ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Ken Beaton, right, shows Tessie Mower, left, head of the English Department, and Toni Zabrar, head of the History Department at Lynn English, his new memoir about his days growing up in Lynn.
BY MICHELE DURGIN
LYNN — Ken Beaton is a true Lynner.
When he pronounces Swampscott, he doesn’t break the word in two, as in “Swamp-scott.” Instead, he lets it roll off his tongue with “Swamp-scitt.”
While the 1958 Lynn English High School graduate has lived in Nevada since 1975, it is clear from his self-published book, “The Bulldog Brigade: Everyday Red and Grey,” that a big piece of his heart remains on the North Shore.
It’s a memoir of growing up in Lynn, from Franklin Street, when rent was $5 a week, to the upscale Fay Estate neighborhood. In high school, he spent countless hours engaged in water bubbler antics, teenage romances and contemplating life at Spring Pond. He declined to say how many books have sold.
“Spring Pond never called me belittling names, made me feel ignorant or caused me to think that I was at the bottom of the neighborhood pecking order,” he wrote. “I felt welcomed as I walked down the rocky path to Spring Pond. The pond didn’t have arms, but I knew it hugged me.”
As an adult, Beaton researched Spring Pond and discovered that Lo, a member of the Naumkeag tribe, was murdered by settler John Flyntre at the pond. Beaton writes, “Lo’s body and bones did more than nourish the shrubs and trees…Paranormal occurrences percolate to the surface from time to time, terrifying residents of Lynn into the twenty first century.”
He draws on so many memories and readers, especially those from Lynn, and connects with many of the places and events he writes about.
After Beaton graduated from Utah State University, he settled in Nevada and began a career as a teacher in the Carson City School District. He retired in 1994 and began a second career in sales and marketing.
He has been married to his wife, Linda, for 16 years and is the father of three. His daughter, Kathleen, lives in Merrimac and teaches high school science. His older son, John, lives and works in Haverhill, and Paul, the youngest, lives in Nevada and works for the Gaming Commission.
Beaton tries to come home to Lynn a few times a year to visit family and friends. He said he looks forward to his time here and enjoys jaunts down memory lane with fellow Bulldogs.
“When I come back I stay with my daughter, but I always make a trip to Lynn for a visit,” he said. “My first stop is Fays Ave. and I slowly drive by my grandparents’ house. I also make sure that I spend time with my rust friends from Lynn English High.”
A “rust friend,” he said, has a stronger bond than family and should be treasured forever. He writes about several of them in the book.
The grandfather of four is not ready to retire and hopes his book becomes a bestseller.
“I turned 75 this year and I still have so much to give,” he said.