Politics & Government

Three Minutes on a Park Bench With: John Frates

Beverly Councillor John Frates recently took a seat on our virtual Patch Park Bench.

You may know him as Beverly's Ward 6 city councillor, but did you know he's an Allman Brothers fan? 

Take a seat on our virtual Patch Park Bench and get to know Beverly Councillor John Frates a little bit better.

Patch: What's your morning routine? 


John: Morning is my favorite time of day.  All of the promises and challenges are about to unfold.  I love to eat breakfast and read the newspaper every morning, or I feel unprepared to meet the day.

P: What do you do for a living? And what's the best thing about your job?

J: I recently retired form a long career in financial services.  My middle child, Peter, was diagnosed in March of 2012 with ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease and now needs round the clock care which I provide along with my other son, Andrew.  It is the most difficult of challenges for Pete and our family, as well as the most profound event that continues to shape and motivate our lives.  As the recently elected Ward 6 Beverly City Councilor, I enjoy helping and serving others.

P: What's the hardest?

J: The hardest challenge I face is the unpredictable nature of the disease.  It remains a mystery to many scientists, doctors and clinicians who are dedicated to finding an effective treatment for ALS patients.  The fact that no effective treatment or cure exists 75 years after Lou Gehrig’s famous speech is impossible for our family to accept.

P: How long have you lived in Beverly? 

J: Both my wife Nancy and I have lived our entire lives in Beverly, raising our 3 children for the last 25 years in Centerville.

P: What's your favorite thing about living here?

J: The best part of living here is the tremendous sense of belonging.  Beverly has so many advantages in scenic beauty, beachfront and commuter access, but overarching all is the wonderful sense of community.

P: If you had to arrange a secret meeting here, where would you have it?

J: Unfortunately, my life is an open book.  Besides, I was never any good at secrets!

P: Tell us something about yourself that most of your neighbors don't know.

J:  Most of my neighbors know about my mad home improvement skills, but not many know that I love to catch the Allman Brothers when they come to town twice a year.    

P: When you want a really indulgent snack here, where do you go and what do you get?

J: My wife and I once owned 3 ice cream / coffee cafes, so I am a sucker for great ice cream.  It is impossible to get a poor ice cream product locally, so we spread the love around with our 18 month old grandchild, Addie.

P: What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

J: Whenever I get in a micro management mode, my son will always say, “Are you flying the plane”?  In other words, focus on what you can control and things will work themselves out.

P: What are you doing after this interview?

J: Since Peter’s diagnosis at age 27, he has been the Director of Baseball Operations at Boston College, where he captained the team in 2007.  Right after this interview, we are flying to Fort Myers for the annual exhibition game with the Red Sox.  Very exciting!

***

Nominate someone from Beverly for our next Patch Park Bench interview. Send suggestions to owen.boss@patch.com.


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