A special day for Ray OBrien
Today I want to bring you a story that is not related directly to Angels but in some small way Angels and my story to tell you go hand and hand.
I have told you a few times that when I grew up my Dad was gone and out of the picture of bringing me up and my Mother looked after my Sister and myself doing all the work. We had very little at the time but as I have gotten older I now understand that my Mother did her very best to look after us with the limited funds that she had and put both of us children before herself. When I look back now to see what she did, I wish she was here so I could give her a hug and say Thank You to her as now I understand what she did.
At that time in the early 60s it must have been very hard for a Mother to look after a growing boy to teach him about life ahead in the coming few short years.
That brings me to this, because of my Fathers absence and my Mother with limited knowledge of a boy starting to become a young man I met people who reached out to help me in life like working on the Cushman’s Bakery truck with Fred Nickerson all over Somerville or working at the Royal White Laundry in Somerville with David and Arnold Leibovitz as well as having newspaper routes in West Medford, Ma and working at Gas stations in Arlington, MA
Yes I learned to work at a very young age and became a very good honest worker throughout my entire working career and I was also a good student at school at the same time.
This may sound a little crazy but the people who I worked for at a very early age took my Fathers place and helped mold me for my adult future. This all started when I was from 8 years old to 14 years old…. To skip ahead a few years I am now 16 years old driving the laundry trucks and working inside the laundry plant washing clothes and running the machines as well as greasing and cleaning the machines after school or all summer long. At this point of my life I liked to work with tools but had no real idea what they were or how to use them.
I was in 9th grade at the Hobbs Jr High School in Medford MA and one day a Guidance counselor came into our class and asked if anyone would be interested in going to the Melvin V Weldon Vocational School in Medford and learning a trade like Machine Shop or Automobile repair or other trades . The counselor gave us paperwork to read and take home for our parents to see. Well in my family nobody ever went to college we honestly did not even know what it was, let alone be able to pay for it… I liked the idea of learning a trade working with my hands and tools so I signed up for next year’s class.
I was accepted into the Auto Shop. I honestly did not know a hammer from a screwdriver when that class started the following September.
I went 2 years at that school before going to Medford’s brand new High School and Vocational School in 1971. I graduated from Medford Vocational Technical High School in 1971 . The very first class of the new school. When I graduated from school I first went to work at Mirak Chevrolet in Arlington for $2.50 per hour then International Harvester in Medford to work on trucks then on to Ryder Truck Rental working on fleets of trucks at night.
The one thing I always remembered from when I was a young boy and my Mother struggling to look after me for my future was the people who helped me along the way and who opened doors along my life journey. Being a truck mechanic was no joke, looking after Teamster truck drivers and their trucks and keeping everyone safe so they came back to the shop every night with an empty truck after their run without mechanical failures, big accidents or anyone getting hurt, I did it for over 45 years and finally retired a few years ago.
So now you know a little of the history of Ray OBrien and my trade as a mechanic. Now let me tell you the surprise story that took place a week ago.
I have not been feeling the best from getting old and being worn out… I am up and down some days good, other days not so good ….That’s just part of life getting old.
I have always been a person that Right is Right…. with nothing in between at home and work along with people.
I have two Nephews Steve & Mike and a Cousin John. They too came from a home life that was not the best when they were growing up. They are from 8 to 15 years younger than I am. Well because people helped me and I know what it meant, I did my very best to look after all 3 of them. I worked all 3 of them hard learning how to do things, even building a small vacation house together in New Hampshire. but we also had so much fun together. We went on motorcycle trips, fished together, and did everything together. I tried to motivate them to learn everything I could to become good, well rounded adults who go to work every day and work hard. I am proud to say that’s what each one of them are today: hard workers with good families. All 3 had the fire in them to become something good but not many people to mentor or guide the 3 of them so I did what I could to help them just like people did to me years earlier.
My Nephew Steve never forgot the old days. It makes me laugh thinking about him. He never forgot any of my teachings when he was young, finding his way in life or going to Papa Gino’s and Funspot Arcade in Laconia NH after a hard day’s work.
About 3 weeks ago Steve called me and said to me, Uncle Ray, I am going to the Vocational School in 3 weeks. I want you to come with me. I said ok to him. He went to the same school and graduated from the carpentry class in 1985.
On Oct 16 this year Steve and his wife Jen came to my house. I was happy to see him as he lives in North Carolina now. We sit and talk then have something to eat in my kitchen and I ask him Steve what are you going to the Voc for? I had to ask him 3 or 4 times about it and he would not tell me . I started to get mad and said Steve what is this all about? My family was now sitting all around the table. Steves turned to me and said Uncle Ray it’s all about you at the Voc tomorrow. I said to Steve what are you talking about? He said for over 2 years I have been working with the City of Medford School department, the Superintendent of Schools, the Mayor’s office and the Principal at the Vocational school. I want to honor you for all your hard work looking after me and all your hard work for many years looking after the truck drivers and your co workers and others. You always worked hard to look after everyone and I want to say Thank You to you.
Steve said I know that you loved going to the Medford Voc and that’s where the first door opened for you in the Auto Mechanics Shop to fix cars and trucks so I have arranged that the tool crib inside the Auto shop be named after your honor with a small plaque mounted on the wall beside it for everyone to read about you. The school Principal Mr Chad Fallon is very excited to meet you along with the students and teachers of the school and our family. We will meet tomorrow morning in the Medford MA Automotive Vocational shop that you graduated from almost 55 years ago. He said there is more to it, but that’s enough for today to tell you. I was shocked. To this day 2 weeks afterwards I am still in shock over what was done for me.
The next day I got dressed and went to the Voc with my entire family after many many years. It was an unbelievable feeling. When I drove up to park my car the principal Mr Chad Fallon was outside to welcome me and my family to the school. We walked down the long hallway to the Auto shop and when I walked in the teachers and young students were there to say hello to me.
After the Principal Mr Fallon said a few words, Steve got up and said a few words about me then I was asked to give a short talk. I loved that the auto shop students and teachers stood beside me and listened carefully to what I had to say. After all, 55 years ago I was one of the students in the class. I did get a little long in my talk , but I wanted to make a point that Safety is an important part of being a mechanic. You have to keep yourself safe as well as the drivers or customers that you fix vehicles for. Keeping yourself safe also means your personal safety. Like wearing gloves staying warm in the cold when you are outside , keeping motor oil off your skin, breathing exhaust fumes or being safe from other cars and trucks when on a road call on the highway along with using the proper equipment when fixing cars or trucks like the proper jacks and jack stands and always knowing where an extinguisher is, or in today’s world always having a cell phone in your pocket for an emergency.
Technology has changed very much since I went to this school. You students have to work much harder than I had to, to understand how everything works to do a professional repair and make money or keep your boss happy.
There is one thing for sure about being a mechanic, You will always work very hard and always have lots of work to do but you will never become a millionaire but you will always have money in your pocket. You boys are all young men now, soon you may be married with a family ! Now is the time to plan your future where you want to end up in 55 years. Learn everything you can every day you come to this school (A for effort ) as one day you are going to walk out the school door like I did many years ago for the last time and the only thing you will take with you from this school are the skills and training that you got here. You will never forget your teachers or this wonderful school. I wish all of you the best of luck when that day arrives.
To end I shook each student’s hand and the Principal Mr Fallon read what was on the Plaque and Steve gave him a $20,000 donation to the Automotive shop in honor of me.
I almost fell on the floor as I knew nothing about that… After my family left the Auto shop we were taken to the Culinary Arts Dept of the school where they have a restaurant and my family and myself were given a huge grand breakfast. Everything you could think of was given to us by the Culinary Art Students at the school on one long long table . It was fantastic.
Mr Fallon gave Steve his and myself a giant copy of our 1985 & 1971 yearbook photos made by the Graphic Arts Department , along with Medford Mustangs Tee Shirts and Sweatshirts… Later that evening Steve took everyone out for Chinese Dinner at the China Sky in Winchester MA that too was fantastic. Surely a day to remember forever for everyone.
Here is the moral of the story: Steve never forgot I tried to help him along with many others in my lifetime just like people did for me. When I travel to India and work with the Sisters or other people I work with to give the children pencils,a ball or build a playground or maybe a chair and desk to sit in at school. Those children will also never forget someone stepped forward to help them or their school.
Life is very very short. The older you get the more you understand it better.
Many times people are honored for their work when they have passed away. I am one of the lucky ones. This honor was given to me when I am alive to enjoy every day of it until God calls for me.
Thank you Steve McCarthy and your family , Thank You Medford , Thank You Medford Vocational School Principal, Staff and Students and Many thanks to my family
Below you will see some photos as well as a link to the Facebook page of the Medford School System and what they wrote about the event. For what it’s worth I have to add that my two girls went to this same school graduating in 2008 & 2011. Each one of my girls Joanna and Melissa won the Lawrence R. Volpe award for academic and overall excellence in each of their year’s graduation class and their name is on a giant trophy in the Vocational school showcase..I have always been very proud of that. Joanna took Early Childhood Education and is a teacher. Melissa took Nursing and very soon she will have a Masters of Nursing degree. So as you can see the Medford Vocational Technical High School has been very good to my family. It opened the doors to my future, as well as my children’s future.
Thanks for reading my story
Proud to be a Vokie
Ray OBrien
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Below you will find a link to the Medford School System facebook Page where an article has been posted about the event ….