On Saturday, June 5, the life of Boston firefighter and lifelong Charlestown resident Cornelius “Neil” Keane was celebrated with funeral services at The Carr Funeral Home, followed by a Funeral Mass at St. Francis de Sales Church. Mr. Keane died at his home in Charlestown at age 61 following a lengthy illness.
A graduate of Boston Public Schools, Mr. Keane joined the Boston Fire Department in 1971. He was assigned to Engine Company 5 throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. His other assignments included Ladder 4, Engine 33, Rescue 1, Tower Ladder 3 and Engine 50. He was also a Deputy Chief's Aide and a member of the Boston Firefighters Union Local # 718.
In addition, Mr. Keane was very active as a fundraiser and supporter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He was recently recognized by the Muscular Dystrophy Association and presented with the Kevin Williams Award.
“Neil was a truly dedicated member of the Boston Fire Department, serving the City of Boston for 37 years as a member of the bravest of the brave — Boston firefighters,” said Fr. Daniel J. Mahoney, pastor of St. Francis de Sales Church and chief chaplain of the Boston Fire Department. “Neil brought his unique sense of humor to the firehouse on every tour of duty he worked. Love of family, love for the ‘job’ and love for the victims of muscular dystrophy for whom he worked unselfishly, and his courage on the job and during his illness are among the many qualities that made Neil Keane a firefighter’s firefighter.”
Mr. Keane was the beloved husband of 43 years to Irene E. (McCaffrey) Keane. He was the devoted father of Massachusetts Port firefighter Neil Keane and his wife, Beth; Debbie Mulrey; Paula Conner and her husband, Joe; and Theresa Ellis and her husband. John. He was the loving grandfather of Renee, Kylie, Caitlin, Kristina, Bridget, Lauren, Ryan, John, Jessica, Sabrina and Madison, as well as the beloved brother of Mary Naugle, Ellen Burrill, Catherine Keane, Nancy Sullivan, Patrick and John Keane and the late Daniel Keane.

PHOTO CREDITS: Courtesy of William Noonan

PHOTO 1 CAPTION: Neil Keane’s grandsons John Ellis (at left) Ryan Mulrey display his Boston Fire Department dress hat and an Engine 50 helmet.

PHOTO 2 CAPTION: The funeral procession marches down Bunker Hill Street.

PHOTO 3 CAPTION: Fellow firefighters pay respect to Neil Keane.

PHOTO 4 CAPTION: Engine 50 is seen on Bunker Hill Street following Neil Keane’s Funeral Mass.

PHOTO CREDITS: Courtesy of the National Park Service

PHOTO 1 CAPTION: Pictured, left to right, are Charlestown resident Pat Farris, Mayor Thomas M. Menino, National Park Service Deputy Regional Director Michael Reynolds, Boston National Historical Park Superintendent Terry Savage and USS Constitution Commander William Bullard.

PHOTO 2 CAPTION: The American Belles perform at the visitor center opening.

National Park Service Deputy Regional Director Michael Reynolds was joined by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Boston National Historical Park Superintendent Terry Savage, USS Constitution Commander William Bullard and Charlestown resident Patricia Farris on July 3 in a rope-cutting ceremony to mark the grand opening of a new visitor center in Building 5, adjacent to USS Constitution in the Charlestown Navy Yard.
The new 8,500 square-foot facility features exhibits on the history of the Charlestown Navy Yard, which opened in 1800 as one of the first naval shipyards in the United States and was the birthplace, repair center, outfitting base and port of refuge for thousands of U.S. naval vessels. The visitor center also has a museum store, a ranger desk where visitors can pick up maps of the Freedom Trail and brochures from area attractions, a new theater and a new orientation film. The film, produced by Northern Lights Productions of Boston, features former Navy Yard worker and Charlestown resident Patricia Farris.
"I know that when people think of national parks what usually comes to mind first are large, natural, western landscapes, places apart from people and cities," said Deputy Director Reynolds. "I am here today to let you know that the National Park Service is very proud that we are here among you, in Boston and in other American cities, and proud of our historical parks and sites that tell the rich and complex story of America."
Entertainment for the rope cutting ceremony was provided by the American Belles, a trio of high-energy performers who sing American standards and patriotic favorites from the 1940s.

A faulty NStar cable was to blame when Boston firefighters reportedly extinguished fires coming from manholes along Rutherford Avenue last week, although a spokesman for the electrical company maintains that there was “no fire” and “no outage.”
According to Boston Police, officers responding to a report of manholes ablaze at around 7 p.m. on July 1 met Boston firefighters as they were snuffing out the fires that appeared to be electrical. No injuries were reported at the scene.
NStar spokesman Mike Durand said a section of an underground cable was replaced after it failed and began smoking. The smoke emanated from an underground duct inside a manhole, he said.
Durand also said the incident that was entirely different in nature from two incidents last year in which Alston street residents were driven from their homes after underground NStar power cables malfunctioned and leaked deadly levels of carbon monoxide.
On April 27, 2007, Allston Street residents were left without power and evacuated from their homes after an NStar cable failed and released carbon monoxide, according to a Boston Fire Department spokesman. Six weeks earlier on St. Patrick’s Day, Mach 17, 2007, an NStar cable caught fire and leaked carbon monoxide into several Alston Street homes, forcing residents from their homes and temporarily leaving 25 customers without fire.
“There not the same type of situations,” Durand said in regard to any similarities perceived between the incident last week and the carbon monoxide scares last year.

At its 41st annual meeting, the Charlestown Preservation Society celebrated a successful fundraising campaign to conserve the Training Field statue and looked forward to its 2008 Historic House Tour, slated for Saturday, Sept. 27.
Kim Cieslak, CPS president, welcomed more than 80 members and friends to the meeting at the Bunker Hill Museum on Thursday, June 26. Recent accomplishments include a campaign that raised $54,000 for conservation and upkeep of the historic post-Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Monument in the Training Field.
Contributors included more than 70 Charlestown residents and businesses, the Henderson Foundation, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and the City of Boston Small Changes Program. Work to conserve the statue started last week.
Ari Magnusson of the CPS board presented 2008 Preservation Awards to Terry Savage of the National Park Service and Arthur Hurley of the Charlestown Historical Society for restorations, lighting and interpretive exhibits at the Bunker Hill Monument, Lodge and Museum.
Preservation Awards also went to Bill Galvin for restoration of his home at 49 Monument Square, and to John Doherty of Zume’s and Kim Evers of Edibles by Evers for streetscape revitalization.
The society’s Lifetime Achievement Award was given posthumously to James Rivers Adams for preservation and restoration of many of Charlestown’s most historic buildings, including the Warren Tavern and the Benjamin Thompson House. Ken Stone of Friends of City Square Park detailed Adams’ many contributions to preservation in Charlestown.
Winners of two $1,500 CPS scholarships were also announced. The scholarships, awarded to college-bound high school seniors who submit the best essay on how Charlestown has influenced their lives, went to Sheldon Allen of Charlestown High School and Charlestown resident Kevin Hoang of Boston Latin School.
The CPS Mini-Grant Program, which awards small grants to Charlestown nonprofit organizations for preservation and quality of life initiatives, awarded $250 grants to the Charlestown Business Climate Committee, the Friends of Charlestown Dog Parks, Gardens for Charlestown, the Harvard-Kent Leadership and Scholarship Partnership and St. John’s Church
Special thanks went to Peggy Bradley, who retired this year after many years of representing CPS on the Charlestown Neighborhood Council, Bill Lamb, chair of the CPS Design Review Committee, and Georgia Cady and Whitney and Michael Carlson for help generously given to the CPS over the past year.
Other CPS projects included a membership and re-branding campaign that produced a new Web site, where users can renew memberships, order house tour tickets and historic markers, download mini-grant and scholarship applications and find out about CPS programs. CPS also works on upkeep of Preservation Park and the Phipps Street Burying Ground and installed 23 historic markers on Charlestown houses.
Members voted in new board members Georgia Cady, Andrew Crocker and Linda MacArdle. Special thanks went to retiring board members Duncan Donahue, Ann Glidea, Bri Grady and Nancy Roth.

CAPTION: Pictured, left to right, are Charlestown Youth Football and Cheerleading Director John Taglilatela, coaching legend Bob Currier, former NFL standout Steve DeOssie and CYF&C operations manager Rob McIntosh. Currier and DeOssie now serve as trustees on the executive board.

The Charlestown Youth Football & Cheerleading program received a shot in the arm recently with the addition of coaching legend Bob Currier and former NFL standout Steve DeOssie to its board of directors.
Currier, who currently serves on the football staff at Catholic Memorial High School, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the program and is a member of the Massachusetts Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Bob has also been inducted into the Don Bosco and Matignon High School Hall of Fame and, as a standout player for the championship 1959 Boston State baseball team, is recognized in the University of Massachusetts/Boston Hall of Fame.
DeOssie, who currently resides in Charlestown, remains active promoting youth athletics and is known as one of the greatest football players to ever come out of the Boston area. He and his son Zak also hold the distinction as being the only father and son combination in NFL history to win a Super Bowl ring for the same team, the New York Giants. Originally from Roslindale, DeOssie brings the experience of being an inner city kid who overcame tremendous obstacles to achieve greatness at every level of competition. From Don Bosco High School to Boston College to his distinguished National Football League career, he serves as an example that dreams do, in fact, come true. DeOssie can currently be heard on WEEI 850-AM sports radio on weekday afternoons and also provides pre- and post-game analysis on the New England Patriots television broadcasts.
The CYF&C program is an affiliate of the American Youth Football program – the fastest growing youth athletic program in the country. The National Football League also serves as a partner and sponsor of the program. The mission of CYF&C is to provide a safe environment where children can participate and learn the game of football and cheerleading. Its goal is to create a positive experience that reflects true sportsmanship, teamwork, strength of character, discipline and dedication.
Anyone interested in participating in the program can pick up a registration form at the Charlestown Community Center (located at Charlestown High School), the Bunker Hill Pool Office, the Charlestown Boys & Girls Club, or the Little League Clubhouse at Ryan Playground (the “Neck”). You can also obtain a registration form on-line by going to the CYF&C Web site at www.ctownyfc.clubspaces.com.

On June 26, Charlestown residents and providers attended a Charlestown Substance Abuse Coalition community forum at the Knights of Columbus Hall. The focus: to explain the recently received grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bureau of Substance Abuse Services. The MassCall2 grant, as it is coined, will work to reduce and prevent unintentional fatal and nonfatal opioid overdoses in Charlestown over the next three years.
Jose Morales, assistant director of prevention services, began the evening by informing the community that the Department of Public Health had spent a year gathering information and analyzing state statistics, which led them to the conclusion that opioid overdoses was of the greatest concern in Massachusetts and needed attention. He went on to further explain the process through which DPH and the community recipients are being asked to complete in order to ensure our success in reducing the alarming rates of overdoses due to opiate use and abuse. Shari Sprong of the Greater Boston Regional Center for Health Communities shared with attendees the resources and assistance that the Regional Center, DPH, and consultants will provide to the Coalition and the community to help us with this initiative
Beth Rosenshein, CSAC coordinator, shared a power point that explained the timeline of necessary events and activities. She commented on a few things in particular: a full assessment and plan needs to be completed by Oct. 31, 2008. Much work needs to get done in a short and challenging timeframe, and it will take everyone’s effort to complete the tasks. She recognized that the nature of subject is extremely sensitive, while community and personal relationships will be the best way to reach people.
During the last half of the meeting, the audience was engaged in table discussions where folks discussed their thoughts about why overdoses are happening to Charlestown residents. All of the valuable insight that came out of these discussions will be used to help identify and direct the Coalition’s work and the planning for the next phase of the grant.
The Coalition would like to truly Thank all those in attendance for their time, and for the very thoughtful and candid discussions that occurred.
A first meeting of the committee who will oversee the assessment and planning of this grant over the next four months is scheduled to meet Wednesday, July 16, from 10 a.m. until noon at the MGH Charlestown HealthCare Center second floor conference room. All are invited to attend.
If anyone can not attend at this time but would like to be a part of the committee or would like more information about this initiative please contact the Coalition at info@CSAC-CHAD.org or call 617 726-6684.