Letters to the Editor

On Globe article about Revere Beach

Editor’s Note: The following letter was drafted to Boston Globe Magazine by Council President Tony Zambuto late last week on behalf of the Council and as an official communication from the Revere City Council.

Dear Mr. LaPierre:

This letter shall serve as a response to your article in the August 10, 2014 edition of the Boston Globe Magazine.  You stated that you believe your photos captured the personality of Revere Beach, but that is far from an accurate statement.  The biased photos you chose represent the cigarette smoking and unkempt individuals who loiter along the southern end of the boulevard.  However, you were amiss not to include the families and folks who make up a vast majority of the beachgoers.

You wrote about Revere Beach in that “one can partake in the human spectacle.”  About two weeks ago there were approximately 700,000 people who visited Revere Beach to attend the 2014 National Sand Sculpting Festival.  Where were you during the festival to capture photos of the children and families from all over New England enjoying what Revere Beach truly has to offer?  About a month ago, there were film crews on Revere Beach filming the movie “Black Mass”.  Where were you during the filming to capture how picturesque Revere Beach is even as Hollywood sees it?  For the last few years, Revere Beach has been home to a wonderful farmers’ market every Thursday during the summer months.  Where were you during the farmers’ markets to capture all of the vendors peddling fresh produce and other wares?  Where were you to capture the residents who exercise along the beach in the light of the gorgeous sunrise that comes up over Broad Sound?  Where were you to capture the folks enjoying lunch or dinner at one of the many restaurants along the boulevard?

Sadly and sorely, you have missed the mark by a long shot as to depicting Revere Beach in the eyes of tried and true residents of the City of Revere.  In my opinion, you published photos based on your own selective and uninformed judgment.  Revere Beach is on the move and is the corner stone of the City of Revere.  Your photos do not even come close to being representative of that fact, but are instead distasteful and appalling by painting an extremely unfair generalization of our community.

Anthony T. Zambuto

City Council President

 

Remembering our dad … Joe Bowman

Dear Editor

On Tuesday, August 12, we laid our father, Retired Fire Captain Joseph Bowman, to rest. Born and raised in Revere, dad served proudly on the Revere Fire Department for over 36 years. Upon seeing the send off given to him by the RFD, it was clear to us where that pride came from. We would like to thank the RFD for all that they did. He would have been honored. The four of us have never been prouder to be from Revere as we were on August 12, 2014.

Thank you for your service  and God bless Revere.

Joraine Spelman,

Stoneham, MA

Joseph Bowmnan Jr., Brecksville, OH

Lisa Carlson, Saugus, Christine Emond,

Marblehead, MA

 

America’s First   Public Beach

Dear Editor: 

This is in regards to an article called “On The Beach” written by Scott LaPierre on August 10 in the Sunday Boston Globe Magazine. He states Revere Beach is made up of “ordinary” people from Boston, Melrose, etc. He starts off with a full-page photo of a lone child peering over the wall, looking at empty sands. The reader then turns the page and – Bam – pictures of people with tattoos, cigarettes hanging out of their mouths, among other pictures. Who is Mr. LaPierre to even make judgment on this handful of people? His biased photos are NOT the majority of “ordinary” people that enjoy the summers at America’s First Public Beach.

I have lived on this beach for 20 years and my health sometimes restricts me to the house. I look out the window and there are so many wonderful sights to see. One day there will be a dozen people from all over Massachusetts wind surfing the waves with an array of colored sails. They do this all year long.

Another day, I will be watching students from Harvard and MIT playing Frisbee, a father showing his little boy how to fly a kite, some teenagers from inner cities putting a net in the sand to play handball, a man teaching his little girl how to play golf on the miles of lawn we also have on the boulevard, a family having a picnic under the cool shade of the trees or bringing their children to play in the sand and feel their feet in our ocean.

I watch parents strolling with their babies in their carriages, people jogging, bicycling, walking their pets like it’s one big social club. Try counting the endless colors of umbrellas, one better looking than the other. The tons of children and adults can be seen splashing and swimming in the waters of America’s First Public Beach. I look at the people sitting on the wall, watching as I do, all the beautiful sights Revere Beach has to offer.

America’s First Public Beach is mainly of families, singles and couples who are the vast majority of “ordinary” people. People come from all parts of Massachusetts that are easily accessible via the T on the Blue Line. There is a State Police station right across from the train station. These dedicated officers also come from different towns and cities to work at Revere Beach. One day I finally could go out and as I tried to cross the street on my wheelchair, a policeman made sure I safely got to the other side.

Not only what Mr. LaPierre would call “ordinary” people that visit the beach for enjoyment, America’s First Beach also has many events and festivities all summer long. People from far and wide come here. Revere Beach has restaurants, a fire station of “ordinary” courageous men just feet from the busier parts of the beach. We have the Jack Satter Senior Living, full of citizens that came to Revere Beach from every part of Massachusetts. Oh how they must love living on the beach! We have the huge Mass General Hospital clinic right across from one train station and the State Police Station across from the other train station.

Mr. LaPierre says he drives through Revere Beach daily. He even strolled up and down the beach to capture the personality of America’s First Beach. I take offense to the photographs Mr. LaPierre wanted to display to his readers. I guess the “real ordinary” people that are the majority who come to our beach were just too ordinary for an ordinary man like Mr. LaPierre who also frequents America’s First Public Beach.

 Patricia Epsimos 

 

Thank you for a great eduation at RPS

Dear Editor:

Now that the summer is quickly coming to a close and many of the RHS class of 2014 (my son being one of them) is going off to college I’d just like to thank the Administrators, Teachers, Guidance Counselors,

Coaches, Nurses, Food Service people, Secretarial staff, and even Custodians of the Revere Public Schools for helping provide our children with the BEST 13 year experience that any young person could have had. They were provided with great classroom instruction, top quality guidance, and state of the art technology to use and state of the art school buildings to use it in. A top-notch education by any standard.

It has been said on many occasions that the Class of 2014 was SPECIAL and we are not likely to see another group like it for quite some time. They had a unique personality and camaraderie and for the most part excelled in most things that they got involved in including Athletics, various extra-curricular activities, but most importantly academics. They will make their families and this city proud by attending such schools as Yale, M.I.T., Penn, Brigham Young University, Syracuse, Loyola of Maryland, Villanova University, American University, Dennison, Emmanuel, Assumption University, Stonehill College, UMASS-Amherst, UMASS-Dartmouth, UMASS-Boston, Regis College, Mass College of Pharmacy, Salem State University, University of Maine at Orono, Union College, Bucknell University, UCAL-Santa Barbara, and many more. As they embark on their missions nationwide I say LOOK OUT WORLD here come the modern day Patriots of ‘14 to make their marks. And though we all wish them nothing but the best as they go their separate ways and travel away from us. I for one can hardly wait for them to come back to visit in a few months for Thanksgiving.

Peter DiGiulio and Family

 

Disappointed

Dear Editor:

My 4-year-old grandson was in tears last Saturday because he was not old enough to participate in the Revere Field Day at the Whelan School. I approached Michael Hinojosa about this and he went out of his way to retrieve a bouncy house for the many younger children in attendance. I just want to thank him for being so accommodating.

Robyn D’Apolito

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