Legendary Locals of Newburyport

Legendary Locals of Newburyport

YEAT! The colloquial greeting is distinctly Newburyport, uttered by this seaport's citizens to acknowledge one another in passing or to seek out fellow locals in far-flung places. Individuals featured in Legendary Locals of Newburyport extend to readers a congenial "Yeat!" William Lloyd Garrison, native son and leading abolitionist; "Lord" Timothy Dexter, who staged his own mock funeral; Harry O'Connor, founder of the World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade; James Stehlin, celebrated Newburyport High School football coach; Rhina Espaillat, award-winning poet and founder of Powwow River Poets; Richard Simkins, owner of the legendary Grog restaurant-tavern; Sue Little, owner of Jabberwocky Bookshop; Tom Maginnis, drummer for the post-punk band Buffalo Tom; Mickey, feral cat mascot for the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society, and 1st Lt. Derek Hines, who gave his life while serving his country in Afghanistan, are among the legendary locals--native born and transplants--who have left their imprint, or paw print, upon the Port. Kathleen M. Downey, the former features editor for Newburyport Today, moved to Newburyport in 1992. She was drawn to the city's charming downtown, the quietude of Plum Island's Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, the stately woods of Maudslay State Park, and the city's colorful citizens--many of whom she had the pleasure of interviewing for inclusion in this volume.