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Back River Neck

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Now & Then

Pizza John's: A Symbol of the American Dream

Essex institution shows how three brothers can start with nothing and build a highly successful business.

Sometime back in the mid 1970’s, during one of my reading moods I became enthralled with the autobiography penned by Boston Red Sox legend Tony Conigliaro. Conigliaro's fantastic career, which ran from the mid 1960’s until the early 1970’s was sadly cut short when he never fully recovered from being accidentally hit in the head by a pitch. Conigliaro had become great friends and a constant companion of Frank Sinatra and his circle of buddies. He reserved one chapter in his book to tell of the Sinatra friendship. In one particular instance he mentioned being at Sinatra’s house one day along with a few members of Sinatra ’s “Rat Pack” when Frank got the urge for some pizza. Sinatra mentioned he knew a wonderful place that had the beast pizza…

Roxane

7:13 am on Monday, October 3, 2011

There is not a nicer family to know! The Coruzzis are wonderful people.   more ›

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Now & Then

Saying Goodbye to a Local Farmer, Icon, Friend

Now & Then columnist Keith Roberts reflects on the life of Essex farmer Julius Louis Somogyi, who died last week at 92.

This past Tuesday I received word that a great friend and local icon had passed away on Sunday just shy of his 93rd birthday. Julius Louis Somogyi was born in 1918 to Louis and Marie Somogyi, who had immigrated to this country from Hungary. Jules (as family and friends knew him) spent his early childhood at the family home near the Turners Station area of Dundalk. When he was about 5 years old, his parents purchased the historic farmhouse on the Back River Neck, which was built circa 1760 by Edmund Stansbury. It was at this significant house and surrounding approximately 90-acre farm that Somogyi spent the next 87 years of his life. Here he would learn the traits that would follow him the rest of his life. Work hard every day, have faith …

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