Judith Kirwan Kelley - Dorchester Girl

Acknowledgments

My book, Dorchester Girl, was an idea in my head fromthe age of 35 on. It took me until I was 66 years old to complete the writingand editing, since I seemed to talk about my publishing objectives more thanactually write. Along the way, I had a variety of friends, relatives, and adultstudents who would query me about how your Dorchester book is coming along.Id shamefully admit that I was working on it, but more in my head than onpaper.

Over these years there were a few individuals who consistentlyreminded me that they were waiting eagerly to read my book, and to please finishwriting it! At the top of this list is my friend of over 50 years, BarbaraJo Donnellan. Barb, or Barbie as I call her to her chagrin, has beensteadfast in urging me to keep writing. She has the distinction of being theonly person to have encouraged me to write (and praise my work) since we wereboth 14 years old.

Next on the list are a number of people who gently prodded meor answered questions to clarify faded memories. My sister Kathy Feeney, theone child older than I am in our family of seven kids, has been invaluable inproviding me information from her genealogical research on both sides of ourlarge, Irish Catholic family. She also helped me clarify information aboutmemories that were a bit cloudy, but I could not find in official documentresearch of any type. In exchange, I have left out all of our fights as kids,and how I loved to torment her by singing Freak Out in the Darkness,instead of Reach Out in the Darkness.

My late Aunt Pat Kirwan Kelley was the family historian, untilI informally took her place after she died of a stroke. Aunt Pat was stilltelling family stories (often to our humiliation) even as she faded away intothe arms of God.

A number of cousins have embraced my project and providedanecdotal information, entertaining enough to include in my book.

I got to delve into old stories with cousins Paul Sullivan,Connie Canavan, Jean Canavan, and Edith Canavan. Other relatives offered metitillating stories that, as entertaining as they may have been to me, I choseto leave out. Ive thus omitted the names of these rumormongers in theseacknowledgments, in order to avoid the fisticuffs that could arise as a resultof certain revealed memories. You know who you are.

From College Hype, my absolutely favorite store in Dorchesterand the source of my entire Dorchester and Boston Irish wardrobe, I especiallywant to thank Kathleen Dooley Hickey. Since the day I met her years ago and wetalked at length about our beloved Dorchester, she encouraged me with thequestion, Are you done with your Dorchester book yet? She dangled the offerof placing my completed book in the shop for sale to all of the otherDorchester afficionados. Thank you, Kathleen!

I want to gratefully acknowledge my editor, Beth Raps, for herextensive work on my drafts. Beth responded thoroughly, but kindly, withencouragement and humor, and helped me to finally believe that I did havesomething worthy of publication.

For Lisa Akoury-Ross, the founder of what was initially SweetDreams Publishing, and is now known as SDP Publishing Solutions. The sweetdreams part of the original name absolutely captured my soul and I soughtout her company for facilitating the publication of my book.

I am sincerely grateful to all of those, including my family(noted in the dedication of this book) who have been by my side as I have andcontinue to capture memories to preserve family history, as well as to educateand entertain. At least thats what my writing does for me.