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02 | 01907
A publication of Essex Media Group
Publisher
Edward M. Grant
Chief Executive Officer
Michael H. Shanahan
Chief Financial Officer
William J. Kraft
Chief Operating Officer
James N. Wilson
Editor
Bill Brotherton
Production and Design
Catherine Aldrich
Directors
Edward L. Cahill
John M. Gilberg
Edward M. Grant
Gordon R. Hall
Monica Connell Healey
J. Patrick Norton
Michael H. Shanahan
Advertising Sales
Ernie Carpenter
Peter Battinelli
Michele Iannaco
Ralph Mitchell
Patricia Whalen
Contributing Writers
Meaghan Casey
Gayla Cawley
Bella diGrazia
Thomas Grillo
Steve Krause
Stacey Marcus
Brion O’Connor
Adam Swift
Bridget Turcotte
Photographers
Spenser Hasak
Owen O’Rourke
Advertising Design
Trevor Andreozzi
Gerald Hersh
ESSEX MEDIA GROUP, INC.
110 Munroe St., Lynn, MA 01901
781-593-7700 ext.1234
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Read online at: 01907themagazine.com
INSIDE THIS EDITION
10 A new beginning for historic White Court
14 These retailers have local appeal
20 Lee Eric Freedman is well versed
22 Chris Meninno co-chairs Girls Inc. luncheon
24 Billy Petrocelli a lord of the Irish step dance
26 Orangetheory Fitness comes to Swampscott
28 Jim Kausek can save your knees
30 Spring fashion trends bloom
32 Auto icon Ira Rosenberg cruises into retirement
33 Larry Zabar is Changing Lives
34 Dolphins exec Todd Klein strikes Hard bargain
36 A Mai Tai to die for
EDITOR’S LETTER
Dream House
2018
By Bill Brotherton
The White Court mansion and its sprawling glorious grounds on Littles
Point offer spectacular ocean views that are unmatched. When my wife and I
hop on our bikes for a day of riding, it’s usually one of the spots we visit. We
sit, nibble on a PB&J sandwich and admire the view, often remarking that it’d
be a great place to live. Ah, dreams.
Now it appears we could actually live there ... if we had 2.25 million
dollars burning a hole in our pockets. Local developers are working with the
town’s historical commission to create 18 condominiums for those age 55 and
older.
White Court has a storied history: It is the former home of Marian
Court College and served as the Summer White House for President Calvin
Coolidge in 1925. This new chapter of the grand mansion promises to be
equally exciting. In this Spring issue of 01907, writer Bridget Turcotte looks
at the property’s past, present and future.
Meaghan Casey introduces us to three local design companies that provide
a strong incentive for shopping in our own backyard. Town resident Kathy
Cormier and Couture Planet business partner Michelle Kane manufacture
handbags and accessories made from recycled newspapers: read all about it
here! Swampscott resident Charlotte Daher de Garcia couldn’t find cute,
durable bows and headbands for her daughter, so she designed her own and
now makes and sells them under the Hola Mama Bowtique name. Swampscott
scenes are featured prominently in the beautiful note cards designed by
Janice and Jim Cohen, the mother-son team behind J&J Graphics.
Commanding personalities come into play often in this issue. With St.
Patrick’s Day just around the corner, say dia dhuit (that’s “hello” in Gaelic) to
Swampscott High grad Billy Petrocelli, an Irish step dance champion who has
ranked third nationally since 2016. Meet Lee Eric Freedman, “The Renegade
Poet Laureate of Swampscott,” who serves as president of the Tin Box Poets,
a group of writers who meet monthly at Panera Bread in Vinnin Square.
Ira Rosenberg, the driving force behind Prime Motor Group and the
founder of the car dealerships that bear his first name, talks about his career
and his recent retirement. Larry Zabar, a longtime town resident and the
executive vice president of the New England Council, the nation’s oldest
regional business organization, shares his thoughts about a job he loves and
the Changing Lives Award he will receive in May from Northeast Arc.
The stylish Bella diGrazia tracked down the trends fashionistas should
seek out this spring. She also worked overtime finding the best mai tai in
Swampscott restaurants.
Can you get a takeout mai tai? I bet one’d go great with our peanut butter
and jelly sandwiches as my wife and I gaze at the Atlantic Ocean and dream
about our new condo inside Coolidge’s Summer White House.
Bill Brotherton is editor of 01907 magazine and Essex Media Group’s North
Shore Golf and ONE magazine. A Suffolk University graduate from Beverly, Bill
is retired from the Boston Herald, where he edited the Features section and wrote
about music. Please share story ideas and tell him what you think at bbrotherton@
essexmediagroup.com.
Cover: White Court, originally the summer residence of Frederick E. Smith,
and, in 1925, the summer residence of President Calvin Coolidge who, with
his wife, Grace, could often be seen walking one of their many pets on the
sprawling waterfront site. Most recently home to Marian Court College, the
site will soon be turned into condominiums.
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08 | 01907 SPRING 2018 | 09

UNREAL
estate
What’s to become of historic White Court mansion?
IBY BRIDGET TURCOTTE
n 1895, a beautiful
260,000-square-foot
acreage overlooking
the ocean on Littles
Point was purchased
and a white-pillared
summer mansion with
extensive sloping lawns
and old-fashioned
gardens was erected.
Today, the sprawling
mansion is best
known as the former
home of Marian Court
College. Soon, it will
be turned into condominiums.
For much of the past century, the
estate has played a major part in Swampscott
history.
James L. Little of Boston purchased
the large plot of land overlooking the
Atlantic in 1847. When it was sold to
Frederick E. Smith of Dayton, Ohio,
almost 50 years later, the existing structure
was demolished and the glorious
White Court was built.
In 1925, President Calvin A.
Coolidge and his wife, Grace, payed $1
to spend the summer at the home. Town
residents proudly remember Grace taking
the family's dog, Rob Roy, for a daily
walk past the New Ocean House hotel
on Puritan Road, said town historian
Lou Gallo. Others recall the United
States Marine Corp encampment staged
at Lincoln House Point.
"He lived in Massachusetts for quite a
while before national politics, so he knew
his way around the North Shore," said
Gallo.
When Coolidge used the opulent
White Court as the Summer White
House, it sparked interest in the town's
already strong reputation as a vacation
spot. But the summer of 1925 was the
only season the president and his wife
spent basking in Swampscott sun. His
fun was ruined later that year by rumrunners
and a missing $50,000 worth
of liquor. This was during the height of
Prohibition.
"That winter, if I remember correctly,
there were rumrunners who used to store
alcohol out on the points," said Gallo.
"They confiscated some alcohol that was
stored in that house, which started a
whole big thing in town. They removed
the liquor to the police station and then
it disappeared. The chief lost his job and
Coolidge decided not to come back."
10 | 01907 SPRING 2018 | 11

COURTESY PHOTOS
This group of Marines, top, protected President Calvin Coolidge at his Summer White
House in 1925. Their barracks encampment was located at Lincoln House Point.
Instead, the former
Massachusetts governor spent
the next summer at the White
Pine Camp in Paul Smiths,
New York, then the next at
Custer State Park in South
Dakota, and his final summer
as president at Cedar Island
Lodge in Brule, Wisconsin.
The tradition of a Summer
White House began with
George Washington's stay at
Mount Vernon in Alexandria,
Virginia. The North Shore was
a place of solace for other presidents,
too. President Franklin
Pierce visited Andover from
1853 to 1857 and from 1909
to 1912, William Howard Taft
spent his summer days at two
residences in Beverly.
In the late 1920s, the estate
changed hands again. It was
sold by Donald Smith et al.
to Timothy Falvey and was
used as a year-round residence,
according to The Era of the
Summer Estates by Dorothy
Anderson.
Falvey's heirs sold the home
in 1954 to the congregation
of the Sisters of Mercy. The
name was changed from White
Court to Marian Court in
honor of the Marian year proclaimed
by Pope Pius XII.
After a decade as a preschool,
Marian Court opened
its doors as a secretarial school
in 1964 with 22 women students.
Its grand architecture and
balconies overlooking the sea
remained intact as students
hustled through the halls of the
intimate school.
Owned by The Sisters of
Mercy and run by a group of
nuns who resided at the mansion,
the school slowly expanded
over its 50-year run from
a junior college to a four-year
college with an added wing.
The school closed in 2015
after a significant decline in
enrollment combined with
financial difficulties. The final
graduating class of 67 students
included 41 graduates awarded
the first four-year degrees in
the college's history.
More than 250 had graduated
two years prior.
The Sisters of Mercy tried
to sell the property a few times.
In 2016, a group of monks
wanted to live, worship and
brew beer in the mansion. The
beer would have been sold
to local establishments, but
the town fought the business
concept. At one point, rumors
floated that the estate would be
sold and turned into a hotel.
Finally, the 28-room mansion
on Littles Point Road was
purchased by CC White Court
LLC, an entity of Centercorp
Retail Properties, in December
for $2.75 million, according to
the Essex District Registry of
Deeds. It was assessed at $5.8
million.
A team of developers
is working with the town's
historical commission to create
18 age-restricted condominiums
for residents 55 and older.
Each unit will come at a price
of $2.25 million and will range
from 2,000 to 2,500 square feet.
Damage to the foundation will
necessitate tearing the building
down to the studs, preserving
elements to be reinstalled in
the new structure, according
to developer Nick Meninno of
Meninno Construction.
Windows, lighting, doors,
fireplace mantels, flooring and
other features with historical
value will be saved, restored and
reinstalled in the condos.
Its iconic architectural
elements, such as the iron front
door, light sconce and towering
columns will be reused in the
building.
After more than 120 years,
the mansion – and its residents
– will start a whole new life by
the sea.
12 | 01907 SPRING 2018 | 13

Massachusetts
Local designers provide incentive to shop in our own backyard
BY MEAGHAN CASEY
Decades ago, the
momtrepreneur
may have been
the Mary Kay
woman, going
door-to-door to
sell products. And mom-andpop
stores were actual stores —
with all the expenses that came
with the physical space.
Today, there’s a slightly new
definition of entrepreneurial
families, who have built
successful retail businesses from
the comfort of their homes or
local manufacturing spaces.
Many are in the second or third
phases of their careers, having
used a moment of inspiration
as a springboard for a lucrative
startup.
Three such ventures, with
roots in Swampscott, have
developed niche markets in
the handbag, infant fashion
and stationery industries. In
an age where we have access to
every item in the world at our
fingertips, they have succeeded
by offering at least one thing
in common: Local appeal. As
customers, we want the product
and we want the story behind
the product. And if the product
happens to feature Tom Brady’s
face or his hand decorated with
Super Bowl rings, even better.
Couture Planet:
Success was
in the bag
Swampscott resident Kathy
Cormier and her business
partner Michelle Kane built
their unique line of products on
a simple concept: turning one
person’s trash into another’s
treasure. Their eco-friendly,
Lynn-based company, Couture
Planet, manufactures sustainable
handbags and accessories
from recycled newspapers.
MADE IN
Each bag, which might
feature the likeness of a supermodel
or athlete, picturesque
palm trees or a beautifully crafted
cocktail, tells its own story.
Events, trends and headlines
are frozen in time as Kathy and
Michelle cut and transform
pages into wearable art. They
draw their inspiration from advertisements
as well as the style,
travel, dining, arts and sports
sections of The New York Times,
The Boston Globe and The Wall
Street Journal. Even a crossword
puzzle might make it into the
mix. They also work with magazines
that are oversized, such as
PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK
Kathy Cormier, co-owner of Couture Planet, trims excess laminate from newspapers that will soon be
turned into handbags.
W and Wine Spectator.
“People are drawn to brands
like Chanel, Louis Vuitton
and Prada, so we use a lot of
those ads,” said Kathy. “The
travel and lifestyle pages are in
high demand, too. It’s all very
aspirational.”
“I still enjoy the excitement
of combing through the
Sunday papers and seeing what
images might work for us,”
said Michelle. “Then comes
the search, and luckily we have
a good relationship with the
recycling centers. If there’s a
good ad or front page, we want
hundreds of them.”
PHOTO: SPENSER HASAK
Racks of pocketbooks are available at Couture Planet’s Lynn headquarters. Here’s a peek at just a few.
Also popular, of course, are
the products featuring New
England sports icons.
“Fans love them,” said
Kathy. “We make bags representing
every New England
sports team, and we usually
have a list of pre-orders before
a big game like the Super
Bowl.”
The idea for the venture
began in 2009 when Connie
Carman, manager and buyer for
the gift store at the Fairmont
Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston,
noticed that many newspapers
were discarded each day by
hotel guests. She knew there
had to be a better means of recycling
and repurposing them.
Tapping into her knowledge
from the Fashion Institute of
Technology, she came up with
a design and sold her first set
of one-of-a-kind handbags at
the hotel.
“Newspapers are iconic,
historic and beautiful,” said
Connie, who serves as Couture
Planet’s founding partner
and works full-time at the
Fairmont Copley. “The idea
was to create a unique, American-made
product that means
something to its owner.”
Kathy and Michelle joined
the business early on and were
added as partners when the
company was reworked in
2013. They came from different
professional backgrounds.
Kathy had worked in commercial
real estate and Michelle
had worked in investment
services before they both took
time off to raise their children
in Swampscott.
“When we met, we were
both looking for part-time,
flexible work,” said Kathy,
who has been a Swampscott
resident for 26 years.
Michelle, who moved to
Marblehead in 2010, lived
in Swampscott for nearly 30
years.
“I came from Buffalo and
was immediately attracted to
Swampscott’s beautiful seaside
and felt a wonderful community
spirit here,” said Michelle.
“The community support for
our business has been outstanding.
We receive welcome
arms from everyone in town.”
They originally worked out
of their homes and outsourced
production. Kathy and
Michelle have since brought
the manufacturing in-house,
operating out of the Lydia
Pinkham building on Western
Avenue in Lynn. They draw
inspiration from Pinkham, the
city’s first female entrepreneur,
as well as the numerous other
small businesses and artists
housed there.
“There’s such a great vibe
being surrounded by photographers,
sculptors, glass blowers
and other types of artists,” said
Kathy. “American-made products
have really been valued
and celebrated in recent
14 | 01907 SPRING 2018 | 15

years, so I think that’s why a
lot of the independent artists
and retailers are thriving. It still
jazzes me to do custom orders
and one-offs, but all of our
bags are one-of-a-kind in their
own way. It’s all about making
something in a new way.”
The purses, which cost from
$38 to $90, come in five styles.
The wristlets and clutches are
on the more affordable end
and the two larger bags — the
Coco and Stella — feature
snap closure, inside pockets and
clear Lucite or tortoise handles.
Each one is treated with a coolpress
laminate, which makes it
waterproof.
The company produces
an average of 200 bags each
month. The products are sold
in approximately 60 boutiques
and hotel gift shops nationwide.
Kathy and Michelle
also travel to shows, pop-up
events, holiday fairs and more.
Customers can place online
orders and special orders for
weddings, birthdays and other
occasions. Locally, shoppers can
find Couture Planet products
at Zimman’s in Lynn, J. Mode
in Salem and Sweetwater &
Co. in Marblehead and Beverly
Farms.
“I still enjoy the excitement
of combing through
the Sunday papers and
seeing what images might
work for us. Then comes
the search, and luckily we
have a good relationship
with the recycling centers.
If there’s a good ad or front
page, we want hundreds of
them.”
-Michelle Kane
Hola Mama
Bowtique:
Mom-made
and approved
For Swampscott resident
Charlotte Daher de Garcia, a
mom and the founder of Hola
Mama Bowtique, it all started
with a single bow. She enjoyed
dressing her baby daughter,
Isabel, in the latest fashionable
accessories, but wasn’t satisfied
with options available to her.
“As a ‘girl mom’ I was so
excited to dress her up,” said
Charlotte. “I was looking for
quality products that wouldn’t
fall apart, but at an affordable
price.”
So, she struck out on her
own and started designing
unique, handmade clips and
headbands for her daughter.
Then she started selling to
friends, and quickly expanded
to craft fairs, farmers markets
and other events. That was four
years ago, and it was the start of
Hola Mama Bowtique.
The name came to her
easily. Her husband grew up
in Mexico and their daughter
grew up speaking some
Spanish.
“Isabel would always say
‘Hola, Mama,’ when she was
little,” Charlotte said. “It’s
funny, because most people
now drop Bowtique and just
call it that.”
Charlotte, who has lived
in Swampscott for nearly
five years, has a background
in consumer public relations,
working at firms in Boston
and Marblehead. She has long
recognized the power of social
media in promoting businesses,
and has used that to move her
sales forward. Her Instagram
account has attracted more
than 4,000 followers, and her
Michelle Kane and Kathy
Cormier of Couture Planet,
below left; Madeline Colella,
5, of Swampscott, and Eleanor
Burns, 2, of Essex are excited
to pick out new bows from
Hola Mama Bowtique.
sales have tripled since her
first year. “Mom power is off
the charts in terms of wordof-mouth,”
she said. “People
in Swampscott really love
Swampscott-made items and
they understand shopping
small. There’s love that goes
into every product, and I think
people recognize that they’re
supporting a dream.”
Charlotte also hosts events
at her home and invites other
crafters and Etsy moms to
show their wares. She has also
partnered with Matilda Jane
Clothing and created items to
match the Matilda Jane line.
Hola Mama Bowtique products
are sold at Studio 21 in
Swampscott, where Charlotte
features an exclusive ballerina
line, as well as at Pint Size
and Up in Marblehead. She’s
garnered the attention of chain
retailers and has participated in
pop-up shops and artisan events
at local franchises of Pottery
Barn Kids and Crewcuts by
J.Crew.
Living in Swampscott,
Charlotte has been inspired to
produce lots of nautical designs,
featuring anchors, mermaids
PHOTOS SPENSER HASAK
and more. Seasonally, she’ll
offer holiday- or sports-themed
items and some featured such
characters as Moana, Peppa
Pig and My Little Pony. Nearly
all of her products are sized to
fit newborns and toddlers, and
prices range from $6 to $22.
Most of the headbands and
clips are $10 or less.
“Being able to flex my
creative muscles and think
about my next creation has
been fun,” she said. “I’m always
changing the designs. The best
part is getting pictures and seeing
the kids wearing them.”
“Mom power is off the
charts in terms of wordof-mouth.
People in
Swampscott really love
Swampscott-made items
and they understand
shopping small. There’s
love that goes into every
product, and I think people
recognize that they’re
supporting a dream.”
-Charlotte
Daher de Garcia
PHOTO: OWEN O’ROURKE

J&J Graphics:
Noteworthy
achievements
Mother-son team Janice and
Jim Cohen launched their graphic
design business, J&J Graphics,
more than a decade ago. They
design and illustrate whimsical
products depicting New England
scenes and sports icons. Swampscott
scenes, for example, feature
dories off of Fisherman’s Beach,
the Fish House, the Olmsted
District and more.
It was an unlikely career move
if you had asked the pair back in
1990, when Jim was graduating
from Swampscott High and going
off to the University of Hartford
to play tennis and study communications.
He later earned his
bachelor’s degree in fine arts and
his Master’s in special education
from Curry College, but still didn’t
pursue a career in illustrating until
much later.
“I always liked to draw —
especially superheroes and sports
stars — but I was more into
“It was really eye-opening, I
was amazed at what could be
done on the computer. For our
final project, we had to design
a local scene — I chose downtown
Marblehead — and we
started thinking how we could
expand on that idea.”
-Janice Cohen
Jim and Janice Cohen of J&J Graphics work on one of their more popular prints featuring key players from Boston sports teams.
PHOTO SPENSER HASAK
A sampling of J&J Graphics’ whimsical note cards depicting Swampscott scenes and sports memories
including, clockwise from the top, the “Olmsted District,” “Fourth of July at Fisherman’s Beach,”
“Red Sox Opening Day” and “Entering Swampscott.”
playing sports back then,” said
Jim. “I took some courses at the
School of the Museum of Fine
Arts, and that was when I really
started enjoying my classes. But
I also wanted to give back after
I graduated… to give students
what I once received.”
Both Janice and Jim pursued
careers in education. Janice
taught fifth-grade at L. H.
Coffin Elementary School
in Marblehead and Jim was
a special education teacher
in Jamaica Plain. Janice also
dabbled in interior design, while
Jim spent three years working in
graphic design and marketing.
J&J was an opportunity to bring
their creative minds together,
under Janice’s roof.
While Jim had long been
proficient in design, Janice admits
she didn’t even know how
to turn on a computer before
she took a course in Adobe
Illustrator at North Shore
Community College.
“It was really eye-opening,”
she said. “I was amazed at what
could be done on the computer.
For our final project, we had to
design a local scene — I chose
downtown Marblehead — and
we started thinking how we
could expand on that idea.”
They started out designing
calendars and note cards in
2004 and have since expanded
to prints, posters, ceramic tiles,
mugs, T-shirts, banners, holiday
cards, needlepoint designs,
business cards and more. While
Jim favors the sports designs,
Janice, who moved from Revere
to Marblehead when she was
a teen, says certain “Old Town”
and seaside scenes have been
ingrained in her mind since
youth and have never lost their
special aura.
“Coming from a city, I never
imagined towns that looked as
picturesque as this,” she said.
She and her husband, Irwin,
now live in Salem, in the Village
of Vinnin Square, after 43 years
in Swampscott. Janice and Jim
work out of the home office and
all of their inventory is stored
there.
J&J Graphics features
hundreds of designs and also
accepts custom orders. At the
beginning, the business survived
thanks to Janice’s and Jim’s sales
efforts, a part of the business
that was new to them.
“Back then, we made cold
calls,” said Janice. “If it was
a shop that I would want to
go into, I’d go in. We’re both
relatively shy people, so that was
one of the biggest challenges in
getting this off the ground.”
Now they have four sales
reps and their products are sold
in nearly 70 shops throughout
Greater Boston, Cape Cod and
the Islands, New Hampshire,
Rhode Island and Maine. Irwin,
a retired accounting executive,
serves as J&J’s business
manager and maintains that
the Hub on Nantucket’s Main
Street produces the most sales
year-after-year. Customers can
also purchase products online or
when they spot J&J products at
holiday fairs and festivals. Online
sales have increased fivefold
since they launched an Etsy
shop in 2007. Locally, Swampscott
customers can find some
of their products at Newman’s
Bakery.
“It’s really been wonderful to
have this opportunity to work
with Jimmy and to do something
that we love,” said Janice.
SPRING 2018 | 19

FOR
BETTER
OR
VERSE
Swampscott Poet
Laureate Lee
Eric Freedman is
working on a series
of poems about
Fisherman’s Beach.
Lee Eric Freedman is
Swampscott’s Poet Laureate
LBY ADAM SWIFT
ee Eric
Freedman
is the type
of poet who
would rather
be up on
stage spreading
his love
of the word, rather than sitting
with his nose buried in a book.
Freedman is the current Poet
Laureate of Swampscott, a title
he admits comes with no set
responsibilities. But if being a
laureate means getting out the
word about the power of poetry,
Freedman has that covered. You
can find him at any number
of open mic nights across the
North Shore during the week.
And once a month, Freedman
holds court as the president of
the Tin Box Poets, a group that
meets at Panera Bread in Vinnin
Square to write and discuss
their verse.
While Freedman has
been writing for decades, the
Swampscott Poet Laureate
designation is a relatively new
honor bestowed upon him.
“It was dreamed up several
years back by Sami Lawler, who
is a recently retired Swampscott
elementary schoolteacher,”
Freedman said. “She runs the
program and has secured judges
for both adult and youth divisions.
Residents submit their
poetry for free and are notified
if they made it. The laureate can
do whatever they want during
their 'term.”
The potential laureates each
submitted several poems to a
panel, and Freedman's came out
on top. His two-year term ends
later this year.
Freedman's love of poetry,
and much of his style, can be
tied to his love for alternative
music. In addition to writing,
Freedman worked for a decade
at now-defunct HMV Records,
as well as for several years at the
then-Salem-based Rykodisc
record label.
“I started writing poetry in
May 1987, and I didn't even
realize I was doing it,” said
Freedman. “I had a friend from
Marblehead who was in a band
and he was jamming and had
written a few songs that he
played for me and he thought
I might be able to write some
lyrics. I was really into music,
and worked at the Salem State
radio station, so I tried to write
something.”
What Freedman wrote
wasn’t exactly song lyrics, he
said, but it did look and sound a
lot like a poem.
“I thought it was the greatest
poem I had ever written,” he
said. “Of course, I know better
now, but from there it started to
snowball and I’ve been doing it
ever since.”
The next big step in his
writing evolution came when
he went from just putting down
words on the page to performing
at local open mics in the
early 1990s.
“I had always thought about
sharing my work, but I couldn’t
find an outlet to do it,” Freedman
said.
At that time, Neal and
Kerry Zagarella ran an open
mic in Beverly. Since the ’90s,
Freedman said there has been a
proliferation of open mic nights
in the region, including the
popular Speak Up series at the
Walnut Street Cafe in Lynn.
“I love sharing my work, and
I love the fact that people are
listening,” said Freedman. “I’m
not going to get rich through
doing this, but I like to share,
and I like to hear other people’s
work. I think it is inspiring for
everyone.”
If there is one way to
describe Freedman’s writing
style and subject matter, it is
that there are no rules. The
poet doesn’t necessarily keep a
journal close at hand, or write
every day, but when inspiration
strikes he’s been known to grab
the nearest napkin and jot down
a few lines, or record a quick
voicemail if he thinks of a line
or two while driving.
“I try not to censor myself,
either,” Freedman said. “No
matter how bad the poem is, I’m
going to put it down on paper.”
One of Freedman’s current
projects is a series of poems
about Fisherman’s Beach in
Swampscott. He said he has
worked on it off and on for
several years and is considering
consolidating it into a bigger
project.
Much of the work that
Freedman does finds its final
shape through the Tin Box
Poets group that meets at
Panera each month.
Whether it is working with
experienced scribes or helping
out a newcomer, Freedman said
the group is open to all and
strives to create a positive
environment to help people
with their writing.
“It’s a great group of people,
and I know I am a better poet
because of it,” said Freedman.
Although his time as
Swampscott’s official poet
laureate is coming to an end,
Freedman said he will continue
to spread his love of poetry.
With ReachArts opening a new
space in town, Freedman said he
is looking forward to working
on a potential spoken word
performance collaboration with
PHOTO SPENSER HASAK
that group.
He said there’s also one title
he is likely to keep for as long as
he writes and performs.
“In 2011 as part of his
introduction of me at the Speak
Up Open Mic at Walnut Street
Cafe in Lynn, host and Beverlybased
storyteller Tony Toledo
proclaimed me ‘The Renegade
Poet Laureate of Swampscott.’
Everyone agrees that I will
hold that title forever and they
decided never to challenge me
to obtain it.”
20 | 01907 SPRING 2018 | 21

COURTESY PHOTO
Girls who benefit from Girls Inc. programs make like superheroes at High Rock Tower in Lynn.
Lunch with the Girls
Chris Meninno co-chairs annual celebration
Since 1942,
Girls Inc. of
Lynn has responded
to the
changing needs
of girls and
their families
by providing
essential
resources and stimulating programs
to disadvantaged, lowincome
young ladies, serving
more than 1000 every year..
At the Hilton Doubletree in
Danvers on April 5, hundreds
of community leaders, elected
officials, businessmen, businesswomen,
girls and supporters of
girls will unite to celebrate Girls
Inc.’s 30th annual celebration
luncheon. The event will be cochaired
by Jen Hardy Thornton
of Marblehead and Chris
Meninno of Swampscott.
Board member Meninno of
Swampscott wishes she could
stand on the top of a mountain
BY STACEY MARCUS
and trumpet the message of
Girls Inc. She and her husband,
Nick, are longtime supporters.
“Girls Inc. is one of the best run
programs in the city of Lynn,”
she said. “The celebration
luncheon is a great opportunity
to promote Girls Inc. and raise
awareness of its important
mission The luncheon is not just
a women’s event, the more men,
the better.”
Deb Ansourlian, executive
director of Girls Inc. of Lynn,
said “We are thrilled to celebrate
the accomplishments of
the 2018 graduating class and
our girl heroes. I am honored to
be part of an organization that
celebrates girls and women as
leaders in the community.”
Girls Inc. of Lynn alumna
Lani Sanethong, founder and
CEO of Lanergy Solutions, a
New Hampshire-based website
designer, said “Girls Inc. played
a major role in the development
of my leadership skills.
By providing a strong support
structure and unique opportunities,
I gained confidence and
self-esteem at a critical stage
of my life. Sometimes what
young girls need most is for
someone to have faith in them,
provide the right resources, and
push them to greater heights.
I have seen firsthand that the
programs at Girls Inc. do that
and so much more.”
Bridget Brewer, who now
serves as supervisor of the
Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Program, agrees. “Girls Inc.
is my second home,” she said.
Brewer first visited Girls Inc.
as a seventh-grader, taking
part in the summer Eureka
program that engages girls in
STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math) classes.
As a high school freshman, she
got a paid internship at Time
Warner Cable. As a peer leader,
Brewer embraced the FRESH
tobacco prevention program that
educates girls about the dangers
of smoking. While attending
North Shore Community
College, she continued to work
at Girls Inc. and she kept in
touch with the organization’s
staff while interning at Disney
and at her first couple of jobs.
She joined Girls Inc. full-time
in 2006. “I love my relationship
with Girls Inc. As a Girls Inc.
girl, I am thrilled to help the
next generation,” she said.
Daisy Angel also treasures
her bond with Girls Inc. The
philosophy major at University
of Massachusetts Lowell was
introduced to Girls Inc. in the
sixth grade. She eventually
became a Beach Peer Leader
in high school, helping an
Americorps member oversee a
marine biological environmental
program. “I am so grateful that I
joined Girls Inc. The experience
really got me out of my comfort
zone and I really discovered
myself. We learned that we are
powerful and can do anything
we want to,” said Angel, whose
younger sister, Genesis, later
joined the program.
A highlight of the April
5 luncheon will be a keynote
speech by alumna Jomaira Salas
Pujols. Pujols is a third-year
Ph.D. student in the Department
of Sociology at Rutgers
University. Her research focuses
on higher education, race and
the academic achievement of
girls of color. Last spring, she
became a National Science
Foundation Graduate Research
Fellowship Program Fellow.
Ansourlian, the executive
director, said Eastern Bank will
be honored at the milestone
celebration luncheon. “Throughout
the years, Eastern Bank
has provided valuable support
through the board governance,
and program support. We congratulate
the bank on its 200th
anniversary, as well as applaud
the Eastern Bank Charitable
Foundation on its plans to
donate more than $1.5 million
in grants to community-based
organizations working to
eliminate barriers and advance
women in its communities.”
United Way of Mass Bay and
Merrimack Valley joins Eastern
Bank as a sponsor.
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22 | 01907 SPRING 2018 | 23

Billy Petrocelli, ranked third nationally for Irish step dance, has won many trophies and awards.
Step ladder of success
Swampscott
native Billy
Petrocelli has
dedicated most
of his young
life embracing
the dance of
his ancestors.
Petrocelli,
a prodigy of Irish step dance,
started dancing at age 5, after a
trip to his grandmother's house
that he considers the starting
point of his life.
“I went over there and
‘Riverdance’ was on TV and it
caught my eye,” said Petrocelli,
a freshman at Endicott College.
“I was intrigued by it, being the
young kid I was, so I told my
mom that I wanted to try it and
she was totally up for it.”
His mother, Elaine Petrocelli,
who comes from an Irish
family, immediately signed him
up for classes at the former
Marblehead YMCA. His first
teacher, Eileen Fagan, quickly
Billy Petrocelli’s dedication to Irish dance makes him a champion
realized Billy was progressing
so rapidly she suggested he
work with Sheila Bremer at The
Bremer School of Irish Dance.
He danced there until 2014.
Since then, the Irish step
dance champion has competed
in a number of competitions
worldwide. He won the New
England Oireachtas regionals
seven times, has ranked third
nationally since 2016, placed
third at the Great Britain
Championships in October, and
placed third at the All Scotland
Championships last year. Even
with all the trophies, Petrocelli
has never stopped trying to
improve.
“At the World Irish Dance
Championships, which are like
the Olympics for Irish step
dance, I placed 20th in 2015,
then 13th in 2016, and then
placed 11th in 2017,” he said.
“I'm improving and that is a big
reassurance that the hard work
is really paying off.”
BY BELLA DIGRAZIA
Petrocelli admits he would
not be where he is today
without the dance teachers who
guided his development. Fagan
worked closely with Bremer
and Kim Mullenix, who helped
him with conditioning and the
competitive aspects of Irish step
dancing.
“There are so many different
things I love about it,” he said
of dancing. “The competitive
aspect is really fun for me, but
it's more about the friendships
and relationships you gain along
the way.”
Dance wasn't Petrocelli’s
only interest as a child.
Between school work and
dance classes, he also played
lacrosse, football and ran track
at Swampscott High.
“I was the kid trying to
juggle eight activities at a time,”
said Petrocelli. “With trying to
find a balance between dance,
school and the other sports,
Sheila was great to work with
COURTESY PHOTOS
in that aspect, as long as I came
to class.”
In July 2014, the Bremer
school closed, leaving Petrocelli
for a time without dance
instruction.
“Not going to lie, that hit
me hard because I view Irish
dance as my safe haven, always
somewhere I can go that I know
makes me happy. It brings so
much joy and happiness into my
life, I felt like something was
missing," he said.
That summer, Petrocelli met
Rose Kenny, Michael Kenny
and Rose's sister Breda O'Brien,
who operate the Kenny Academy
of Irish Dance. He jumped
at the opportunity to dance for
the Kenny Academy, which has
groomed more than 30 world
champions. He danced at the
Kennys’ Beverly studio until it
closed in June. Dedicated, he
commuted to the academy’s
Pembroke location every day
where he not only took classes,
but helped teach as well.
“When I was younger, people
would say dancing is for girls.
But the irony is, when I would
dance at school on St. Patrick’s
Day people would come up and
say it was amazing, which only
motivated me,”he said. “Dance
is who I am and no one can take
that away from me.”
As the commute to the South
Shore became more difficult,
Petrocelli began working with
Anne Murray MacRitchie at the
Murray Academy in Exeter, New
Hampshire, who he met at the
Kennys’ Pembroke studio.
At Endicott, Petrocelli is
studying Exercise Science with
a goal of becoming a personal
trainer and a certified dance
teacher. He wants nothing more
than to pass along the lessons he
learned from the teachers who
inspired him.
“With exercise health science,
I gain aspects of mental and
physical strengthening,” he said.
“A lot of people think Irish dance
is only physical but I would argue
you need to be mentally strong as
well, because a mental block can
get in a dancer’s way.”
Petrocelli, who attended
Machon School, Clarke
Elementary, Swampscott Middle
School and Swampscott High,
said his family has played a major
role in his success. He thanks
his parents, Neil and Elaine, and
brother Neil Jr. for their support.
The bond he shares with his
family is one of many reasons he
chose to stay close to home for
college.
“I tend to think I am independent
but I really value my
family and spending time with
them, so the idea of living away
is hard, especially with the great
bond my family and I have,” he
said.
Yes, winning competitions has
its glory. But Petrocelli’s favorite
part of Irish step dance is performing
at local nursing homes
and community events.
“I may have all these titles,
but what’s most important is all
the people around me and showing
the little ones if you work
hard you can obtain these goals,”
said Petrocelli. “I don’t think I
would be same person I am today
without dance, because it taught
me so much.”
24 | 01907 SPRING 2018 | 25

Orange
is the new
track
Jake and Jenny Golic
bring their fitness
studio to Swampscott
BY GAYLA CAWLEY
PHOTOS OWEN O’ROURKE
Coach Maddie Acosta
works with clients at
Orangetheory Fitness
in Vinnin Square.
A husband-and-wife entrepreneurial
team is at the helm of Orangetheory
Fitness, a new Swampscott business that
champions the bootcamp-like workout that
is taking the nation by storm.
Jake Golic, 27, and his wife, Jenny, 26,
opened up the local Orangetheory franchise
in the newly redesigned Swampscott
Mall in December. It's their second
Orangetheory studio; the couple, who married
last year, also own one in Hingham,
where they live.
Jake manages the business and Jenny’s
the head personal trainer. They are looking
to relocate somewhere convenient to both
Swampscott and Hingham, maybe in
Boston’s burgeoning Seaport district.
“One thing we like about what we do is
we're not just owners that kind of stop in
once in awhile and check in to see how's it
going,” Jake said. “We're actively involved
as much as we possibly can be going between
the two studios, and that's what a lot
of the members seem to like as well, is the
engagement of everybody involved here.”
Jake said he tried Orangetheory for the
first time while vacationing in Scottsdale,
Arizona, in 2012. He fell in love with the
workout immediately.
At the time, he was playing football
for the University of Notre Dame and put
thoughts of Orangetheory on the backburner.
After graduating in 2013, he moved
to Chicago for a job in graphic design, but
it wasn’t for him.
Jenny, whose parents live in Winthrop,
has a similar story. The couple met while
they both attended Notre Dame, and got
married at the school. She spent about six
months in Chicago working for Deloitte,
but decided the corporate lifestyle wasn't
for her, leading the pair to make the joint
decision to head back to New England.
The name Golic should be familiar to
sports fans. Jake's father, Mike, is co-host
of ESPN Radio’s “Golic and Wingo” show
and was formerly co-host of the longrunning
“Mike & Mike.” Mike played
for nine years with the National Football
League’s Philadelphia Eagles, Miami
Dolphins and Houston Oilers. His uncle,
Bob Golic, played for the New England
Patriots.
Jake's brother Mike is a contributing
host on “Trey and Wingo” and another
ESPN show. Mike also had a short stint
in the NFL. Jake said he aspired to play
professional football, but injuries during his
college career set him back.
Jake said he draws a lot of inspiration
from his father, who grew up on Cleveland’s
East Side in a family that faced hardship.
Jake said his father is 100 percent selfmade.
“He has been an unbelievable tool
to be around (during) my life. Watching
him grow up with the passion that he has
for the work that he does has helped me
with a couple of businesses, to lead by his
example,” said Jake. “The guidelines that he
laid and the enthusiasm he brought to work
each day was something that was inspiring
to me.”
Before Jake discovered Orangetheory,
he would go to a gym and just replicate the
workouts he did in college athletics. But
without a support team and strength staff
he found it challenging to be motivated.
Orangetheory has become his primary
workout.
“It adds the team aspect back into things
and the high intensity of the workouts that
I had in college when I was playing,” Jake
said. “And for the folks who don't come
from a background like I did in athletics,
and I'm a slightly competitive guy, it's an
easy workout as well to just stay in your
own lane and just focus on your own goals.”
A 55-minute Orangetheory class
consists of 24 people. Half of the workout
is cardio-based, working with treadmills
for interval training, designed to bring the
heart rate up and down – a screen keeps
track of heart rate so participants can
follow along in real time. The other half
works on strength, or circuit training, which
alternates between the WaterRower and
the weight floor. Class members alternate
The WaterRower indoor rowing machine provides a strenuous workout.
Jake Golic, co-owner of Orangetheory Fitness, said he’s wanted to open a Swampscott
location for quite a while.
between the two regimens.
“A lot of folks are put off by the intensity
of the workout, when, as a matter of fact,
this workout truly is for everybody,” Jake
said. “There's no set standards to meet when
you get behind the glass here. You just move
at your own pace and as you progress, as a
member here, you increase the workouts
and the intensity as much as you would like.
“If you can look past the orange lights
and the loud music and the trainer yelling
at you, it's an inviting place that does promote
change in a positive way and is truly
for everybody.”
26 | 01907 SPRING 2018 | 27

Jim Kausek, a physical therapist
and longtime Swampscott
resident, was thinking
of the aging athlete when
he developed his Trident
osteoarthritis knee brace.
Osteoarthritis, said Kausek,
“is the most common form
of joint pain, affecting over
20 million Americans.”
“When you have the
baby boomers who want to
stay active, they go to the
doctor's because they're frustrated that they
can't keep doing what they've been doing,”
he said.
“Most of the osteoarthritis braces out
there are expensive, $400 or $600,” said
Kausek. “But you don't get those braces
until after the doctor – specialist or an
orthopedic surgeon – prescribes it. By the
time he does that, you're already a candidate
for knee replacement.”
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, who
earned degrees at Purdue University and
the University of Iowa, Kausek first came
to Massachusetts as a result of perhaps the
most catastrophic knee injury in Boston
sports. Bobby Orr, the Boston Bruins’
preternaturally talented defenseman and
possibly the greatest hockey player ever,
saw his stellar career cut short due to a
series of devastating knee injuries.
“(Orr) was the reason I got there,” said
Kausek, now 70. “Because of his demise,
that's how they found me.”
Kausek, hired by the Bruins in 1976,
became the first NHL trainer who was
also a licensed physical therapist. He
worked with All-Stars like John “The
Chief ” Bucyk, Gerry Cheevers, Brad Park,
Terry O'Reilly, Bobby Schmautz, Wayne
Cashman, Jean Ratelle, Steve Kasper,
Gilles Gilbert, Rick Middleton, and Ray
Bourque. During that time, Kausek began
developing braces (“As an athletic trainer,
you're always fabricating something from
moldable plastics and things like that for
the athlete that might be custom.”) and
launched his own physical therapy clinics,
Sports Therapy North, in 1984. He eventually
had facilities in Lynnfield, Danvers
and Revere.
Though Kausek planned to maintain
both his private practice and continue with
the Bruins, the combination proved too
Brace yourself
Jim Kausek helps aging athletes stay in the game
BY BRION O'CONNOR
PHOTO OWEN O’ROURKE
PHOTO SPENSER HASAK
Jim Kausek, a physical therapist and former
Boston Bruins trainer, and friend show off
the osteoarthritis knee brace he developed.
complicated, and he left the team in 1985.
“Then, about eight years later, (current
NBC hockey commentator) Mike Milbury
wanted me back,” said Kausek. “He was
assistant GM at the time. And he was a
player when I was there originally. So I
came back, on a consultant basis, for about
four more years.”
While his clinics were flourishing in
the 1980s, Kausek was developing a brace
– named the Pro-Am – to help ACL and
MCL patients post-operatively. It was
the type of heavy-duty, custom brace that
could have helped Orr’s ravaged knees.
Later, in 1996, shortly after selling his
Sports Therapy North business, Kausek
started working with Tru-Fit, which was
based in Lynn. Over the next five years, he
designed a number of supportive, neoprene
braces for elbows, ankles and knees.
Eventually, Kausek turned his attention
to baby boomers, and the gradual wearand-tear
that often plagues the knees of
aging athletes, resulting in osteoarthritis.
In 1999, Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, an orthopedic
surgeon at the Hospital of the University
of Pennsylvania, coined the term
“Boomeritis” to reflect the growing number
of injuries suffered by older athletes. The
American Academy of Orthopedic
Surgeons quickly adopted the term.
Many boomers realized that while
they’re young at heart, their bodies couldn’t
handle the workload. One of Kausek’s
brace designs was a single-hinged knee
brace, which targeted the uneven wear that
results from a misaligned knee, and the
subsequent osteoarthritis and pain. That
brace was the prototype for his current
Trident brace, which was unveiled in the
early 2000s.
Joint alignment is required for pain-free
movement. Essentially, many people have
uneven wear in their knees, either on the
inside (medial) or the outside (lateral) of
the joint, said Kausek. For example, people
who are knock-kneed tend to put more
pressure on the outside of the joint, while
people who are bow-legged load the inside
surfaces.
The Trident single-hinge brace, said
Kausek, properly aligns the knee, helping
to “unload” or “offload” that abnormal
pressure on one side of the knee. Unlike
anti-inflammatory medications, which only
treat the symptoms of knee pain, Kausek’s
A few of the autographed
photos of Bruins players that
decorate Jim Kausek’s
Swampscott home, from the
top: Terry O’Reilly, Adam
Oates and Ray Bourque.
brace addresses the root cause.
Though it looks substantial,
the Trident brace is lightweight
(weighing less than 12 ounces),
fits most people, can be used
on either leg, and adjusted to
unload either side of the knee.
Furthermore, Kausek designed
the brace to be affordable.
“With today’s health
system, you may have a $1,000
deductible on durable medical
goods,” said Kausek. “So if the
brace is going to be $600, and
you haven’t met any of your
deductible, you’re going to wind
up paying for the whole thing
out of your pocket. We’ve been
able to keep this knee brace
between $89 and $125.”
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28 | 01907 SPRING 2018 | 29

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Bright yellow clutch purse with
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BY BELLA DIGRAZIA
PHOTOS BY SPENSER HASAK
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Long, beaded necklace with
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detail, with a wraparound
pleather bow.
Available at Aldoshoes.
com
30 | 01907 SPRING 2018 | 31

Prime mover
Auto group’s driving force,
Ira Rosenberg, pulls into life’s slower lane
There's hardly been a time when
Ira Rosenberg wasn't in the
car business. Sure, as a kid he
worked as a soda jerk at a drug
store in Malden, where he grew
up. But from age 20 to his recent
retirement as CEO of the Prime
Motor Group, which operates 30
dealerships in New England, the
81-year-old executive has had
automobiles in his blood. He and
his wife Judith own a waterfront
home on Front Street in
Marblehead and have three children,
David, Brian and Lori. We
talked with Rosenberg from his
retirement home in Boca Raton,
Florida, where the temperature
was a comfortable 80 degrees.
Q: You began your love affair
with the car industry in 1959
Ira Rosenberg
and his son
David
BY THOMAS GRILLO
as a tire changer at Porter
Chevrolet in Cambridge,
worked in their service department,
sold Corvettes and then
became sales manager. Is that
the best way to break into the
business?
A: You don't have to start out
changing tires anymore. Most
dealerships have management
training programs. If you love
people, it's a great opportunity,
especially for women. Today, a
young college grad, just out of
school, can sell cars and make
a hell of a living. Many grads go
into retail like Macy's and Staples
to become manager. But in the
car business they can make
more money working fewer
hours.
Q: What was your first car?
A: It was a 1961 Chevrolet
Impala coupe. It had turquoise
painted on the bottom with a
white roof. It cost $1,900.
Q: What are you driving today?
A: I'm the wrong person to ask
that question. I love the car
business but I'm not a car guy. I
drive an Audi Q5.
Q: Your wife Judith wasn't wild
about you being in the car
business, and as a result, you
switched careers for a while,
right?
A: Yes, I quit the car business in
the mid-’60s and took a variety
of jobs selling all kinds of things,
advertising, welding materials,
whatever.
Q: How did that go?
A: I starved. My wife was
pregnant with my first son,
David. We had no money and no
insurance. While she was still in
the hospital, she spotted an ad
for Sea Crest Cadillac-Pontiac in
Lynn looking for salespeople.
She told me I always loved the
car business, perhaps I should
go back into it.
Q: That seemed to work out
well.
A: I waited on the sofa in
the Sea Crest showroom for
three days for an interview.
They gave me a 30-day
tryout, but I was fired for
not selling cars. I noticed
that all the customers
I had talked to in the
showroom were buying
cars from other salesmen.
They were stealing my
customers, but I wasn’t
smart enough to know
what was going on. But
I’m a fast learner. I asked
for a second chance and
told the sales staff that
if they stole one customer from
me, I will steal three from them.
It worked. I became a lion on the
showroom floor and within a
year I was best salesman, selling
18 cars a month.
Q: From the Lynnway you
founded North Shore Auto
Brokers in Salem.
A: I wasn’t sure I could make a
go of it. The management of
Sea Crest Cadillac-Pontiac spent
three hours insisting I stay. But
I eventually launched it and
stayed for seven years.
Q: Tell me about how you acquired
your first dealership.
A: Someone told me they heard
a Toyota dealership was going
out of business in Danvers. I
got a suit, borrowed a Cadillac
from a friend, put a cigar in my
mouth and went over. The bank
was there ready to foreclose. I
threw the owner an anchor and
within a half-hour I owned it. I
offered to take on the $130,000
debt and settled it for about
$70,000. Today, buying a good
Toyota dealership can cost as
much as $10 million on the East
Coast and up to $25 million on
the West Coast, so it was a good
investment.
Q: Who have been your biggest
competitors?
A: Ernie Boch. He and I used to
go head-to-head with competing
Toyota and Oldsmobile dealerships.
It was good competition
that was good for customers.
Q: Why do people dread the
process of buying a car?
A: They have been accustomed
to being lied to and harassed.
There were dealerships that used
to take the keys to your trade-in
and tossed them to keep you in
the dealership. When I first started
in the business there were
lots of thieves and liars. I was
young when I started and I saw
what was being done and how
it should be done. I contributed
to helping to sell automobiles
without all the pressure.
Q: What are your plans in
retirement?
A: I feel much younger than 81,
and there’s only so much golf
you can play. I’ve taken up painting
and I’m becoming an artist,
but most of all, I love having
people around me.
Larry Zabar has spent time with every
U.S. president since 1995, but most were
not yet ensconced in the Oval Office when
he first met them.
As executive vice president of the New
England Council, the Swampscott resident
is responsible for organizing the council’s
events, including the wildly successful
Politics & Eggs series, which helps connect
the region’s business community with
would-be-presidents while they chat up
voters in New Hampshire, home of the
nation’s first presidential primary.
“It’s incredible seeing the candidates
engage in conversation with our members,
who get access to not only the future president
but also nationally known political
figures,” said Zabar.
Founded in 1925, The New England
Council is the nation’s oldest regional
business organization. Zabar is its senior
staff member.
Since its inception, the breakfast
series has hosted nearly every major party
presidential candidate and is considered a
must-stop on the presidential campaign
trail. Zabar said Politics & Eggs was even
mentioned on TV’s “The West Wing,” with
candidates putting their John Hancock on
the series’ signature wooden eggs.
“Newt Gingrich bounded into the room
and shouted ‘I need a wooden egg,’” said
Zabar. “People collect them and they are
signed by the candidates, who often remark
how difficult it is to put their autograph on
a wooden egg.”
Zabar, who grew up in Marblehead,
has spent nearly his entire professional life
forging strong relationships with leaders on
both sides of the political aisle.
He has also received many awards in
his career. He considers the most recent
particularly special. Zabar will receive the
Changing Lives Award from Northeast
Arc on May 3 at the Seaport Hotel in
Boston. The dinner and fashion show will
benefit the North Shore-based non-profit
and the life-changing services it provides to
children and adults with disabilities.
“This award is so not about me,” said
Zabar. “So many businesses in the New
England Council support organizations
like Northeast Arc. The common thread
is we all see value in what they and other
groups do to make lives better.”
In December, Zabar attended a holiday
party at Northeast Arc’s Danvers headquarters.
Employees were being honored
for years of service, including many who
have been there 35 years and longer. “Nobody
does that because they’re going to get
Changing Lives
Larry Zabar excels at
bringing people together
BY BILL BROTHERTON
rich, and it’s certainly not an easy job,” said
Zabar. “They do the job because they are
dedicated and are a special breed of people.
They help out people and make a difference
in the lives of so many. They do it because
it supports a group of people whose lives
wouldn’t be nearly as rewarding without
them.”
Jo Ann Simons, president/CEO of
Northeast Arc and a Swampscott resident,
lauded Zabar for his steady support. “Larry
is an incredible connector. He changes lives
every day by linking people and organizations
to create opportunities for alliances,
business, employment, friendship, philanthropy
and more. It’s an honor for us to
have the chance to shine a spotlight on all
the good Larry does so quietly each day.”
A normal day for Zabar might start
with a meeting in Bedford, N.H., and wind
down with another meeting in Hartford,
Conn. How does he unwind.
“I like to read during non-baseball season,”
said the ardent Red Sox fan who ran
Swampscott’s Little League program when
his son played. But he finds no pleasure in
reading mysteries, whodunits or humor. “I
read books about politics and news and
current events. I know it’s just like my job,
but it’s what I enjoy.”
Maybe he likes to travel to unwind?
“Nope,” said Zabar with a laugh. “I’m
not so good at vacations. I just love what
I do, and am happiest when I’m doing
that. There are 550 members in the New
England Council and I know them all
by name.” About 1750 people attend the
Council’s annual dinner; it’s an exhausting
amount of work for Zabar and his staff.
“When it’s done, I get asked ‘You gonna
get away?’ No way. I’m with my friends all
day long. I view a sabbatical as punishment.
Mark Twain, I think, said ‘If you love what
you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.’
That’s my credo.”
Before joining the New England
Council in 1989, Zabar spent 11 years on
Capitol Hill as executive director of the
Northeast-Midwest Institute, the brainchild
of former Salem Cong. Michael
Harrington. While attending grad school
at American University in Washington,
D.C., he served as an intern on
Harrington’s staff.
In 1978, Zabar signed on to run
Harrington’s re-election campaign. During
a late-May visit to Harrington’s office
in the Salem Post Office, Zabar met
Hope Tasman, who was working for the
congressman. Harrington decided not to
seek re-election and Zabar, who was now
besotted with Hope, stuck around to head
congressional candidate John McKean’s
campaign, McKean was ousted during the
primary – Nick Mavroules would go on to
win the seat – but the Zabar-Tasman ticket
was going strong.
The romance proceeded fairly quickly.
They were married in June 1979, settling in
D.C. They have one son, Josh, who lives in
Los Angeles.
“Poor Hope. We were married on June
17, which is also the anniversary of the
Watergate break-in,” said Zabar. “I’ve
studied and researched the break-in. I find
it fascinating.” Sadly, talk of Watergate
dominated the couple’s anniversary in
2011, which marked not only the couple’s
32nd year of wedded bliss but also the 40th
anniversary of the break-in.
When he accepted the New England
Council job, the couple moved back to the
North Shore. Zabar instructed Hope to
find a house in Marblehead “on the American
side of the street.” Back then, baseball
fans rooted for either the Red Sox – they
lived on the American side – or somebody
else, the National side.” Hope, now a Realtor
for Phyllis Sagan’s firm, found a lovely
home on Lincoln Circle in Swampscott,
where the family lived until downsizing to
1 Salem St. in 2008.
For information about the Changing Lives
Award celebration, go to ne-arc.org
32 | 01907 SPRING 2018 | 33

HARD
ROCK
star
Todd Kline
lands big fish for
Dolphins stadium
sponsorship
BY STEVE KRAUSE
The Swampscott
High class
of 1995 has
crossed the
threshold of
40. The 25th
reunion will be in two years,
and it’ll be a time for a group
of athletes who have put their
stamp on the world in extraordinary
ways to, perhaps, gather
in someone’s backyard and
play a little Wiffle ball.
The roll call from that class
includes, among others, Dave
Portnoy, founder of Barstool
Sports; Peter Woodfork, senior
vice president of baseball operations
for Major League Baseball;
Todd McShay, an ESPN college
football reporter and analyst;
and Todd Kline, who works for
the Miami Dolphins as their
senior vice president and chief
commercial officer.
Every year, when the Patriots
go down to Miami to play the
Dolphins, the name of the
stadium seems to change. Since
it opened in 1987, it’s been
Dolphins Stadium, Dolphin
(singular) Stadium, Joe Robbie
Stadium (after the owner of the
team when the field was built),
Pro Player Stadium, Land Shark
Stadium and Sun Life Stadium,
and even – for six months –
New Miami Stadium.
But as of August 17, 2016,
it has been known as Hard
Rock Stadium, and for that, the
Dolphins can thank Kline. He
negotiated the deal.
According to Kline, in this
BEN DICKMANN/MIAMI DOLPHINS
Todd Kline, third from left, senior vice president/chief commercial officer of the Miami Dolphins and
Hard Rock Stadium, thanks Emily Allen and Lisa Marsh Ryerson of the AARP Foundation, and Lloyd
Johnson of Accenture for their support.
day and age, naming rights
are perhaps a stadium’s largest
revenue stream.
“Television revenue is
important, and so is the money
you get from ticket sales,” said
Kline. “But in terms of sponsorship,
your naming rights partner
is the biggest one you have.”
And Kline said the Dolphins
have a winner in Hard Rock.
“You have to make sure you
get the right naming rights
partner,” he said. “You have to
get one that kind of represents
your brand. For us, Hard Rock
was a golden opportunity, being
in the hospitality business. It’s
been great for us.”
Hard Rock is more than a
genre, and more than a cafe.
It’s a hospitality conglomerate,
owned by the Seminole tribe in
Florida, that has branched out
into hotels and casinos. Kline
says the Dolphins and Hard
Rock hit it off immediately.
“These can be tough deals,”
he said. “They can be years
in the making. But it took us
only nine months to create this
partnership.”
Kline is in his third year with
the Dolphins. He relocated from
Los Angeles – where he had
been senior vice president of
partnership and media saes for
AEG Global Partnerships – the
group that owns the NHL’s Los
Angeles Kings. He’s also served
as senior corporate marketing
manager for the NFL Players
Association.
Kline came to Miami
because the Dolphins needed
come consistency with their
naming partner. Owner Stephen
Ross was about to embark on
a $450 million renovation for
the stadium as it approached its
30th anniversary.
“We were going to start a
whole new era,” he said. “And we
landed on a 18-year relationship
with Hard Rock. I came down
here to lead the charge. And
they’ve been a great partner.
“I remember the exact moment
when I knew it was going
to work,” he said. “There was a
picture in the Miami Herald of
a young girl with a sign that said
‘Let’s Hard Rock this joint.’ And
I thought, ‘We nailed it.’ From
Day One, our fans embraced it.”
All sports venues – even the
venerable Fenway Park, which
has released its most ambitious
schedule of summer concerts to
date – are multi-faceted. Hard
Rock is no exception.
“The Dolphins call it home,”
said Kline, “and so do the
Miami Hurricanes. The Orange
Bowl is played here now. We just
announced a deal with IMG.
We’ll be hosting Super Bowl 54.
We have tennis tournaments
coming in. There’s a lot going
on here, and not just with the
Dolphins.”
One of his bigger thrills in
Miami came last summer when
Real Madrid and Barcelona
had an exhibition match at the
stadium.
“That was amazing,” he said.
“It was the perfect merger of
a world-class event and global
entertainment. To see Rinaldo
under a Hard Rock sign. That
was one of the most electric
environments I’ve ever been in.
We sold out the stadium for a
public practice. It was one of the
most extraordinary events I’ve
ever seen.”
There are other things Kline
considers special, too. And they
go back to his roots in Swampscott.
“We’re coming up on the
25th anniversary of our 1993
state championship baseball
team,” he said. “I can’t believe it’s
been 25 years. We were sophomores:
me, McShay, Traeger
DiPietro, Woodfork, Brendan
Nolan, Portnoy … we were
lucky then and we’re lucky now.
“The best part of being 41 is
seeing how happy everyone is
and how successful they are.”
Kline said he doesn’t think
everyone in Swampscott realizes
how fortunate the town is to
have such a rich athletic legacy.
He saw it in his high school
coaches and sees it now in the
next generation, with baseball
coach Jason Calichman and his
crew.
“To see them carry on that
tradition is special,” he said.
“Jason – the way he teaches
those kids, and the way he
mentors them – is special. He is
a phenomenal leader.”
He also is impressed with the
refurbished Blocksidge Field.
“I was home for Thanksgiving,
and I drove by to check it
out,” he said. “It’s a good investment
in high school sports.
“It’s not whether you end
up playing sports in college or
the pros,” said the University of
Maryland graduate. “It’s about
engaging kids. The more kids
you can engage in high school
sports the better. Playing in
Swampscott had the biggest
impact on my life. Not so much
the wins and losses, but the
friendships and the education
I got on perseverance and hard
work.”
He remains best friends with
his fellow Todd – McShay.
“He was the sideline guy
for the Orange Bowl this year,”
Kline said. “We got together for
dinner the night before. Dave
(Portnoy) and I saw each other
at the Super Bowl. He’s legitimately
famous.
“Just recently,” he said, “we
all got together at Dave’s house
on Nantucket and we all played
Wiffle ball in his backyard, just
like we did at Clarke Park back
when we were kids. We remain
humble.”
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34 | 01907 SPRING 2018 | 35

Tahitian
cocktail
that’s
‘out of this
world’
nspi ed
ewelry
Ladies... Start your engines!
The Spring Collection is here!
Open Tues. to Sat.
4 - 10 p.m.
Sun. 4 - 9 p.m.
EST. 1994
BY BELLA DIGRAZIA
PHOTOS BY SPENSER HASAK
The Mai Tai debuted in California during the 1940s. After one
taste, it's first customer reportedly cried out “Maita'i roa ae,"
which translated from Tahitian has a literal meaning of "very
good!" and a figurative meaning of "out of this world!"
A few places in the 01907 zip code make a mean Mai Tai? These
local restaurants know how to shake it up with the right recipe.
WHAT: WHITE MAI TAI
A combination of Malibu Rum, Captain Morgan White
Rum, amaretto liqueur, triple sec liqueur, lime juice,
orange juice and pineapple juice. Enough liquor to
feel it after one drink, and garnished with two maraschino
cherries and an orange slice.
WHERE: NGUYEN'S VIETNAMESE
CUISINE & SUSHI BAR,
286 Humphrey St.
HOW MUCH: $9.95
38 Atlantic Ave. | Marblehead
781-639-9600 | jambujewelry.com
781-596-1820 • 408 Humphrey Street, Swampscott, MA
WHAT: DARK MAI TAI
A perfect blend of dark rum, amaretto liqueur, sour
mix and pineapple juice. Shaken until it achieves a
dark, orange color and garnished with a maraschino
cherry and orange slice.
WHERE: GOURMET GARDEN,
430 Paradise Road
HOW MUCH?: $9
WHAT: SUPER SECRET MAI TAI
A mystery mix of prime dark rum, a blend of fruit
juices, fresh lime juice squeezed over the top, and
finished with an orange slice and cherry garnish.
WHERE: THAI THANI RESTAURANT,
408 Humphrey St.
HOW MUCH?: $10
The North Shore’s first
Cantonese restaurant
Enjoy our authentic Chinese cuisine
• • • • • •
Ginger scallion lobster
Shrimp stuffed eggplant
(in black bean sauce)
Walnut shrimp
Rack of lamb (so delicious, it needs
to be ordered a day in advance)
Our chefs always choose the
freshest ingredients for all our
authentic and luscious meals.
• • • • • •
Take-out is always available
for your special function or barbecue.
373 Lowell St., Peabody
suchangspeabody.com
T. 978-531-3366 • F. 978-531-3060
(Take-out always available)
Sunday and Thursday
11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Friday and Saturday
11:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Join us at Paradiso.
36| 01907 SPRING 2018 | 37

Local legacy... Exceptional service!
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Nothing has been spared in this 10-room, 4½-bath stunning ocean view 2016 residence. The open main level features an inviting
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