Brockton Project friends

Item Information

Title:
Brockton Project friends
Description:
'For forty-two years I served in the Brockton Public Library, becoming acquainted with Brockton's own Frank Capra stories. The moniker 'City of Champions' aptly fits both the athletic feats from Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler to Brockton High's football, soccer, swim, and track teams, but it also describes the ethos of the city. Brockton remains a viable city, often due to the efforts of a small cadre of individuals who come together to make a difference. This is the story of one of those clusters. Back in 1974 I started as Reader's Advisor, hired by Library Director Ernest J. Webby, Jr. to be the first professional librarian on staff who was not the director. Next hired was my assistant Hugh Crane, recommended by the Creedon brothers, one of whom had been his roommate at Harvard. Over time I learned that he had been a member of a small group of college graduates who had come together in Brockton to make a difference. They came from Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, New Jersey, and all over New England. One of Hugh's other college roommates from Brockton became a Rhodes Scholar. At Oxford he met up with another Rhodes Scholar committed to social change. He was from Brown University. They decided Brockton would be a good community for this experiment. The one from Brown recruited many Brown graduates to join the effort. Using seed money from Margery Tabankin, they created an alternative newspaper, 'The Brockton Examiner,' a food co-op, and organized to help people make home improvements, especially in the Walnut-Turner area of Brockton. The 'Brockton Examiner' inspired people from City Hall and elsewhere to voice their concerns. Some shared information that helped reveal corruption. Some politicians lost elections and potential political appointments, creating powerful enemies, but also friends. My husband wrote political ads for people he thought worthy of the positions they sought. The project lasted only a few years, but it did have an impact on the community. Many decided to further their education. One who did photography for the newspaper ultimately became a professor of city planning in British Columbia. His daughter holds a political office in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Others ran for office, several became doctors and one became involved in public health. Quite a number of the people who were part of the project became involved with unions. One is a labor lawyer. One became a minister. Another went into environmental science. Another became committed to public housing. Some earned MBAs and used their degrees for the Children's Defense Fund, education, and even a ballet company. Several became librarians. They have remained friends. As for me, my husband Hugh Crane benefitted from his experience working with well-educated, strong women. He had been educated at Boston College High School and Harvard University. The women in the Brockton Project countered any misconceptions he might have harbored about women's abilities, thus making him a wonderful, supportive husband and good father. Pictured: Brockton Project friends members. Location: Hoosic Club.'
Contributor:
Shannon, Lucia M.
Date:
August 14, 1982
Format:
Photographs
Location:
University of Massachusetts Boston, Joseph P. Healey Library
Collection (local):
Mass. Memories Road Show
MMRS-0078
Series:
Brockton Mass. Memories Road Show
Link to Item:
https://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15774coll6/id/12802
Terms of Use:
http://blogs.umb.edu/archives/about/rights-and-reproductions/
Contact host institution for more information.
Language:
English
Identifier:
UASC-0140-0078-0013-0001