Photos by Frank Santangelo
By William Tauro
This past Saturday morning, Mayor Joseph Curtatone, the City of Somerville and its Veteran Services Department, honored Donald Curtin at Hodgkins-Curtin Park with a Veterans Memorial Ceremony re-dedication of a new granite memorial stone.
Friends, relatives and elected officials were in attendance to honor the Somerville native, Donald L. Curtin.
The site is named after William H. Hodgkins, a former state senator, and a Mayor of Somerville in 1896 when an expansive three-story brick building was constructed to replace the small school house that existed. Donald L. Curtin was born September 6, 1944. He gave his life in 1969 in Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam and his remains are interred at the Somerville Veterans Cemetery.
Hodgkins-Curtin Park is 1.5 acres, making it one of the largest City-owned public open spaces in Somerville. The playground preserves the basic layout of the popular “Yellow Park” playground for which the park has long been known.
The playground features separate play areas for younger and older children, an extensive sand play area, interactive water table play feature, and boulders set within a river theme. The park includes picnic and cafe tables, new lighting, plantings, and a children’s walking and riding pathway. The newly renovated ball field accommodates Little League baseball, family outings, City festivals and public events.
