ABOUT CHEVALIER THEATRE
Chevalier Theatre, located at 30 Forest St., is a historic landmark and cultural treasure in the heart of Medford Square. Formerly the auditorium for Medford High School, the theatre has a Greek Revival style exterior with Art Deco interior details, including a double elliptical ceiling that provides near perfect acoustics. The 1,856-seat, full-stage theatre is managed for
the City of Medford by Bill Blumenreich Presents, which books more than 100 music, comedy, podcast, speaker and other events each year. ABOUT GODFREY CHEVALIER
Lieutenant Commander Godfrey DeCourcelles Chevalier was a pioneering aviator of the United States Navy of World War I and the early 1920s. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Chevalier grew up in Medford and was a standout athlete at Medford High School. On Oct. 1, 1910, Midshipman Chevalier performed the first of what would be several heroic feats, rescuing some 20 sailors tossed from an overturned barge in New York’s Hudson River. Two years later, Chevalier was with the first detachment to land in France on the USS Neptune. He became the commanding officer of the US Naval Air Station at Dunkirk, France, in 1917-18 and was awarded the French Legion of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross for his extraordinary meritorious service. In 1922, Lieutenant Commander Chevalier made aviation history, becoming the first U.S. Naval aviator to land an airplane on a moving ship, the USS Langley. Tragically, Chevalier’s life was cut short less than a month after his historic flight, when he died from injuries suffered in a plane crash in Virginia. Chevalier Auditorium was dedicated to his memory on March 7, 1940, which would have been his 51st birthday. ABOUT THE GENE MACK GYMNASIUM
The Gene Mack Gymnasium, located on the lower level of the auditorium building, is the home of the Medford Youth Center and the City of Medford Recreation Department. The Youth Center, operated by the Mystic Valley YMCA, offers children ages 6-14 recreational and educational programs including sports activities, tutoring, computer training, homework help and mentoring. The Recreation Department offers a wide variety of programming for children, teens and adults. ABOUT GENE MACK
Eugene McGillicuddy, best known as Gene Mack, was a lifelong resident of Medford who gained national prominence as a sports cartoonist during a 35-year career at the Boston Globe. His series of 14 National League baseball parks hangs in the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and is considered a baseball treasure. Although Mack worked in the sports world of legendary athletes such as Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, the young athletes in Medford and the achievements of Medford High School teams were closest to his heart. In 1953, five months after his death, the gym at the old high school at 30 Forest St. was named in his memory. Today, the Gene Mack Gym is the centerpiece of the Medford Boys & Girls Club, which offers a wide range of programs “to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to become productive, responsible and caring citizens.”
