Author Discusses1942 Cocoanut Grove Fire Tonight
Lynnfield Historical Society welcomes Stephanie Schorow, tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Old Meeting House.
The following was provided by Ruth McMahon of the Lynnfield Historical Society:
The Lynnfield Historical Society will present a program titled “The Cocoanut Grove Fire” at its upcoming meeting, on Tuesday, February 19. Its guest speaker will be Stephanie Schorow, a journalist and author.
Schorow, an experienced journalist and Boston transplant, was for many years the lifestyles editor for the Boston Herald. She has taught writing for the adult education division of Emerson College and for the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. She is the author of six books, including “Boston on Fire: A History of Fires and Firefighting in Boston” and “The Cocoanut Grove Fire”. She also serves as the Vice President of the Board of the Boston Fire Historical Society, an organization which acts to preserve Boston’s fire history.
The infamous Cocoanut Grove fire of late November, 1942, remains the 2nd deadliest fire in U.S. history, claiming 492 lives. Its occurrence led to the implementation of fire prevention safety standards as well as changes in treatment protocols for burn victims.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 19 at 7:30 pm in the 1714 Meeting House. The public is welcomed.
Julia Hallenborg
7:34 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013
We were coming home from visiting relatives in Boston that night and my Dad, Amos Miller, who had a Lynnfield Police badge, locked my Mom and I in the car while he used his badge to get through the crowds to give what help he could. When he finally returned, worn out and covered in soot he actually cried at the sights he had seen. I was only 5 but still remember it well. Did not see my Dad cry very often.
William Laforme
9:23 am on Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Thanks for the recollection Julia, dreadful night for all.
Richard A Peinert
1:24 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
BC football team was undefeated, nationally ranked, and got crushed earler in the day by a mediocre Holy Cross team, 55-12. Team was so distraught they cancelled their celebration party to be held that night at Cocoanut Grove. Gives new meaning to the term, Lucky Loser!
As a plastic surgeon, the fire holds a place in our history. It made the reputations of Brad Cannon, Oliver Cope, and others, and was the stimulus for modern burn therapy and resuscitation.
Richard A. Peinert, MD
Richard A Peinert
3:05 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
ANd forgot to mention old med school prof Francis Daniels Moore, a giant in surgical metabolism