Ricardo Barros, Photographer

with Stephen DiRado and Frank Armstrong

“My first impression upon arriving in Fitchburg was that the city center was deserted. My response to the perceived emptiness was that incoming artists could accelerate the city’s rejuvenation. So, in what turned out to be my first photograph in this project, I literally put three artists on the street and made their photograph. This group portrait represented my vision for Fitchburg’s salvation. But then I realized what I had missed. There were people in these buildings; we just couldn’t see them. The passion, agency, and accomplishments of the people here today are laying a promising foundation for Fitchburg’s future. These people, many newly my friends, deserve to be seen.”

Peter Capodagli

Historian and Collector, Boulder Art Gallery

Fitchburg has a storied history, and Peter Capodagli is one of its eminent chroniclers. Pete researches and details who, what, where, when, and why at the slightest provocation. At Boulder Art Gallery, which he runs in partnership with his wife, Anne, he maintains an impressive collection of Fitchburg memorabilia. Off-premise, he secures another passion. Iver Johnson (1841-1895) was one of Fitchburg’s industrial tycoons, having made his fortune by manufacturing arms and bicycles. Pete has restored three Iver Johnson bicycles and keeps more than forty others in storage. In this photograph, Peter Capodagli rides an Iver Johnson 1932 Truss Frame Roadster past Iver Johnson’s Victorian home on Highland Avenue.

Steve Duvarney

President, The Fay Club

The Fay Club is an enclave where powerful 20th-century industrialists had dined and made deals. Built in 1883, The Fay Club hosted mill owners, bank presidents, doctors, and lawyers. It was a testament to Fitchburg’s grandeur. Despite becoming inclusive over time, economic conditions nearly forced it to close in 2015. Steve Duvarney understood that The Fay Club was more than just a historic building. He mobilized a handful of members to save the legendary institution. Their efforts restored The Fay Club to its status as a regional destination, it welcomes new members, and Steve Duvarney continues to volunteer his time there as Manager on the community’s behalf.

Andrew DeChristopher and Tristan Taylor

Founders, Fitchburg Fiber LLC

Andrew DeChristopher and Tristan Taylor are entrepreneurs with a conscience. They started an internet service provider to provide affordable internet to Fitchburg residents. Now, they are competing with Verizon and Comcast. It is a David and Goliath story.  “We believe internet access is a utility, and utilities should not be motivated by the profit motive,” Tristan says. The two have turned down venture capitalists; getting rich is not their goal. “We charge $40 per month for high-speed internet, and we want to lower that price over time. Our long-term goal is to build efficient fiber to cover all of Fitchburg and then transition it to a community cooperative where the customers are the owners.”

Mayor Sam Squailia

Fitchburg Mayor

Mayor Sam Squalia has a can-do spirit brimming with confidence, agency, and a sunlit smile. She gets things done. “But I can’t do it alone,” Mayor Sam says. “Listening, understanding the issue, and working collaboratively is key. Direct, unfiltered communication is also essential. Through social media, for example, my constituents have informed me that an underground pipe burst before our Water Department knew about it.” Pausing to reflect on her constituents, Mayor Sam adds, “We have an awesome community. They pitch in. They’re generous. We may not have a lot, but we give a lot.”

Zachary Bos, Bookseller

Bonfire Books, Goldfinch Mercantile

Zachary Boss’ world is comprised of words and ideas. “I’ve always been a writer,” he says, “but it didn’t seem like a responsible thing to do.”  Zak is opening two bookstores in downtown Fitchburg: Goldfinch Mercantile, a retail shop offering new titles, and Bonfire Books, a combination retail/office space offering used and antiquarian books. The latter will include a coffee bar, soft music, and patio seating. “This will be a relaxing retail destination.” Commenting on his commitment to the endeavor, Zak says: “I am not a hobbyist trying to turn bookselling into a profession. This is a business. I want to provide a livelihood for myself and three or four people involved with the business.”

Chief Ernest Martineau

Fitchburg Police Chief, retired

“The BF Brown Junior High School is truly near and dear to me,” says Police Chief Ernest Martineau. He lived on Elm Street, less than 1/8th mile away. “In the 70s, your neighborhood was everything. Back in those days, you knew everyone who lived around you. At 7:00 at night, you could hear everybody’s mother yelling from the porch, ‘Time to come home!'” In his 9th-grade year, an off-duty police officer at BF Brown inspired the young man to become a policeman. Ernest Martineau rose to become Police Chief before retiring in late 2024. Community service is at the core of his motivation, and he cites the three pillars guiding his success: Transparency, Trust, and Teamwork.

Jim Desrosiers

Founder, GROWTHco

As a child mired in a difficult family circumstance, young Jim Desrosiers found hope in champion race car driver Ron Bouchard’s successes. Ron Bouchard (1948-2015) was known as “The Kid from Fitchburg” and famously donated a trophy he had just won to a kid in the crowd. “If Ron is from Fitchburg and can succeed, then maybe I can, too,” the young Jim thought. When the two connected later in life, Ron became Jim’s mentor. Jim now carries on Ron’s legacy. Jim Desrosiers helps individuals and organizations grow and thrive, harnessing their potential, optimizing the likelihood of success, and manifesting fulfillment

C.M. Judge

Artist

C.M. Judge is an internationally recognized artist, having exhibited in France, Germany, Uruguay, The Netherlands, Japan, and the United States. Her home base is a converted schoolhouse in Fitchburg. She is known for 2D, 3D, and time-based media. “My works do not arise from the medium; they evolve through ideation,” C.M says. More recently, she has focused on engaging school students and the community in large-scale collaborative works. “It’s not a top-down process, but bottom-up, empowering students through the notion of what design is and how they can impact their environment through design … students learning what’s important to them … having their experiences validated and then enlarged, elevated.”

Nate Glenny

Director, Fitchburg Access TV

FATV may be best known for its local programming on cable networks, but it is also a membership organization. They maintain a professional studio with state-of-the-art equipment not only for their use but also for the community’s. Members are encouraged to borrow and use that equipment, and FATV staff will provide their training. A nominal $40 annual fee unlocks the FATV resources. “Our core function is to engage and empower our community and to teach members how to use our equipment,” Nate Glenny says. FATV does not aspire to speak for the community. FATV aspires to be the medium through which the community speaks for itself.

Barry Slome

Bicycle Repairman

Barry Slome fixes bicycles and sells them to the occasional visitor from an undisclosed location in Fitchburg. Simple and straightforward. That is how he likes it.

A.B. Williams

Artist and Linguist

A.B., a linguist, independent artist, and Board Member at Gallery Marquee, is fluent in English and Mandarin Chinese. She is among the growing number of artists gravitating to Fitchburg as she redirects her professional focus to a Fine Art career. A.B. constantly sketches and takes notes in her journals. These are bound volumes, some by hand, which she selects on a given day depending on the size of her pockets or backpack. She writes the dates of each page in Chinese. She works on several journals concurrently and keeps them for future reference.” Her current work explores the impact of AI on our society. “We have visual dialects, just as we have dialects in spoken language. We seamlessly ingest AI along with analog imagery, with AI having the advantage of being tailored to our hopes and expectations.” In isolation, AI is dangerously seductive. We welcome AI’s flattery as it quietly reshapes our concept of beauty and invites us to retreat into self-deception.

Hal Smith

Creative Mechanic

Hal Smith is a semi-retired mechanic. He hires out his time and works on problem cars that other mechanics prefer to avoid. As a teenager, a repertory theater opened just a short walk from his family farm. For Hal, engaging with this theater was a formative experience. “I met people from all walks of life and wanted to be part of their community. But I wasn’t an actor.” So Hal started working backstage as part of the production crew. He utilized his skills and imagination to construct, manage, and repair whatever needed to be done. Theatrical production became his passion. For one show, South Pacific, “… they needed to create the illusion of a Jeep rolling up behind a screen onto which they would project a film. That was easy. I took a sawhorse, put casters on it, and bolted two plow lights onto the sawhorse; I had a battery there and a switch. I turned the lights on, moved it around, and we had a Jeep!” With a short laugh, he adds, “Backstage is where the magic happens.” Six decades later, Hal Smith is still at it, now supporting Fitchburg’s two theater groups. “It’s not that I love community theater. It’s that I love the community of community theater.”

Furqan Mehmud

President, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Fitchburg Chapter

Furqan is the President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Center, located on Main Street. “Love for all and hatred for none.” So says the sign above the Center’s door. “I am not a local Imam,” Furqan clarifies, “although I do lead Friday prayers and provide some spiritual counseling.” “Furqan’s parents arrived in Fitchburg in 1981, ten years after another man dared to make history. Adrian L. Ford, 23 years old in 1971, was elected President of Three Pyramids, Inc. Three Pyramids promotes equal opportunity, personal responsibility, and social justice by empowering people of color, women, children, and families. Adrian, a Fitchburg resident, went on to become a legendary civil rights and community activist. A five-story mural painted in 2022, one block west of the Ahmadiyya Center, posthumously honors his work. In that mural, Adrian Ford holds the spirit of change in his hand – and passes it on to us. “My dad was involved with Three Pyramids,” Furqan says, “and I received training there.” There is considerable overlap in the concerns of our two organizations.” Not surprisingly, “Today, I am on their executive board.” Adrian Ford’s legacy burns bright in Furqan Mehmud. Islam informs his values but does not constrain his vision. Furqan’s heritage and beliefs do not make him ‘less’ American; they exemplify what it means to be American. Furqan Mehmud is but one example of how diversity has made the United States of America a healthier and stronger nation.

Diego Barahona

Indigenous Peoples Activist

What makes a young man stand tall and walk with the self-confidence of a prince? For Diego Barahona, 16 at the time of this writing, it is his heritage. Born to a Caribbean mother and a Central American father, he is particularly proud of his indigenous roots. His ancestors are the Taino and Nahua peoples. “I want to rekindle what we had, or what we lost, 500 years ago,” he says. His awakening at the age of 13 came through Chali’naru, an activist aunt who introduced him to Taino culture and taught him Taino dances. The past stepped into his present when she introduced him to tribal elders. Diego discovered a world whose presence he had sensed but never seen. “The Taino were a peaceful people. From 1493 onwards, starting with Christopher Columbus and continuing with the Spaniards, the Taino were subjected to enslavement, murder, and fatal diseases.” Nearly extinguished by 1550, those that survived did so by fleeing into the mountains. They had good reason to become invisible. Guaribono Nakan is a movement Diego founded and spearheads, raising awareness of the presence and rights of indigenous people. “The name means Warriors of Balance. We promote equity and mutual respect among all cultures.” Diego delivers his message through performance. Attired in a regalia of feathers, he speaks to gatherings ranging from civic meetings to high school classrooms, honoring the land and cultures associated with the very spot where the group has convened. And then he dances. “I want people to know that indigenous people are not extinct,” Diego says. “We are still here.” Diego Barahona ensures his people are no longer invisible.

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Luisa Fernandez

FPS Family and Community Engagement Coordinator

Luisa Fernandez is an unexpected immigrant. Not because the United States was unprepared to receive her, but because she was unprepared to leave her native Venezuela. In 2015, she packed for an annual vacation to Aruba, Orlando, and a visit with her sister in Fitchburg. That is when everything changed. Events back home made it unsafe to return. She became an expatriate, effectively exiled. But that is not the important part of her story. “My secret is always to give more,” Luisa says, her voice inflamed with purpose. “You need to work with passion, with empathy, and to build relationships.” Starting with no job, not speaking English, and at the bottom of the ladder, she climbed out of her hole. Today, she works for Fitchburg Public Schools as Family and Community Engagement Coordinator. “My office is a resource center for families short on food, shelter, translators, and other basic needs.” We’ve designed our school systems to educate kids, but no child can thrive in an unstable environment. “People need to feel safe.” Everybody knows Luisa, and she makes everyone feel special. “My goal is to raise $100,000 this year for Fitchburg Public Schools in donations for our students and their families. We have already raised $55,210.” Then, eyes still sparkling, she laughs. “I love what I do. Fitchburg is home to me. I belong here.”

Bill Chittick

Architectural Historian

Bill Chittick startled me with his recollections of the 1977 architectural survey he performed. Among them: the elegant butler’s pantry in my house on Atlantic Avenue. Bill was visiting Fitchburg to check on the status of the H.M. Francis drawings. Henry Martyn Francis (1836-1908) was Fitchburg’s preeminent architect. His firm designed dozens of schools, churches, libraries, public and commercial buildings, as well as hundreds of residences throughout New England. When H.M. Francis & Sons closed in 1943, H.M.’s papers were lost. Then, in 1977, following a tip and armed with an ice pick, Bill Chittick and Frank Garretson arrived at a Lunenburg barn. They smashed icicles to pry open a door, shimmied through the narrow opening, and discovered the contents of H.M. Francis & Sons’ last office. Hundreds of drawings were scattered inside, all in pristine condition. One dated back to 1860. It was a momentous find, “not unlike the discovery of King Tut’s tomb,” according to Bill. The two made an impromptu inventory before the drawings’ storage at the Fitchburg Historical Society. There, aside from one brief display of selected works, they have quietly resided. Now, nearly 50 years after their discovery, Bill is returning to inventory, organize, and catalog the drawings. “I know probably 90% of the context for each drawing. I remember buildings that are no longer there. But I’ve got to get the information out of my head and into filing cabinets. You can call it history, but I think ‘Fitchburg’s story’ is more appropriate.”

Laura DiCaronimo

Founder, The Openest Mic

Laura DiCaronimo founded The Openest Mic, where anyone can get five minutes of airtime. “I don’t care if you go up there and just hum under your breath,” she says. “You’re not coming  here to impress … when somebody really cares about what they’re doing, we know that’s bone deep.” The Openest Mic gatherings are super affirming and super fun. “It’s not that we don’t have standards, but that we’re unpretentious.” Some people share their best work; others test early drafts, and still others are simply playful. The show bounces from one venue to another, and the audience follows. “I usually give a talk at the beginning about no hate speech. I tell them: If you hear something offensive, first let it percolate. There might be something you need to learn about yourself.’ I do have an air horn, just in case, but I’ve never had to use it.” These are turbulent times. Strife has frayed our social fabric, if not yet torn it. The Openest Mike weaves multi-colored threads that bind our community, sewing pockets of love, joy, meaning, and resiliency.

Ralph Baker

Soil Scientist, Environmentalist

“I’m passionate about nature in its entirety.” Ralph is the President of the Nashua River Watershed Association and co-leads the Fitchburg Trail Stewards. Although much of the Nashua River watershed is in conservation, it is not fully protected. Logging is permitted, for example, with potentially devastating effects on soil compaction and biodiversity. “Given enough time, nature can heal itself. It’ll flourish if we leave it alone.” Ralph Baker is determined to help both things happen. He has created the first forever wild space in Fitchburg. A forever wild land status keeps management by people to a bare minimum. “The earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain,” is how Congress defined wilderness in The Wilderness Act of 1964. Ralph donated an easement on a 20-acre parcel of land to the North County Land Trust (NCLT). Through a formal Conservation Restriction monitored by the NCLT, the land’s future development or commercialization will be prohibited, while an existing public trail will remain accessible for hiking and other non-intrusive visits. Nature is free to follow its course on this conservation reserve. This extraordinary gift follows another that Ralph made in 2017, when Fitchburg planned to log a 200-acre section in the Nashua’s watershed. He personally paid the city $50,000 to forego two timber harvestings. The city financially benefited more from Ralph’s gift than it would have profited from logging, and this first-step agreement can later be extended under similar terms. “Nature is a community we belong to,” Ralph Baker says, “not a commodity to exploit.”

Merrick Henry, Derek Craig, and Joe Murchison

Coff33 Corp Directors

I underestimated Derek Craig when I first met and interviewed him in 2024. Not because I projected limitations upon his potential, but because I was looking for a creative individual. I found him to be one. My problem was that I failed to see the larger picture. Derek is also a powerful social catalyst. Along with Joe Murchison and Merrick Henry, co-founders of Coff33 Corp, the three are making a significant impact on the culture and economy of North Central Massachusetts. This is not an overstatement. Coff33 (pronounced “coffee”) was born when the three set out to unify the independent efforts of 33 small businesses, nonprofits, creatives, and entrepreneurs who were trying to make Fitchburg a better place. Coff33 Corp is a parent organization with four Divisions: Young Coff33 Productions, Fitchburg Creative, Coff33 Network, and now Canvas. Canvas is their new 3,860-square-foot venue, featuring a stage and bar, with a capacity of 211 guests. Their overarching mission is to inclusively “cultivate creativity, innovation, and community engagement” through art and collaboration. They do this at all levels, from nurturing musicians to producing original music to staging concerts and community events. Their Dream It Create It program distributes local grants up to $15,000. The Annual River City Rhythm & Rock Fest draws an estimated 3,000 people. Derek may be the visionary, but the three agree that not one of them could have done this alone.

Jennifer L. Jones

Composer, former Director of Arts, Fitchburg Public Schools

Jennifer L Jones received her first piano lessons from a neighbor at age 9, went on to study at the Boston Conservatory of Music, and returned to her passion upon retiring in 2016. In between, she championed after-school enrichment as Director of Arts for Fitchburg Public Schools. “My primary goal was to provide access to arts education for all children during the school day and after school. At one point, we had 500 kids participating at ten sites. Our program wasn’t about more academics; it was about enrichment. We would integrate music, art, puppetry, and theater into their experience. And it made a difference. We were able to close the achievement gap for more than 85% of participating children across the district.”