Parente: Saints, heroes and role models

My teen-age years, the austere depression's recovery years, were spent working in a downtown retail store to earn my spending money. I saved pennies, nickels and dimes to buy a blouse, a pair of shoes or to purchase tickets to the annual train classic, the Milford-Framingham football game special - A perfect segue into the real purpose of this week's column, the historical significance as well as the importance of completing the costly rehabilitation of the Jay DiAntonio Youth Center located in the Milford Armory.

I was purging old home files, news clippings and speeches and came across the comments I made on the opening day of the Jay DiAntonio Youth Center.

"I believe in sainthood, heroes and role models.

"On this grand opening day, we note that Jay DiAntonio, firefighter, community volunteer, cold water rescuer, youth counselor, came as near to the descriptions of saint, hero and role model, as anyone could."

The laudatory remarks continued, "Today, in this place and time, and due to some very special people, we are here to celebrate the opening of the Jay DiAntonio Youth Center."

It all began in 1992 when Jay DiAntonio inquired about the use of the decommissioned armory for a youth center.

Read More