Did you hear the story about the Belmont kid born at 2.5lbs who spent the first few weeks of his life in a shoebox? The kid who worked 10-hour days on Belmont farms in 7th grade to help earn money for his family. The Pond skater nicknamed after a fish? The Korean war vet and Lifelong Belmontian?
What if I said the legendary hockey player who played for Polly Harris and Frank Bennett and went on to commit his life to Belmont both as a treasured employee and historic hockey player and coach. The man for whom the Town of Belmont honored his service to Town and Community by naming the local hockey rink after him.
That man is the living legend “Skip” Viglirolo. His story is available as part of the Belmont Story Project online. Skip’s story is part of Belmont’s history, and part of the contribution Italian immigrants played in the development and success of Belmont.
Soon the Town of Belmont will be opening a brand-new rink to replace the original 1971 rink. TownieTalk was surprised to learn that the Select Board hasn’t committed to keeping Skip’s name on the rink. I don’t understand this but then again, I didn’t understand the hesitancy of naming the Wellington gym under the also legendary Dick Samaria. Town history is what binds generations of current and former Belmontians together. You meet someone who grew up in Town and you ask what School they attended or what neighborhood they lived in and was that near the Underwood or Cushing Sq or Palfrey Sq etc. Erasing history erases bonds.
The Town has just experienced a generational shift in leadership. The millennials are now in charge and while I apologize that we (I blame the Boomers but there were some Gen X in that mix) left you with outsized debt and difficult choices ahead, I would ask you to take the time to embrace the Town’s proud immigrant history and preserve it for former, current, and future generations to share not erase it.