The Stags: November 2008

Monday, November 10, 2008

George "Butch" Dennis

BORN IN SOUTH BOSTON 1934 . WE MOVED TO NEW HAMPSHIRE IN 1941 FATHER WORKED FOR ARMY AIR FORCE.
IN 1947 WE MOVED TO WEST SELDEN ST AND I WENT TO THE FRANK V THOMPSON SCHOOL AND MET YOU GUYS. THAT STARTED MY CAREER IN SPORTS ON HOT TOP STREETS, CEMENT BRICK SCHOOL YARDS AND SIDEWALKS. TO ME THE PLACE WAS CALLED CEMENT CITY.
WENT TO BOSTON ENGLISH TO MY JUNIOR YEAR. TRANSFERED TO BOSTON TRADE. GRADUATED 1954 (STUDIED GRAPHIC DESIGN). WORKED FOR FACTORY MUTUAL ENGINEER DIV FOR ABOUT A YEAR. THE DRAFT WAS BREATHING DOWN MY NECK SO I JOINED THE AIR FORCE FOR FOUR YEARS IN (1955). ENDED IN TOPEKA KANSAS IN S.A.C. THEN WAS SHIPPED OVERSEAS TO FRENCH MOROCCO. ENDED MY TOUR IN UPPER STATE N.Y. ALL THE TIME I DID GRAPHIC DESIGN FOR FOUR YEARS. I ALWAYS WANTED A TWO SEATER ENGLISH SPORTS CAR. SO I BOUGHT A RED TRIUMPH TR2. ALSO OWNED A GAS STATION AND SOLD USED CARS FOR A YEAR OR SO. I MISSED ENGINEERING SO I GOT A JOB IN A SMALL COMPANY.
I MEET MY WIFE SEDA AND WE GOT MARRIED IN 1966. WE HAD A SON KEITH WHO WENT TO MERRIMAC COLLEGE AND MAJORED IN ACCOUNTING. HE HAS TWO CHILDREN HANNAH AND HAILEIGH. I ATTENDED NORTHEASTERN NIGHT SCHOOL FOR MECHANICAL ENGINEERING. I LIVE ON THE UPPER CAPE IN PLYMOUTH FOR 9 MONTHS AND THE OTHER 3 MONTHS IN ACTON, MA. I WORKED FOR RAYTHEON FOR APPROX. 35 YEARS AND RETIRED AT THE AGE OF 681/2. WELL THATS MY STORY AND I AM STICKING TO IT. OH I ALMOST FORGOT MY WIFE OWNS A GIFT SHOP ON THE WATERFRONT IN PLYMOUTH.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Phil Schaffer

PHIL SCHAFFER

Phil (“Flippo”) went to William Bradford (K-3), Roger Wolcott (4-6), and graduated from Frank V. Thompson Jr. High (7-9) in 1949. He played baseball, basketball and ran track at Thompson. He then went to Boston English and graduated in 1952. Phil lived on Winston Road for 19 years, moving there from Roxbury, at the age of five. He earned his B.S. from MIT in 1956 and later earned an M.S., both in Metallurgy/Materials Science at MIT. He played both intercollegiate baseball and football at MIT.

He joined the Army National Guard in 1957: was on active duty for six months, under the Reserve Forces Act; was stationed at Fort Dix (NJ) and Fort Bliss (TX).

He married his wife Fern in 1963: they have been married for 45 years, living in Lexington for nearly 43 years. They have a daughter, Jennifer (42), living in Colorado, and a son, Daniel (38), living in Cambridge, MA: each with two children (ranging in ages from 1-9).

Phil primarily worked in defense electronics, at M/A-COM (Microwave Associates), Burlington, MA, for 23 years. He retired at age 55, then worked as a consultant for four years. He worked previously at both Watertown Arsenal and Lexington Laboratories (Cambridge) for eight years.

One of the most exciting things he has done was go to Red Sox Fantasy Camp six times, from 1993 to 2003, all in Winter Haven and Fort Myers (Florida). He pitched and played first base on teams managed by Bill Lee (1), Lee Stange (2) and Bob Stanley (3). He also pitched in a game at Fenway Park in 2003. He was a coach for the Lexington Blue Sox, of the Intercity (Park) League for seven years.

He still runs road races, has competed in many Masters’ track meets, does aerobics and yoga classes daily, downhill skiing and cycling. He remains involved in many town/community activities, Temple activities, and has been taking classes at local colleges for eleven years. He feels that growing up in Dorchester was a very positive, meaningful experience which greatly influenced his life.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Merv Weiner

Merv grew up on West Selden Street along with Dave Bosse, Butch Dennis, Gordy Morse, Paul Spiegel, and Eddie Green. He first met Herbie & Mark Goldberg who were visiting an aunt there and were playing catch on the street. He joined them in a baseball tag game and later became friends. Merv went to the Roger Wolcott grammar School and then entered Boston Latin in the 7th grade. He graduated Boston Latin in 1953 and played softball and basketball there. He went to UMASS and was roommates with Max Reinstein in his freshman year and was a member of Tau Epsilon Phi with Max , Charlie Itchkawitz, Skippy Ellman and later Gordy Morse. He graduated in 1957. He was interested in going to Medical School but did not get in. He then joined the Army Reserve under the Reserve Forces Act and served 6 months active duty at Fort Dix (Basic Army Administration School). He then landed a job with Raytheon in the Production Control Dept and after 6 months took a job as a Research Assistant at Tufts Medical School Dept of Biochemistry. Tufts offered him a Research Fellowship and he received a Masters Degree in Biochemistry in 1962.
He started his career as a scientist ( Radiobiochemist) at a small entreprenurial firm , New England Nuclear Corporation ,which later went public and was a Wall Street " darling"for many years . He was married in 1962 . He obtained an M.B.A. with Honors at B.U. during a special evening part-time program that was newly established after the Harvard Program.
After getting his M.B.A. he set out to gain management experience and left Boston in 1967 and joined Hoffmann-LaRoche, the Swiss based Pharmaceutical Company with U.S. Headquarters in N.J. to help establish a new non- pharmaceutical medical device business in the Princeton area. During this period he worked in marketing, gained experience in strategic planning and mergers and acquisitions(M & A) activities. Over the years his science and business background combination allowed him to develop a specialty niche in medical products and devices and he became a M&A /business development professional.
He spent a few years with Pfizer in NY City, did a fling in L.A. for 3 years as a Vice President of a small Clinical Lab ( 6 Months), consulted and was an adjunct Professor of Marketing at Cal State University Long Beach. He returned to the East Coast in 1980 to live in N.Y. City and worked for Bristol-Myers Squibb Company in Corporate Development. He retired as a Vice Pesident of Corporate Development- Health Care in 1995 after 16 years of service.
His first marriage ended in Divorce in 1978 and he was a bachelor for 20 years. He married in 1999 and his dashing wife, Dr Deborah Cleveland, is an Associate Professor of Oral Pathology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark , N.J. She is known as "The Jewel of New Jersey Dental School’’. They live in West Orange, N.J. and have a home In Hollywood , FL.
Merv has 2 distinguished sons. Joshua is a prize winning poet/ writer and an Associate Professor in the English Department at the University of Maryland and lives in D.C. Michael is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine /Geriatrics /Informatics at Indiana School of Medicine in Indianapolis.
He has 4 grandkids ages 7-13… (3 boys & 1 girl). Merv enjoys tennis, fishing, sailing, traveling, music, wine and lots of garlic.

Merv is 73 and is in pretty good health. He has Diabetes( type 2) and has a Coronary Stent and a Pacemaker. He keeps movin & groovin!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Charles "Itchy" Itchkawitz*

Deceased*

Charlie graduated from Boston English in 1952. He then went to UMASS and was fraternity brothers at TEP (Tau Epsilon Pi) with Max Reinstein, Skippy Ellman and Merv Weiner. He graduated UMASS in 1956.

Merv: "Charlie and I used to do many things together. I remember going to NY City with him and hitting many Jazz Clubs together. We also went to the show, Pajama Game as well as attending a TV show, the Sid Caesar Show. He used to love to go to the Dog Races at Wonderland and I remember some Friday nights there with him."

After college he held a variety of jobs and was a manufacturer's rep for Wrentham Corp, a plumbing supply Company with Herbie Wallace and Paul Katz. Later Charlie had a Dry Cleaning business in NY State. In time he went back to school to become a school guidance counselor which he did for many years at Wappinger Falls HS in New York State untill retirement. He loved to referee and he did that for years also.

In his last years Charlie moved to Connecticut to be close to his children & grandkids.

Merv adds, "Charlie was a wonderful, guy with a special wit and spirit. Even during his last days he kept his sense of humor with me. He was anxious for a reunion and suggested Foxwoods close by in Stratford, CN."

Natey remembers Charlie had a great imagination and one day, when they were very young-- maybe nine years old, they sat around with some other kids, and Natey and Charlie told lies about great adventures they had when they were even younger.

The Stags