Personally, I'd have just not assumed either way and not said anything, since I don't know them or know anything more of their story, but I'm not sure this warrants someone busting out their high horse and making just as much of an assumption that this family couldn't possibly appreciate the comment.

May George J. Gottwald Jr.'s memory be a blessing.

What you call a high horse

By NotWhitey on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 4:12pm.

What you call a high horse used to be normal human consideration. Sorry to hear you missed it.

Where is the humor in a 20

By kvn on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 7:02pm.

Where is the humor in a 20 year old man dying for his country , and a story honoring him and his family, who also suffered other tragedies , one of which was the father loosing his life fighting a fire. Just take a second to appreciate their sacrifice , and have a little bit of empathy for the family. Then , if you cant say something honorable , dont press send.

I didn't see

By eeka on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 9:34pm.

anyone saying "ha ha, a soldier died for our country, that's hilarious."

I saw someone responding to the headline about the notability of the intersection by mentioning that there's a brightly colored business with a weird name at that corner. Having a different association with the intersection and being respectful of fallen soldiers aren't mutually exclusive.

Had the story not _mentioned_ facts about the memorial....

By Michael Kerpan on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 9:58pm.

... perhaps the witticism might have been excusable (merely showing the "wit" was too lazy to read the linked story), but Adam's comment DID provide the basic background. So the comment was, in fact, crass and not funny at all.

It was more than a mention,

By kvn on Tue, 05/28/2013 - 9:22am.

It was more than a mention, it was uncalled for. Be respectful of the situation, you all are educated enough to discern when hipster coolness is called for , and when it is not. Dont try to deflect the real intent her with shallow fabrications, you arent fooling any one. Be grateful every time you see one of these memorials on a street corner, re-learn the meaning of the word appreciate. And sometimes , silence is golden.

I bet they would, actually.

By gradontripp on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 1:14pm.

My great-uncle has a square named after him in Southie -- John Mantville on the corner of L and E 6th. I'd love a witty comment about life in area around the memorial.

Rough comments

By Waquiot on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 7:41pm.

I head the Herald comments after reading the story. They were so nice and sweet that I was almost in tears.

Then the comments started at uhub with this.

Congrats Andrew, you lowered the tone here to below the Herald's.

A Herald story...

By Michael Kerpan on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 2:44pm.

... I very much appreciated reading. I have seen that memorial sign so many times and always wondered about the story (and people) associated with it.

Not the only intersection named for a Gottwald

By anon on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 6:04pm.

My memory could be off, but I believe that the rotary at the intersections of Centre Street and the West Roxbury Parkway near the Holy Name Church / School is also named after a Gottwald who I was a Boston Fire Fighter.

The Gottwald family has given much to Boston and they should be respected.

Many such "Squares"

By dmk on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 6:42pm.

There are many such "Squares" in Roslindale, i.e. intersections named after those lost in wars.

One is named for my great-grand uncle who died in WWI. He wasn't the first Roslindale soldier to die in that battle. That honor was reserved for Irving Adams for which Adams Park was named.

However, my great-grand uncle's "square" has no really special observations, and no parades. The city does decorate it every year at this time, and his grave in West Roxbury is similarly honored by the local Veteran's organizations, and we observe the day in our own way for those in the family who served.

There were many such sacrifices over time. Indeed, some were never honored due to being forgotten, or because they came from a cultural or ethnic background that didn't see such honors in times gone by.

So before we get engaged in a battle over lack of respect, naming rights, and all the rest, let's just agree that remembering is the important thing.

Perhaps....

By Michael Kerpan on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 9:55pm.

...it would be nice to assemble a list of all the memorial "squares" and some facts about the people being honored.

A list is lacking

By dmk on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 10:37pm.

A comprehensive historical list does not exist. When I went to research my own relative's intersection I found the city archives was devoid of any info, only that it existed.

More modern ones have a write up. If anyone has a relation that has an intersection named after them, and such a write-up does not exist, you can write your own and ask your city councilor to advocate for its entering into the city archives.

Correct!

By Cleary Squared on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 9:01pm.

The George Gottwald, Sr. Circle is located at the intersection of Centre St and West Roxbury Parkway, right over the bridge. It is also used by airline pilots as an aid for direction and distance to Logan Airport.

And yes, for their sacrifices, they should be respected.

Gottwald Circle

By anon on Sat, 09/07/2013 - 12:02pm.

You're right :-) That's Gottwald Circle and that's named after my grandfather, George J. Gottwald. He is George J. Gottwald Jr.'s father.

My grandfather unfortunately passed away fighting a fire. He was a fire lieutenant in Boston. Thank you everyone for your nice comments :-) !

Why the intersection of Washington Street and Metropolitan Avenue matters

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