Lowell Sun Alumni

01/25/2024

Phil Bissell, who created the original New England Patriots "Pat Patriot" logo has passed away. For decades, back when newspapers had their own editorial page cartoonists, Phil called the Lowell Sun Kearney Square newsroom home.

08/30/2023

Hey all former Sun peeps - take a read through this tribute piece to an indelible piece of Lowell Sun history - how many of you worked with Jack Costello? Post a comment with a remembrance of those days of yore.

Jack Costello no longer being with us is a concept hard to comprehend. A larger-than-life figure when he ruled The Sun from its offices at 15 Kearney Square, Jack passed away August 28. He had suffered from dementia in the last years of his life. I owe my 36-year career…

01/15/2023

Longtime Sun Broadway/Theater columnist

Share Memories and Support the Family.

12/24/2022

An amazing Christmas story about one of our own - Dave Perry

https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2022/12/23/a-lowell-record-store-took-on-the-fight-against-cancer-then-it-was-robbed/?s_campaign=bcom%3Asocialflow%3Atwitter&fbclid=IwAR1FJ0x6xeWh9uQLw0B2cgsHJB1dp194F_I4eStTc67B7d_hL8tr-pzeaqk

Vinyl Destination was robbed, amid a cancer charity effort for the month of December. "It's very strange, but what's come of it is amazing."

08/20/2022

Fort those who remember Ann Shaw….

Haverhill Ann B. Shaw, 77, passed away unexpectedly following surgical complications at Lahey Clinic on August 18, 2022. Ann was the wife of David E. Shaw with whom she had just celebrated her 50th Wedding Anniversary. Born in Brooklyn, NY on April 10, 1945, she was the daughter of the

03/11/2022

Pedestrian struck by alleged drunk driver in Dracut was former Sun employee

By AARON CURTIS | [email protected] and TREA LAVERY | [email protected] | Lowell Sun
PUBLISHED: March 10, 2022 at 6:38 p.m. | UPDATED: March 11, 2022 at 2:08 p.m.
DRACUT — The pedestrian victim of a drunk driving crash on Saturday night has been identified as 61-year-old Paul O’Brien, of Dracut, a former longtime advertising staffer at The Sun.

Documents about the alleged crime available in Lowell District Court state O’Brien currently works as a Lowell District Court officer.

O’Brien was hit while crossing Lakeview Avenue shortly before 6:50 p.m. Saturday. Tyngsboro resident Christina Digloria, 46, has been charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene of a crash causing serious bodily injury and possession of an open container of alcohol.

Norm Lombardi, The Sun’s former promotions manager and a longtime friend of O’Brien’s, confirmed the identification.

“Whenever I needed somebody to do anything, even in the middle of the night, he’s there. … Even later in life when I was in politics, he’s always there to help hold a sign or go to an event,” Lombardi said. “He’s a wonderful guy. He’s going to get better.”

Nancy Roberts, coordinator of the Sun Santa fund and a former Sun editorial employee of 26 years, also said that O’Brien was well-loved by Sun employees.

“When we’re together, which isn’t often lately, it’s like our days working together were yesterday,” she said. “Paul always has a smile and a laugh to share. He’s an all-around good guy.”

Meghan Kelly, a spokesperson for the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, said Thursday that he remains in the hospital due to the injuries he suffered.

Dracut Police reports available in court documents state that a witness to the crash told officers he was driving westbound in the area of 1629 Lakeview Ave. when he slowed down to allow a pedestrian — later identified as O’Brien — to cross the road. According to court documents, the witness said at that time O’Brien was struck by a vehicle driving in the opposite direction, which caused the victim to “go (airborne).”

Court documents state the driver of the vehicle who struck O’Brien — later identified as Digloria — initially stopped at the scene of the crash and even approached a group of people g*thered around the victim as he laid unresponsive on the sidewalk. Police said in court documents that Digloria appeared “unsteady on her feet” and was “slurring her words” at the scene.

“At this time, Christina was hovering over Paul, close to me, and was again unsteady on her feet and I had to brace her from falling onto Paul,” a police officer said in court documents. “I shouted to the group for someone to move her away from Paul as we rendered aid.”

Court documents state Digloria then walked away from the scene, got back in her car and drove away. Police took Digloria into custody a few minutes later when court documents state she crashed her car into a parked vehicle on Michael Road.

According to court documents, police said Digloria appeared intoxicated, smelled like alcohol and failed multiple field sobriety tests, but refused a chemical breath test.

Court documents state that police found four empty Smirnoff “nip” bottles inside a bag in her vehicle.

Digloria’s attorney, Larry Colby, declined to comment on the case.

Digloria was arraigned in Lowell District Court Monday and ordered held on $7,500 bail with conditions to not consume drugs or alcohol and to submit to random screens. She posted bail the day of her arraignment, and was ordered to hand over her driver’s license.

Digloria will reappear in court for a pretrial hearing on March 22

11/09/2021

Where are they all now???

10/08/2021

A must read for anyone who spent time in a newsroom. Especially true watching the exodus of decades and decades of newsroom experience from the newspaper we all once called our workplace.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/10/gannett-local-newspaper-hawk-eye-iowa/619847/

We don’t often talk about how a paper’s collapse makes people feel: less connected, more alone.

08/25/2021

Jim Bukala from Circulation/Advertising passed away

https://www.dolanfuneralhome.com/obituaries/james-r-bukala-loving-husband-father-and-grandfather/

James R. Bukala, 67, of Hudson, NH passed away unexpectedly on Friday, August 20, 2021 at his home after a brief illness. He was married to Elizabeth “Betty” (Roberts) Bukala with whom he would have celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary on September 8th. Born in Lowell, MA he was the son of ...

08/18/2021

Six years since the passing of Jonathan Kellogg, a Sun editor from the 1990s.

Sun alums collected here at a journalism conference in 2014, left to right, Kellogg, Richard Lodge, Patrick Cook, Lincoln McKie and Jim Campanini.

07/16/2021

The end of an era - a farewell column from a Lowell Sun legend, Kris Pisarik - Krispy to all of us

https://www.lowellsun.com/2021/07/16/krispy-column/?fbclid=IwAR1iwMzUKG6znxGUdww32J0923mptkrMIrGPwvCfWFYjxSIGMY04faF35q4

It’s been ages since I’ve written a column for The Sun, and this will be my last — at least as a full-time employee, as my last official day is today. I didn’t want to leave without saying go…

07/08/2021

Wow. Staggering numbers and a great stroll down memory lane for longtime Sun staffers.

https://bscanlon5.wixsite.com/runningonempty/post/213-years-at-the-sun?fbclid=IwAR38au89At8MWwGB-x_pH1KmZ3-y_440E8HadnflS1_0Vc-RONq6J2SHwBs

There was food, of course. But mainly there were laughs, full-throated, belly-grabbing laughs, the kind that come from years and years of shared experiences with colleagues. And friends. Good friends. Thursday was a get-together for the ages, a rare chance for six former colleagues at The Sun to g*t...

01/23/2021

Via Nancye Davies Tuttle - A fun memory from the fun days at the Lowell Sun. The late Carol McQuaid, yours truly and Cindy Szubzda on the bridge on East Merrimack Street on New Year’s Eve afternoon, 1986 or ‘87. We are laughing at Sun photog Mike Pigeon who was taking our picture after treating us to a champagne toast at some DTL watering hole- maybe the Dubliner. Those were the good old days when working at a newspaper was fun🍾💕🍾💕

08/16/2020

Wedding season, circa 1991

06/30/2020

Remembering Suzanne Dion - by Pru Brighton

http://richardhowe.com/2020/06/29/an-appreciation-of-suzanne-dion-baseball-fan/

Suzanne Dion: She Loved the Game By Prudence Brighton LeLacheur Park was Suzanne Dion’s summer haven–a place to celebrate the Lowell Spinners’ victories, to grieve their losses and to simply enjoy nearly 20 summers of minor league baseball just 10 minutes from her home. Suzanne was a highly in...

06/29/2020

A 2013 gem borrowed from Nancye Tuttle - from the memorial for Chris Cox!

06/14/2020

Another of our alums, taken too soon. Nice write up by Dave Perry on reporter/singer/raconteur Dennis Shaughnessy

https://lowellsun-ma.newsmemory.com/?publink=3336ae6f0_13436ca

Special to The Sun d ennis Shaughnessey loved the singer- songwriter John Prine. Especially “ Sam Stone,” Prine’s song about a veteran who returned from Vietnam with a morphine habit.

06/06/2020

Remembering Pat Montminy, appropriately, in today’s Lowell Sun where her bylines ran for two decades.

https://www.lowellsun.com/2020/06/05/brash-yet-sensitive-sun-reporter-fondly-remembered/

During my first year as a reporter at The Sun in the 1980s, my bosses assigned me to the newspaper’s bureau in the town of Ayer. “It will be interesting to see how you get along with Pat Montminy,”…

05/26/2020

Something in the Ayer

05/22/2020

Newsroom mugs, circa mid 1980s roster

05/20/2020

Greetings fellow Sun bums! Springboarding off an adjacent post involving Sun alum, creating a page for folks who have a stint at the Lowell Sun on their resumes. Check in here and let us know what you're up to! (And please make sure to share with the peeps/colleagues you're still in touch with)