Remembering Betty Hill Rathburn

Elizabeth "Betty" A. (Hill) Rathburn, died  on October 30, 2012 in the Hillcrest Nursing Home, Fitchburg, MA after a brief illness. She was born in Gardner on October 23, 1941 and lived in Gardner all her life.  Her husband, Warren Earl Hill, died in 2007.  Betty worked for over 20 years at the former Rich's Department Store in Gardner, and later for TRW Fasteners.  In her spare time, Betty enjoyed trips to the Mohegan Sun and to the beaches in  Maine.

Elizabeth will be sadly missed by her two children, two grandchildren, two brothers, and her many nieces and nephews. Calling hours will beheld from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.on Friday, November 2 at the Lamoureaux, Fletcher and Smith Funeral Home, 105 Central Street in Gardmer.  Burial will follow in the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Winchendon.

For further details, see http://thegardnernews.com/main.asp?SectionID=26&SubSectionID=72&ArticleID=228880

1958 Football Team Induction Photo

This is a photo taken at the Gardner High School Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday, October 20, 2012. There are many things that make this photo special, but the presence of Walt Dubzinski, Sr. in the front row and Joe Bishop on one side in a sweater is good for starters. You may notice somedthing else. Click on the photo to enlarge it for better viewing.

 

Bottom row: Walt Dubzinski, Jr., Ed Nobrega, Bob Dill, Norman Beauregard, Walt Dubzinski, Sr. (seated), Tony Kraskouskas, Ken Stone, James Sand.

Middle row: Stan Gemborys, Tom Ryan, Len Slomski, Don Barry, Joe Bishop (sweater).

Top Row: Charles (Bud) Smith, John Awdycki, Robert (Scooter) Cormier, Bob Coffin, Gordon Dickie

Jacques Cesaire '98, defensive lineman for the San Francisco Chargers did not play for the 1958 team, nor did Eric Swedberg, '98, running back and MVP in both baseball and football, but they are both shown on stage at the top of the photo with other inductees.

In accepting the award on behalf of the 1958 Football team, co-captains Ed Nobrega and Bob Dill each made some comments that showed how on-field success is no accident. Eddie reminded us of a basic physics lesson - that force is a product of mass and acceleration. In Ed's case, a smaller mass combined with greater acceleration was a force to be respected by larger opponents who were just seconds too late off the mark. Bob Dill talked about Gardner Junior High School's Joe Bishop and his drive to collect uniforms with which to start a junior high football program in grades 7 and 8, and how Mr. Bishop used after school practice time to drill football fundamentals, preparing them for high school play.

Kudos to Mr. Mike Richard, who served as Master of Ceremonies at the Athletic Hall of Fame Induction ceremony. The acceptance speeches of recipients were an outstanding endorsement of the athletic program in the Gardner Public Schools, and moving testimony to the skill, dedication, and determination of their coaches and parents, who served in many impoprtant roles during their development.

Congratulations on your award, Wildcats. Fifty-four years later, you make us all feel proud to share in your success all over again.

GHS 1958 Football Team Inducted

Members of the 1958 Football Team were recognized in the Gardner High School Athetic Hall of Fame induction ceremonies held in the Landry Auditorium on Saturday, October 20th, 2012.  The team finished a 9-0 season as North Worcester County Champions, allowing only six points over all games.

Front Row: Norman Beauregard, Tony Kraskouskas, Ray Stewart, Johnny Minns, Ken Stone, Ed Nobrega, Bob Dill, Bob Weeks, Tim Matukas, Charles "Bud" Smith, Marcel Clavien, Paul Hagen.
Middle Row: Assistant Coach Marty Anderson, Barry Glinski, Jim Sand, Len Slomski, Stan Gemborys, Walt Dubzinski, Jr., Jim Eacman, Len Erickson, Bob Coffin, Gordon Dickie, Tom Ryan, Dick Donovan, Roland Robichaud, Coach Walter Dubzinski, Sr.
Back Row: John Jaillet, Jim Bessette, Dick Sabulis, Ed Fitzgerald, Bob Goodwin, Dan Alisauskas, Peter Duprey, Pete Lugbauer, Don Barry, Dick Hawryla, John Awdycki, Bob Cormier.

The 1958 Season Schedule included the following opponents

Sep. 27 Gardner 26 - Worcester Trade 0
Oct. 04 Gardner 29 - Wachusett 0
Oct. 11 Gardner 20 - New Bedford 0
Oct. 18 Gardner 32 - Fitchburg 0
Oct. 25 Gardner 28 - Turner's Falls 0
Nov.01 Gardner 13 - Nashua 6
Nov.08 Gardner  6 - Leominster 0
Nov.15 Gardner 36 - Athol 0
Nov.27 Gardner 40 - Shrewsbury 0

Mike Richard, Chairman of the Gardner High School Hall of Fame Executive Committee, served as Master of Ceremonies of the induction program.  His running commentary, and use of interesting facts and statistics kept  audience interest high.  The testimonies of award recipients reinforced and supported Gardner's long time commitment to the role of athletics, coaching, and mentorship on personal development and achievement.

R.Smith Landmark is Demolished

Another familiar Gardner landmark is disappearing.  Judy Heino Collette sent these before and after photos.

Founded in 1956 by Richard A. Smith, former foreman of upholstery at the Custom and Modern Upholstery Company in Gardner, the Richard A. Smith Furniture Shop at 289 South Main Street (visible at Exit 23 on Route 2) has gone through several incarnations since it closed in the late 1980's.

We welcome comments from classmates who have special memories of this place.

Touring the Mansions of Newport

Last week, Bob and Bev (Morze) Piccone and Ed and Sue (Skamarycz) Nobrega enjoyed a get-together in Newport, RI. Bev writes, "Sue and I grew up on the same street and although I can't remember when we met, we were best friends by first grade."  Then she continues:

"After touring the mansions of the Gilded Age, we set off on the cliff walk, a 3.5 mile 'walk' along - well, as the name implies - the Cliff. The walk deceptively began as a lovely stroll along a paved walkway but after 2 miles or so, we were in mountain goat terrain. In front of us and to the left were ledges, rocks and boulders and to the right a chain link fence, topped by barbed wire, (to make certain no one could trespass on the expansive lawns of the mansions overlooking the sea.) We had come too far to turn back. Led by Ed, we gingerly picked our way along the cliff while a tourist behind the chain link fence offered encouragement that the end was just a mile away. Watching Ed quickly and gracefully make his way along the ledge, I soon found myself thinking back to those days when he 'danced' his way down the football field with agility and speed, while Sue, the gymnast cheerleader, cheered him on. Without incident we managed to make it to the finish line. (Sue and Ed walk 3 miles every day so without a hint of exhaustion from our harrowing adventure, they led the way back to our starting point to retrieve the car. This time, however, our feet were firmly planted on the sidewalk.)

For 3 days, we chatted, laughed and reminisced and ......we were young again."

Thank you, Beverly.  A web log tip: click on the picture to pop it up in size.

Gardner High School Swim Team, 1957

The Gardner High School Swim Team, 1957.

Coach John R. Tinker is shown here with members of the 1957 swim team.  Can you find the following classmates in the photo?

Managers Dexter Hedstrom, Larry Popple, and James Powers; Captains Thomas Crowley and Larry Chapman; members David MacDonald, Daniel O'Connell, William Fontaine,  Jeffrey Glinksi, Peter Evans, Stephen Erickson, Francis Richard, Roger Sharron, Jonathan Rice, Michael Gajdukow, John Olechnicki, Leon Jasinki, Marcel Clavien, Norman Beauregard, Donald Sweet, Ronald Rogers, Paul Hagen, Jerome Pierce, Creighton Morris, Dennis Erickson, Donald Diemdowicz, Glenn Theodore, Brian Bjurling, Martin Anderholm, Gerald Richardson, Albert Vallee, and Robert Dill.

John Tinker came to Gardner High School in 1937.  He took over the boy's high school swimming team in 1939, and started the Massachusetts High School Swimming Championships in Gardner in 1947.  The Gardner boy's team won the championship for the next thirteen years.  Coach Tinker retired in 1975, after tweaching for thiry-eight years.

Source: Images of America: Gardner.  The South Gardner Historical Society. Arcadia Press, Dover New Hampshire. (1995) page 99.