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Nick Kotsopoulos: Politics and the City: Selfless effort for veteran a story that resonates

Telegram & Gazette - 3/31/2019

March 31-- Mar. 31--Sometimes it's the little stories that make the best stories at Worcester City Hall.

That's because those stories underscore how the people of this city, and not the politicians, often make the biggest difference.

Andrea M. Mattei is proof of that.

She wants to make sure that a son of Worcester who died nearly 101 years ago in World War I is afforded the dignity he deserves for the sacrifice he made for this country.

Mind you, it is a person that Ms. Mattei has no family connection to and knows very little about.

Her only connection to Private Charles J. Sullivan is the granite block memorial and plaque that was put up in his honor more than 60 years ago at the northeast corner of Melrose and Lincoln streets, known as Sullivan Square, not far from her Melrose Street home.

"This memorial was very important to me as a child," said Ms. Mattei, who describes herself as a lifelong, "full-/part-time" Worcester resident and whose family has had a home at 18 Melrose St. for 63 of her 65 years.

"It was a memorial that sat at the corner of what was then a very beautiful park, North Park, before that corner was repurposed by the state for (Interstate) 290. As someone who grew up on Melrose Street, we always felt it was very important to honor this individual, who no one on the street knew of, because he was a veteran of this country.

"When I was young, we used to recognize the monument on Memorial Day and Armistice Day (Veterans Day) and decorate it with flowers. It distresses me deeply to see what has become of it. I'd like to see the monument fixed and put at a better location," she added.

Pvt. Sullivan, who was born in Worcester on Feb. 27, 1901, enlisted in the Army in 1917 and served in World War I with the 26th Division of the 101st Infantry Regiment. He was killed in action in Aisne-Marne, France, on July 21, 1918, at age 17. He is buried in an American cemetery there.

Ms. Mattei, who works as a lawyer in Baltimore, came to Worcester last Monday evening to attend a meeting of the City Council Veterans' and Military Affairs Committee.

She made the special trip to testify on a petition filed on her behalf by District 2 Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson, requesting the restoration and relocation of the memorial monument for Pvt. Sullivan.

Ms. Mattei said the granite block memorial stone and plaque are badly in need of restoration. She added the area around the memorial has also become an eyesore, with litter often strewn about by panhandlers who frequent that location. Also, much of the grass near the monument has been worn out by the heavy foot traffic of panhandlers there and is now dirt.

"It's probably the most profitable panhandling location in the city," Ms. Mattei told the council committee. "This corner is a disgrace, between the trash and everything else.

"I'm not here to blame anyone," she added. "We've received great support from the Parks Department and Rob Antonelli's (assistant commissioner of public works and parks) office, which has offered to help with the trash containment. He's been extremely helpful, supportive and gracious. But this corner is used so much for purposes not related to pedestrian traffic."

To add insult to injury, she said the Sullivan Memorial has primarily become a resting spot for fatigued panhandlers, who can often be seen leaning or sitting on the monument as cars stream by until the traffic stops again when the signals turn red.

Ms. Mattei simply feels what has become of the memorial is wrong. In the process, she said the Sullivan Memorial and Melrose Street, which was once a quiet residential street until I-290 came about, has suffered a loss in spirit and dignity.

That is why she strongly believes the memorial should be moved to a more fitting location and why she has petitioned the City Council to see if that can be done.

She said Ms. Mero-Carlson, Mr. Antonelli and Edward O'Connor, the city's veterans' service officer/director, and City Solicitor David M. Moore have been very helpful in assisting her to put together her proposal.

Ms. Mattei said it is important to keep the memorial for Pvt. Sullivan in the Melrose Street area because his family had picked that location for a reason.

She has suggested that it be moved 50 feet north of its present location, to an area that would be away from the panhandlers and transiting foot traffic and allow for the planting of grass and flowers.

Ms. Mattei added that it would also allow for safer footing for the panhandlers between the sidewalk and the curb, especially since they have to quickly step into and retreat from traffic.

"The original family had some relationship to that location, so I am hesitant to disturb the history of it and move it very far," she said. "It's been there a very long time -- at least 60 to 70 years."

But Ms. Mattei has found out that moving a memorial monument is easier said than done.

In fact, there is a protocol that has to be followed, including a public hearing, sending out notices to various veterans' organizations and reaching out to the family or other suitable representative of the individual responsible for the existing location.

In addition, Ms. Mattei said she has been told that it will cost her $1,500 if she wants to move the monument.

One of the problems Ms. Mattei faces is trying to track down any relatives Pvt. Sullivan might have in the area because so little is known about him and it's been so long since he died.

The council's three-member Veterans' and Military Affairs Committee last week expressed support for Ms. Mattei's efforts, though it decided to hold her petition for a couple of months so she can have time to see if she can track down any of Pvt. Sullivan's relatives and address the protocol that has to be followed to relocate a monument.

Councilor-at-Large Morris A. Bergman, committee chair, said Ms. Mattei deserves much credit for speaking out for someone who apparently has no one to speak for him.

"It's a remarkable thing and should not go unnoticed," Mr. Bergman said. "It's actually an amazing Worcester story because it's not something she has to do -- it's something she wants to do.

"She is not involved with this as a family member," he added. "It's near her house, and she and her family have always paid particular respect to this square because probably, in part, no one else does, and also because she feels it is worthy of respect because obviously somebody died in service to this country."

Yes, it's a great Worcester story.

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