FALLS VILLAGE — The two-hour memorial service held in his honor on June 10 was a snapshot of everything that mattered most to John Leo Mahoney, known to all as Jack, who died May 14, 2011, at the age of 73.Of course tears were shed by many in the audience and on the stage of the auditorium at Housatonic Valley Regional High School. But overall, it was a service that, like Mahoney, was fun, funny and filled with references to the Boston Red Sox — including a “seventh-inning stretch” about three quarters of the way through. Everyone in the audience stood up and sang along to “Sweet Caroline,” which has been the official seventh-inning stretch song at every Red Sox game since 2002.Fenway Park would, arguably, be the only other place that Mahoney might have chosen for a memorial service in his honor. But, really, no place was more appropriate than Housatonic Valley Regional High School, to which he had devoted so much of his life. The downstairs of the auditorium, which seats 406 people, was full. The front seats were filled with family, including Mahoney’s mother, Florence.Ed Kirby was the master of ceremonies, taking charge of the stage and proceedings as he had done so many times during the years when he was a top administrator at the school and in the school district, and when Mahoney was (first) an English teacher and (later) the high school’s principal. Kirby was also one of Mahoney’s closest friends and (along with another close friend, Barclay Prindle) a member of the National Outlaw and Lawman’s Association. His commitment to exploring the Wild West, his devotion to tennis, his annual almost mythic visits to the Red Sox training camp in Florida and his joy in other such pleasurable activities were recounted in many of the tales shared by the 14 guest speakers.But much was also said about his extraordinary commitment to the high school (and, especially, its students), the nearby D. M. Hunt Library, the Democratic Party and many other nonprofit and charitable organizations.Each of his four children spoke, sharing stories that were amusing and tender, sometimes choking back tears at memories of the many ways their father supported them, guided them and loved them.“The two words that sum him up are teacher and father,” said Nancy (Mahoney) Soper, the youngest child (known affectionately by her dad as Number Four). “He was always right beside me, with a hand on my back, giving me a gentle nudge.”His colleagues from his years in education spoke reverently of him as a mentor and someone who set an example that they could and still do follow. David Bayersdorfer was an early protege of Mahoney’s and has filled many roles at the school (including a recent stint as interim assistant principal last fall, after he officially retired). He referred to Mahoney as “mentor and tor-mentor” at times because he set a high standard and was unwavering in his expectation that the standard would be met. Grammar and clarity in thinking and writing were areas of particular concern. Several people, including his children, recalled the way he wielded a red pen like a sword, ruthlessly correcting errors in spelling and syntax.Many of the speakers referred to Mahoney’s love of the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. And, yes, several mentions were made of his devotion to the Red Sox. Mahoney’s companion on his Florida baseball trips was always his cousin, Mike Groom, who shared some of the highlights of their travels. He talked about how thrilled they both were to be able to stay in the same hotel as their baseball-playing idols, and stopped to ask, “Do you remember the last time you were just thrilled?” The biggest thrill of all came when the cousins came upon legendary Sox player Nomar Garciaparra at the hotel: “We instantly turned into two 12-year-olds.”After he received word that Mahoney had died, Groom said he sat down to watch the Yankees and the Red Sox play each other. The Sox won. And they swept their rivals in that series. Groom said he is sure that those victories and similar wins on June 7, 8 and 9 were a tribute to one of the team’s most devoted fans.Fred Baldwin was one of the final speakers, and he reminded audience members that there will be a Jack Mahoney Memorial Tennis Tournament at the high school tennis courts (named in honor of Mahoney and former high school Athletic Director Roland Chinatti) on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. In Mahoney’s memory, everyone will play with everyone and play will rotate every 20 minutes. All proceeds from the tournament and the sale of refreshments at the courts will benefit the 21st Century Fund.The finale to the evening ceremony was the reading of a letter from John Perotti, who is chairman of the 21st Century Fund. The letter explained that Mahoney got the idea for the fund while traveling across America to study “best practices” in education. A California school was using a mix of public and private funding to pay for programs. Mahoney returned to Connecticut to create the 21st Century Fund (with the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation), which sought private donations for all the seven schools in the Region One School District.At present, the fund is trying to raise $5,000 to finish the new science and technology center in what was formerly the Clarke Wood agricultural education building at Housatonic. Memorial donations in Mahoney’s memory may be sent to 21st Century Fund for HVRHS, 246 Warren Turnpike Road, Falls Village, CT 06031.For information on the tennis tournament, email Cynthia Hochswender at cindyinsharon@gmail.com.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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