Military
Boxer Rebellion
Navy Lieutenant William Seach
Although the Medal Of Honor is often given posthumously, William Seach not only survived the battle he was honored for, but would survive another battle roughly 8 years later during World War I, when the ship he was serving, the U.S.S. President Lincoln, was torpedoed and sunk by the Germans. He lived for 101 years and is the only Medal Of Honor recipient from Weymouth that our generation could have actually met before he passed away in 1978.
Early at the turn of the century a rebel force in China that called itself the Society of "Righteous and Harmonious Fists", subsequently called the "Boxers", initiated a rebellion in China that threatened the legations of several nations in Peking and Tientsen. Two detachments of Navy Bluejackets and Marines from the U.S.S. Oregon and U.S.S. Newark were dispatched as guards for the American Legations. On June 13 an estimated 50,000 Boxers began a two-month siege on Peking during which seven men received Medals of Honor for repulsing an attack by 300 militants with a bayonet charge. On June 20 the American guard fought a full-day battle against hidden snipers, and on June 21 turned fought a heated battle against a Chinese cavalry charge. On June 22 the Bluejackets and Marines fought their way through the wall of an enemy fort. Ordinary Seaman William Seach was one of twenty members of this American Legation Guard (of 59 total awards during the Boxer Rebellion) to be awarded the Medal of Honor for meritorious conduct in the presence of the enemy during all four of these engagements.
William Seach is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
World War I
Click here for Weymouth's World War I casualty list.
Marine Second Lieutenant Ralph Talbot
If you have spent any time at all in the Town Of Weymouth, Massachusetts then you have seen or heard the name Ralph Talbot. Marine Second Lieutenant Talbot is undoubtedly Weymouth's most recognized war hero. Just go to the Town Of Weymouth web site to the history section and you will find a description of his historic deeds in World War I for which he received the United States highest military award, the Medal Of Honor. In fact, he is was first Marine Corps aviator to ever receive the award. As the town's web site states, a primary school (located in South Weymouth) is named in his honor, and it is common knowledge that the street where the school is located is also named for him.
There is also the Ralph Talbot Amphitheater next to the town hall. The wall closest to Middle Street is the town's dedication to all those from Weymouth who served their country in all military conflicts. Ralph Talbot's name is listed on the World War I tablet located on the east face of this wall. There was also a ship in his name, the USS Ralph Talbot, that served heroically in the Second World War.
Ralph Talbot lived on Main St. in South Weymouth and graduated from Weymouth High School in 1915. After attending a college prepatory school he enrolled at Yale University. He became interested in learning to fly planes and left after one year to initially enlist in the Navy. However, because the Marine Corps were having problems recruiting aviators, he realized his chances of serving his country overseas would be increased if he joined that branch of service. In 1918, he became a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve and by August of that year would be serving in France. Second Lieutenant Ralph Talbot received the Medal Of Honor for the deeds described as occurring on October 8 and 14, 1918. However, he flew numerous missions over enemy territory and it should be noted that he was the first ever United States Marine Corps aviator to receive the honor. It is also mistakenly believed that he died on that day of heroism; however he actually died while taking off on a test flight in a DH-4 on October 25, 1918. His observer and partner on the October 14 mission, Gunnery Sergeant Robert G. Robinson, was shot 13 times in the abdomen, chest and arm, and also received the Medal Of Honor and lived until 1974.
On November 7, 1920 Lt. Ralph Talbot's body lied in state at the G.A.R. Hall in East Weymouth and was soon after buried at Wollaston Cemetery in Quincy, Mass.
World War II
Click here for Weymouth's World War II casualty list.
Army Pvt. Elden Harvey Johnson
One of Weymouth's five Medal Of Honor recipients, Private Johnson's heroics are well documented, drawing enemy fire in order to save 12 of his comrades. He was a member of the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, getting killed in action near Valmontone, Italy on June 3, 1944. The 3rd Infantry Division was part of the Anzio Campaign in which Allied Forces entered Italy from a beach south of Rome. The main objective of the operation was the capture of Rome and to outflank the Gustav Line. In hindsight, the campaign is considered a failure due to Major General John P. Lucas' inability to lead an aggressive attack, allowing the Allied Armies to become pinned down at the beach-head. Courageous fighting by American and British soldiers did however force the Germans to drain their troop reserves and equipment away from other, more formidable operations.
His Medal Of Honor was presented to his mother at the Boston Common, by General Sherman Miles, on May 30, 1945. He was not repatriated until 1948, when he was buried at his final resting place at Union Cemetery in Scituate.
A school is named for him on Pearl Street in North Weymouth. The USAT Elden H. Johnson army ship, which was used in World War II, was also named for him as well as an Army Barracks located in Germany. He is recognized with a tablet at Shea Memorial Grove and at the War Memorial Wall.
Marine Cadet John Francis McCulloch
Cadet McCulloch was one of the tragedies of war that occur away from the battlefield. During training flight maneuvers in the skies just west of Hallandale, Florida on February 2, 1942 his plane collided mid-air with another, ironically being operated by another Massachusetts native. Cadet McCulloch would be the very first of many Weymouth men to die as a consequence of the Second World War. He was 24 yrs. old.
Cadet McCulloch is buried in the Old North Cemetery in North Weymouth, MA. The McCulloch Building, a former elementary school, located on Green Street in North Weymouth is named in his honor.
Army Pfc. Frederick C. Murphy
Private First Class, U.S. Army, Medical Detachment, 259th Infantry, 65th Infantry Division. Pvt. Murphy's exploits during the war are well documented and deserving of the Medal Of Honor. He also received a Purple Heart with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters. He moved to Weymouth from where he grew up in Quincy, and lived on Browning Avenue, not far from the school that now bears his name. Soon after moving to Weymouth, he entered the service and found himself on the Siegfried Line that borders Netherlands and Germany. He died in battle on March 19, 1945 at the age of 26. He left behind his wife, Virginia and a daughter Susan, born two months after his death. Click here to read an article by Susan's son regarding his grandfather.
The Murphy Federal Building on Trapelo Road in Waltham, MA is also named for him as well as the Murphy Barracks located in Stutgart, Germany. In 2008, the S.S. Private Frederick C. Murphy, a Victory Ship (cargo ship) for the U.S. Navy for many years was sold for scrap. Pvt. Murphy is also memorialized at the Shea Memorial Grove and Ralph Talbot Amphitheater.
Pvt. Murphy is buried at the American Cemetery in (St. Laurent) Lorraine, France
Army 2nd Lt. Thomas Vinson Nash, Jr.
The Nash family is one of historical prominence in the Town Of Weymouth and Lt. Thomas Nash certainly bore them no shame. He was a native son of Weymouth, graduating from the town's schools and went on to receive a degree, graduating in 1940 from Brown University where he was a standout on the football field. When the war broke out he entered the Victorville Army Flying School in California and completed training as a bombardier. He shipped out to England where he would fly several bombing missions in the skies over Europe. On July 28, 1943, his plane was struck by enemy fire and exploded in mid-air over Vries, Holland. He was buried there for a time in a small church yard until his body was moved by the U.S. Military to his permanent resting spot in the United States Military Cemetery located in Margraten, Netherlands. He was awarded a Purple Heart.
In July of 1948 the Town Of Weymouth conducted a ceremony and honored Lt. Nash by renaming Liberty Square, the intersection of Middle, Main and Front Streets, Thomas Nash Square. This corner was the long time location of the family's grocery store that had originally opened in 1834. This square was also traditionally called Nash's Corner. A school located just down the street, behind the Stetson Building is also named for Lt. Nash.
In August of 2009, while conducting a traffic detail at this intersection, Weymouth Police Officer Michael Davey was struck by a motorist and killed. He was only the second Weymouth Policeman ever killed in the line of duty.
Navy Commander Randall Thomas Boyd, Jr.
The nephew of William Seach, another decorated war veteran who called Weymouth home, was raised in South Weymouth and graduated from Weymouth High School in 1936. Commander Boyd was a classic over-achiever who excelled at everything he set his mind to. He entered the U.S. Naval Academy with the third highest entrance exam grade in the country and upon graduation saw combat in World War II as an artillery officer and received the Navy Silver Star. After the war he entered flight school, became a pilot and also received his Masters Degree from MIT.
In 1949 he became Executive Officer of Patrol Squadron 47 and found himself flying combat missions in the Korean War where he received the Distinguished Flying Cross with 2 Gold Stars and the Navy Air Medal with 4 Gold Stars. He served in the Navy until 1958 when he retired as Commander of a Naval Base located in Spain. After retiring he was involved in the U.S. Space Program, shipbuilding and eventually started his own engineering firm and patented a method of recycling exhaust fumes generated from industrial plants.
Commander Boyd passed away in 2001 and was buried November 29 of that year with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
The Commander Randall T. Boyd Jr. Planetarium located at Weymouth High School is named in his honor.
Marine 2nd Lt. Lawrence Wesley Pingree
Less than 2 years after graduating from Weymouth High School, Lt. Pingree received his aviator wings and was assigned to the Marine Attack Squadron 223,
better known as the "Bulldogs". Lt. Pingree piloted a single seat jet called a Corsair or "U-bird" that was capable of reaching heights of 35,000 feet and was the first plane to reach speeds in excess of 400 mile per hour. Because of the sound Corsairs made and the diving maneuvers they became known for, these jets were called "whistling death" by the Japanese. In 1944, the Bulldogs would conduct strafing missions in and around the Soloman Islands, operating from Green Island. It was on one of these missions, on June 16, that Lt. Pingree's plane would be hit and he was lost at sea. His body was not recovered. He would receive a Purple Heart. He was 21 yrs. old at the time of his death. Pingree was a 1941 graduate of Weymouth High School and worked with his father in a radio shop prior to enlisting.
A school located on Commercial Street not far from Jackson Square in East Weymouth bears his name.
The Cold War
Navy CT3 Alan Higgins
In 1967, just a few years after President John F. Kennedy had stood up to the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile crisis and only a couple of years after the United States had officially entered the Vietnam War, a battle for the Gaza Strip in Jerusalem broke out that to this day has not been settled. The battle between Israel and the neighboring countries of Egypt, Jordan and Syria was called the Six Day War and for all outward appearances the United States and President Lyndon Johnson were keeping a safe distance from the turmoil.
In the early morning hours of June 8th, a United States Communications Ship, the USS Liberty, was heading west along the Sanai Peninsula in international waters when Israeli Air Force Mirage III fighter jets flew over at close range a total of 8 times. Several hours later, the Israeli jets returned and opened fire on a defenseless Liberty. The ship was sprayed with cannon, rocket, bomb and napalm fire but still maintained their heading. The ship’s captain had little time for damage assessment when 3 Israeli Torpedo Boats hit the ship with additional cannon fire and 5 torpedoes.
The front page of the Patriot Ledger that day had a secondary heading that read “Israelis Attack US Ship In Error” and went on in later days with minor news blurbs that U.S. military officials were satisfied with the Israeli explanation that the attack on Liberty was “one of the tragic mistakes of war”.
In all, 34 crewmen perished and those that survived, as well as their families, were requested not to speak of the incident. One of those crewmen, U.S. Navy Cryptologic Tech 3rd Class Alan Higgins, was from Weymouth, MA.
Crewman Higgins is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Lt. Commander Laurence Edward MacFawn
Laurence MacFawn was born in Weymouth in 1919 at the family homestead located on Pleasant Street. He attended the Pratt School, where his father Herbert T. MacFawn was a custodian, with his younger brothers Malcolm and Bruce, and graduated from Weymouth High School in 1938. He played football and baseball in high school and was a good student, but his true passion was aviation. After high school he enlisted in the Navy's Aviator School and became a pilot. He served in World War II, most notably with a Navy Composite Squadron, VC-27, better known as "The Saints". He piloted an aircraft known as a TBM Avenger and received recognition for the successful bombing and destruction of the Japanese Fleet during the Battle of Samar in which the United States Naval Force was largely overmatched by their enemy. Lt. Commander MacFawn also served with distinction during the Korean War and as the U.S. prepared to enter the war in Vietnam, while on a test flight off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia, his plane crashed on November 21, 1958. He was 39 years old.
He is buried at the Centerville, MA Cemetery. The corner of Mutton Lane and Pleasant Street in South Weymouth is named in his honor. As of 2009, the property across the street from this corner is still occupied by members of the MacFawn family. Bruce MacFawn and Malcolm MacFawn, his brothers, are also military veterans whose names appear on the Weymouth Memorial Wall. His son also, still makes his home in Weymouth.
Athletics
Harry Arlanson
Harry Arlanson (1909-1998), served as Director of Physical Education at Tufts University in Medford, Mass. from 1954 to 1974, although he is perhaps best remembered for his prowess as a football coach, compiling a 217-59-15 lifetime record.
He was born May 4, 1909, in Lynn, Massachusetts, received his early education in Lynn schools, where he captained his high school baseball team. He entered Tufts in 1927 as an engineer, and began actively participating in Tufts' athletics. He captained the baseball team his junior and senior year, and was also captain of the football team his senior year. After receiving his degree from Tufts in 1931, Arlanson moved on to Boston University, where he received a master's in education in 1935.
Between 1935 and 1954, he worked as director of physical education and head coach of the baseball and football teams at Weymouth high school. His coaching soon earned him the nickname, The Magician.
His football accomplishments included eight undefeated teams, six class A championships, and the Gator Bowl championship in 1950. He turned Weymouth's football team from a class C team into the most feared squad in the state.
In 1954, Arlanson began work as the director of physical education at Tufts. He coached the football team for twelve years, turning them into a strong and respected squad during the fifties. Harry Arlanson received the Tufts University Distinguished Service Key and was named New England Coach of the Year in 1959. After stepping down from coaching the football team, he devoted much of his time to administrative duties, including roles on several ECAC and NCAA committees. After his retirement in 1974, Arlanson served as an official of the Eastern College Athletics Conference. He is a member of the Weymouth High School Hall Of Fame and was elected to the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame in 1974, complementing his election to the Massachusetts Coaches Association Hall of Fame ten years earlier. In 1990, the Weymouth High School football field located on the Legion Memorial Athletic Fields in Weymouth, Mass. was named the Harry Arlanson Gridiron in his honor.
Harry Arlanson died on March 21, 1998 at his home in East Dennis, Massachusetts.
Citizens
Abigail Adams
Unquestionably Weymouth's most famous person. Whoever coined the phrase "behind every successful man, there stands a woman" must have had Abigail Smith Adams in mind. She was not only the wife of the second President Of The United States, John Adams, she was the mother of the sixth as well, John Quincy Adams. She was an early purveyor of woman's rights, believed slavery was evil, and although perhaps unknowingly, documented the the formation of the United States government through letters to her husband and others. The Abigail Adams State Park is located on Route 3A in North Weymouth, along the banks of the Back River where there are walking paths and tablets that bear quotes from her many famous letters. The Abigail Adams Homestead is also located adjacent to the Old North Cemetery in Weymouth.
Bradford Hawes
The Hawes Family in Weymouth dates back to the early 1700's. Joseph Hawes, Sr. was a lifelong Weymouth resident, as was Joseph Hawes Jr. Hawes Jr., better known as Captain Joseph Hawes was in the fishing business for over forty years, sailing schooners out of Hingham Harbor. Later on he would take an interest in Weymouth's roads and became the town's Highway Surveyor. He married another Weymouth native, Sarah Pratt and their son Bradford Hawes was born in Weymouth on December 20, 1843.
Bradford Hawes attended Weymouth schools until the age of eighteen when he enlisted in Company K of the First Massachusetts Cavalry. He served largely in South Carolina and Florida and fought in the Battle Of Olustee, the largest Civil War battle to be fought in Florida. The Union Army lost almost 40% of the Massachusetts contingent sent there to fight. After the battle, the Massachusetts 54th, an all African-American Company, manually pulled a train loaded with dead and wounded Union soldiers 5 miles to keep them from the Confederates.
Mr. Hawes returned to Weymouth after the war and became involved in the shoe industry. In 1893 he was elected, as a staunch Republican, to the Board Of Selectman and served in that capacity for many years, being re-elected each time. He was known as a public spirited man and devoted to the best interests of his home town of Weymouth.
He was married to Jeanette Fairbanks and had seven children. He was a Baptist and an involved member of the Grand Army Of The Republic, Reynolds Post 58.
In 1924 he donated a large portion of his property to the town to be used for recreation. Today it is known as Brad Hawes Playground.
On December 3, 2009, Bradford Hawes grand-daughter, Jeanette Fairbanks Hawes, a lifelong Weymouth resident and teacher in the Weymouth School system passed away at the age of 96.
Elias S. Beals
Elias Beals lived and had a shoe store on Sea Street in North Weymouth during the early part of the 19th century. He represented Weymouth in the State Legislature and was instrumental in having the tolls removed that were located at each end of Bridge Street in those days, arguing that it was unfair to the citizens and businesses in Weymouth. He donated approximately 3 1/2 acres of his property to the town to be used as a park, which is still located off of Sea Street.
George Jung
No doubt listed under the "infamous" category, George Jung grew up in East Weymouth and was actually considered a decent football player in the 50's. He went on to infamy through his association with the Medellin Cartel of Colombia and became wealthy by smuggling cocaine in the 1970's. He was eventually caught and lost everything. A book, Blow, based on his life written by Bruce Porter, was made into a movie that starred Jonny Depp as Jung. George Jung is presently serving a prison sentence in Texas with an expected release date sometime in 2014. Although he has acquired and lost wealth on the wrong side of the law, he is still the consummate entrepreneur and maintains a web site and a line of clothing called "Smugglewear", despite being incarcerated.
William A. Connell Jr.
Mr. Connell could have been placed in the Athlete or the Military categories of 
this web site, but more than all else he should be remembered as a notable citizen of Weymouth and Massachusetts. He lived most of his life in Weymouth, graduating from Weymouth High School in 1940, where he excelled at football and is in the "Weymouth Athletic Hall Of Fame". He furthered his education at Holy Cross College and went on to serve his country in the Navy during World War II and Korea. He owned his own business in Columbian Square for many years and was a selectman and school committee member in the town. From 1956 until 1976, he served Weymouth and surrounding communities in the House Of Representives. After retirement he continued to stay involved in local matters, particularly veterans issues and the upkeep of memorials around the town. Above all else he was happily married for over 50 years to Joan Cramond and had 4 children. He lived on Torrey Street in South Weymouth.
The corner of Torrey Street and Pleasant Street in Columbian Square was named in his honor in 2009. He passed away in May of 2008 at the age of 85 and was laid to rest in St. Francis Cemetery in South Weymouth, Mass.
Celebrities
Bob Neumeier
Known locally for being the Channel 4 (WBZ) sportscaster alongside Bob Lobel in the 80’s and 90’s, “Neumy” is a Weymouth High School graduate. He played baseball, but was most notable as a general sports nut and statistician and could always be found helping out at various town sporting events while growing up in Weymouth. He is a fan of all sports and is especially knowledgeable about horse racing. He currently serves as NBC Sport's horse racing expert as well as its sideline reporter covering National Football League games.
He graduated from Syracuse University in 1972, a year ahead of another NBC Sport's favorite and good friend, Bob Costas. Over the years he has been affiliated with the WEEI Sports network, and still often serves as a fill-in for their various talk radio personalities. He was also a play-by-play announcer for Hartford Whaler and Boston Bruin hockey games. He has covered every sport from skiing to track and field, and was a reporter for NBC at the 2008 Olympics.
Neumy is well known in sports circles as a confident, knowledgeable sports personality that is willing to walk away from sought after jobs if not paid what he deems fair, as he did when he worked for both WEEI and WBZ.
Don Kent
Anyone that grew up in New England, especially Massachusetts in the 1960's and 70's knows this legendary weatherman. He grew up in the Wollaston section of Quincy where he started a business called Kent's Carpetland with his brother Roger. Don Kent's passion from an early age was the weather and during breaks at work and after hours could be found in a shed he built on the roof of the family business. Eventually he was asked to forecast the weather for a couple of local radio stations, which he did for free, until landing a full time job as the weather expert for WBZ in Boston. He did this with virtually no training. He led the way for present day, highly skilled weather people that are found on almost every form of media.
He lived in North Weymouth for many years, raising a family there on the Fore River side of Great Hill, overlooking Wessagusset. In 1983 he retired from WBZ but continued to forecast weather part time for various news outlets, from his home in New Hampshire. The Kent's Carpetland property in Wollaston was donated by the family in 1996 and turned into the Don Kent Park as part of the Wollaston Beach Reservation.
Don Kent passed away on March 2, 2010 at the age of 92. He once said that the weather gave him everything he had in life, including his wife, Miriam Hanson.
Tobin Bell
Joseph Tobin grew up near the Weymouth Heights neighborhood in the early 1950's and maintained contact with the Town Of Weymouth by visiting his mother who resided there for many years. He pursued an acting career and changed his name to Tobin Bell. He has been in several popular and successful films, usually playing a villain. His most notable villain is that of John Kramer, the evil character behind the series of "Saw" horror movies. Read what Tobin Bell thinks about Legion Field.
Nate and Rob Corddry
The Corddry brothers grew up in Weymouth in the 80's and went to Weymouth Schools. Rob went on to graduate from UMass Amherst and Nate, the younger of the two, graduated from Colby-Sawyer College. Both went on to find success as correspondents and comedians for the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. They still have friends and family living in Weymouth and visit often. They also remain avid Red Sox fans.
Hal Holbrook
Hal Holbrook, a well known, award winning actor, grew up in South Weymouth in the 1930's. He is well versed in the writings of Mark Twain and conducted a one man show of Twain's life for many years. The Holbrook family name is historically tied to Weymouth and almost every cemetery or burial ground within the town will contain the name Holbrook.
Mr. Holbrook's grandfather, Jason Holbrook, was a shoemaker who lived in South Weymouth. He and his sisters lived with their grandfather until Hal was about 12 years old. Jason Holbrook’s home is now the Weymouth Historical Society and called the Jason Holbrook Homestead located on Park Avenue in South Weymouth. His late cousin, Jane Holbrook Jewell, had lived in the house before donating it to the town. Jane and Hal maintained a close relationship over the years and he credits Jane with getting him interested in his family genealogy, which can be traced to 1635 when Reverend Hull’s company came from England and settled in Weymouth. Hal Holbrook is descended from Thomas Holbrook whose father was at one time the owner of the Mayflower. Captain John Holbrook, an early landowner in Weymouth, had one of the town's first schoolhouses built on his property in 1681.
In May of 2006, Hal Holbrook and his late wife, the actress Dixie Carter, visited the Holbrook Homestead and is fondly remembered by many of the Weymouth Historical Society members. When Dixie Carter passed away in April of 2010, the Society's flag stood at half mast.
Activists/ Educators
Mary Toomey
Miss Toomey was a teacher in the Weymouth School system for 41 years and a long time resident of the town. She is most noted for her environmental awareness work. She spent a lifetime restoring and preserving land along both sides of the Back River, a tidal river that separates Weymouth and Hingham. She worked with local government to obtain land abutting the river, clean up pollution and restore fisheries, including the Herring Run. She was instrumental in the preservation of parts of the Great Esker Park, Abigail Adams State Park, Webb Memorial State Park and Stoddard's Neck Park.
She was the recipient of the Visionary Award from the Gulf Of Maine Council, U.S. EPA's 1991 Environmental Merit Award, the B.U. Academy Of Distinguished Graduates, Conservation Teacher Of The Year, Audubon Teacher Of The Year, the Rotary Club Service Award and was named Woman of the Year by the Theresa Heinz Foundation.
She worked for many years with Dr. Mary Sears of Woods Hole Oceanography acclaim and in 2009 a section of Webb Memorial State Park was named in their honor as Marys' Point. At the age of 88 she wrote a book that documented their story of working together to save the environment.
View of Marys' Point prior to dedication of stone tablet.
Mary F. Toomey passed away at the age of 89 on April 16, 2009. She is buried at the Mount Hope Cemetery in South Weymouth.