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~ Tribute to Augie Decembrele ~
By Maura Sullivan
On December
3, 2007, Augie Decembrele lost the last great struggle of his
life, to regain his health and vigor, and resume his rightful
place in seeing to the interests of Canton. In failing health
for the past several years, Augie fought off one setback after
another, surprising his doctors but not himself, and making the
most of the time he gained. Over the past several weeks, many
people held their own vigil for Augie, his wife Ann, his
children, John, Richard and Cheryl, and their families, as Augie
waged his final battle.
 A
graduate of CHS, Class of 1938, Augie made his mark early in
life and, typical for him, in a spectacular, memorable and
lasting fashion. Only a sophomore in 1935, Augie was the
starting halfback on the now legendary undefeated – untied CHS
football team, named the MA Class C Champion by the Boston
sportswriters. Augie chronicled that season in a precious
scrapbook given to him by a friend to mark his entry to CHS,
which he kept close by all of his life. The 1935 season has been
scrutinized many times through the years, but all agreed that if
Augie saw even a ray of daylight, he was gone, untouchable. As
much as he loved football, Augie took greater pride in his track
career, including the fact that he was a member and captain of
CHS’s first organized track team. Under poor conditions common
for the times, Augie’s blazing speed earned him many ribbons. In
1938, Augie set a CHS record in the 100-yard dash at 10.2
seconds, matched only once since then in 1961, a fact in which
Augie also took great pride.
The
pattern of his life set, Augie went on to distinguish himself as
a mover and shaker, a founder and activist, a man devoted to his
family, his town and his country. In WWII, Augie served in the
U.S. Army. He was an infantryman with the 100th armored
division in the European theater. Upon his return home, Augie
earned his college degree from Northeastern University. He had
many business and real estate interests, and was the owner and
operator of Washington Liquors in downtown Canton. True to his
values, Augie was involved with many organizations and efforts
throughout his life, often serving as a founder and holding many
leadership positions. He devoted his time to the Ponkapoag Civic
Association, the American Legion Post # 24, the Knights of
Columbus, the Rotary Club, the Canton Democratic Town Committee,
the Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Business Association, the
Canton Recreation Committee, countless town initiatives and
committees, and was a notable friend of the Canton Public
Library.
In 1994,
Augie was honored by the Blue Hills Civic Association for his
civic devotion as the Dr. Richard Elkort Person of the Year.
In recent
years, Augie was also honored by the Downtown Business
Association for his many contributions, and was an inaugural
member of the CHS Hall of Fame in 2003 for Lifetime
Achievement. Having funded the Decembrele Family Scholarships
for many years, and true to his competitive spirit, Augie
sponsored the Hall of Fame’s Sportsmanship Cup, awarded to CHS
seniors for the past five years. (See article on this year’s
recipient on page 1.) Augie was a progressive thinker who
changed with the times, but he never wavered in his loyalty,
generosity or his efforts to give back to his hometown, the one
place on earth he loved above all else. On behalf of the people
of Canton, we extend our deepest sympathy to Augie’s family and
friends. Augie is at rest now, and we are all the poorer for our
loss.
December 13, 2007
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