked a consecutive hundred yards Woods, and he’s not talking.
since childhood. Their daily exercise is done Have no fear—Underdog is here.
sitting in a chair. Don’t laugh, it gives you You’re probably noticing that I don’t slow
more time to live. things down with a lot of laughs.
It’s been at least 60 years since World Just remember, deep down we’re all
War II. Has anyone missed it? Unanimous if shallow.
everyone agrees and animus if nobody does. Just remember you get more with a kind
Have you noticed how people love to word than a gun.
watch football? It’s fast, it’s rough and ready, Happiness is learning to enjoy trouble.
and it always pleases the crowd, but have you See you later.
 | FENWAY NEWS | JANUARY 2010
Through January 30: Ellery Sedgwick and
The Atlantic Monthly, 1909-1938. Few insti-
tutions can mount an in-depth installation
of this kind, which reviews Sedgewick’s
three decades as editor of the influential
Atlantic Monthly. The exhibit includes
Sedgewick’s correspondence with contribu-
tors as varied as Winston Churchill, Edith
Wharton, Reinhold Neibuhr, and Virginia
Woolf, covers controversial articles, and
even takes a look at a pre-Internet hoax or
+
two. Open 1:00-4:00 p.m., Tue-Sat.
1154 Boylston Street. FREE.
Fri, Jan 8: Arthur Miller’s All
My Sons starts a month-long run at the
Huntington Theatre. The 1946 play was
Miller’s first major success, garnering his
first Tony Award. Visit huntingtontheatre.
org or call 617-266-0800 for tickets or
information. Through Feb. 7. $20-$82.50
Fri, Jan 8-Sun, Jan 17: The Boston Festival
of Films from Iran commences with Shirin,
the latest work of Abbas Kiarostami. Other
directors in the festival include Samira
Makhmalbaf and Maziar Bahari, who will
accept the annual ILEX Foundation Award
at the screening of his latest documentary
on Sat, Jan 8, at 7 p.m. Visit www.mfa.org/
calendar/sub.asp?key=12&subkey=53 for a
full rundown of films and screening times.
Tickets for most screenings are $8-$10.
Mon, Jan 11: Best-selling author David Hosp
reads from his third novel, Among Thieves.
The book’s lawyer-protagonist takes a case
that drags him into efforts by Boston thugs
to track down the paintings stolen from the
+
Gardner Museum in 1989. Prudential
Center Barnes & Noble at 1:30 p.m.
FREE.
Wed, Jan 13: Cafe and Cabaret: Toulouse-
Lautrec’s Paris. A curatorial gallery talk by
Justine De Young will focus on Toulouse-
Lautrec and other artists known for their
bold images of performers in Parisian
cafés, cabarets, and nightclubs. De Young
will explore the bohemian artists’ radical
styles, their celebrity subjects, and the
+
charged atmosphere of fin-de-siècle
Montmartre. 6 p.m. FREE with
museum admission.
Thu, Jan 14: The Gardner Museum offers
an appreciation of the Titian Room with
artist-in-residence and author Gregory
Maguire and curator of the collection Alan
Chong. The event will be followed by a
wine reception in the courtyard. 6:30 p.m.
Tickets $5-$10
The following events take place at the
Peterborough Senior Center (located
between 100 & 108 Jersey St.; walk down the
alley between the two buildings). The Center
is located two blocks from Boylston Street.
For more information, call 617-536-7154.
Recurring Events
Mondays
•12 noon: Film. Jan 11, The Magic Flute
(1975); Jan 25, Strictly Ballroom (1992).
The Center will be closed on Jan 18,
Martin Luther King Day.
•2:15 p.m: Yoga
Tuesdays
•11 a.m: Exercise with Mahmoud
•12 noon: Documentary film—Jan 5, We
Shall Remain, Disk 1 (2009); Jan 12,
Guitarra! (2000); Jan 19, We Shall Remain,
Disk 2 (2009); Jan 26, Isaac Stern: Life’s
Virtuoso (2000)
Wednesdays
10 a.m.-12 noon: Blood pressure check with
Joyce.
Thu, Jan 14: The Beehive hosts Concerts
and Cocktails, a gathering of free-
concert enthusiasts and followers of the
Boston Landmarks Orchestra. Live jazz
concert from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Visit www.
landmarksorchestra.org for more info. 541
+ Tremont St. Music, but not food or
drinks, is FREE.
Thu, Jan 14–Sun, Jan 17: Boston Arts
Academy presents The Sing Song Show,
written by faculty member John Oluwole
ADEkoje. The BAA calls this “a poetic and
darkly comedic tale of dictatorship, post
colonialism, and the trafficking of human
organs set to a catchy, original musical
score.” At Boston Playwrights Theatre,
949 Comm Ave (near the BU West stop on
the Green Line). Opening-night cocktail
reception at 6:00, curtain at 7:30 p.m.
(benefactor tickets $50). Tickets for Fri-Sat
shows (7:00 p.m.) and Sun. (2:00 p.m.) are
$15.
Thu, Jan 14: The Fenway Civic Association
hosts a Young Professionals Night at the
Lansdowne Pub (1 Lansdowne St.) from
6-9 p.m. Get to know your neighbors while
enjoying free appetizers.
Sat, Jan 16: Ticket sales begin at the Jordan
Hall box office for the Feb. 6 taping of From
the Top. The NPR series—an entertaining
cross between an old-time radio show
and American Idol—features top young
classical musicians from around the US.
This show will air as part of the series’
10th-anniversary season. 7:30-9:00 p.m.
If you can’t wait for the box office to open,
order online (for a $10 discount) at http://
store.fromthetop.org/ProductDetails.
asp?ProductCode=FTTTIX
Sun, Jan 17: Baritone Randall Scarlata
and pianist Jeremy Denk perform Franz
Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin, D. 795 in
the Gardner Museum’s Tapestry Room, in
the first of this season’s Sunday Concert
Series. Visit www.gardnermuseum.org for
more information. 1:30 p.m. Tickets $10-
$23.
Mon, Jan 18: The Museum of Fine Arts
opens its doors on Martin Luther King Jr.
Day to celebrate his legacy. Join us for a
day of celebration with free general
+ admission for all. 10 a.m.-4:45 p.m.
FREE
Sat, Jan 23: What Makes It Great? The
Music of Cole Porter. The Celebdrity Series’
Rob Kapilow puts Cole Porter’s songs—and
his musical craftsmanship—under the
microscope. The beguine begins at 8:00
p.m. at Jordan Hall. Information and tickets
($25-35) at www.celebrityseries.org
Thursdays
10 a.m: Knitting with Nan.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Mon, Jan 11: Morning Cleanup—please
come help!
Tue, Jan 12:
•Senior Task Force, 10 a.m.
•Olga Goldus art exhibit opening, 3-5 p.m.
Wed, Jan 13: Short story discussion—stories
by Junot Diaz and Jamaica Kinkaid
Thu, Jan 14:
•Reiki workshop with Cynthia Piltch
•Musical performance with Berklee
students, 1:30 p.m.
Wed, Jan 20: Short story discussion—stories
by Kurt Vonnegut and Fay Weldon
Thu, Jan 21: Art history—“Origins of
Byzantine Art,” with Jana
Mon, Jan 25: Yoga with Simmons students
returns!
Thu, Jan 28: Storytelling with Penina—
Winter Snow/Winter Sun. Bring stories on
life in winter
+
This symbol indicates a free
event. For even more listings,
visit www.fenwaynews.org
Sat, Jan 23: 2010 Boston Harp Gala brings Wed, Jan 27: The Lucy Parsons Center
together harpists from the two Fenway con- presents A Journey Inside the Revolution:
+ servatories and BU. 7:00-10:00 p.m.,
Seully Hall, 8 The Fenway. FREE.
Venezuela (2008) as part of its weekly
Radical Film Night. Visit lucyparsons.
Sun, Jan 24: New England Conservatory cel- org/calendar.php for more information and
ebrates the bicentennial of Frédéric Chopin
+ other screenings and meetings.
with piano, opera, and ballet performances
moderated by WGBH announcer Ron Della
7 p.m. FREE
Thu, Jan 28: Join James Levine and guest
Chiesa. Jordan Hall, 8 p.m. $15-$20. soloists Pierre-Laurent Aimard (piano) and
Mon, Jan 25:
More Chopin!
Berklee Honors Another King
pick of the month
Tonight, take a
trip back to Paris Diana Ross and Tina Turner impersonators belt out signature
classics in “Spirit of the King,” a mini Las Vegas revue
in 1832 and the
re-creation of a headlined by
concert Chopin Steve Connolly
organized in as Elvis Presley
the style of in the pop icon’s
the time—a 75th birthday
miscellany of tribute concert,
musical styles at the Berklee
and forms. Performance
With music Center on
by Beethoven, Saturday, Jan. 9,
Mozart, and (of at 8 p.m.
course) Chopin.
Connolly—a
8:00 p.m. at musician born
Jordan Hall.
in Winchester
FREE. (On Weds, and educated at
Jan 27, NEC
Worcester’s Clark
students will re- University—has
create a second
performed as
Chopin concert, Presley some
from
+ 1848, also
FREE.)
4,000 times in
Vegas, including
a three-year stint at the MGM Grand. To date, Connolly
Wed, Jan 27: remains the only entertainer depicting Elvis chosen by The
Christian G. Las Vegas Review Journal as “The Best Elvis in Las Vegas.”
Samito of Boston Connolly has performed for President Clinton, Donald
College and BU
Trump , Kenny Loggins and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.
School of Law,
discusses his new In “Spirit of the King,” Connolly recreates Presley act as
perfromed from the early 1950s through (as the picture
book, Becoming
American eloquently attests) the 1970s, backed by a seven-piece band.
Under Fire: Irish
Americans, African Americans, and the Steven Ansell (viola) for an open rehearsal
Politics of Citizenship during the Civil War. of works by Carter, Berlioz, and Ravel.
Samito’s book examines how serving in the 10:30 a.m. Visit www.bso.org for more
Union Army during the Civil War changed
information. $19.
how America saw two minority groups—
and how the soldiers saw themselves. 6:00 Fri, Jan 29 through Sun, FEB 28: Wheelock
Family Theatre presents Honk!, a variation
(refreshments at 5:30). Mass Historical
Society, 1154 Boylston Street. More on the familiar story of the Ugly Duckling
that won a 2000 Olivier Award (London’s
+ information at www.masshist.org.
FREE. equalivalent of the Tonys) for best musical.
Jan 29 through Feb 28; Fridays at 7 pm
Wed, Jan 27 and Thu, Jan 28: Beethoven’s
(except 2/19), Sat-Sun at 3 pm; school
Complete Sonatas for Piano and Cello in
vacation week performances Tues (2/16)
two concerts. Faculty recital by Jung-Ja Kim through Fri (2/19) at 1 pm. Tickets $15-20-
(piano) and Rhonda Rider (cello). Boston
25. Information at http://www2.wheelock.
+ Conservatory’s Seully Hall, 8 The
Fenway. 8:00 p.m. FREE.
edu/wheelock/ (then click on the EVENTS
tab). Or call the box office 617-879-2300 or
email tickets@wheelock.edu.
more info, visit www.bostonparks.org or
email: lauri@bostonparks.org.
Fri, Jan 15: Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz’s
representative holds East Fens office hours, Wed, Jan 20: Fenway liaison for the
9-10 a.m. at Espresso Royale Cafe, 44 Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services,
Gainsboro St. For more info, call Stephanie William Onuoha hold office hours, 3:30-
Everett at 617-722-1673 or email stephanie. 5:30 p.m. YMCA, 316 Huntington Ave.
everett@state.ma.us. Community residents No appointment necessary. Community
questions and concerns welcome. resident’s questions and concerns welcome.
Tue, Jan 19: SPECIAL ELECTIONS for US Wed, Jan 20: West Fens Police/Community
SENATE. Polls open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. For meeting, 5 p.m. Landmark Center (401
more info, call City of Boston Election Dept Park Drive), 2nd floor, District 4 police
at 617-635-3767. (East Fens residents, please substation, next to security desk.
see the Election Department ad on page 5). Mon, Jan 25: Longwood Medical Area
Tue, Jan 19: Audubon Circle Neighborhood Forum, 6:30-8 p.m. For location or to verify
Assoc. board meeting, 6-8 p.m., Harvard that meeting will be held, email Laura at
Vanguard, 131 Brookline Ave., Annex Bldg. lfogerty@masco.harvard.edu.
Rm 3D. For more info, call 617-262-0657.
Tue, Jan 26: Ward 5 Democratic Committee
Tue, Jan 19: East Fens Community/Police meeting, 7 p.m., Community Church of
meeting., 6 p.m. Morville House, 100 Boston, 565 Boylston St., Copley Square.
Norway St. Tue, Jan 26: Symphony Neighborhood Task
Tue, Jan 19: Boston Park Advocates Force, 6 p.m. Location TBD. For more info,
Maintenance Mtg. 6-8 p.m. Boston Public call Councilor Mike Ross’ office at 617-635-
Library, Orientation Rm. McKim Bldg. For 4225. Neighborhood residents welcome.