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.