§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ THE NEW
Uxbridge Times BE MINE
Established in 1991 Vol. 30 • Issue 2
Over 21,000 Copies Mailed Free
UxbrIdge • North UxbrIdge • LINwood • doUgLas • NorthbrIdge • whItINsVILLe • sUttoN • MaNchaUg
FebrUarY 2021
Beloved Coach touched lives on and off the field by Christine Beauchaine
PRESERVATION WORKS - The sign is up and the planning for restoration of the Farnum House is underway! Many thanks to Mel & Edson Rezende of M. Coelho Masonry and PHoto by Jim beaucHamP Landscaping for donating the installation of the sign.
Douglas receives Workplace Safety Grant State Senator Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) and State Representative Joseph McKenna (R-Webster) announced that the town of Douglas will receive $9,100 through the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development’s (EOLWD) Department of Industrial Accidents Workplace Safety Grant. The funding will be used to train 29 workers by the June 2021. As part of EOLWD, the Department of Industrial Accidents administers this initiative to provide Massachusetts companies with the financial assistance to promote safe and healthy conditions in the workplace by funding preventative safety training and education programs. Occupational Safety Health Education and Training Program Applications are reviewed and awarded on a rolling basis each fiscal year. Approx-
POSTAL PATRON
imately $800,000 was allocated for FY21. The program encourages organizations to have a proactive approach to
“Over the past several months, in-person working conditions have been adversarial for employees, and this grant funding will ensure that staff are properly trained to handle situations to keep their workplace safe. Congratulations are in order for the town of Douglas as well, for their commitment to their staff and hard work to obtain this grant.” - Ryan Fattman State SenatoR
safety. “I’m grateful to the Baker-Polito PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID BOSTON, MA PERMIT NO 55800
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Administration for their continued support for our towns’ employees,” said Senator Fattman. “Over the past several months, in-person working conditions have been adversarial for employees, and this grant funding will ensure that staff are properly trained to handle situations to keep their workplace safe. Congratulations are in order for the town of Douglas as well, for their commitment to their staff and hard work to obtain this grant.” “I am very happy to support this effort from the Administration to ensure training and preparedness of workers across the Commonwealth. I'm also thrilled that Douglas chose to pursue, and will receive, this funding to provide the very best training for their workers so they may continue to provide the very best service to the citizens of Douglas every single day."
Author, Judy Blume said, “Our fingerprints don’t fade from the lives we touch.” If this is true, then beloved coach and PE teacher Anthony “Tony” Donatelli left his fingerprints all over the place. Born in 1931, in Abruzzi, Italy, he moved to America at a very young age with his family. He grew up in Uxbridge, attended Uxbridge High School and participated in a variety of sports there. He graduated in 1949. After high school, Donatelli joined the US Navy where he served on a minesweeper in Korea. When he was discharged, he attended Boston University to become a physical education teacher. He began his career at a school in Wallingford, CT. He met his wife, Cindy there. In 1961, Donatelli was offered a job at his alma mater, Uxbridge High School and the couple returned to Massachusetts. Donatelli worked at the Uxbridge High School from 1961-1989. He taught physical education, coached the football team, became the school’s athletic director and served as the commissioner of the Southern Worcester County League. Eventually, the school even named the field after him. More than one person said that Donatelli bled black and orange (a reference to Uxbridge’s school colors and his loyalty to the school). He sometimes wore an orange blazer and he drove an orange Volkswagen for a long time. Anthony Donatelli passed away on December 18th, 2020. Social distancing has put a temporary halt to gatherings, and therefore big funerals, but Tony’s family set up a memorial Facebook page where people could share their memories. The page is filled with tributes from friends, family, and former students. A perusal of the page also shows that Donatelli had a whole variety of wide-ranging interests. He loved gardening and landscaping. He had a greenhouse, where he spent a
COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Timeline According to the Mass.gov website as of February 1st, the state will be entering Phase Two of vaccine distribution. This phase will include: Individuals 75 & up, individuals 65 & up who are at increased risk, early education and K-12 workers, transit, grocery, utility, food & agriculture, sanitation, public works & public health workers. Also included are individuals
with one comorbidity. The timeline reflects several priorities: protecting our most vulnerable, maintaining health care system capacity, and addressing inequities in health care access and COVID-19 burden. This list will be updated Tuesdays and Thursdays by 5pm in response to questions submitted via COVID-19Vaccine-Plan-MA@mass.gov.
lot of his free time. Donatelli’s daughters said he liked to build stone walls, as a way of honoring his father who was a stonemason. He built a stone wall for the Mendon Senior Center. He transformed his yard from something primarily dirt and gravel into a space which was beautifully landscaped. He even built a goldfish pond! He was an amateur historian and spent many hours compiling scrapbooks about Uxbridge sports. He loved camping and traveling. He was active in the Lions Club. He enjoyed music and was a good dancer. In fact, several of the people who posted memories on the memorial FB page, mentioned learning to dance because of Donatelli. While sports and a love of the outdoors may have been important to Donatelli, the most important things in his life were his family and friends. “He never met a stranger,” daughter Beth said. “He made friends easily. He truly cared about people, but he also had high standards and expectations.” His son, Steven, adds that his father would “light up whenever we were to gather together with others, especially large family gatherings.” Donatelli’s daughter Christina noted that former students would always stop by the house to talk to her father. And Steven added that his father always remembered those former students. Donatelli worked hard to make sure extended family stayed in touch and also helped organize reunions for the UHS class of ‘49. Words like “special”, “amazing” and “hero” were used repeatedly both by his children and also on the memorial FB page. Lots of people used the word respect and more than just his children appeared to have called him “dad”. Several people called him their favorite teacher ever. Clearly, Donatelli touched many, many lives and will be dearly missed. Anthony Donatelli was 89. See related photo on page 4
~ INDEX ~ Town News.........Page 4 Society……....…Page 13 Senior Corner....Page 15 School News….Page 17 Business News...Page 19 Classified...........Page 21 Real Estate.........Page 22