01945 Spring 2021

.K.O.
INSIDE
Bike bonanza
Sweet therapy
Masked music
SPRING 2021
VOL. 4 ISSUE. 1

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02 | 01945
A publication of Essex Media Group
Publisher
Edward M. Grant
Chief Executive Officer
Michael H. Shanahan
Directors
Edward L. Cahill
John M. Gilberg
Edward M. Grant
Gordon R. Hall
Monica Connell Healey
J. Patrick Norton
Michael H. Shanahan
Chief Financial Officer
William J. Kraft
Chief Operating Officer
James N. Wilson
Community Relations Director
Carolina Trujillo
Controller
Susan Conti
Editor
Thor Jourgensen
Contributing editors
Gayla Cawley
Cheryl Charles
Contributing writers
Mike Alongi
Elyse Carmosino
Gayla Cawley
Dan Kane
Anne Marie Tobin
Guthrie Scrimgeour
Photographers
Olivia Falcigno
Spenser Hasak
Julia Hopkins
Design
Edwin Peralta Jr.
Advertising Design
Sean Casey
Advertising sales
Ernie Carpenter
Ralph Mitchell
Eric Rondeau
Patricia Whalen
ESSEX MEDIA GROUP
110 Munroe St.,
Lynn, MA 01901
781-593-7700 ext.1234
Subscriptions:
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01945themagazine.com
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
A number (32) of things
Not that you care, but I began my career as a sportswriter at The Daily Item (now, like 01945, an Essex
Media Group publication). In those days, in high school football season, writers were assigned a team to
cover throughout the season. And because it was my first go-round, initially I had no idea how lucky I was
to be assigned Marblehead.
The team was coached by Alex Kulevich, whom, along with a few players from that team, I still see, four
decades later. I generally sit a few pews behind Alex at 4 o’clock Mass on Saturdays at Star of the Sea. I
buy appliances from Alex’s son, Tom (an extraordinary tight end in those days), at Tri City Sales; and have
had reason to know what former lineman Lane Forman is up to these days.
I loved covering that team and those players. The team -- is the nickname still the Magicians? -- was,
well, magical. It went 8-2, led by a quarterback, John Wolf, who had a big arm and a bigger personality.
I had a reason to catch up with him a couple of weeks ago and we talked a little about that team and a
lot about a fullback and linebacker on that team: little brother Robert Wolf, who was a better basketball
player -- captain his junior and senior years -- and who went on to Penn.
As indicated by Guthrie Scrimgeour's story, Robert has done OK for himself. He founded a holding
company, 32 Advisors (yes, that was his uniform number), is a contributor on Fox News, and includes
among his friends a guy you may have heard of, named Obama.
This edition of 01945 has a few other great reads, as well.
You may have noticed we live in stressful times. Everywhere we look, there's something that puts
someone on edge. In every facet of life, there seems to be built-in stressors that induce panic. Even the
harmless stuff, like watching Tom Brady win a Super Bowl with another team, can leave some panicstricken.
Wendy Tamis Robbins was only 6 years old when she had her first panic attack. And, she says, they
never stopped. She told our Gayla Cawley she suffered from what she called "treatment resistant anxiety"
for nearly 40 years. By the time she was in her 30s, she wondered whether she could ever live life without
some kind of panic, and it was a debilitating disorder.
Robbins outlines her issues, and how she has dealt with them, in a book that's due out in May, "The Box:
An Invitation to Freedom from Anxiety."
Elsewhere, this now-yearlong pandemic has required different ways of doing things all over the board.
One such endeavor is the high school band.
Anne Marie Tobin writes that Jack Attridge is a 13th-generation Marblehead resident, principal of
the Attridge Group at William Raveis Real Estate, and the founder of All Marblehead, a social-media
initiative created as a place for people who are interested in the town to learn about local events and
discuss town topics in a positive and constructive way.
Also, entertainer and local personality Johnny Ray has teamed up with his old friend, executive chef
Edgar Alleyne, to open Beacon Restaurant & Bar downtown, in the former Wick's; Guthrie Scrimgeour
writes that Doug Hill has transformed his four-story house into an informal "Marblehead Museum;" and
Peter Jackson, who told our Elyse Carmosino that being Black played a big role in his decision to take
part in Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine trial; and that while the COVID-19 pandemic has affected some
small businesses in negative ways, that hasn't been the case for Marblehead Cycle.
How can someone who died more than 600 years ago be an influence on a person's life? When that
person is Leonardo da Vinci it's easy to see how. Da Vinci was a major influence on the life of artist
Jonathan Sherman.
Then there's our knockout cover story by Mike Alongi about Zach Calmus. It packs a punch.
And did you know that it should be "Chandler Hovey Light Tower?"
Neither did I.
04 What's Up
06 Talk of the town
12 House Money
14 Two-wheel titan
18 Heavy hitter
20 True Townie
22 Wolf man
INSIDE
24 Sweet talker
28 Sherman's march
30 Beacon brothers
32 Pioneer Pete
34 Mask music
37 Wall buster
40 Love pup
TED GRANT
COVER
Zach Calmus is a force
to contend with in the
boxing ring.
PHOTO BY
Julia Hopkins

It's all in the
name
Dubbed "Marvell Head"
or "Marble Harbour" by
Capt. John Smith, the
town's name is also rooted
in the mistaken impression
held by settlers that the
local granite ledges were
marble. History holds that
Marblehead was called
"Foy" by immigrants from
Fowey, Cornwall, England.
George was here
The Revolutionary War hero and first
president, George Washington, visited the
town in 1789 during his presidential tour.
Marblehead was the 10th largest in the
United States at the time.
Birthplace battle
The enduring feud
between Beverly and
Marblehead over
which community is
the birthplace of the
American Navy includes
Marblehead's claims
that the first vessel
commissioned for the
Navy, the Hannah, was
equipped with cannons,
rope, and provisions,
including the indigenous
molasses/seawater cookie
known as "Joe Frogger."
Tent town
It's a tower, not a house
The “lighthouse” at Chandler Hovey Park is
actually a light tower. It was originally built as
a lighthouse in 1835 and was 23 feet high. The
current one, which is 105 feet high, was built in
1896, to better withstand the wind and waves.
The town's earliest
dwellers were Native
Americans and, later,
planters who moved
from Salem. Residents of
Nashua, N.H. and Lowell
set up tent colonies
dubbed "Lowell Camp"
and "Nashua Camp"
to serve as a fresh air
getaways from their city's
smoggy mills.
Is it Gerry? Or Jerry?
SNL Shoutout
Stand-up funny
guy John Mulaney’s
grandmother lives in
town and formerly
taught English at
Marblehead High.
Mulaney often
mentions the town in
Saturday Night Live
skits.
BY ALLYSHA DUNNIGAN
Gerry or Jerry?
Pronouncing Elbridge Gerry's name
correctly is a town litmus test. History
attaches the former governor's name
to a political maneuver dubbed the
"gerrymander" designed to reconfigure a
voting district to provide a candidate or
party a decided advantage at the polls.
Most people pronounce Gerry's name
like "jerry." But a Gerry descendant
was quoted in a 2018 Wall Street
Journal article stating that his ancestor
pronounced the family name "gary."
Wonder how he knew?

04 | 01945
WHAT'S UP
Town Meeting time
What: This town rite of spring includes
Town Meeting where residents put
democracy into action.
Where: Our Lady Star of the Sea,
community center parking lot,
80 Atlantic Avenue
When: Monday, May 3, 7 p.m.
Arts alert
What: The Marblehead Festival of Arts is
always looking for volunteers.
Where: To volunteer, simply go to
marbleheadfestival.org/volunteer and click
the button.
When: Festival 2021 will look different due
to the pandemic, but event planning
is underway.
Service before self
What: Rotary Club of Marblehead Harbor
is dedicated to Rotary International's motto
of helping others.
Where: Rotary has helped support the
Marblehead Food Pantry and Club Harbor
Heroes and Shelter Box programs.
To find out more about Rotary, email info.
rcomh@gmail.com
Memories wanted
What: The Marblehead Museum's
COVID-19 Archive Project seeks to collect
pandemic stories and preserve them for
future generations.
Where: Call the Archive Project voice
number, 978 414 5093, to record a message.
For more information, visit
marbleheadmuseum.org
Want to dance?
What: Marblehead School of Ballet
offers live, online dance classes.
Where: Go to
marbleheadschoolofballet.com/classes
for class schedules and information.
When: Spring term classes running
from March 29-June 5 are
posted online.
SPUR equals fun
What: SPUR is a "community of doers"
dedicated to inspiring, volunteering,
connecting and learning.
Where: Visit www.spur.community for
activity information.
SPUR is slowly re-opening volunteer
opportunities as COVID-19 precautions
are eased.

06 | 01945
A man about town
BY ANNE MARIE TOBIN
Left, real estate agent Jack Attridge is surrounded by
photgraphs from his All Marblehead Facebook page
mirroring Marblehead faces and places.
ATTRIDGE PHOTO — JULIA HOPKINS
ALL OTHER PHOTOS COURTESY OF JACK ATTRIDGE
Jack Attridge is a 13th-generation
Marblehead resident, principal of
the Attridge Group at William Raveis
Real Estate, and the founder of All
Marblehead, a social media initiative
created as a place for people who are
interested in the town of Marblehead to
learn about local events and discuss town
topics in a positive and constructive way.
The platforms also promote Attridge's
real estate business.
In 2009, Attridge launched the All
Marblehead Facebook page as a place to
"put my real estate going forward and to
share a lot of community information.
"It started organically and just grew,"
Attridge said. "The platform is there
for everyone to use and we decided to
leverage it to connect the community.
Really the mission, outside of the 5
percent that supports my business, is to
support Marblehead, Marblehead people,
Marblehead businesses and nonprofits."
The All Marblehead Facebook
page has more than 17,000 followers,
while Instagram has about 8,600.
Both platforms feature anything and
everything happening or about to happen
in Marblehead as well as thousands of
some of the most beautiful photos you
will ever see.
From amazing sunsets to Christmas
trees in dinghies in Marblehead Harbor
to historical sites and places, the photos
bring out Marblehead's unique charm
and give people plenty of reasons to

SPRING 2021 | 07
smile. There's even a photo of a moose
dog-paddling his way across the harbor.
The photo generated more than 1,100
likes on Instagram.
The platforms also feature many
contests, including photo contests and
"Guess the Depth" snowstorm contests,
one of which raised more than a $1000
for the town, as well as food drives and
other community services, including
posting important emergency notices and
messages.
"For that contest, we pledged to
donate $10 for every inch of snow in
the first storm of the year and we asked
people to match it," Attridge said. "It's
just a fun way to promote the community
and engage people while supporting local
businesses by giving away gift cards to
contest winners. We are also active in
helping keep the community informed
about things like snow emergencies and
other things that people need to know."
Attridge feels that Instagram is so
much more friendly than Facebook, but
Facebook allows people to post links
while Instagram does not. Both allow
posts to be automatically shared.
Attridge said he read an article in
a real estate publication that the Los
Angeles Times was getting rid of its real
estate classified section.
"That was the beginning of the
decline in real estate print advertising, at
the same time the Marblehead Reporter
and The Salem News began publishing
their articles online," Attridge said. "They
were allowing anonymous-type postings
in blog-like settings and I saw that as
incredibly community busting. Sadly
what used to be okay to do anonymously
is now okay to do even when you have
your name on it."
Attridge said the model for All
Marblehead is about 95 percent
community-based and 5 percent real
estate.
"I'm part of a 13th generation
Marblehead family and a lot of us
have been in business for ourselves
and helping out in the community so a
lot of this information comes my way
naturally," Attridge said. "It's worked
phenomenally for the community and my
business where we are able to leverage
our social channels for our business as
well."
Attridge has sold more than 400
homes representing $400 million in sales.
He said the past two years he has sold
more real estate in Marblehead than any
other competitor. He said he has been
approached many times by others to sell
his Facebook account and others have
suggested he incorporate a paywall. He
has done neither.
"It's all free and we would never
monetize the platform," said Attridge.
"I think it all goes back to the goal,
which is to promote Marblehead and
my love for the town and making it
a better community," said Attridge, a
past president of Marblehead Museum
and two-time president of Marblehead
Rotary. "It's totally free and worth
it as we are able to follow a lot of
organizations and share what other
people have posted."
Attridge said he used to have an All
Marblehead Happenings Facebook group
that also has about 18,000 followers
but has had to archive the group on two
occasions when "people started to talk
about crazy stuff, like killing coyotes
because there were too many, instead
of promoting the good in Marblehead,
especially last April with the pandemic.
People would start getting online after
dinner and were basically keyboard
warriors. The thing is that a lot of
times people try to lift themselves up
by bringing others down, so we took it
down again so we can focus on doing
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781-589-8835

08 | 01945
good deeds on all of our Facebook and
Instagram."
As far as the photos go, Attridge
said it's difficult to pinpoint followers'
favorites, but sunsets and harbor shots
are always a sure bet.
"The sunsets are just amazing, but
we also had a huge interest in the Adam
Sandler movie scenes (from "Hubie
Halloween"). They were just amazing
as well," said Attridge. "We also had
some great photos in 2019 when the
July storm came through and Glover's
Regiment, the Festival of Arts, but my
favorite is just the subject of Marblehead.
I love the fact that our content is totally
Marblehead-based."
While Attridge may be the man
about town, there is a woman behind the
curtain — Cindy Schieffer.
“Managing consistent and engaging
social media channels while running a
successful local real estate business and
(Left) Brian Crowley, left, shares
a minute with Jack Attridge.
All Marblehead Facebook highlights
the town's beauty.
other local initiatives takes more than
one person," Attridge said. "Cindy is
an irreplaceable part of my team (and
is my social media manager. Cindy and
I meshed right out of the gate with
a shared perspective and community
connection to our content.”
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SPRING 2021 | 09
A MAN ABOUT TOWN, from page 08
A MAN ABOUT TOWN, page 10

10 | 01945
A MAN ABOUT TOWN, from page 08
Attridge joined William Raveis Real
Estate in 2007 after 20 years at Carlson
Real Estate. He is vice president of the
Marblehead Museum and Historical
Society.
His professional website describes
how "it always felt natural to work
in town and with the residents of
Marblehead. From a very young age, I
worked at F.N. Osborne's Fine Grocers
alongside my grandfather and his
brothers, a business that they took over
from their father. After that, I worked
at Osborne's Greenhouses, my uncle’s
plant and flower shop. Although I didn't
realize it at the time, I was learning
important lessons alongside my family. "
Attridge is a member of the North
Shore Association of Realtors, the
Massachusetts Association of Realtors
and the National Association of Realtors.
A member of the Chairman's Elite Club,
he has been a consistent top performer in
his 27 years in the industry.
Jack Attridge was the listing agent for 27 Brown St., built by Paradise Construction and sold last
September for $2.7 million.
PHOTO COURTESY: JACK ATTRIDGE
When asked where All Marblehead
will be in 10 years, Attridge said he
doesn't see any significant changes in the
future.
"We've been in this for 10 years now.
What we have works in that we will
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Attridge and his wife, Jill, are the
parents of two daughters, Jessica and
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12 | 01945
HOUSE MONEY
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOEL GROSS

SPRING 2021 | 13
A peak inside
1 Sargent Road
SALE PRICE:$3,875,000
SALE DATE: January 14, 2021
LIST PRICE: $3,995,000
TIME ON MARKET:
350 days to sale
LISTING BROKER:
Dick McKinley, Sagan Harborside
Sotheby’s
SELLING BROKER:
Dick McKinley, Sagan Harborside
Sotheby’s
LATEST ASSESSED
VALUE: $3,107,500
PROPERTY TAXES: $32,287
YEAR BUILT: 2006 – rebuilt
LOT SIZE:
.40 acres (17,433 sq. feet)
LIVING AREA: 5,640 square feet
ROOMS: 9
BEDROOMS: 4
BATHROOMS: 4.5
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Custom-built home with sweeping
ocean and Boston skyline views on
a quiet Marblehead Neck cul de sac.
Designer kitchen with water views,
generous master suite with private
deck and bath, oceanside patio,
detached two-car garage, first-floor
office and library, finished basement
family room with game area, custom
cherry bar, projection TV, and
reading room. Hardwood floors
and custom woodworking details
throughout.

14 | 01945
"The pandemic has brought a bike boom world wide," said Marblehead Cycle owner Dan Shuman.
PHOTOS: OLIVIA FALCIGNO
The pandemic has people pedaling
The COVID-19 pandemic
has touched some small
businesses in surprising ways,
as one Marblehead bike shop owner has
discovered.
“I’ve been here a long time,” said
Marblehead Cycle owner and resident
Dan Shuman. “The pandemic has
brought a bike boom worldwide. There
are more people out riding than ever
before, so we’ve been very busy.”
Shuman, who bought Marblehead
Cycle in January 2020, has been in the
bike business for most of his life. He
started as a teenage apprentice at the
shop in 1986.
The father of two purchased his first
bike store, Salem Cycle, in 2000 and has
remained a steady fixture in the local
cycling community ever since.
According to Shuman, when the
coronavirus pandemic hit the North
Shore in March, sales at both of his
shops skyrocketed.
An incentive for people to spend
more time outdoors, coupled with this
year’s unusually mild winter, has made
for a perfect storm of factors resulting in
the most frantic season of bike buying —
and bike fixing — he’s ever seen.
“I don’t know how many repairs we’re
doing every day, but we’re busy enough
where it’s taken a week to 10 days to get
them done,” Shuman said. “People are
coming from all over for bikes. We have
someone coming from Connecticut this
weekend.”
A report published in September
BY ELYSE CARMOSINO
by market research firm NPD Group
found that shortly after the coronavirus
pandemic hit stateside last year, U.S.
sales of traditional bikes, indoor bikes,
bike parts, and other accessories grew
a combined 75 percent, resulting in
a nearly $1 billion increase in sales
compared to April 2019.
“There are no bikes available anywhere
in the world right now. They’re so hard to
get. I can’t order more Redline (bikes) in
any color,” Shuman said. “I have orders
with a bunch of different suppliers. I
placed a lot of the orders back in May,
and most have just started to come
in. For a lot of bikes, we won’t see any
more until April, May, June, except for
sporadically.”
Extremely high demand, plus global

SPRING 2021 | 15
factory shutdowns, mean bike parts have
become scarce everywhere.
“Manufacturers don’t have the parts
to build the bikes because the people
that manufacture the parts don’t have
the parts,” Shuman said. “Because of the
pandemic, factories have shut down.
“Most of the parts are made overseas
in Asia, so they got shut down first, then
they couldn’t supply the product to the
bike companies to build the bikes, and
then the shippers got shut down.”
He added that strokes of plain bad
luck have also played a part.
“A lot of the bikes come on big
cargo holds across the ocean, and
about a month or two ago, one of those
freighters hit a big storm, and about
1,500 containers went over(board)," he
said. “It’s just one thing after another.”
Although he’s never seen such a
demand during his decades-long career,
Shuman said he does have colleagues
in the industry who witnessed a similar
spike in sales in response to the 1970s oil
crisis, during which a petroleum shortage
resulted in elevated gas prices that
forced many to turn to cheaper modes of
transportation.
“Usually when the world has issues,
whether it’s a war or there’s a stock
market crash or an oil crash, the bike
Serving the North Shore since 1972
Cycling popularity during COVID-19 has made
bicycle parts scarce.
PHOTOS: OLIVIA FALCIGNO

16 | 01945
Marblehead Cycle mechanic Marcie Clawson, of Manchester by the
Sea, repairs brakes.
PHOTOS: OLIVIA FALCIGNO
Stage it.
Sell it.
Mindy McMahon
Realtor ® | Certified Home Stager
617.834.4439(c) | 781.631.9511(o)
marbleheadandbeyond.com
Look your best
online and in person
“You never get a second
chance to make a
first impression.”
business still does well because people
need to get out and ride, and they need
transportation,” he said.
However, current demand is already
ensuring bikes are less affordable. Shuman
recently received a notification from
one of his suppliers informing him the
company’s prices had risen nearly 15
percent.
Thankfully, most customers have been
understanding.
“They’ve been pretty OK with it
because there’s nowhere else where they
can find (what they need),” he said, noting
that he does still receive complaints about
his business’ strict COVID-19 safety
measures, which include asking customers
to wait outside the store’s front entrance
instead of going inside for assistance.
Although the strain of running two
wildly-popular bike shops have meant
months of little sleep, Shuman said
he’s simply grateful to see his business
flourish.
“It’s a lot. I don’t get sleep or rest,”
Shuman said with a laugh. “Both stores
are busy. Usually service this time of year
would slow down quite a bit, but it’s still
been steady.”

SPRING 2021 | 17
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18 | 01945
His eyes are
on the prize
BY MIKE ALONGI
PHOTOS BY
JULIA HOPKINS
Zach Calmus was ranked 8th
nationally among amateur
heavyweight boxers before
turning pro.
When Marblehead’s
Zach Calmus won his
professional boxing debut
back in November, it was the culmination
of years of hard work and determination.
But after the fight, he was back in the
gym like it never happened.
“I didn’t really get hit in that fight
and it didn’t even go one full round, so
I was pretty much ready to go the next
day,” said Calmus, who graduated from
Marblehead High in 2009. “I honestly
felt like I could’ve done even better that
night, so I just wanted to keep working
and get another shot.”
Calmus, a heavyweight who trains at
Private Jewels Fitness in Lynn, picked
up that win at Granite Chin Promotions’
"Gold Rush” at New England Sports
Center in Derry, N.H. He won via
technical knockout just 2:48 into the very
first round against his opponent Yhago
Goncalves. Calmus hurt Goncalves with
a short punch and the referee called the
fight when he determined Goncalves was
unable to continue.
While Calmus has kept many things
the same since winning his first pro
fight, he’s also changed some things.
He’s continuing his workouts, sparring
sessions at Private Jewels and his day job
of moving large furniture, but he’s also
made crucial changes to his diet that
have had a profound effect on his wellbeing.
“I had been having stomach issues for
a long time, so we made a total change
to my diet and it’s been totally different,”
said Calmus, who prior to turning pro
had been a top-ranked amateur boxer for
much of the past nine years, including
being ranked No. 8 in the nation among
heavyweights in 2018 after winning the
New England Golden Gloves title in
2017. “I’ve lost 15 pounds since the fight
and I feel better and stronger than I ever
have.”
He’s continued his work with trainer
Alex Sepulveda at Private Jewels, a place
that Calmus says is second to none in
terms of training boxers for a fight.
“The reason why the fighters who
come out of Private Jewels are so good
is because we focus on the fighter here,”
said Calmus. “This is a place to make
yourself a better fighter, and Alex does a
great job of raising everyone’s level.”

SPRING 2021 | 19
Sepulveda also sets up sparring
sessions for Calmus with some of the
best heavyweight fighters in the world.
Just the other day, Calmus went down
to Dorchester to spar with Steve Vukosa
— who won the WBC United States
heavyweight title back in 2019.
“I’d rather work with a guy who’s
going to knock me down because that’s
what makes you better,” said Calmus.
“Alex sets up these sparring sessions
and it’s incredible. Without him, there
wouldn’t be a me.”
“Zach’s work ethic is unmatched,”
said Sepulveda, who also owns Private
Jewels. “The guy just can’t get enough. He
always wants to work on his craft and get
better.”
In addition to training, he’s continued
working with his manager, Patty Herlihy,
who Calmus calls “a godsend.”
“I’ve known her since I was 17 and
she’s the best manager in the game by
far,” Calmus said of Herlihy. “She’s
helped me with so much over the years
and she continues to help me every day.”
All of that work led him to a
tryout for the Bare Knuckle Fighting
Championship in February, where he was
one of 120 applicants selected from a
group of 6,000.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
(BKFC) is the first promotion allowed
to hold a legal, sanctioned and regulated
bare knuckle event in the United States
since 1889. Based in Philadelphia and
headed by former professional boxer
David Feldman, BKFC is dedicated
to preserving the historical legacy of
bare knuckle fighting, while utilizing
a specifically-created rule set which
emphasizes fighter safety.
In BKFC, only fighters who are
established professionals in boxing,
Mixed Martial Arts, kickboxing or Muay
Thai are allowed to compete.
Calmus made the trip down to
Tampa, Fla., on February. 5, where he
and 50 other fighters battled through
a grueling seven-hour tryout. Out of
the 50 fighters that day, only five were
selected for an interview. Calmus was one
of them.
“It was a crazy couple of days,”
Calmus said. “I had to arrange a flight for
me and Patty just 24 hours in advance
and get down there quickly, but once I
got there I felt totally prepared. To be
honest, I look exactly like the BKFC
logo so I think I’m the perfect fit for the
organization.”
Whether or not he gets a shot
with the Bare Knuckle Fighting
Championship remains to be seen, but
Calmus isn’t only banking on that. He
Zach Calmus (left) has been
training with Alex Sepulveda at
Private Jewels Fitness in Lynn for
four years.
had a big fight offer in Mexico that he
had to turn down due to passport issues,
but he’s willing to get in the ring against
anyone, anytime.
“In a normal year, I probably would
have fought three or four times by now,”
said Calmus. “Things have been a little
less busy because of COVID, but places
are slowly starting to open up and I
think the opportunities are going to start
flowing in again pretty soon.”

20 | 01945
Home is
where the
museum is
BY GUTHRIE SCRIMGEOUR
Over more than thirty years, Doug
Hill has transformed his four-story house
into an informal "Marblehead Museum,"
an ode to the town that he calls home.
"I am a military dependent and
grew up moving all around as a kid,
and I would routinely collect mementos
from where I had lived. I'm just a
collector by nature," said Hill. "Because
I lived in Marblehead for 35 years, I've
accumulated a lot of Marblehead stuff."
Every inch of the home is bursting at
the seams with memorabilia, including
maps, paintings, books, plates, sculptures
and trinkets. Certain rooms can be
difficult to squeeze through for fear of
upsetting the piles of accumulated items.
The walls of the house are covered in
artwork, so high, in fact, that Doug said
he needed a ladder to hang many of the
pictures.
Hill estimates that there are more
than 200 mementos scattered throughout
the house.
The "museum" is also a library,
featuring walls and walls of books, many
on the history of the area.
Much of the merchandise is
Marblehead-themed. For example, one of
the first things that you notice walking
through is a stained —glass octagonal
window depicting the Marblehead
coastline.
The house is also filled with sculptures
and pictures of animals, with ducks,
whales and elephants as the primary
focus.
Even the bathrooms are not safe from
the abundance of items that Hill has
collected. One bathroom he refers to as
his "Marblehead Bathroom" is packed
wall-to-wall with town-themed items.
His "Duck Bathroom" is packed with
dozens of figurines and images of ducks,
inspired by his time living in Annapolis,
Md.
The stuff comes largely from yard
sales, though some items were given to
him as gifts, or purchased from local
Doug Hill has filled his Togan Way home with all things Marblehead.
artists.
"You can get some incredible finds
at yard sales," he said. "They're great for
finding treasure at reasonable prices."
He refers to his home as an organized
chaos. While he doesn't plan any rooms
out in advance, he will never pick up
an item at a yard sale without having a
specific place where he imagines it fitting
into his home.
"I always find a spot, and it always
PHOTOS BY JULIA HOPKINS
feels like it's a perfect fit," he said.
Hill's favorite treasure is the very first
piece of Marblehead artwork he bought
— a painting by Elaine Daly, a local
artist who later happened to become a
friend of his.
"I have special feelings about that
particular piece," he said.
For Hill, there's no doubt that
Marblehead is his home.
"I immediately felt this connection

SPRING 2021 | 21
with this place," said Hill, who first
visited in 1978 while on leave from
the Air Force, where he was serving in
Germany.
In a stroke of good luck, he happened
to be stationed at Hanscom Air Force
base only months later, which gave him
the opportunity to live in the town for
good. He moved to Marblehead in 1980,
though he only stayed for six months. He
returned in 1985 and has lived in town
ever since.
"Marblehead is a great community, to
move to and get involved in," he said.
After retiring from the Air Force, he
served as vice president of a consulting
firm in Westford, Mass. His next job
consisted of working at the desk of the
Marblehead YMCA. He later moved to
F.L. Woods, a nautical clothing store,
where he worked until his retirement last
year.
Hill became involved in the
Marblehead Little Theater, playing the
role of a soldier in "South Pacific," which
wasn't much of a stretch for him, he
said, considering his military history. He
grew to love the company, and became
president of the organization in 2000,
where he oversaw the transition to
the firehouse space where the theater
currently resides.
He has also served on the board of
the Arts Association, and was the cochairman
of the North Shore Hospice
Regatta.
Through all of those roles, Hill
became well-known throughout
town and often bumps into a familiar
face whenever he walks around the
downtown.
"It's the kind of place where you know
people," he said, "And people know you."
It is this sense of community that
makes Marblehead a special place for
him.
"When you first see Marblehead, you
are taken by the history, the quaintness,
the harbor. But what makes Marblehead
special is the people and the sense of
community," said Hill. "It's at the end of
the line. Nobody comes to Marblehead
because they're lost. When people come
to Marblehead, they come to come home.
What we have is pretty special."
70

22 | 01945
Political power player has
Marblehead roots
B Y GUTHRIE SCRIMGEOUR
Just a kid from Marblehead — Robert Wolf has risen to the pinnacle of Democratic politics as
economic advisor to former President Barack Obama. Wolf with President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in 2019.
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Before Robert Wolf served as an
economic advisor to former President
Barack Obama, founded his holding
company 32 Advisors, and became wellknown
as a contributor on Fox News, he
was just a kid from Marblehead.
"I just loved the town," said Wolf, who
grew up on Atlantic Avenue. "I loved the
summer at the beach. I literally spent every
summer either at Devereux or Preston
playing stickball. I lived and breathed
everything Marblehead."
He was a three-sport athlete at
Marblehead High School, playing
football, basketball and running track and
was inducted as a member of the town’s
Athletic Hall of Fame.
Always an ambitious student, he
went on to the Wharton School at
the University of Pennsylvania, where
he studied business and health care
administration, while continuing his
athletic career as a varsity football player.
"It was very humbling," he said of the
heightened level of athletic competition
at the Division. 1 college level. "You go to
college and you're suddenly the low man
on the totem pole."
After graduating, he decided to take
his talents to Wall Street, where he joined
Salomon Brothers in 1985. He wasn't
initially interested in the work, hoping to
go to medical school, but was pulled into
banking when he did a practice interview
on the company's trading floor.
"Being a Wall Street guy in the 80s
really fit me, because I was competitive,
aggressive and thrived in that
environment," he said. "For a young kid
who's 22 years old, going to Wall Street
was an incredible opportunity."
He left in 1994 to join Union Bank of
Switzerland (UBS) with hopes of building
something from the ground up, like
Salomon Brothers and other investment
banks had done before.
He rose through the ranks quickly
and, by the height of his career was the
chief executive officer and chairman of
UBS Americas and president and chief
operating officer of the Investment
Bank globally, with oversight of tens of

SPRING 2021 | 23
thousands of employees.
While he worked at UBS, he began to
get involved in the intersection of politics
and finance.
"I think I had politics in my blood,"
said Wolf. "But I didn't know it until I
started to get involved."
His first call to action came in 2002,
when, in opposition to the Iraq War, he
backed Democrat John Kerry for president
against the Republican incumbent, George
W. Bush.
He became more seriously involved in
2006, when he got in on the ground floor
of then-little known Sen. Barack Obama,
hosting the senator's first fundraiser in
New York and many more afterwards.
"I had this inclination that he was
the right guy, and that the nation wanted
change," said Wolf.
The pair hit it off right away.
"We had a lot in common. It was like a
checklist," said Wolf. "We bonded over our
kids, our favorite sports teams — Boston
versus Chicago — and of course, politics. I
was all in".
Wolf and Obama remain close friends,
frequently golfing together. Wolf also
serves on the executive board of the
Obama Foundation.
"One thing that people don't know
about him is that he's a husband and father
first," said Wolf. "We talk family all the
time. Yes, he is the most powerful person in
the free world, but he also wants downtime
to be with people where he can have fun
and talk about other things."
In August 2007, he was appointed
as Obama's economic advisor, where he
would meet with the future president
multiple times a week.
When Obama won the presidency
in 2008, Wolf continued to serve his
administration, acting as a member of the
former president's Economic Recovery
Advisory Board, the Council on Jobs and
Competitiveness, and the Export Council.
In those roles, he advised the president
on a variety of policies with a focus on Wall
Street regulation reform and infrastructure
legislation.
Wolf considers himself a "pro business
progressive," believing in health care as a
right, gun control, immigration reform,
but not seeking large-scale government
Robert Wolf, right, with a couple of his golfing buddies, University of Kentucky basketball Coach John
Calapari and former President Obama, at Farm Neck in Martha's Vineyard.
PHOTO: JOHN CALAPARI'S TWITTER FEED
intervention as a solution to those
problems. He views himself as more
moderate than those who identify as
populists.
"I believe in capitalism," he said. "I
believe it is important for the private sector
to be vibrant."
He believes that his ideology has
shifted left over the past few years, during
which time he has grown more concerned
about climate change and gun reform.
In 2012, it became more difficult
for Wolf to straddle the line between
running UBS and advising the president,
largely due to the fact that his Republican
challenger Mitt Romney was the favored
candidate of Wall Street.
Wolf decided that it was time to leave
the firm, and started his own company, 32
Advisors, named for his high school and
college sports number.
The firm is a holding company which
includes a direct investing arm, 32
Ventures, and the bipartisan economic
insights platform Strategic Worldviews,
which he runs with his partner, former
White House Director of Communications
Anthony Scaramucci.
He has also worked to elect President
Joe Biden, who he described as "a unifier,"
"real and empathetic."
Wolf said he spoke with Biden while he
was considering a presidential run in 2015.
"It seemed to me that he wanted to run,
but he was still grieving the loss of his son
Beau," said Wolf.
Though he stopped working directly
with the administration after Obama
left office in 2016, Wolf has remained
politically active, frequently appearing as a
contributor on Fox News and Fox Business,
presenting a more balanced option to the
stations' largely conservative viewership.
"We're in a very polarizing
environment. I felt like the other stations
had enough Robert Wolfs telling that
story," said Wolf, on the importance of
speaking to people across the aisle. "If you
don't tell someone on the opposite side
why you think something is good or bad,
then don't regret it if they don't hear your
side."
While Wolf said that he wasn't very
involved politically growing up, he credits
his family and his town with shaping his
political ideology.
"I think that my family and my
community helped me think about what
is important in life," said Wolf. "Those
beliefs have led to my political involvement
and why I am proud to be a staunch
Democrat."
Wolf is married with two children, all
of whom are staunch Democrats (and sadly
for him, all New York sports fans).

24 | 01945
Sweet talk about
mental health
B Y MIKE ALONGI | PHOTOS BY SPENSER HASAK
Gluten free
dishes are
available.
Hand-made macarons are a Soul Sugar staple.
146 Humphrey St., Swampscott
781-593-3308 • yansbistro.com
Sunday to Thursday:
11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday to Saturday:
11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
How many times have you
found yourself wanting a
sweet treat but held yourself
back because you felt like you shouldn’t
be eating it? At Marblehead’s Soul Sugar,
you can throw all of those thoughts out
the window.
“The aim of Soul Sugar is to open a
dialogue around the relationship between
food and mental health, specifically
exploring ways that popular culture can
exacerbate things like disordered eating,
anxiety, depression and the feelings of
inadequacy that cause so many of us to
struggle in our daily lives,” said Caroline
Laramie, owner of Soul Sugar.
Soul Sugar is a woman-owned small
business that crafts custom-made sweets
to celebrate the relationship between our
minds, our emotions and the foods we
love.
Laramie began making macarons
and meringues as a therapeutic tactic
— known as “baking therapy” — after
a culmination of traumatic experiences
and years of struggling with anxiety,
depression and an eating disorder.
Baking macarons involves a very timeconsuming
and technical process that
requires one to maintain focus from start
to finish. She started to get really good at
it as well, perfecting the art of making a
delicious macaron and eventually handing
them out to friends and family.
“I started getting incredible feedback
from everyone,” said Laramie. “It really
grew my confidence quickly.”
Baking sweets also allowed Laramie
to get comfortable being uncomfortable,
as she developed a new relationship with
what she previously perceived as “bad”
foods.
“These cookies are challenging to
make, and I had to stay so focused and
present that I wouldn’t drift into bad
thoughts,” said Laramie. “I started to
realize that sweets are meant to deliver
happiness and love, despite being thought
of as guilty pleasures by many.”
That self reflection and growth also
led Laramie to realize that there's still so
much to be done around educating people

SPRING 2021 | 25
Soul Sugar owner Caroline Laramie said it takes focus and confidence to make her custom sweets.
on mental health and their relationships
with foods.
Laramie pointed to a number of
reasons why she feels that dealing with
these issues is important.
— One in four Americans suffer from
a diagnosable mental health disorder in a
given year, and many depressive illnesses
tend to co-exist or exacerbate each other
— like depression, anxiety and eating
disorders.
— More than 30 million Americans
live with an eating disorder. That number
is also growing, as those surveyed indicate
that popular culture and unattainable
standards of beauty — as well as perceived
happiness from fake images on social
media, for example — cause people to feel
unworthy or out of control.
Laramie said food is so emotionally
and psychologically charged for so many
people.
“If using pretty cookies as a way to
gently introduce people to some heavy and
sometimes personally terrifying concepts
helps even a handful of individuals to
realize how twisted are our relationships
with mental health, eating disorders
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26 | 01945
Hard-to-make macarons are among Soul Sugar owner-baker Caroline Laramie's specialties.
and our own self-worth, then this is a
successful endeavor,” she said.
But still, Laramie needed a way to
put her plan into action. Having left her
job in the consumer products industry —
specifically the healthy lifestyle and sports
and nutrition space — in 2018, she was in
need of a direction.
She turned to Lynn nonprofit
Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll), an
organization that makes economic and
social impact in communities nationwide
through inclusive entrepreneurship
opportunities. Laramie had been a
mentor there for a couple of years, and
in September she decided to start using
the organization’s resources to her own
advantage.
“It hit me like an epiphany one day
while I was driving down Lynn Shore
Drive,” Laramie said. “I just thought,
‘what am I doing?’ My experience helping
people at EforAll had been so rewarding,
and I think that experience really was a
catalyst for me doing this on my own. I
just decided to go for it.”
So now, Laramie’s business is in full
swing as word continues to spread about
her sweets. One of the biggest advantages
to getting an order is the method of
getting them — Laramie hand-delivers
each order.
“Everyone is either personally
struggling with mental health issues
or knows someone close to them who
is, it's math,” said Laramie. “Everyone
should care about destigmatizing mental
health and supporting businesses and
organizations that focus on improving our
mental health and well-being. People feel
like crap these days, and this is just a small
way to pick people up.”
On top of that, Laramie just wants
to show her children that they can do
anything they set their minds to.
“It’s really important for me to show
them that they can do anything they
want,” said Laramie. “I wanted to show
them that they can overcome obstacles in
their lives and achieve their dreams.”
To learn more about Soul Sugar or to place an
order, visit /https://www.soulsugarsweets.com/ or
find them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and
Tik Tok.

SPRING 2021 | 27
Lynn Auditorium
On Sale at the...
We can’t wait to welcome fans back to the Lynn Auditorium to enjoy some great live
entertainment! We are working hard every day to book new and exciting shows,
including some we haven't even announced yet. When we do raise the curtain, we will
take every precaution to ensure your health and safety. You have made our venue a
mainstay on the entertainment scene and we look forward to sharing it with you again.
James M. Marsh - Executive Director
LynnAuditorium.com 781-599-SHOW

28 | 01945
Scan To Visit Us Online
He's worked in clay and bronze, but Marblehead artist Jonathan Sherman won't shun snow when it
comesto angel sculpting.
PHOTOS: OLIVIA FALCIGNO
Channeling
Leonardo
BY DAN KANE
Jonathan Sherman says Renaissance
master Leonardo da Vinci, who died in
1519, changed his life.
“He was a big influence for me. I moved
to Florence, Italy, and studied his drawings
and paintings,” said artist Sherman,
relaxing in his large, sunlit studio on the
second floor of the historic Mugford
Building at 112 Washington St.
Sherman’s life-size (25.5 inches by 16
inches by 12 inches) bronze bust of da
Vinci is a so-called "open edition" — a
work of art that can be reproduced an
unlimited number of times.
Sherman created a life-size clay model
of da Vinci and, through the lost wax
process for creating works in bronze,
Amesbury-based foundry Sincere Metal
Works produced the bust. The bust is
hollow, but still weighs 110 pounds.
The likeness is from a self-portrait
drawn by da Vinci toward the end of his
life and a drawing of the master in profile
by his pupil Francesco Melzi.
“What an inspiration to be able to look
into the eyes of the man who sought to
understand everything,” said Sherman.
The first casting of the sculpture has
been purchased by Maddox & Partners
of Naples, Fla., and is exhibited in an
outdoor wine and sculpture garden there.
There will be five more bronze busts in
Sherman’s “Great Thinkers” series. Chinese
philosopher Confucious and ancient
Egyptian philosopher/mathematician/
astronomer Hypatia are next, with the final
three to be determined. All will be open
editions and the first castings have been
commissioned by Maddox to be installed
in the wine park.
Sherman's creation coincided with
the 500-year anniversary of da Vinci’s
death. His legacy is celebrated worldwide,
including major exhibitions in 2019 at The
Queen’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace and
the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Sherman lived in Florence from 2003 to
2009, studying art of the Italian Renaissance.
Three da Vinci quotes that are
meaningful to Sherman are included on
the bronze bust: “The noblest pleasure is
the joy of understanding,” “Learning never
exhausts the mind,” and “Where Spirit does
not work with the hand, there is no Art.”
“One never knows when a creative idea
is going to happen,” said Sherman. “One
day, I thought, ‘You’re going to be making a
sculpture of Leonardo da Vinci.'”
And he did.
Sherman grew up in Marblehead, in
the shadow of Abbot Hall. His paintings,
drawings and sculptures are housed
in private collections in Europe and
throughout the United States.
Sherman is teaching virtual classes
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SPRING 2021 | 29
now at the Marblehead Arts Association.
It was there in 2011 that New York native
Elizabeth, then working at Marblehead
Arts Association, met Jonathan. Today, the
couple and their son, Apollo, and newborn
daughter, Alethea, live “in the epicenter of
Old Town, just down the road from the
studio. We are so fortunate. Elizabeth and
I do all this together, and Apollo spends a
lot of time with us here. We are blessed,”
he said.
Elizabeth is studio director and his
partner in life and business. The couple
traveled to Paris to experience da Vinci’s
works firsthand in the Louvre.
“‘Mona Lisa’ was not the piece of
Leonardo’s that spoke to me,” said
Jonathan, lamenting that it was impossible
to appreciate the painting while surrounded
by hundreds of phone-wielding tourists
elbowing one another to get a photo of the
iconic work.
It was another da Vinci painting,
“Virgin of the Rocks,” that captured his
attention. “I stood in front of it for two
days. It changed my life,” he said.
“Leonardo has been a guiding light
for me for many years. I have studied
thoroughly with the mind of an artist all
of his drawings and paintings, which have
awoken within me a richer appreciation
for the subtleties of the world in which I
live,” said Sherman. “Leonardo da Vinci,
throughout his life, was one of the greatest
embodiments of this joy and appreciation
for knowledge. When one is engrossed
in the process of learning to increase
understanding of the world, knowledge
of self expands, and the ability to navigate
in the world with greater richness,
appreciation and harmony ensues.”
Sherman has said that his works of art
are created from a deep love for human
beings and the human experience. “By
utilizing the language of nature: light,
shadow, depth, form, shape, proportion,
color and texture, which allow us all to
perceive the physical world, I am able to
fix on canvas, paper, in stone or bronze
timeless truths and wisdom pertaining
to the ever present loving relationship
between human and spirit.”
Bill Brotherton contributed to this story.
Jonthan Sherman and his wife, Elizabeth, are
partners in art.
PHOTOS: OLIVIA FALCIGNO
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30 | 01945
Old friends team up
for a new venture
Double team— Chief
Edgar Alleyne (left)
and Johnny Ray are
opening The Beacon
Restaurant & Bar.
PHOTOS BY
SPENSER HASAK
Special for 01945
Renowned entertainer and beloved
local personality, Johnny Ray, has
teamed up with his old friend,
Executive Chef Edgar Alleyne, to open
Beacon Restaurant & Bar in downtown
Marblehead.
Beacon's 123 Pleasant St. location
— former home of Wick’s — has been
closed for several months while the pair
collaborated with investors, consultants
and designers to envision a restaurant that
they believe the town and its neighbors will
embrace and enjoy.
“Fortunately for us," Ray said, “the
owners of Warwick Place are very
dedicated to the community and wanted to
continue to provide an excellent venue for
food and entertainment.”
Ray explained that the new culinary
and libation endeavor not only involves
a renovation of the restaurant but also
a refurbishment of the entire property,
including the Warwick Cinema and The
Dandee Donut Factory.
The initial plan was to close the
restaurant and reopen in the spring, but
then COVID-19 hit and the country went
into lockdown.
During those months, the plan was
expanded into revamping the entire
property, which included installing new
luxury seating in the cinema and placing
a special emphasis on health and safety
during the pandemic.
“We resumed our plan as soon as Gov.
Baker Charlie issued the green light for
establishments to reopen, and we remain
committed to the additional procedures
and training required per the new health
and safety protocols," said Ray.
"We will always have one person
on staff exclusively dedicated to the
cleaning and sanitizing of all surfaces in
the restaurants, cinema, and throughout
Warwick Place to ensure that our
guests have a safe and healthy dining
and entertainment experience – and
that undertaking will continue for the
foreseeable future.”
Alleyne is already well-known and
esteemed on the North Shore, having been
the executive chef at The Red Rock Bistro
in Swampscott for many years.
Johnny and Edgar first met there about
20 years ago, and as they became friends
the pair often mused about opening their
own place together someday.
They vowed their formula would be
simple: great food, great ambiance, and great
entertainment. An attainable concept – but
their stars didn’t align until just recently.
Ray has operated an award-winning
fine-dining establishment in Wellfleet called
Bocce Italian Grill, where he would host
and entertain during the summer months.
When he learned that the Wick’s space
might be available, he gave Alleyne a call
and they both decided the time had come
to realize their dream.
“Everyone involved really wants to
create a place that the town can be proud
of and that will serve as a dining and
entertainment destination for visitors
from all over. The décor will pay homage
to the town in a lot of subtle ways, and

SPRING 2021 | 31
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Chef Edgar has put together an amazing
menu that will feature tomahawk steaks,
sword chops, shelled lobster and unique
flatbreads, plus delicious appetizers like
tuna tartare and the shellfish tower. And
yes, when the time is right, there will be
entertainment. You can count on it,” he
said.
In addition to the restaurant’s fresh,
seaside aesthetic, the property also features
a large outdoor patio that has been updated
with landscaping to provide more privacy
for guests, and a large parking lot adjacent
to Warwick Place with ample spots for
patrons. For more dining options, The
Beacon Featuring Dandee Donuts will also
offer a full daily breakfast menu and an
expanded weekend brunch menu.
“We have collected a great team of
restaurant professionals. Be prepared to
see some familiar faces and of course make
some new friends as well,” Ray promised.
Although the official restaurant website
is still implementing some finishing
touches, the staff wants to welcome
everyone to join their Facebook page
@thebeaconmarblehead.
Old friends Edgar Alleyne (seated) and Johnny Ray are planning to open The Beacon Restaurant & Bar
in the former home of Wick's on Pleasant Street.
PHOTOS BY SPENSER HASAK

32 | 01945
He answered the call
BY ELYSE CARMOSINO
When Peter Jackson received a call in
July asking him to participate in Moderna’s
COVID-19 vaccine trial, the Marblehead
resident didn’t hesitate.
An executive for a subsidiary of
healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson,
Jackson (who was not speaking on behalf
of his company) said he had no qualms
about jumping headfirst into the biotech
giant’s vaccine race, the local trials for
which would take place right at Brigham
and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
“I knew it wasn’t going to kill me, and
I knew Brigham and Women’s was one
of the preeminent medical centers in the
United States,” Jackson said. “If you’re
going to be a part of any kind of trial for
a vaccine, you want to be in the academic
center.”
Jackson, who is Black, said his racial
background was largely what prompted
him to take on the challenge, adding
that thanks to his professional training
— which includes extensive working
Town resident and health executive Peter Jackson
help test COVID-19 vaccines.
PHOTO COURTESY PETER JACKSON
knowledge of Johnson & Johnson’s HIV
studies — he felt more than prepared for
what lay ahead.
“This is the world I live in. I’ve been in
pharmaceuticals for over 20 years. Even
though that had nothing to do with me
being in the study, I had the education,” he
said. “All I do is talk about clinical trials, so
I had a really strong understanding of what
was going on.”
Moderna, whose vaccine was approved
by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
in December, was the second healthcare
company — after Pfizer — to receive the
go-ahead for U.S. distribution.
However, medical experts across the
U.S. expressed concern during the vaccine’s
early trials that people of color weren’t
accurately represented, despite being one of
the demographics most devastated by the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Minority enrollment was so poor, in
fact, that Moderna was at one point forced
to shut down sites with high Caucasian
enrollment to avoid skewing test results.
“When you look at the graph, it’s
amazing,” Jackson said. “If you were a white
male living in the suburbs, they didn’t need
you anymore. They had too many people
living in the suburbs that were working at
home who weren’t exposed to anything.
What they really needed was the guy
driving the bus for the MBTA. He’s at risk
every single day.”
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34 | 01945
Music for
a strange time
Marblehead High School sophomore Gwen Trimarchi
plays the trumpet during concert band practice.
B Y DANIEL KANE | PHOTOS BY SPENSER HASAK
It's safe to say that concert bands
were not meant to play comfortably
during the middle of a pandemic
and the band students at Marblehead High
have gotten a crash course in that lesson
this year.
Between mask with built in flaps to slip
in the reed of a flute, saxophones adorned
with their own masks coverings at the end
of their bells and classes spaced out over
the school's entire auditorium, it's been
quite the change.
"Obviously there's a lot less in-person
time," said senior Chris Williams, who
plays percussion. "That means less effective
practice time, even if there is a good reason
for it. There's just not a lot of time to
buckle things down."
Less time for in-person practicing
has to do with the hybrid system at
Marblehead High. Students have been
cut into two cohorts, A and B, for band
practice once a week. Despite the smaller
numbers one of the biggest problems
besides practice time has been the sound
itself.
"It’s weird because you can only hear
yourself with the way the sound is while
we're this spaced out," said senior Abby
Schwartz, who plays the flute. "It can be
hard to keep in time with each other."
"We're trying to make it work," added
senior Eleanor Small, who plays the
saxophone in the concert band. "It's not
always perfect or anything like that. It's
really hard to hear some of the lower parts
because we're missing some lower brass.
We're missing our best clarinet players
— they're in cohort B, and some other
saxophone players too."
Through all the struggles band director
Kevin Goddu has scrambled to try to make
things flow as best they can throughout the
year. That meant outdoor practices in the
early fall, fully-virtual lessons at times and
everything in between.
"The marching and acapella bands were
able to do some concerts outside earlier so
we're hoping to get back to that when we
get warmer weather again," Goddu said.
"The kids have just been really resilient.
Some days are better than others, and we're
bummed out to not see each other as much.
That’s where our focus as teachers has been
this year, making sure the kids are doing
OK."
"It was hard to work individually,"
Schwartz said. "Mr. Goddu is doing the
best he can, really. But it's sad we haven’t
had any live concerts. That's usually my
favorite part. I always liked hearing the
high school band play."
What's lacking can hopefully make
some sort of a comeback in the near
future. And while things are still a work in
progress, there have been plenty of lessons
learned along the way — some more useful
than others.
MUSIC , page 36

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36 | 01945
MUSIC from page 34
"Marblehead has a lot of wild turkeys
and they can be aggressive sometimes,"
Goddu said. "We've had some incidents
but everyone adapted. I’ve been impressed
with how the kids have been taking it.
It's turned into a fun experience. I never
thought I'd learn how to take care of a
generator to keep things running outside.
That's not something they teach in music
school."
On the technology side, Goddu and
choral music teacher Andrew Scoglio
learned to listen to recordings and weave
them together using Final Cut Pro, a
video editing software, to create some
semblance to a full concert.
It has been up to the students to
embrace that technology the best they can.
"As someone who has done that a
lot it wasn't a big deal for me, but I can
imagine kids who have never done that
having a big issue," Small said. "This year,
we are working with a lot of digital audio
workstations (DAWs). It's definitely
a different branch of music. A lot of
students don't really see it in any music
class. We don't have a class like that. I
know that they want to eventually make
a studio here so students can record and
I think that it's been a great thing to
introduce in the school setting."
Pandemic players-Top: A
specially - designed face
mask helps Marblehead
High School senoir Eleanor
Small make music during a
pandemic.
Bottom: Masked conductor
Kevin Goddu leads the
Marblehead High School
concert band.

She broke down the walls inside her
BY GAYLA CAWLEY
SPRING 2021 | 37
Wendy Tamis Robbins was only 6 years
old when she had her first panic attack.
"And they really didn't stop after that,"
the Marblehead author recalls.
For nearly 40 years, Robbins suffered
from what she calls "treatment resistant
anxiety." After that first attack, she
continued to deal with a series of anxious
symptoms, which included further episodes
of panic and a number of serious phobias.
Those symptoms could be debilitating,
she says. For example, as a child, she had
an intense fear of the rain, which made
everyday life difficult.
"By the time I was in my late 30s, I
really reached this point in my life where
I asked myself the question: could I ever
live a life not limited by this debilitating
disorder?" said Robbins.
"I had been at rock bottom, and as the
title of the book alludes to, I had built these
walls so thick and tall to protect myself
against what were at first real fears, but
Marblehead author Wendy Tamis Robbin's book, "The Box: An Invitation to Freedom from Anxiety" is
scheduled to be released on May 4.

38 | 01945
Writer Wendy Tamis Robbins walked a long road to become anxiety free.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF: TABITHA ROBINSON/ TABI BOOTS PHOTOGRAPHY

SPRING 2021 | 39
then became irrational fears and (eventually
manifested as) an anxiety disorder."
The book Robbins is referring to is
her new memoir, "The Box: An Invitation
to Freedom from Anxiety," which is
scheduled to be released on May 4. And
those walls she spent much of her life
building? They represent the box that the
book discusses.
"I realized (the box) was a prison I was
living in," said Robbins, who also works as
a corporate tax and finance attorney.
Robbins said she kept building the
walls of her box out of fear. She started to
avoid the things and conversations that
were triggers for her phobias and anxiety,
which only led to the walls getting thicker
and taller. Metaphorically, that made it
more difficult for her to escape her anxiety,
Robbins explained.
"I thought speaking scary thoughts
would just take me over," she said, noting
that she eventually realized avoiding her
fears was exacerbating her anxiety and she
had to do the hard work to open that box
she had built.
"You can't keep your anxiety locked
up in this cage. You've given your power
to the anxiety when you try to lock it up
again. When you open up the door, you're
actually taking your freedom back and it
actually dispels the anxiety and the fear of
it," Robbins said.
Getting to that realization wasn't easy,
though. It was a decade-long process,
prompted by a major life event, that
convinced Robbins she needed to escape
the prison she had built for herself.
The first breakthrough for Robbins
came when she was 34 and decided to get
a divorce from her first husband. Leaving
that marriage was her first step toward
finding her way out of the box, she said,
explaining that it prompted a journey
of self-discovery that included exposure
therapy, meditation, and traveling on her
own.
However, 10 years later, when Robbins
was in her early 40s, she found that anxiety
was still controlling her life on a daily
basis. She sought advice from psychiatrists
and other healthcare providers that was
centered around a simple query: Is it
possible to have suffered from anxiety for
this long, and then at some point come to a
place where anxiety is not plaguing you on
a daily basis?
The doctors lacked the answers she was
looking for, Robbins said, noting that all,
but one person, told her that they didn't
know. That one outlier was Martha Beck,
One in three people are struggling with panic disorders, said writer Wendy Tamis Robbins.
known for being Oprah Winfrey's life
coach.
"Martha Beck was the only person who
had a different answer," said Robbins. "I
decided I had to go on her quest to see a
life beyond anxiety. In that course, I got to
speak with her directly."
Part of Beck's course included an
"amazing meditation," where Robbins
learned how to sit with her thoughts,
which for people with anxiety is no easy
task, she said.
"Just imagine a horse running and
running in a cage — it's really your anxious
thoughts running and running," Robbins
said. "It was a really amazing entry into
meditation and learning how to calm your
mind."
Now, at 48, Robbins considers herself
to be anxiety-free, which, as she's quick
to clarify, doesn't mean that she is free
of anxiety, but that the disorder doesn't
control her life anymore.
In fact, Robbins — who lives in
Marblehead with her second husband,
David Robbins, and her two teenage
stepchildren — now sees her anxiety as her
"superpower," since it gives her insight into
what's going on in her brain.
"Instead of resisting it, now I move
toward it," she said. "I know it's going to
give me this gift of resilience."
That so-called superpower enables
Robbins to see the open wounds that she
still needs to heal, and the places where she
still needs to grow in her recovery, she said.
"It's actually making my life stronger
than I ever thought possible," Robbins said.
Now that Robbins is "living outside the
box," she's hopeful that her new book will
help others who are struggling with anxiety
and panic disorders. She sees her upcoming
memoir as having particular significance
during the COVID-19 pandemic, when
so many people are dealing with mental
health issues.
"I think the biggest takeaway from the
book is you're not alone," Robbins said.
"One in three people are struggling with
these mental illnesses, so for the people
suffering, I would say definitely reach out.
Find people who have found their way out.
Use them as examples of what is possible.
(After) hitting rock bottom, listening to
other people's stories was life-saving for
me."
For more information about Robbins and
her upcoming memoir, "The Box," check out her
website at https://www.wendytamisrobbins.
com/.

40 | 01945
A paws for comfort
BY GAYLA CAWLEY
A plush cuddly toy with origins in
Marblehead is now widely used by New
England police and fire departments for
its ability to provide comfort to children
in crisis.
Trouble the Dog was an inspiration
flash for Sheila Duncan one night in 2006
when she was at home with her niece
watching the St. Jude Telethon.
The fundraising event to continue
the fight against childhood cancer and
other life-threatening diseases sparked
a conversation among Duncan's family
members who had suffered several recent
cancer losses, including the father and
grandmother of Duncan's niece and their
family dog.
"(My niece) was doodling and the St.
Jude Telethon came on, and she said, 'I have
to help those kids,' and she instantly drew
Trouble the Dog," said Duncan. "It was one
of those divinely-inspired moments."
From there Duncan started the Kennek
Foundation, which donates the comfort
toys to children who need them the most.
Duncan said people would request Trouble
the Dog for kids who had been bullied or
were struggling with anxiety.
She credits Gary Freedman, owner of
Marblehead Opticians, for helping the
Kennek Foundation get its start in 2014 —
he's been a donor from day one, she said.
Today, Trouble the Dog plush toys and
its accompanying storybook are donated to
first responders across New England and to
Shriners Hospitals for Children in Boston
and Springfield.
In Springfield, Trouble has its own
spot on the hospital's wall of therapy dogs,
Duncan said.
"I think the thing that really warms
my heart is how grateful the first
responders are," said Duncan. "They're just
phenomenal. The stories just bring tears to
your eyes because they use Trouble right at
the moment of impact. It's really powerful.
I'm grateful to be able to do it. It's much
bigger than me."
The Marblehead Police Department
benefited from another donation of Trouble
the Dog toys this past summer, which
enabled the department to continue to keep
one of the stuffed animals in each patrol car
and at the police station, according to Police
Capt. Matthew Freeman.
Since receiving their first donation
Marblehead Police Officer Andy Clark accepts a
Trouble the Dog toy from Sheila Duncan, to help
traumatized children.
PHOTO COURTESY SHEILA DUNCAN
about three years ago, Freeman said the
department's officers have used the stuffed
animals to calm children down after car
crashes and domestic violence situations.
They have also been provided to
children with behavioral issues who have
been acting out in school, he said.
"We use those to help out children who
are in crisis, or maybe where the family is
in crisis, to give them something to hold
onto or love," said Freeman. "It's a really
nice way to help kids stay calm or regain
their composure through a bad situation.
"We were all kids once. We all had
stuffed animals to hold onto when we were
afraid. Sheila has taken that to a whole new
level," he added.
Duncan stopped by the station last
August to drop off two additional Trouble
the Dog toys at the department's request
— her initial donation was 13 stuffed
animals, Freeman said.
"We're just thrilled to death to have
her think of us and continue to make the
donations," he said.
Duncan said she's found that first
responders are "so passionate about helping
kids and Trouble is a proven coping
mechanism that gives them the ability to
comfort kids when they need them the
most.
"He's a special little dog," she said. "We
call Trouble an angel in disguise because
there's a little magic to him. For years,
(children) won't go to sleep without Trouble
the Dog. He's got a spirit about him."

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