Man About Canton: Blue Hills Wins Super Bowl

DID YOU KNOW …

Congratulations to the Blue Hills Regional School football team (12-1), which won the Division 4A Super Bowl with a very controversial 16-14 win over Cathedral High School (11-1). Blue Hills was led by Junior Vincent Burton, who finished with 152 rushing yards on 37 carries with one touchdown and a pair of point-after conversions. Burton finished the season scoring 180 points, the most in Division 4A. Senior quarterback John Curran of Canton tossed a 45-yard bomb to Isaiah Teixeira two minutes into the game to take an early 8-0 lead. Also playing a standout game was Blue Hills center Kevin O’Callaghan, also from Canton.

Sheila Cheimets recently died at the age of 75. She was Canton’s first selectwoman and was a pioneer in her field when elected in 1972. MAC served on the Board of Selectmen with Sheila and can say that she played by actual rules and not by the political rules of Canton. Sheila had her own agenda that sometimes clashed with the power structure at the time in Canton, but MAC can also say that she brought energy, principles, and intelligence to everything she proposed or did while on the board. Sheila served a three-year term (1972-1975) before being hired as a lobbyist by the Massachusetts Municipal Association, a nonprofit advocate for the state’s 351 cities and towns. In 1989, she was elected as the executive director of that organization. It was said of Sheila, “She was an indefatigable supporter and defender of local government.” She was credited with raising the association’s profile on Beacon Hill amid heated battles over local aid. Sheila will be missed. Ironically, just over two weeks after Sheila died, her husband, David Cheimets, also passed away at the age of 80. David was a title examiner and was the quiet man behind his outgoing wife.

Another well-known Cantonite, Ed Duggan, 86, recently died following a short illness. Ed was the past president and chairman of the board of E.M. Duggan Company of Canton. The company was started in Boston in 1891 and has risen to become one of the most prominent commercial and industrial union mechanical contracting firms in Massachusetts. Ed was a graduate of Canton High School and a veteran of World War II and was liked by everyone who knew him. He was a very quiet man and unassuming by nature, but he touched many lives and made a difference to many people and organizations. Ed had 28 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren and will be missed by his friends and family.

According to Boston Red Sox Team President Larry Lucchino, ticket prices for 2012 will be frozen. The Red Sox had the highest non-premium ticket prices in the majors last season, with an average price of $53.38, according to Team Marketing Report.

The Massachusetts Highway Department plans to widen Dedham Street to four lanes from the new Route 95 slip ramp to Kirby Drive with construction beginning sometime in 2012.

According to recent reports, the state median for property crimes (i.e., burglaries, thefts, motor vehicle thefts) per 1,000 residents in 2010 was 15.2. For Canton, it was just over 10; Sharon was 7, while Stoughton was at 22, and Avon was a high of 32.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the average Boston teacher earned around $80,000 in 2010. Nationally, the average teacher’s salary is $53,000; the Canton teacher’s average is around $63,000 per year.

The town of Sharon has a new fire chief, James Wright, formerly the fire chief in Athol. Wright’s starting salary is $108,000.

For those of you who are curious about all those moths you noticed swarming around the outside lights at your home, the little brown moths with a one-inch wingspan are winter moths. Scientists believe they originated in Nova Scotia and migrated to New England over the past 20 years. The warm temperatures over the past month have evidently provided for favorable breeding and feeding conditions for them. These winter moths don’t bite or sting and are merely flying around looking for a mate.

Ten percent of the salt mined in the world each year is used to de-ice the roads in America.

A final note on this year’s Thanksgiving Day game won by Stoughton 27-7 over Canton: All four of Stoughton’s touchdowns were scored by junior running back Aaron Mack. It was Stoughton’s seventh straight win over CHS and the 15th win in the past 17 years. The Black Knights’ defense limited Canton to just one first down and only 60 yards of total offense.

A happy birthday to Dick Clark, who turned 82 on November 30.

Finally, a happy 70th birthday to Canton High School Hall of Famer Paul “Pesky” Pasquarose.

Today is the tomorrow you looked forward to yesterday.

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=10100

Posted by Joe DeFelice on Dec 7 2011. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.