April 15, 2009 Hopedale History No. 130 Celtics in Hopedale Hopedale in April Milford Daily News – Fifty Years Ago column – April 9, 1959 - Thomas H. West, president of Draper Corporation, told a group of 50 visiting newsmen yesterday that research and development of the firm’s revolutionary shuttleless loom has cost an estimated $6 million over a span of 12 years. From Mike Cyr: Self Edge shirts (http://www.selfedge.com/) We're working closely with Cone Denim (the White Oak collection to be exact), so the denim, thread, buttons, and manufacturing all take place within America, with all the cutting and sewing actually taking place in San Francisco by Al's Attire's studio. An important but little known fact is that Cone narrow looms are American-made by Draper, a loom manufacturer that no longer exists. When the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company supplied Levi Strauss the lot of XX denim for the original Levi's riveted denim waist overalls those goods were woven on Draper looms Little Red Shop Store                                                    <><><><><><><><><><>                                              The Celtics in Hopedale The Celtics in Hopedale??? Immigrants from the Emerald Isle? No, actually I mean the guys who play basketball, generally in Boston. If you weren’t living in Hopedale back in the fifties, this could be a bit hard to believe. I had some trouble coming up with evidence, but now I have it, in the form of five articles in the Milford News. (Thanks to my former pupil, Milford Library reference librarian Ann Berard, for assistance with the new micro machine. Thanks also to Jack Hayes for the only response I had to my question on the Larry Bird Visits the Little Red Shop page.) Why would the Celtics travel way out here to play a game?  The NBA wasn’t well established in 1956 and they’d do things then to build interest that wouldn’t happen now. As I recall the story, Dr. John Cicchetti of Mendon Street had a summer home on the Cape. It was next to the home of Celtics owner Walter Brown. Dr. Cicchetti arranged with Brown to have the team play at the Draper Gym, which had just opened a year earlier. Here’s the story on the 1956 appearance. There‘s a link at the end to a web page with this one and two more, including one on the 1957 game.                                            Boston Celtics Delight Fans                                    At Ball Game in Hopedale                                               Crowd of 500 Attends Clinic                                            And Contest; Cousy, Loscutoff                                              Lead Scorers With 32 Apiece HOPEDALE – The Boston Celtics put on a combination clinic and ball game last night at the Draper Memorial gym before and enthusiastic capacity crowd of 500 fans.    From the moment that Bill Summers, American League umpire, tossed up the opening ball, the Celtics were the crowd-appealing team that owner Walter Brown expects will bring an N.B.A. title to Boston.    The famous, fantastic, and fabulous Bob Cousy put on one of his amazing exhibitions of point scoring with 32 points and showed local pans why he is the idol of fans all over the country.    “Jungle Jhim” Luscutoff matched the out put of “The Cooz” in leading the Greens to a 102-92 victory over the Whites.    The Celtics put on a spirited ballgame as they prepared for their opening N.B.A. tussle with the Knicks in New York next Saturday night.    But the fans were hanging on every move that Cousy made as he led the Celtics through a clinic on offense and defense and showed the gasping spectators some of his patented behind-the-back passes and deft hand-offs.    The players were divided into two clubs that hustled throughout the night as they poured through 194 points in a 40-minute thrill packed game.    Some of the familiar faces in the lineup showed their offensive abilities as Bill Sharman poured through 21 points with his soft one hander from outside the key and big Jack Nichols worked effectively from under the boards with 22.    Two former Holy Cross teammates, Tom Heinsohn and Togo Palazzi were the same offensive scorers local followers have enjoyed in the past years as they dunked a combined total of 32 points through the hoop and showed great hustle for the colorful Celtics    The winning Green team led throughout the contest, posting a half time lead of 47-42. In the second half, Loscutoff and Cousy combined for 25 and 16 points to seal the verdict.    One of Cousy’s buckets was a long one hander that put the Greens over the century mark and gave local followers an idea of the scoring show that the Pros offer the fans in their league games.    Johnny Silk, former Boston College star, provided the only bad note when he required two stitches to close a cut eyelid as the handed off to Tom Heinsohn and bounced off a stray elbow early in the third quarter. He was treated by Dr. John Cicchetti, a spectator.    The officials were Don Wellman and Irving Portnoy, who recently joined the traveling Celtics after officiating the last 13 years in the Atlantic Coast Conference.    Herbert (Archie) Picard introduced the players to the crowd and politely thanked Dr. Cicchetti for helping to bring the Celtics to Hopedale. Milford Daily News, October 25, 1956 Click here for more, including the 1957 Celtics game in Hopedale. Click here for more on the Celtics 1956-57 season.                                                   <><><><><><><><><><> Recent death: Pamela A. Kirby, 65, April 11, 2009, HHS 1961.                           Hopedale History Email Stories Menu                     HOME