If you lived through the Blizzard of 1978 then you will always recall it as the blizzard of all blizzards, the storm of all storms, the one weather event that stands out among all others in a lifetime.
The Blizzard of 1978 was 32 hours of fury, of high winds, of single digit temperature, of snow falling two to three inches an hour, of drifts that were larger than life and of life as we know it brought to a halt for almost one week.
At its worst, the blizzard was destructive and chaotic. It was a tornado and a hurricane put together. At its best, it was the most impressive show of Nature’s force in our lifetime. At it’s worst, it disrupted our lives for a week and made Beacon Hill virtually impassable – with automobiles buried in snow until the spring. At it’s best, it brought us all together.
Beacon Hill residents who lived through the Blizzard of 1978 will recall the camaraderie of residents, the way everyone tended to come together after the storm.
Elderly residents relied on the largesse of neighbors who brought them food when the markets weren’t open.
Police and fire department officers made countless emergency visits to those who could not make it to local clinics and hospitals or who ran out of prescription drugs or life saving oxygen.
Charles Street became a winter wonderland, free of traffic, free of hustle and bustle. It became, again, for a brief moment in time, Beacon Hill’s exclusive street.
People skied on Charles Street. They skied down the hilly portion of Beacon Street.
We all learned how to stay at home and to survive the results of Nature’s fury.
Anyone who did not experience this blizzard telling you that there have been storms since that time that were greater intensity, does not know what they are talking about.
There has not been a storm like it since 1978 ands there is the strong likelihood that those of us who lived through it will not see a storm like that again in our lifetime.
Lastly, to think that 30 years have passed causes many of us to wonder – where does a lifetime go?

CAPTION: Thomas McGovern.

Since 1903, Fisher College has been quietly and inconspicuously providing students individualized and enriched education from its small campus on Beacon St. The school has weathered the ups and downs of the business of academia, continuing to move forward when other Boston-area colleges of its size have had to shut their doors. But just continuing on is not enough for new college president Thomas McGovern.
“I want people to know we’re a good, solid institution – and a good citizen of Boston,” McGovern says. “We really have to work on our image so that we’re no longer the best kept secret in the Back Bay.”
About four months into his tenure as college president, McGovern has big goals for Fisher. He is just the eighth president in the school’s more than 100-year history, and McGovern has real ties to the school. With a background in government and transportation, he joined the Fisher faculty in the 1970s. McGovern came to Fisher because of its commitment to continuing education programs, which at the time attracted many Vietnam veterans taking advantage of the GI Bill to the school. A Vietnam vet himself, McGovern had earned his master’s degree by taking advantage of the GI Bill.
McGovern became a full-time member of the faculty in the early 2000s, and though he left the college in 2006 to pursue consulting opportunities, he was very pleased last year when a nationwide search for a successor to former president Charles Perkins ended with him as the choice.
“This is the only job I ever would have returned to academia for, and I couldn’t have been more pleased,” he says.
Although he’s spent much of his time in his first months on the job wrapped up in assessments by various government and educational boards, he has taken time to set some goals for the school. Traditionally a two-year college, Fisher has been moving toward a four-year culture and is seeking approval for three new baccalaureate degrees to add to its existing business management program. McGovern says he is “confident” in gaining that approval by the year’s end.
With college enrollment at its highest numbers in more than two decades, there is definitely positive momentum toward growth. But McGovern wants Back Bay residents to know that this growth does not mean the school will be seeking to expand its Beacon St. campus by acquiring other Back Bay buildings. For example, when the school bought and restored the historic One Arlington Street building a few years ago, it opened only as an academic building – not as a dormitory. Instead, McGovern is eyeing Suffolk University and Emerson College’s recent expansion moves for inspiration in that area.
He wants Back Bay residents to know that Fisher is a part of the community, and that open houses and tours of One Arlington Street and the rest of the campus are available. Meeting space is also available.
“We are trying to be good neighbors,” McGovern says.
McGovern’s other overarching goals include moving the school from a tuition-driven financial model to look more toward external funds, such as grants. And, McGovern wants to continue building Fisher’s reputation as a leader in online learning.
But McGovern isn’t spending all of his time in his office crafting missing statements and pondering Fisher’s future. He’s also intent to enjoy the school’s present -- ending one recent day cheering at a Fisher-Fitchburg State basketball game and another at a student rally. His larger goals, though, are never far from his thoughts.
“We need to put ourselves on the map,” he says.

Good things have been happening in the Back Bay for Eric Glassoff. And
the 45-year-old realtor has been making good things happen for people
wanting to buy or sell properties in the Back Bay.
Glassoff has been one of Coldwell Banker’s top realtors in Brookline
and Newton for the past six years. In 2007, Glassoff expanded his
business to the Back Bay, Beacon Hill, and South End real state
markets.
He recently sold a condominium on West Cedar Street on Beacon Hill that
listed at $1.295 million and another condominium in the Back Bay at 73
Marlborough St. listed at $499,000.
“Living in the same area where I sell gives me great insight,
knowledge and understanding of the area and this in turn gives my
clients a sense of trust in my judgement and recommendations,” said
Glassoff.
The Back Bay, Beacon Hill and South End are much sought-after
locations for young professionals who work in Boston, according to
Glassoff. “I’ve met a lot of young professionals, people in the medical
field, empty nesters, and baby boomers and they’re all attracted to the
Back Bay lifestyle of being close to the theater, shopping trendy
restaurants, and public transportation,” said Glasoff. “I personally
like the charm that the buildings in the Back Bay have to offer.”
Glassoff attended Everett High School and UMass/Amherst and holds an
MBA Degree from Babson College. He made the switch to real estate in
2002 after working previously as a sales representative for AT&T and as
a mortgage broker.
Why the career change?
“I had bought and sold my own properties and I liked being around the
real estate field,” said Glassoff. “I felt an affinity toward it and
now I really enjoy working in real estate. For me, there’s nothing as
rewarding as seeing the smile on someone’s face when they buy their
first home or property and you’ve helped them get there.”
Glassoff said he prides himself on his unique background in sales and
marketing, his accessibility to clients, mortgage background, hard
work, all of which have contributed to his success.
“Each year my business has grown to the point where I needed to employ
a full-time assistant enabling me to maintain the high customer service
that I like to deliver,” said Glassoff.
Clients also appreciate his boundless energy, positive attitude, and
savvy negotiating and marketing skills. Many have returned to use
Glassoff’s expertise to sell and upgrade to larger properties. His free
monthly newsletter that is available through his website,
www.BostonRealEstateExperts.com, has more than 1,000 subscribers.
Glassoff intends to increase his presence in the Back Bay and Beacon
Hill this year.
“Even though the market is volatile, it’s a great opportunity for
buyers to get reasonable deals and great value right now and I welcome
the opportunity to help people find the home or property they’re
looking for in the area,” said Glassoff.
(You can sign up for Eric Glassoff’s free daily property updates and
monthly newsletter at www.BostonReal EstateExperts.com).

The Museum of Fine Arts hosted an opening reception on January 28th for its newest exhibition, Rhythms of Modern Life: British Prints 1914-1939. Curated by Clifford Ackley, the MFA's Ruth and Carl Shapiro Curator of Prints and Drawings, the exhibit highlights the period of social and economic change in Europe stimulated by the technological advances of the modern age. Rhythms of Modern Life was organized by the MFA in collaboration with New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and will be on view at the MFA through June 1.

ABOVE LEFT: British Consul General Phil Budden and Debbie Tripp Budden of Chestnut Street.

ABOVE RIGHT: David and Christine Root of West Cedar Street.

Invincibility

Before the Super Bowl, there was the belief held widely throughout this city and all around the state, that the Patriots could not lose to the Giants – or anyone for that matter. Their undefeated season, their leadership, their stars and their week to week winning team effort made them invincible. Given what happened over the weekend, the Patriot’s stunning loss and the Giants stunning win, proves that even the best teams to take the field are not invincible.
It reminds us a bit of the story about the nuns preparing to board the Titanic when it was about to set sail for New York on its maiden voyage. Like the Patriots, the Titanic was believed to be a vessel that could not sink. It was stronger even than the ocean, more powerful than anything Mother Nature could throw at it, according to its owners and builders.
The nuns preparing to board the Titanic walked up the gangway. They were about to step on board when they noticed a sign affixed to the podium where the ship’s agent was checking in those scheduled to sail.
“Even God couldn’t sink this ship,” was the message the nuns read. According to anecdotal information that has come down to us over the years about this moment, the nuns looked at one another, turned around and descended the gangway.
They were not about to test their faith with a ship that was supposed to be invincible.
Invincibility, like inevitability, is the eternal enigma many of us deal with as we pass through our lives. That, and tragedy.
In Phillip Roth’s masterpiece American Pastoral, he writes: “The tragedy of the man not set up for tragedy – that is every man’s tragedy.”
The Patriot’s loss is about notions of invincibility and partly about tragedy.
The Patriots proved over the weekend in Arizona that they are not invincible. Their loss to the Giants came as a shocking surprise to all of us who believed we’d be celebrating a world championship on Tuesday with a parade.
Instead, all we’ve got is a primary election.

The trappings of power

Two weeks ago at the mayor’s annual state of the city address, Beacon Hill’s most notable elected public official, Senator John Kerry, was in attendance. Some of us who watched the Beacon Hill resident move about the large crowd got the strong feeling the senator was a bit out of place.
Frankly, he looked like a man alone.
He entered the event by himself. He left the event by himself. He was left to himself by most of the large crowd, many of whom tended to gravitate toward the governor, the speaker of the house and the state senate president.
Senator Kerry suffers from Washingtonitis. This is an affliction brought on by spending too much time in Washington, D.C. and not enough time in your own state.
It’s the voters of the Commonwealth that Kerry should feel beholden to more than to the corridors of power in the nation’s capital.
It was good to see him at the mayor’s inaugural but we’re not certain whether anyone really cared.