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MARLBOROUGH –
By Ed Karvoski Jr., Contributing Writer
During the same time period when some workers consider retiring to get rest and relaxation, Tony “Soul” Parente of Marlborough relaunched his professional singing career at age 64 in 2011.
Parente adopted the stage name Tony Soul when he began his first singing stint as a teenager. After a lengthy hiatus, he returned to performing and ultimately formed the Tony Soul Project. He plans to continue singing into the foreseeable future.
“I want to keep this up until I’m at least 80 years old,” he declared. “Right now, I’m in the best shape of my life.”
A Milford native, raised in Framingham, Parente first heard soul music in his early teens on WILD-AM when the radio station was devoted to airing rhythm and blues, and its subgenres.
“The vocals, the style and down-home dialect of this music that these guys were singing fascinated me,” Parente recalled.
The teenage Parente worked an after-school job and hitchhiked from Framingham to Boston to buy 45-RMP records. He shopped at the now-closed Big John’s Oldies but Goodies Tony Soul | 7 Above: Tony “Soul” Parente
Right: The Tony Soul Project: (l to r) guitarist Mike Kalenderian, saxophonist Marcus Washington, vocalist Tony “Soul” Parente, drummer James Thomas, bassist Henry James and slide guitarist Danny Clark.
PHOTO/SHERRY MARIE PARENTE & EFFECTS/BUBBA SQUATCH
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“On behalf of the entire department, I want to congratulate Firefighter Evangelou for completing this rigorous training program, which will make him abundantly prepared to further serve the Shrewsbury community,” Chief James Vuona said. “We are looking forward to the day when he will join our full-time ranks.”
Evangelou has been a call firefighter with the Shrewsbury Fire Department since last November, and is first in line on the department’s civil service reserve list, which will result in him being appointed as a full-time firefighter when a position becomes available.
During the 16-week training, firefighters learned the basic skills they need to respond to fires, including how to contain and control fires, public fire education, hazardous material incident mitigation, flammable liquid control, stress management, firefighter selfrescue and vehicle extrication.
In order to graduate, firefighters completed 240 hours of training, all on nights and weekends, while demonstrating proficiency in life safety, search and rescue, ladder operations, water supply, pump operation and fire attack in situations ranging from mailbox fires to multiple-floor or multi-room structure fires.
Evangelou was one of 38 graduates representing the fire departments of Athol, Ayer, Barre, Berlin, Carlisle, Dover, Dunstable, Groton, Harvard, Holden, Hopedale, Leicester, Millville, Oxford, Pepperell, Princeton, Sherborn, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Stow, Tyngsborough, Upton, Uxbridge, West Boylston and Weston.
Tony Soul | from page 4 Land, located on Washington Street in the now-defunct adult entertainment district known as the city’s Combat Zone.
“Big John’s had all the soul releases that I couldn’t find in the suburbs,” Parente relayed. “This guy turned me on to the musical giants back then – Eugene Pitt and the Jive Five, James Brown, Wilson Picket and Otis Redding. All my money went to buying records.”
Several years later at age 19 in 1966, Parente began working next door to Big John’s at the Intermission Lounge as lead singer of Tony Soul and the Midnight Hours.
Their repertoire was primarily soul music along with British rock ‘n’ roll. They performed at the club on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, and a Sunday matinee.
“We worked ourselves to the bone,” Parente noted. “We were young and stupid – and there were drugs everywhere. There were also go-go dancers, who couldn’t be onstage at the By Melanie Petrucci Contributing Writer Bernard Cahill, Mimi Kaplan from the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission and members of the Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP) committee met with the Board of Selectmen at their Nov. 10 meeting. They presented their final draft of the updated Open Space Recreation Plan with the hopes of gaining approval to forward the plan to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation Services.
The process began in 2019 with the purpose of articulating the “community’s vision and strategies to preserve and enhance the town’s open space.”
A committee was formed which collected data and constructed a community profile. Environmental and water quality issues were identified, and open space was inventoried. A survey of the community was conducted, and a public forum was held on August 31.
“Plans need to be updatsame time as us.”
The band abruptly disbanded in 1969 after their lead guitarist, John Smith, was killed in an auto accident following a gig. Smith was one of Parente’s best friends and a buddy from Framingham.
“It hit me really hard – I cried for weeks,” Parente recounted. “We had a very close ed every seven years to be current and approved by the state. Having an approved plan makes a community eligible for land and park grants,” Kaplan noted.
She explained that in this plan open space refers to conservation forest, recreation and agricultural land and parks but it can also refer to undeveloped land with an interest in conservation or passive and active recreation.
Since the plan was last updated in 2012 several of the goals had been met such as the creation of a Trails Committee but others were not which have been included in this updated version.
One of the provisions of the updated plan called for the formation of an OSRP Implementation Committee which would meet with nonprofit conservation organizations relevant to open space activities and identify and prioritize unprotected land.
While the draft was met with general praise, the Board agreed that considering the recent adoption of the Community Preservation Act (CPA)
The Tony Soul Project: (l to r) vocalist Tony “Soul” Parente, drummer James Thomas, lead guitarist Mike Kalenderian, bassist Henry James, and slide guitarist Danny Clark; not pictured saxophonist Marcus Washington
PHOTOS/SHERRY MARIE PARENTE
relationship and did everything together. That’s when I stopped performing.”
The soul singer became a national sales representative with Bekins Company based in Hillside, Illinois.
A chance meeting in 2011 with a musician who recognized Parente as Tony Soul led them to perform together in in the Nov. 3 presidential election, they shared concerns of overlapping committees.
Towns that have adopted the CPA must form a Community Preservation Committee to assess community needs including open space and recreation.
Kane said that he didn’t support the creation of another committee that would strain town resources. He suggested perhaps adding two additional persons to the Parks & Recrea short-lived band known as Rico Moon.
“They were older cats with some miles on them,” Parente said of his former bandmates. “We’d rehearse and develop songs, and then they’d forget them the next week. I’d get frustrated.”
At the same time, Parente frequented venues where voation Commission.
In commenting on several items, he noted relative to water aquifer protection: “I think we’ve established a pretty good track record as recent as this past Town Meeting of undertaking an effort to protect the land around the various well heads…I think you can put that in an accomplishment column as well.”
“There could be a lot of overlap here and until we have some clarity on what’s hapcalists and musicians took part in jam sessions.
While jamming at Acton Jazz Café, he met lead guitarist Mike Kalenderian and they formed the Tony Soul Project in 2012. Soon afterward, they started performing eight to 14 gigs monthly throughout central and eastern Massachusetts.
“It was still a jam band,” Parente explained. “We’d bring in musicians here and there. It was me and Mike and a bunch of other guys.”
Their current bandmates are bassist and musical director Henry James, slide guitarist Danny Clark, drummer James Thomas and saxophonist Marcus Washington.
“This is the tightest band that I’ve ever played with in my life,” Parente raved. “Every time we play, it gets better and better. These guys are absolutely unbelievable.”
Find more information about the Tony Soul Project at easyepk.com/artist/tsp and facebook.com/tonysoulpro-
Selectmen seek revisions and clarifications to open space plan
SHREWSBURY – Town Planner
ject. pening with the CPA, I think we should be holding off,” added Selectman Moe DePalo.
Cahill replied that the intent of the OSRP plan was not to create a whole new committee per se but to make sure that action items of the plan were implemented.
He assured that Board that he will take into consideration the Board’s feedback and will come back with a revised plan for them to review and vote at their Nov. 24 meeting.
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Westborough Center for History and Culture
Exploring town’s past, documenting the present for future generations
By Brett Peruzzi Contributing Writer
WESTBOROUGH - Anthony Vaver, local history librarian for the Westborough Center for History and Culture, a department of the Westborough Public Library, originally planned to become a professor after he obtained his Ph.D. in English literature. But lack of jobs led him to become a librarian, a profession in which he could pursue his interest in the relationship between culture and history.
“People often confuse me for being the town historian, but I am really a librarian,” said Vaver. “My job is to direct people to resources that can help answer their questions about Westborough and its history.” When Vaver joined the library in 2015, he inherited the “Westborough Room,” which housed the library’s local history collection.
“I felt like the name of the room was too generic and did not adequately describe what I saw as the potential for its collections and what they represent to our community,” he recalled.
“We introduced the new name to the local history program beginning in 2017. We chose ‘Center’ to indicate that the local history room is a welcoming place where people can explore where they live in a variety of ways, and then share what they learn with other members of our community,” Vaver explained. “Our valuable historical records form the core of the program’s holdings, so ‘History’ was an obvious addition. But we also added ‘Culture’ so that we could develop program-
Maureen Amyot is one of the Westborough residents who has submitted a face mask selfie for the center’s digital archive.
ming that both fosters a more self-conscious understanding of who we are today, and creates collecting opportunities for the archive so that we can document our present for the future.”
The Westborough Center houses an archive of historical town records, but it also helps residents create, share, and collect the stories, memories and culture of the town today, which will be of interest to history tomorrow, according to Vaver.
“By documenting and collecting important elements of our present that represent who we are, what we do, and why we do them,” he affirmed, “we can help future residents and historians better understand how the decisions we make and the lives we lead today affect them.”
With library access and services currently limited due to the pandemic, the center is closed, but Vaver is still hard at work.
“I have been so busy creating online content and ways for
Anthony Vaver is the local history librarian for the Westborough Center for History and Culture, a department of the Westborough Public Library
Anthony Vaver
people to submit digital content directly to the Westborough Center,” he said. “In the spirit of believing at the beginning of this crisis that people would be bored out of their minds while being stuck at home, I started a weekly newsletter posted to the Westborough Center’s blog called ‘Westborough History Pastimes.’”
The center has also campaigned for residents to submit “selfie” photos of themselves wearing face masks.
“What took me by surprise is how interesting these selfies turned out to be,” said Vaver. “In addition to submitting a selfie, I also ask people to describe what it is like to wear a face mask and how it felt when they first put one on. What is fascinating is that even though people’s faces are half-covered, their personalities come shining through in their photographs.”
Westborough residents can contribute to this collection at https://westboroughdigitalrepository.omeka.net/contribution by selecting “Face Mask Selfie” from the drop-down menu.
Vaver is documenting the pandemic in other ways as well.
“A friend in town started offering to make face masks for people she knew, so I asked her to make one for me so that I could put it in our archive,” he explained. “The Westborough Historical Society and I collaborated on a project asking people to write about their experiences during this time, so those will also go into a collection devoted to this pandemic.”
Even with the center closed, Vaver emphasizes that there is plenty of content online for people to explore at www.WestboroughCenter.org) and www. WestboroughArchive.org.
“We also work closely with the Digital Commonwealth, which offers free digitization services to libraries across Massachusetts,” said Vaver. “They digitized our historical town records after I organized them, and more recently our official town records from 1717 up to 1930. We have also digitized all of the microfilm for our historical newspapers going back to 1849, which has vastly improved access to this rich content of Westborough history.”
Vaver ended his explanation of the center on a philosophical note.
“In many ways, I see the entire town of Westborough as having a role to play in the Westborough Center,” he said. “Our town’s history belongs to all of us, so I am interested in creating a platform where people can freely explore this history and be involved in its caretaking. As residents, we are also creating history by virtue of the fact that we are living in Westborough.”
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Reincarnated Antiques: Gray’s Carpet Center
Submitted by Norman Corbin, Northborough Historical Commission
NORTHBOROUGH - Welcome to “Reincarnated Antiques.” With the demolition of antique properties in Northborough a fairly regular occurrence, this series recognizes owners who have found creative reuse options for their antique properties. Today’s property is 60 Main St., currently known as Gray’s Carpet Center.
The first occupants of this home were Dr. Henry A. Jewett (1820-1895) and his family. The building housed his office and his family home. It was built around 1850. Dr. Jewett’s practice in Northborough continued from 1849 until his death in 1895. He also held several town offices, including trustee of the public library, member of the School Board and medical examiner for three Heroes | from page 1
Stern said one sting is usually no problem, but he was stung six or seven times at once and knew he was starting to have an anaphylactic reaction.
“It’s terrifying if you are allergic,” he said.
He knew he had an epinephrine pen (adrenaline) in his car, but he felt his face getting warm and his chest tightening, and he knew he needed help quickly.
Meschisen and Cashel were outside when Stern came over and said he was stung and wasn’t feeling well.
“I went and got my mom, and she held Greg’s hand and walked him back to his garage,” said Meschisen. “All of a sudden my mom starting yelling for me. I went over and Greg was laying on his garage floor. My mom told me an EpiPen was in his car. I found it, and my mom didn’t know how to use it. We started yelling for Michael. I stuck the pen in Greg’s thigh, and then Michael came over and did the same thing, because he knew for sure how to use it. My mom called 911, and then the ambulance came.”
Stern remembers Johnny coming over, but must have passed out because the next thing he remembers is being picked up from the ground. terms. The Northborough Historical Society has two ledgers that record his appointments. These ledgers contain patient information, their ailments and his fees. Fees varied widely from 50 cents to several dollars but payment could be made with fresh produce and farm products.
Robert Gray and his wife Betty Proctor Gray started their carpet business from this address in 1943. Betty was a descendant of Dr. Jewett. The property was both their business address and their family home. In a recent Facebook posting, their daughter, Judith Gray Tibert, mentioned how it was a wonderful house to grow up in. The property is currently owned by members of the Stone family who are also descendants of Dr. Jewett. The property is quite unique because it has remained in the same family for some 170 years.
“They literally saved my life,” said Stern. “The EpiPen is pure adrenaline; it takes over your system. The powerfulness of the adrenaline keeps the throat from shutting down. If you don’t have the EpiPen, your throat will constrict and you can’t breathe.”
Stern ended up in the hospital for five nights.
“I previously knew how to use an EpiPen due to an allergy of my own,” said Cashel. “I then proceeded to inject the medicine in him while waiting for the ambulance. I do not wish to receive full credit, for I could not have done this with-
Dr. Jewett and his daughter Anna at the 60 Main St. property
I had the opportunity to speak with James Stone, who currently runs the business with his siblings. The building provides significant advantages for running the business as it is a large facility with a
Northborough teens save neighbor’s life
Dr. Henry A. Jewett (1887)
highly visible location and out my best friend, Johnny. He stayed with Greg through the attack and helped him through it. I am just happy that I could do something to contribute to saving someone’s life.”
The boys did not realize that Stern had such severe allergies.
“I do not consider myself a hero,” Cashel said. “I was just doing the right thing.”
“I felt very relieved, but we didn’t know if he was going to be ok until later that night,” said Meschisen. “I think it’s important that I learn how to use an EpiPen better, and I think that everyone should learn how to use one.”
Gray’s Carpet Center
plenty of parking. The first floor is the showroom, a large room is used for rug cleaning and drying and the old barn is used for equipment storage. The building is very sturdy and the grounds are well kept. Probably the biggest challenge of maintaining this property is the winter heating expense. Nevertheless, the Stone family would never want to see it torn down.
So here we are today, with
PHOTO/NORMAN CORBIN
a successful local carpet business that has existed for some 77 years, maintaining the same street view from its original construction with owners who appreciate antique buildings. This example of “Reincarnated Antiques” reveals how long-term ownership and an appreciation of historic nature can retain a successful business within an antique. Thank you, Gray’s Carpets, for preserving a piece of Northborough history.
Firstthing
First
But seek first of all His kingdom and His righteousness and then all these things taken together will be given to you.
--Matthew; 6:33 Too often we spend all of our time seeking God for possessions, for blessings, for answers to our problems, when all we really need to do is just seek God. The more we seek God because we simply want to be in a relationship with Him, the more everything else in our life fall into place.
