Festival to pay tribute to two notable residents
By Ken Powers Contributing Writer

Shrewsbury - This year's Spirit of Shrewsbury Fall Festival will pay tribute to the memory of a pair of men who accomplished many thing in their lives, but through it all remained focused on Shrewsbury.

Anthony "Spag" Borgatti and Jim Donahue are household names in Shrewsbury - even now, years after their death. Because of that, Art Dobson, vice president of the Spirit of Shrewsbury Committee, thought their many good works for the town should be feted during the three-day festival, which will be held Sept. 28 to 30 at Oak Middle School.

"Spag and Jim were two guys that were always mindful of the town of Shrewsbury in everything they did," Dobson said. "They were proud to be associated with the town and they did everything they could, every day to make it the best place to live, not just in Massachusetts, but in America."

Dobson worked for Borgatti for many years as a buyer in the dairy and bread departments of Spag's, the family department store Borgatti began in 1934 with his meager - at the time - life savings.

Spag's discount department store started slowly, but the white building with the big cowboy hat soon became a must for consumers throughout the state and region. Most came for the outrageous bargains that Borgatti would have on necessary household staples. Others, however, came for the quirkiness of the place - cash only, no bags, stuff piled everywhere.

Whatever the reason, folks flocked down Route 9 to get to the place and its popularity prompted several additions. Borgatti died in 1996 and in 2002 his daughters sold the company to Building 19 owner Jerry Ellis. It ran as Spag's 19 until 2004 when Ellis completely changed it to a Building 19, closing the door on what had been an institution for 70 years.

Donahue, like Borgatti, was an energetic man who always seemed to be everywhere in town, but that's probably because he was. He served on the Board of Selectmen, the Finance Committee, at Town Meeting and the Coolidge School Parent Teacher Organization.

He also found time to volunteer at the First Congregational Church, the Rotary Club, the Ray Stone American Legion Post, the Lions Club, the Shrewsbury School Music Association, the Historical Society, the Lake Quinsigamond Commission and at WPI, his alma mater.

Donahue, who passed away in 2003, is best known, however, for the rowing center on North Quinsigamond Avenue that bears his name. Donahue donated approximately 20 percent of the $1.1 million project cost of the center, which opened in 1993. In 2002 the center was expanded by 9,000 square feet, thanks to a $700,000 donation by Donahue.

At the time of its expansion, the Donahue Rowing Center was the largest center in the country devoted exclusively to rowing.

Donahue rowed in the 1930s at Shrewsbury High School, helping his team win a national championship, and also at WPI.

"The amount of lives Jim touched just because of the rowing center is immeasurable," said Tom Sullivan, a longtime Shrewsbury resident who is the men's crew coach at Holy Cross and was friends with Donahue for many, many years. "He shaped the lives of many young adults in central Massachusetts. A day doesn't go by when I don't see someone who was, or is, touched by Jim's generosity."