MHSAA inducts eight to Alumni Hall of Fame for 2018

MHSAA Hall of Fame 2018

The Malden High School Alumni Association has inducted eight new members into its Hall of Fame as its Class of 2018, including a former teacher who helped give the alumni group life.

The honorees also include a former Malden Police chief, (now 102 years old), a documentary film maker, an ambulance company founder and humanitarian, a broadcasting legend, a civil rights pioneer, a drop-out who came back to make a difference, and an astronomer inspired by chance to open the universe to the blind.

“We do a great job in connecting the past to the present,” interim Principal Christopher Mastrangelo said as he introduced the honorees to the senior class in Jenkins Auditorium in the afternoon prior to the evening induction ceremonies at Anthony’s function hall.

Serving as master of ceremonies, Mastrangelo introduced the honorees to more than 100 friends and family members who attended the May 4 event at Anthony’s function hall.

In the Field of Community Service & Education (posthumous) -- Joanne Assetta Iovino was a lifelong resident of Malden, educated Malden and graduated from MHS in 1964. She earned a degree in education at Boston College and began teaching in 1968 at Lincoln Jr. High School. Mrs. Iovino advised her students not to look for short cuts because there was no substitute for hard work, both in the classroom and in life. Her prudent advice plus her genuine caring for students was what made her such a beloved teacher. She taught English until she retired in 2005, thirty-seven years of outstanding teaching. Mrs. Iovino was also very active in the Malden community. She was past president and board member of the Malden Victorian Society, a past board member of the Malden Historical Society, and a member of the Malden Kiwanis Club. Joanne was also a supporter of the Malden Public Library’s program Malden Reads. Joanne was also a founding member and Vice President of the Malden High School Alumni Association, which raises scholarship monies for deserving students at MHS. The idea for the Hall of Fame banquet and the Hall of Fame Wall at MHS was all Joanne’s. Joanne felt it was important for the MHSAA to recognize MHS alumni who have used their expertise to make this world a better place to live.

In the Field of Government: Edmund A. Trabucco graduated from MHS in 1934. He was an avid reader and always had a thirst for knowledge. Although he grew up during the Great Depression, he was determined to further his education. He enrolled at Boston University where he studied Criminal Justice and Law. In 1942 he became a Malden police officer. In 1949 he was promoted to sergeant, then lieutenant in 1952, the youngest in the history of the department. In 1962 he was appointed captain, and in 1972, Captain Trabucco was appointed Malden Chief of Police. His career spanned more than five decades. Outside of his work on the Malden police force, Mr. Trabucco was a member of the YMCA for over 75 years where he played competitive handball. At the time of his induction, Trabucco was 102.

In the Field of The Arts: Ann Carol Grossman, Class of 1965. Music has always been Ann Carol’s passion. Throughout junior and high school, she strummed the guitar, joined the high school’s orchestra, created her own folk group (The Balladeers) and even composed her own folk music. While she continued to pursue this passion throughout her under graduate and graduate years (Brandeis and Columbia respectively), performing at folk clubs as well as a folk concert at Boston’s Arlington Street Church, she developed a love for film and film making as well, especially documentary films, ultimately creating a documentary film production company, Umbrella Films, and imparted her knowledge of film making to a new generation of film students at Emerson College. Her ties to the Feminist Movement as well as her skills as a documentary filmmaker lead her to research and produce a documentary film on two of the cosmetic industries strongest female role models: Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubenstein. The hard work paid off and her documentary, “The Powder and the Glory”, ultimately aired on PBS. It became the inspiration for the Broadway production “War Paint”.

In the Field of Business -- Diana Cataldo, Class of 1958, attended MHS from 1955-1958, when she put her formal education on hold in order to seek employment and provide financially for her family. Committed to finishing her education, Diana completed her studies and earned her GED. In 1977, Diana and her husband Bob founded Somerville Ambulance Services, Inc., which grew over the years into Cataldo Ambulance, the largest private provider of Emergency Medical Services and transportation in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Today, it employs 866 employees, serving 17 municipalities with a fleet of 212 vehicles, responding to over 190,000 calls per year. Over the years, Diana has been committed to giving back to the communities that she serves. Each year, Cataldo Ambulance sponsors a golf tournament, “Swing for Hope,” with the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society’s, Hope Lodge, which provides housing for patients undergoing medical treatments at Boston hospitals. To date over $500,000 has been raised. Through donations and contributions, Cataldo Ambulance also contributes to local civic groups such as Malden Kiwanis, Malden YWCA and the Malden Chamber of Commerce.

In the field of Media -- Nicholas “Dick” Robinson, Class of 1956 – Made his mark in broadcasting in the 60’s and 70’s as a disc jockey in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Florida. In 1964 he opened the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Hartford, Ct., which has grown to 12 campuses on the East Coast, responsible for thousands of broadcast careers. Dick’s interest in philanthropy started in 1965 when proceeds from a novelty record of his were donated to the Children’s Museum of West Hartford. Dick now lives in Palm Beach, Fl., area where he has served on the boards of many charities and arts organizations, the latter of which includes his creation, the non-profit Society for the Preservation of the “Great American Song Book.”

In the Field of Science: Noreen Grice was born and raised in Malden, graduating from MHS in 1981. Noreen received a degree in Astronomy from Boston University and a Masters Degree in Astronomy from San Diego State University. Noreen has taught at several New England colleges and universities as well as working as Planetarium Operations Coordinator at the Boston Museum of Science for over 25 years. It was there she had a group of blind people who, because they could not see the projected images of stars and planets, inspired her to bring the cosmos to their fingertips. She went on to make astronomy and space science materials accessible to people of all abilities through Universal Instructional Design. She is also an accomplished author of five tactile astronomy books and a sixth education/travel astronomy book. Noreen started her own company, You Can Do Astronomy LLC, which helps organizations make their materials, programs and facilities welcoming and accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities, such as blindness. Presently, Noreen is the Planetarium Educator/Manager at the Children’s Museum in Harford Connecticut where she presents school and public planetarium shows and manages Connecticut’s largest museum planetarium theater.

In the Field of Community Service (posthumous): John Haynes Holmes was born in Philadelphia, Pa., on November 29, 1879. He was raised in Malden and graduated from MHS in the Class of 1898. Mr. Holmes attended both Harvard University and Harvard Divinity School. He began his career as a Unitarian Minister and later served as minister of the Community Church of New York for 42 years. In 1909 Holmes helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and in 1920 help found the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). An outstanding force for human rights and social justice, Holmes was a pacifist and deeply committed to peace. He embraced the methods of non-violence taught by Mahatma Gandhi. Mr. Holmes became friends with Gandhi during his extended visit to India (1947-1948). In 1961 Mr. Holmes was presented with the Gandhi Peace Award.

In the Field of Community Service: John Boris left MHS at age 17 in 1956 to join the Army to help support his struggling mother and siblings, but it was a chance meeting years later at his job as a store clerk at Kennedy’s Butter and Egg Store in Malden Square, with MHS coach Arthur Boyle, who convinced him (“he kicked my butt”), then 25 years old, to return to school to get his diploma, which he did in 1964. That decision launched him on a lifetime of successful business ventures that allowed him to help fulfill his mother’s words to always give back and help others. A three-time cancer survivor and heart surgery patient, John Boris advanced over six decades to become chairman of the Housing Authority in Salem, MA, where he is involved with the local food bank, helps homeless families, those with autism, cancer and cardiac patients and the elderly. John said he hopes he has made his mother proud.

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The purpose of the Hall of Fame, founded in 2014, is to recognize MHS alumni for exceptional achievement in their chosen careers and/or for their outstanding contributions to the Malden community and beyond. More information can be found at www.maldenhighalumni.com.

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Contact:

David D. Haskell, 781-324-2725, dhaskell2@verizon.net