A story about Douglas

Hi. I’m Douglas.

And here’s me a little older, graduating Somerville High School in 1960.

I played football, even semi-pro ball for the Brighton Knights. I was a tackle and center. The AFL was just getting started. Most players from my league went on to the AFL, which then merged with the NFL. I became a meat cutter and then an inspector for the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). But now it’s 1974. I’m ready to open my own store in Burlington. I’ll be living at 10 Frothingham Road. My store will live at the end of the plaza behind Dunkin’ Donuts. I’ll call my store Butcher’s Pride.

Here it is!

I spy with my little eye, way in the background . . .

That’s me on the left standing next to Frank Perdue.

You’ve heard of him, right?

I’m proud to say that some months, I sell more Perdue product than any stand-alone store in the country.

Here’s my friend, Frank Giuffrida, from the Hilltop Steak House in Saugus. He has a butcher shop along with the restaurant. A few weeks ago, he called me in a panic because he lost one of his meat cutters. He asked me to refer someone to him.

I do have an excellent meat cutter working part time for me and part time at Star Market. Frank took my word and hired him. Well, now his butcher shop is humming again. People two and three deep all the time. Not as busy as the restaurant, but still busy. See the sign for the Hilltop Butcher Shop in the background?

So Frank just pulled up at Butcher’s Pride in a limo. He walked in with a set of bullhorns for me. He collects that kind of thing. I put them on the wall of Butcher’s Pride.

But now it’s time to say goodbye to the butcher business. It’s rough. I’ve got a butcher working for me who has a metal hook instead of a hand. All because of a meat grinder in his past. My own body is giving up on me. My early years as a meat-cutter were rough. Lots of hoisting very heavy meat onto hooks. And don’t forget my football years. I’ve gotten both shoulders and hips replaced, and I’ve had seven back surgeries this year. That’s all for me. But I’ve got a worthy buyer, George Melisi from Billerica.

— Special thanks to Lisa Vogel, daughter of Douglas MacArthur (1942-2021)