It’s all Relative
January 6, 2009
As we enter the new year, I’m embarrassed to say how little I know about many of my relatives. Given that my mother (a Mullaney) is one of what was once 12 siblings, while my father was one of seven, I think it’s understandable. With more than 50 first cousins, the family ties are far and wide — but, candidly, rather thin.
In particular, I have lost touch with many on my father’s side, given his death at 52 in 1977. However, I do have fond memories of that side of the family. Recently, I was surprised to read about the rich life that my uncle, Paul Healy, lived before his death at age 85 on Nov. 21, 2008. While I remember his golf prowess and the Cape Cod golf course that he once owned (given the Healy family’s fanaticism with golf, which I share), I was shocked to read about Paul’s other interests in the Boston Globe obit on his death.
Like my father, Tom, who was a Marine in the Pacific Theater during World War II, Paul joined the Navy in 1942 and fought in the South Pacific. According to the Globe, he was assigned to a PT boat squadron with John F. Kennedy, who trained on Paul’s boat before getting his own command with the now-famous PT 109. Apparently, my uncle Paul and JFK became quite good friends and stayed in touch after the war (although I had never heard about the relationship).
The rest of the obit unveiled facets of my uncle’s life that reveal the background of a driven man who pursued his interests vigorously.
Like me, Paul graduated from Boston University. But that’s where the comparisons end. His first job was based in South America, where he was a plantation manager for United Fruit. He later was a sales manager with Budweiser, covering New England and New York. He then decided to open the “Chuck Wagon” restaurant in Harwich, Mass., on Cape Cod.
Then, the golf bug took hold. He sold the restaurant and bought Brewster Golf Course, a quaint nine-hole track that eventually was transformed by developers into the Ocean Edge Resort and golf course, one of the great resorts on the Cape. I still fondly remember my father and his brothers making themselves at home at and behind the bar after rounds of golf at the club (during the early ’70s), much to the consternation of the bartender.
While managing the Brewster course, Paul also decided to pursue his PGA teaching card. He eventually earned that card and began to teach the game to locals. In 1976, he sold the course and retired with his wife, Virginia, to Florida.
My career and life experiences to date seem so pedestrian vis-a-vis my uncle Paul’s, as well as my dad’s. The latter, Thomas F., saw major battles in the Pacific (including Okinawa) before embarking on a successful career as a commercial artist for major ad firms in Boston. These guys are certainly are a tough act to follow.
