A veteran sportswriter retires; Rivers School girls victorious
Bentley College sports information director Dick Lipe speaks for many when the subject is sportswriter Marvin Pave.
''He was outstanding and very easy to work with over the years," Lipe said. ''I knew if he was working on the story, it would come out right."
John C. Burke, a longtime editor at the Boston Globe, also worked closely with Pave.
''He was extremely loyal to the profession, always very meticulous and careful that he didn't make mistakes, and he always prepared himself well for each assignment," Burke said.
Pave, 61, has retired from his full-time job as a sportswriter at the Globe, where he's held several important roles between daily and weekly sections. One of his true passions was this column. His impact was far-reaching, perhaps best summed up when he was presented the 2002 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Sports Information Director of America Media Award.
''Marvin has been a wonderful friend to, and a dedicated chronicler of, college athletics throughout his tenure at the Globe," longtime sports information director Jim Seavey wrote that day. ''He has articulated the saga of success, trials, tribulations, and hard work that student-athletes throughout the region have experienced at all levels, and he is a master at making everyone feel both special and important.
''His versatility, coupled with his engaging personality and meticulous nature, has endeared him to all of us who have worked with him. The student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and SIDs throughout the region should feel proud to have an individual like Marvin telling their stories in such compelling fashion."
Pave grew up in Milton and graduated from Boston University in 1966. He first covered BU sports for the Globe as a correspondent, earning his first byline in 1965. He was hired full time at the paper in September of 1967 and held the job until earlier this month.
Pave, who has lived in Newton since the late 1970s, still has plans to write part time for the Globe and will teach a journalism class at Mount Ida College.
He's received numerous honors over the years, including one from the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, which recognized his primary role in creating the Super Bowl system of football games. Pave was also presented the Scarlet Quill Award from BU in 1990 for outstanding coverage of intercollegiate athletics.
In 1972, Pave dared to go where few writers go: the hockey net. He suited up at goalie for the semi-pro Framingham Pics hockey team, playing the final five minutes of a game and holding the Pics' opponent scoreless.
But it was Pave's work in the newspaper that left an indelible mark.
He was instrumental in introducing coverage of women's sports into the Globe sports pages. He took pride in covering the local college sports scene. He was a writer. An editor.
Much like the Boston Marathons he often covered, Pave was in it for the long run.
A fine run it was.
Newton South coach Dave Salett said Bellush is most deserving.
''I don't think I've ever seen someone work so hard at one sport," he said, noting Bellush receives top-level instruction at a private facility in Uxbridge and has attended his own clinics since seventh grade. ''At a young age, she was determined to be a Division I college player."
Bellush, who bats and throws lefty, is the two-time MVP of the Dual County League. She pitches, plays first base, and bats in the heart of the order -- either second or third. She also led the league in hitting. Opposing pitchers issued her 14 intentional walks, a sign of the respect she's earned on the diamond.
''It's a major thing; I don't think anybody [in the country] has something like it for youth soccer, especially something owned by the association," Bloom said. ''When it's complete, it will be a gorgeous site for soccer."
The 63-year-old Bloom has been involved with youth soccer for more than 20 years. He started as a coach in Framingham, later became president of the BAYS (Boston Area Youth Soccer) League, and started working on the state level five years ago.
MYS purchased the land from Digital in 1999 for $2.8 million. It will become a prime destination for soccer families in the future. The organization has traditionally held its state championships at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, but in the future, they will be in Lancaster.
''It's huge," said coach Susanna Donahue, who lives in Ashland. ''We always talk about the [championship] banner; it's something we wanted to have representing Rivers girls' soccer. The last one we had was 1995."
The Red Wings are stocked with local talent, with Sudbury's Kaleigh Hunt; Newton's Anna Crystal, Meryl Gold, and Eliza Cohen; Framingham's Suzanne Jensen; Medway's Megan Delaney; Wayland's Jacqui Durand; Needham's Adrienne Anderson and Meghan Tedoldi; Weston's Alexandra Vlahakes; Natick's Sarah Bailey; Hudson's Nicole Stenquist; Westborough's Taylor Hoffman; and Southborough's Anna Littman-Quinn.
Rivers finished 7-4-1, in third place in the Independent Schools League.
''Finishing third was a big accomplishment because we play against so many larger schools," said Donahue.
Milford High graduate Mike Plichta, a senior on the Stonehill College football team, was named to the Northeast-10 second-team All-Star squad. Plichta finished with 51 catches for 735 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.
Algonquin Regional High School (Northborough/Southborough) was scheduled to hold its Hall of Fame inductions yesterday. This year's inductees are Mike Boys (1998), Katy Emig (1998), Tom Hjerpe (1984), Vernon Iwancin (1978), Philip Philip (coach), Frederic Philcox (longtime association with Algonquin athletics), Charles Redmond (1964), Karen B. Russo (1991), and Chris King (1981).
Westborough's Bill McCabe was inducted into the Boston College High School Hall of Fame last Tuesday. McCabe has been an assistant varsity hockey coach to his brother, Joe, since 1990.
Sedale Threatt, who starred at St. Sebastian's in Needham, is making his mark at Lehigh University. A sophomore quarterback, he has been named Patriot League offensive player of the week twice this season.
The Hudson Youth Wrestling Program will run Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club. For more information, visit www.hudsonmawrestling.com. The high school is seeking wrestling coaches. Contact Aaron Polansky at 508-248-9056.
More than 1,100 residents from Boston's western suburbs participated in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge in August, raising some $7.1 million of a total $23 million, organizers said. Mike Reiss can be reached at 508-820-4234 or mreiss@globe.com.
