Ted Menswar’s “SPOTLIGHT ON…”
Ed and Lorraine Flanagan (The parents of what’s his name)
This story is not about “What’s his name?”
It’s about what’s his name’s family, specifically his Mom and Dad.
To eliminate any confusion, particularly for those younger readers, the person (WHN) I’m referring to is arguably Manchester’s most famous athlete, Michael K. Flanagan, who was a high school “phenom” in both basketball and baseball and who went on to a very successful career in professional baseball with both the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays.
But that’s another story, hopefully for a future issue.
While serving as Mike’s high school baseball coach at Memorial High back in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, I had the good fortune to meet Mr. and Mrs. Flanagan, both of whom were instrumental in shaping not only Mike’s life, but also the lives of their three other children – no easy task considering the attention given to child #2.
Unless you stink at math, you figured out by now that Ed and Lorraine have four kids – two boys and two girls. The boys came first with Tim, born in ’49 being the oldest, then Mike, born in ‘51. Next came the girls, Cathy in ’61 and Elaine in ‘63.
I have always wondered what it must have been like for their parents to raise a son whose athletic star took on its brilliance at a very early age…as in Little League…then only continued to brighten as he went through his secondary education, college, and then the Pros, while at the same time, responsibly raising all four of them, giving attention to each of them, equally – fairly.
How did they “handle” him and, more importantly, how did they “handle” their responsibilities to the other kids in the family?
Additionally, I have also always wondered what it was like for the other kids in the family to have a “celebrity“ for a brother – how it impacted each of them.
Now I know.
First, Mom – Then Dad
Lorraine was born in Swampscott, Mass., raised in Lynn, Mass., then graduated from Lynn English High School and Currie College in Boston.
Ed was born in Manchester, graduated from Central High, served in the United States Navy, then began a brief career in professional baseball.
Ed and Lorraine – How They Met
Ed has always loved fishing so it really came as no surprise to me that the “sport” was in some way involved. As he tells it “My cousin lived near Pine Island and we were out on the pond fishing from a boat. Well, I saw Lorraine on the beach in her bathing suit and said to myself, ‘The hell with fishing!’
I got my cousin to get her address and for the four years that I spent in the Navy, we wrote to each other.”
As Ed related the story to me, he kept glancing at Lorraine, his face still reflecting that “love-at-first-sight” look that it must have had when he first spotted her. As proud as he was at “landing” the best “catch” of his life, I could also tell that he was just waiting for Lorraine’s response. In fact, he looked a little nervous – and I had never seen him like that before.
Lorraine hadn’t said a word yet, she just sat there, listening and smiling.
Ed continued…“When I got out of the service, I made a movie date to meet her in Lynn. ‘Had to take the train to see her and it ran late. When I finally got there, I figured she might be a little mad, but I was to find out differently. Her Mom answered the door and when I asked if Lorraine was home, she answered, ‘Nope, she decided not to wait and went to the movies!’”
I looked back over at Lorraine and her facial expression. Grinning now like the Cheshire cat, she still hadn’t said a word. It appeared that she was enjoying this whole “experience” all over again, letting Ed know that she still was an “independent” woman.
But back to the story: Ed and Lorraine
Ed, determined not to lose his opportunity with this bathing suit beauty, headed for the movie theater. What he did then didn’t just surprise me, it stunned me. This military veteran of WWII, this soon to be professional baseball player, did the most logical thing he could think of. He walked into the theater and paged her.
Out she came and they started talking when, suddenly, she stopped.
Now the brief remainder of this “date” as Lorraine explained it. “We were talking too much. The movie was ‘Keys To The Kingdom’ and I wanted to go back in and see it – and I/we did.”
Ed now interjects. “I found out that she was dating two or three guys at the same time (to which Lorraine chimed in with ‘And proud of it!‘) so I didn’t want to blow my chances with her. I wasn’t exactly at the top of her list! I knew my odds were low, but I wasn‘t going to give up.”
Lorraine continued. “Just because I was dating more than one guy at a time didn’t mean I was ‘loose’. There was a lot more respect for girls back then.” Then she offered an example of just how strong her morals were.
“Ed and I were talking as we were driving into Boston and he used the “F” word. I looked at him and said ‘If you’re going to use language like that, stop the car and let me out!’”
Needless to say, Ed’s vocabulary was suddenly missing a certain Anglo-Saxon word and his perseverance paid off when, shortly after Lorraine’s graduation from Currie, they “tied the knot” at St. Mary’s in Lynn in 1947. The date – December 7, or as Lorraine jokingly referred to it, “The date that started another war!“
On to the Queen City
They returned to Manchester where they built the home they still live in that was paid for with both United States and Canadian currency, the money he earned as a member of the Red Sox minor league system which played its games from Canada to New Mexico.
Lorraine‘s “Story“
As a child, Lorraine had a bout with one of the most feared diseases of that time period – polio. Though it was brief, she suffered nerve damage and it left her with limited use of her left hand.
Worse than that, however, was a statement that was made to her back then. She was told that the disease would return late in her life, and that it would hit her much harder than it did as a child.
Regrettably, that “prediction” proved true.
Presently she suffers what is called “post-polio” and it is every bit as debilitating as its predecessor. Lorraine has pretty much lost the use of her legs. Though she can move them a little, she can no longer walk and is now in a wheel-chair. It has created such difficulty that it required Lorraine to move from the family home to an assisted living facility in Manchester
In high school, Lorraine was a member of the drum & bugle corps and considered herself to be what she called a “back-yard athlete.” She was a good tennis player, both table tennis and “regular” tennis.
She didn’t have much of a chance to demonstrate any athletic talent she might have, but that was the problem for all women during that time. Before Title IX, high school sports for females just didn’t exist. No volleyball, no soccer, no basketball, no tennis, no softball, no track, no golf, no skiing, no field hockey…nothing, nada, zilch. Other than the gym team, there was no outlet for a girl to show how capable an athlete she may be.
While she never got to demonstrate her athletic skills on a playing field, she certainly demonstrated her writing talent on the sports page. Long-time Union Leader Sports columnist and well-known prognosticator, the late Joe Barnea, was heading off for a short vacation and asked her if she’d “sub” for him as one of his guest columnists.
It went something like this.
“Pinch-hitting today for vacationing Executive Sports Editor Joe Barnea is Lorraine Flanagan of Manchester, mother of 1979 American league Cy Young Award winner Mike Flanagan.”
Her article was a hit! As Mr. Barnea stated in a column after his return, “We knew Lorraine Flanagan would be a big hit as a guest columnist, but we never thought she’d steal the show. Fact is, Lorraine’s guest column prompted more letters from readers than any other previous contributor. And, over the years, some real ‘biggies‘ have taken over this space for guest columns.”
Her work was so popular that she ended up penning her own column for the UL called “El Sassy Lorraine” (the “tag” given to her by the late UL Editor-in-Chief, Paul Tracy), a satirical and funny mixture of Dear Abby and Erma Bomback. She even wrote her own book/scrapbook titled “Walking Small – What’s His Name’s Mother?!!”
Lorraine was employed in the dietary department of the Elliot Hospital for 22 years, but ended her employment there as the first female shuttle driver for the hospital. “That was a really ‘fun’ job, the greatest because the guys were great to work with!” she added.
Ed‘s “Story”
Ed’s passion for baseball began in his youth when he used to play ball in grade school in Goff’s Falls. “We had eight kids on the team and needed a ninth. Frank Cote used to take the trolley car from Manchester and get there just in time for our games.”
Ed pitched for Coach Hap Rice while at Central and did well both athletically and academically graduating at 17! Though the head baseball coach at Bowdoin College, Dan McFadden, was very interested in having Ed join his ball club, he chose not to go, opting instead for the U.S. Navy before he could be drafted into the Army.
He also played American Legion baseball, pitching for Henry J. Sweeney Post #2 and never lost a game during his tenure there.
The decision not to attend college was one that he still regrets today. That’s why, though the Houston Astros were going to make his son, Mike, a high draft choice with added bonuses, Ed told them not to waste their time drafting him because he wasn’t going to play pro ball…at least not yet. He was going to go to college first – and that’s exactly what Mike did (after accepting a baseball scholarship to the University of Massachusetts).
After the service, Ed got a letter from the Braves’ (who were in Boston at that time) manager Billy Southworth and ended up throwing batting practice for the club. In fact, he was pitching for two clubs at the time – BP for the Braves and was a starter with Pulaski Club of the old Sunset League. As Ed explained it, it really wasn’t a problem at all.
“One particular time, I went to the Braves’ field and threw batting practice, took the train back to Manchester and then threw a no-hitter…all on the same day.”
Eventually, he went over to a Red Sox workout and ended up joining them, playing in the Northern League, the equivalent of today’s Cape League.
Ed played several years of minor league ball, but was growing disillusioned. Case in point. “I lost a game in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and there were two kids sitting in the bleachers behind third base. I was so upset, I scaled the glove to them as I walked off the field. Believe it or not, as I came out of the locker room after the game was over, there were the two boys standing and waiting for me. They had brought my glove back.”
It was a great gesture, but Ed was done with Pro ball. He went to work for Seal Tanning in Manchester’s mill-yard, remaining there for 27 years (the last 10 as a supervisor) until the factory closed. As the tannery prepared for closure and was attempting to find employees new jobs, he was asked how far he’d be willing to drive to a future job to which he answered, “Four miles“. The interviewer, thinking he was joking, said “Seriously, how far would you be willing to drive for your next job.“ Ed answered…“Seriously, four miles!“
He soon joined the staff at Hermsdorf Corporation, coming on board as a supervisor and retired from the manufacturing company after a 10 year stay.
Interesting “Side-Note” About Ed and Lorraine
Though Lorraine is regarded as the “writer” in the family, with much of her work ending up being published, it should also be known that Ed does quite a bit of writing himself, with much of his work ending up stashed away in a table drawer.
As good as Lorraine’s printed thoughts are, Ed’s are really good, too. In fact, one I want to offer to not only you, the reader, but also to the “staff” of Manchester’s minor league baseball team, the N.H. Fisher Cats.
In Ed’s words…“When an Eastern League team comes to play the Fisher Cats, why not have their local American Legion team play our local American Legion team as part of a doubleheader?”
From the “pen” of a former pro ballplayer (Ed) who’s the Dad of a former Pro ballplayer (Mike) who once pitched for the Cats “mother”, the Toronto Blue Jays, that’s a great suggestion!
How about it Fisher Cats? It definitely would fill a lot of seats!
Ted Menswar Jr. is a life-long resident of the Queen City and a retired member of the English Department of Memorial High School who has been involved in local sports for 70 years as a player, a coach, a mentor and a fan. He can be reached at tedmenswar@outlook.com