The following excerpts were taken, with permission, from Notable
Cambridge Alumni, a publication by Stephen G. Surette. The full
publication is currently being sold by Friends of Cambridge Athletics.
Preface
Great men and women have attended our
Cambridge high schools. Many of them have gone on to accomplish great
things—family, career, community, country, etc. Some have achieved a
level of greatness in their lives that simply amazes the rest of us.
They may even inspire us to reach greatness in our own lives. Notable
Cambridge Alumni is intended for today’s young people, who are ready for
such inspiration.
Leroy Anderson (1925) is one of the great American
masters of light orchestral music.” His “Jazz Pizzicato” premiered with
Arthur Fiedler in 1938. After serving his country during World War II
and the Korean Conflict he returned to the Pops with premieres of
“Promenade” and “Syncopated Clock.”
Charlotte Hawkins Brown (1900) founded the Palmer
Memorial Institute in order to provide a unique educational experience
for African Americans. She once said, “I must sing my song. There may be
other songs more beautiful than mine, but I must sing the song God gave
me to sing, and I must sing it until death.”
Harold Russell (1933) became a national symbol by
meeting the challenges of his disability and by starring in the role of
Homer Parrish in the movie The Best Years of Our Lives in 1946
and received two Academy Awards (“Oscars”)—one for best Supporting Actor
and one for his personal hope and courage which he taught to other
veterans.
Clifford Milburn Holland (1902) was the chief
engineer of what would be called the Holland Tunnel, connecting New
Jersey with Manhattan. The project became the world’s first long
underwater mechanically ventilated vehicular tunnel. The Holland Tunnel
was named a National Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society
of Civil Engineers.
Korczak Ziolkowski (1924) learned to carve in stone,
thus launching a career as a sculptor. He won acclaim at the 1939
World’s Fair in New York for his sculpture of Paderewski, done in
marble. He then won the privilege of assisting at the carving of the
presidents memorial on Mt. Rushmore.
Dr. Fred Kolster (1902) was Chief Research Engineer
of the Federal Wireless Telephone and Telegraph Company and his own
Kolster Radio Corp. at Palo Alto, CA. He is credited with inventing the
world-famous Kolster radio compass in 1915 which allowed ships worldwide
to find their true position at sea.
William Brewster (1869) founded the American
Ornithologist’s Union and became President of the Massachusetts Audubon
Society in 1896. He was considered an expert in ornithology and he
maintained a game-preserve farm.
May Sarton (1929), noted American author, was
brilliant even as a student. Her long career was showcased in May
Sarton: Collected Poems 1930-1973—and that career would continue for two
more decades. May’s student works are included in a separate booklet, The Writings of May Sarton, Poet of the C.H.L.S. Class of 1929.
Louis L. Novak (1922) painted his beloved Rindge in
1938. It is proudly displayed in the Rindge School of Technical Arts.
Louis’ works are to be found in various museums including the Library of
Congress, the National Academy of Design, Yale University, and CRLS.
Edward Estlin Cummings (1911) became an
extraordinary poet, playwright, and painter. He was known for
irregularities with punctuation, spelling, and syntax. At the height of
his popularity he was considered one of the most widely read poets in
America and used the lower case letters to spell his name (e.e.
cummings).
Walter Brennan (1915) was considered the most popular man in America during the height of his television series, The Real McCoys
(1957-63). The well-loved character actor with the distinctive voice
won three Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor, the first person to
do so. Walter visited his alma mater to the delight of the entire
student body and faculty.
Donald T. Regan (1936) served as the 66th Secretary
of the Treasury (1981-85) and Chief of Staff for President Ronald Reagan
from 1985-87. His signature also appeared on all U.S. currency. Donald
won praise during the early years of the Administration, following an
extraordinary career on Wall Street where Donald had become head of
Merrill Lynch.
Warren Randolph Burgess (1908) was tapped by
President Eisenhower to become Undersecretary of the Treasury for
Monetary Affairs in 1954. His papers relating to American monetary
policy, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and others are in
collection at Stanford University.
John W. Wood, Jr. (1893) began teaching at Rindge in
1898 and became headmaster in 1907, continuing for 43 years before
retiring in 1950. The National Honor Society’s Rindge chapter was named
in his honor. Today, the CRLS chapter continues to honor him and Cecil
Derry. John helped to establish the Rindge Alumni Association in 1896.
John “Snooks” Kelley (1924) taught on the faculty at
C.H.L.S. He also became legendary as the head coach of ice hockey at
Boston College for many years. He retired from coaching in 1972 with 501
career wins, thus giving him the title, “Dean of College Hockey.” His
Eagles won the National Championship in 1949. Boston College named its
new hockey rink after him.
Henry Owens (1928) took pride in the story of how he
borrowed from his father to purchase a horse and wagon while still a
student. He would haul ice and coal before and after school in order to
assist his parents financially. From this humble beginning Henry built
his moving business to become one of the most recognizable names in the
city.
Torrey Webb (1906) was one of the original pilots to begin air mail service between Boston, New York Philadelphia, and Washington in 1918.
Betty Ann Grove (1946) was among the pioneers of early television. From 1949-56 she was the featured singer on Stop the Music, and appeared on other early shows. She debuted on Broadway in Kiss Me Kate in 1950. Look Magazine placed her on its cover and reported that she was one of “America’s Most Televised Women.”
Patrick Ewing (1981) was selected as one of the 50
all-time greatest players in the National Basketball Association in
observance of the league’s 50th anniversary. He was a high school and
college All-American, gold medalist in the Olympics and starred in the
NBA for 20 years, retiring as the leading all-time scorer in New York
Knicks history.
Robert L. Steadman (1944) went on to become Chief
Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court. After 27 years as a trial
lawyer, he was appointed to the Massachusetts Superior Court by Governor
Edward King. Now retired, Judge Steadman continues to lecture young
lawyers in the Massachusetts Continuing Education programs.
Edward S. Waitkus (1937) began his career in Major
League Baseball in 1941 with the Chicago Cubs. Like so many professional
athletes of his era, his career was interrupted by World War II. Eddie
was decorated with four Battle Stars for distinguished service. He
returned to baseball in 1946 and finished his career with the Baltimore
Orioles in 1955.
Francis “Lefty” Matthews (1935) was the first
African-American baseball captain at Rindge. He played in the old Negro
League before big league baseball was integrated. He also joined the
U.S. Army and “earned hero status with a Bronze Star and two Purple
Hearts.
William Sydney Thayer (1881) headed Johns Hopkins
School of Medicine’s clinic from 1895-1905. In 1917 he accepted the
directorship of its distinguished Department of Medicine, only to be
interrupted by his “distinguished service as chief medical consultant to
the American Expeditionary Force in France during World War I.
Lawrence Feloney (1939) served as a judge in the
Cambridge District Court for many years. He later established the
Cambridge and Somerville Program for Alcoholism Rehabilitation (CASPAR)
in 1973, becoming its first president.
William Eustis Russell (1873) served as Governor of
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1891 to 1894, the youngest person
elected to that office. He served as Mayor of Cambridge from 1884 to
1887 and ran unsuccessfully on two other occasions.
Milton Reed (1864) and his brother, William Reed (1860), owned and operated the Taunton Daily Gazette.
A prominent attorney, Milton was also elected Mayor of Fall River. He
established the William Reed Memorial Scholarship at Harvard University
in honor of his father.
William “Bill” Barrett (1917) played baseball at
Rindge and afterward became a star in the American League, playing for
such teams as the Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Athletics, and the
Boston Red Sox.
Joseph L. C. Santoro (1927) is one of the leading
names in American art. A member of the National Academy and the American
Watercolor Society, Joe art in the Cambridge schools and eventually was
named director of the department.
Margaret “Peggy” Cass (1939) starred in both the stage and film versions of Aunti Mame, for which she won a Broadway Tony Award in 1957. She became a regular panelist on television’s To Tell the Truth, Password, Match Game, and Jack Paar’s Tonight Show.
Marie McCabe (1939) began teaching at C.H.L.S. in
1946 and became the first woman to serve as Assistant Headmaster at the
Cambridge High & Latin School (1966-1977) and the Cambridge Rindge
& Latin School.
Alfred Lassman (1924) suffered a tragic injury that
left him paralyzed on his left side. In 1928 he gave up his life in a
heroic effort which saved two young swimmers at a summer camp. The new
Rindge gymnasium was named in Al’s honor in 1933.
Lloyd Del Castillo (1920) was inducted into the
American Theatre Organ Society Hall of Fame in 1972 for his years of
live radio performances of organ music and his dedication to the
preservation of theater organ music. He also operated his own organ
school.
William Brewster (1869) founded the American
Ornithologist’s Union and became President of the Massachusetts Audubon
Society in 1896. He was considered an expert in ornithology and he
maintained a game-preserve farm.
Alexander Agassiz (1851) arrived in the United
States in 1849 with his famed father, Louis Agassiz. He went on to
become an esteemed marine zoologist and would become curator of the
Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, taking over from his father.
Maria L. Baldwin (1874) was as one of the first
women to serve as Master of a school in Cambridge. She served as
Principal/Master of the Agassiz School (1889-22). The former Agassiz
School was renamed in her honor.
Orson Bean (Dallas Burroughs 1946) co-starred in
television’s Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. For seven years he was a regular
panelist on To Tell the Truth. He appeared over 200 times on the Tonight Show and for 20 years he starred on Broadway.
Matt Damon (1988) and Ben Affleck (1990), friends from high school days, teamed up and co-starred in the film Good Will Hunting for which they also won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay in 1998.
William Lowell Putnam II (1878), was a distinguished
trustee of the Lowell Observatory of Flaggstaff, Arizona, where he was
responsible for its legal and financial affairs. The Observatory is
credited with the discovery of the planet Pluto.
George Hansen (1926) recognized the need for a lamp
for reading in bed while serving in the Army during World War II. He
designed what is commonly recognized today as the swing arm lamp. He
eventually mass produced them for his stores in New York City.
Eric A Cornell (1981*), who received the Nobel Prize
in Physics in 2001, speaks of Cambridge as his home town where he grew
up . “I benefited from having several very intelligent and inspiring
teachers,” he said in gratitude for his CRLS experience.
Arthur D. Jewell, Jr. (1918), principal of the
McKinley High School in Washington, D.C. after World War II, was thrust
into the national spotlight as the first African American administrator
in the country of a formerly all white school.
John J. “Jack” Sheehan (1914) was the only alumnus
of C.H.L.S. to become Headmaster of that school. He began as a teacher
at Latin and coached the football team there for many years. He was
commemorated with a portrait in the main office.
Joseph W. Lovoi (1939) captured his war experiences in his book, Listen My Children, So It Can’t Happen Again.
One reader described it as “a page-turning true story which alternately
grips and warms the reader’s heart and reveals the other side of
immortality.”
James J. Shea (1907) retired as chairman of the
board of Milton Bradley Company in 1971. Under his leadership MBC grew
to become one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of games and
educational products.
Albert J. Gracia (1923) was Vice President for
Research with the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Albert’s work along
with others during the Depression “led to the development of Goodyear’s
first synthetic rubber production plant.
Among the Olympic medal winners from Cambridge are: Frank
Hussey (1925) won a gold medal in track in 1924. Thomas Moone (1929)
won a bronze medal with the U.S. ice hockey team in 1936. Charles
Jenkins (1953) won two gold medals in track at the 1956 summer games.
Donald Rigazio (1948) won a silver medal as a member of the U.S. ice
hockey team in 1956. John Thomas (1958) won a silver medal for the high
jump in 1960 and a bronze medal in 1964. Patrick Ewing (1981) won gold
medals on the men’s basketball team in 1984 and 1992.