Osgood (seated) is shown here with his friends on a tour of Fenway Park (Forman).
Ralph Osgood (Ralph).
The Osgood Presentation Room was named after long-time Masconomet School Committee member and influential community leader Ralph Osgood.
About Ralph Osgood
Ralph Osgood was born on August 6, 1960 in Peabody, Massachusetts and moved to Middleton later in life. Osgood began his career as a self-employed construction worker in 1978 (Ralph). He continued to work in the construction industry and owned his own contracting business until 2005 when he was forced to step down due to health issues (Forman). From 1980 to 1984, Osgood worked at Bishop Fenwick High School in a multitude of roles including Dean of Students, Project Adventure teacher, Plant Manager, and football coach. In his free time, he loved spending time outdoors and staying active. He completed 9 marathons and was a member of the Peabody Musketeers Drum and Bugle Corp. Osgood was also heavily involved in the community through the St. Agnes Church and as a youth sports coach. He served as the Secretary and Treasurer of the Middleton Youth Baseball and Softball Association. Ralph Osgood contributed significantly to this community and specifically Masconomet though serving as the Middleton Representative to the Masconomet School Committee from 2003-2009 (Ralph). Mr. Osgood's construction background enabled him to be very involved in the building renovations at Masco and the construction of the football field concession stand and press box (Volchok). Ralph Osgood battled Lou Gehrig's disease for 10 years before his death on October 5, 2011. His incredible work on the School Committee and his dedication to this community lead to the Presentation Room being named after him (Forman).
Osgood's Legacy
In an interview with Daniel Volchok, Ralph Osgood's long-time friend and fellow School Committee member, Volchok said that Osgood's unwavering dedication to our school despite his illness was what made his incredible contributions to the Masco community that much more remarkable. Mr. Osgood demonstrated his dedication to Masconomet through continuing to attend School Committee meetings even after his disease had made him unable to use his arms. After he retired from the School Committee, Osgood stayed involved in Masco, constantly checking up on the school even just a month before his passing. When his twin daughters graduated from Masconomet High School, Osgood was on the stage to hand them their diplomas despite being paralyzed from his disease (Volchok).
Naming the Presentation Room
The Masconomet Presentation Room was in the blueprint of the school and has been in place since the new high school building's opening in 2000 (Mitchell, Masconomet's). The School Committee made this space their room of choice for holding meetings, as the acoustics were better in the Presentation Room than in the Library. Consequentially, Osgood spent dozens of hours in the Presentation Room in his 6 years on the school committee (Mitchell). Shortly after Osgood stepped down from his position, the School Committee decided to honor him and commemorate his significant contributions to the Masconomet community by naming the room after him. This process was done quietly, but nonetheless intentionally, because Osgood was a very humble man (Volchok).
The Masconomet Presentation Room
Osgood Remembered
Ralph Osgood played a huge role in making Masconomet the great place it is today. His legacy of dedication despite adversary is an inspiration to every student that walks through these doors. Masconomet is extremely privileged to be able to commemorate such an influential man.
Works Cited