The Real Story Mike Demoulas left lasting legacy LOWELL Telemachus Mike Demoulas, grew up in the citys Acre neighborhood, and grew into one of the regions largest benefactors, donating millions to schools, charities and projects, each gift given quietly. He did not like the spotlight. I dont think theres anyone in the community whos ever done more, and he never, never, wanted any recognition for it either, said Sen. Steven Panagiotakos, a Lowell Democrat. He was a caring, giving person who was very, very humble. The Market Basket empire started with one DeMoulas market on Dummer Street, operated by Athanasios Demoulas, Mike Demoulas father. Their store tried to cater to the large number of Greek immigrants who had settled in the Acre. Mike Demoulas and his brother George took over the store in 1954, and spent the years after that building the company. Today, there are 58 Market Basket stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Even in later years, Mike Demoulas could be found in his stores, arranging produce, checking the meat department, tutoring employees and making sure things were running smoothly. As Demoulas fortune grew, he became a go-to guy for community groups and city officials looking for help. There are things he did in the City of Lowell we never knew about, and will never know about, City Manager John Cox said. They dont make a Mike Demoulas every day of the week. He was a very, very rare individual. Through the Demoulas Foundation, donations have been made to a wide range of causes: Programs for the blind, the Museum of Science, religious charities, the American Textile History Museum, symphony programs, and college scholarships, especially for teenagers who bagged or stocked shelves at one of his stores. According to one survey, the Demoulas Foundation had assets of $35 million at the end of 2000, making it the 50th largest foundation in Massachusetts. Demoulas had a special place in his heart for Boys & Girls Clubs, becoming a major benefactor for clubs in Lowell and Billerica. William Vrettas, 90, of Lowell, grew up with the Demoulas family and served as executive director of the Lowell Boys Club for 22 years. In his youth, his fathers store was one block from the old Boys Club, on Dutton Street, Vrettas said. Vrettas said Mike and his brothers spent the little spare time they had at the old Boys Club on Dutton Street, a block from the family business. His father worked those boys pretty good, Vrettas said. Demoulas was the primary backer when a new club was being planned in the late 1960s, Vrettas said. It was a real prototype, an example of what the modern Boys Club should be at the time. Demoulas was so humble about his donation that he hadnt even planned to attend the buildings grand opening. It took a lot of persuading to get him to come, Vrettas said. If anything, he was a shy man. He shunned recognition, but his whole history is one of being a benefactor. He did a lot in Lowell, and outside the community as well. Don Ryan, a long-time director of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Billerica, said Demoulas was generous, but expected the target of his generosity to work hard as well. He always said that if you gave and amount, hed match it, Ryan said. When he said he was going to do something, he did it, Ryan said. Ryan said Demoulas donated $30,000 toward construction of the club in the early 1970s. Demoulas later supported it as the prime sponsor of the annual golf tournament, held at Indian Ridge Country Club in Andover, which Demoulas helped found. If it wasnt for him, wed be behind the 8-ball, Ryan said. Civic leaders credit Demoulas with bringing the revitalization of the Acre to fruition. The chain demolished an expanded version of the original Dummer Street store, and build a new store steps away at Broadway and Fletcher streets in 1997. It was heralded as a turning point for the neighborhood. That building on Broadway Street was a very critical part of the Acre development, and I think its been very successful, City Councilor Richard Howe said. I dont think you could think of another supermarket chain in the world that would build a store like that in that neighborhood. In recent years, gas-light lamps were installed and new parking lot built. Few people knew that Demoulas paid for the curbs, electrical work, and other infrastructure that transformed that corner of the Acre, said Robert Kennedy, the administrator of the Lowell Regional Transit Authority. Its estimated that work cost more than $2 million. It was a substantial investment that in any other community would be paid for by the city, said Kennedy, who has known Demoulas for more than 30 years. Looking back over the years, his contributions were endless. The city has increased its investment in the Acre through an urban renewal plan that has brought a new senior center to the neighborhood, with plans for a school and revitalized housing still to come. Mayor Rita Mercier said the Acres present and future would be unlikely without Demoulas. I dont know where the Acre would be without him, said Mercier, whose daughter Kelly worked her first job at a Market Basket. We do have others, but not anyone who could measure his generosity. In the last decade, company ownership was the focus of a major court battle. The brothers had promised to look after the others family if either passed away, but Georges heirs claim Mike took away their share of the company when George died in 1971. Judge Maria Lopez, who recently stepped down from the bar after being suspended for judicial misconduct, ruled in favor of Georges family and ordered Mike to turn over their share of the company and relinquish control. The case is still in appeals, and in the most recent activity Mikes lawyers have claimed Lopez was biased against him and have asked for her decisions to be voided. Richard Donahue, a close friend of Demoulas and his attorney, said Demoulas was one of the brightest men Ive ever met. He said he was driven to both improve his business and the Acre, and said the lawsuit should be a minor footnote when recounting Demoulass life. It didnt affect him as much as people would think. He did not like losing, but he didnt like losing because of the things said about him, Donahue said. He couldnt understand the things said about him, because they were not true. The protracted legal battle did little to mar Demoulas reputation among the leaders in the community where he built both his business and his reputation as one of the citys strongest supporters. The city tried to honor Demoulas this year by naming the citys new senior center after him. The center sits across Broadway from the Acre store. Demoulas, typically, declined the honor. Cox said that during his nearly three years as manager he met with Demoulas every month or two, talking about the city and its future. When they went out publicly, Demoulas was rarely left alone. I went to lunch with him at Indian Ridge one day, and it was like having lunch with the pope. People were lining up to shake his hand, Cox said. He was a guy who could be anywhere in the world, and he was so concerned with Lowell and so concerned with what the city was doing, especially in the Acre. He was always asking what he could do. He had the city at heart. Sun staff writers Christopher Scott, Rebecca Lipchitz and Tom Zuppa contributed to this story.
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 20:13:14 +0000
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