| John F. Ahern Jr. |
|---|
John F. Ahern Jr. of Woburn,
Boston Globe sportswriter and yachting
expert for 38 years, died yesterday at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington after a brief illness. He was 64. As The
Globe's yachting editor, Mr. Ahern covered many sailing races, including the America's Cup races at Newport,
R.I. Last year, he received the Yachtsman of the Year Award in ceremonies in New York. In 1966, he
received the Dorchester High School "Man of the Year" award. A graduate of Dorchester High in 1935, he
was also an alumnus of Boston College. During his career with The Globe, Mr. Ahern displayed a versatility
that saw him cover many sports, including pro football, boxing, figure skating, golf, marathons, crew racing
and the Olympic Games. His beats over three decades included the Bruins, Celtics and the Boston Marathon.
Yachting was by far Mr. Ahern's first love. For more than 30 years, Mr. Ahern's presence at a regatta - an
America's Cup series at Newport, a Race Week at Marblehead, on his own home waters of Quincy Bay, or
a junior championship on the Charles River - meant not only a lively and informative account in the next day's
paper, but volunteer help in running the race or settling a tricky protest. Mr. Ahern acquired his love of sailing
on the waters of Quincy Bay. Sailing Yankee dories, Massachusetts Bay Indians and Stars out of Squantum
Yacht Club in the 1930s, he was part of the long-vanished era of One-Design racing, which used to see great
flotillas sailing up to Marblehead for the Saturday races and then back to Quincy Bay for the Sunday
Interclubs. Mr. Ahern had often sailed aboard the 12-Meter Gleam on New York Yacht Club cruises after
the war and was in at the beginning when the America's Cup competition was revived in 12-meter boats in
1958.
Mr. Ahern was the recognized authority on the competition and was famous among his colleagues
for being able to call the outcome of a race as soon as the rival yachts had split tacks for the first time after
the start. Last year, Mr. Ahern served as honorary chairman of the Massachusetts Bay Regatta Week and
last winter was named Yachtsman of the Year by the Yacht Racing Union of Massachusetts Bay.
In 1948, Mr. Ahern was hailed as a hero after it was learned that he had spent three hours in the Atlantic off
Quincy helping a couple of capsized youngsters from the Boston Yacht Club rescue a $300 sailboat until
they were all picked up by a police boat. No one knew about the heroic act until Globe photographer Gil
Freidberg handed in photos showing Mr. Ahern in the ocean. Mr. Ahern was also a rowing enthusiast, and
covered the Harvard crew at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.
Professional boxing was also one of Mr. Ahern's favorite beats. He covered many of the famous world title
bouts held during the 1940s and 1950s. In his own inimitable and colorful style, Mr. Ahern detailed the
happenings of such prizefighters such as Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Jersey Joe Walcott, Ingemar
Johansson, Floyd Patterson and Paul Pender. He always considered the Tony DeMarco-Carmen Basilio
fight held in June 1955 as one of his favorite boxing assignments. In 1945, Mr. Ahern arived at The Globe
after serving five years as a sportswriter and yacht expert with the Boston Record and Sunday Advertiser.
In his tribute to Mr. Ahern, Davis Taylor, former president of The Globe, and now director of Affiliated
Publications, said, "To all those who love yachting, all his friends would agree that he was the most
knowledgeable and fairest of anyone I ever knew who ever sat in on a protest ruling. Whether it be for the
kids or the America's Cup. "The Bruins family will miss John," said general manager Harry Sinden. "We had
so much fun with him when he was covering the team." "John was a man's man," said Bruins coach Gerry
Cheevers. "He was a terrific guy to work with. The best thing about him was that he was so original, and had
a geniune feeling for both the coach and the players." Patriots President Bill Sullivan said that "it was
reporters such as John Ahern who helped our franchise to survive under difficult circumstances when the
American Football League was formed. He was not only a fine reporter, but also a fine friend. He enriched
the status of journalism."
Mr. Ahern was a member of Woodland Golf Club, Boston Yacht Club, Eastern Yacht Club, Corinthian Yacht
Club, North American Yachting Racing Assn., Yacht Racing of Massachusetts Bay, Blue Water Sailing Club,
Yacht Writers Assn. of America, Professional Golf Writers Assn., Professional Hockey Writers Assn., Gridiron
Club of Greater Boston, America's Cup Assn. and the Mid-Pines Club in North Carolina. He also was a
member of The Boston Globe Quarter Century Club. Mr. Ahern leaves his wife, Rita (Curran); his mother,
Sabina (McCarty) Ahern of Quincy; and three brothers,
Taylor of Quincy, Michael of Hanover and Joseph
of Boston. A funeral Mass will be said at St. Charles Church in Woburn at 11 a.m. tomorrow. Visiting hours
at the McLaughlin Funeral Home in Woburn will be today from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Burial will be at Woodbrook
Cemetery in Woburn. [see also Brian P. Ahern] |
| — The Boston Globe 27 April 1983 |
|
