BJ's latest offer: itself ; Reported auction is a chance for wholesale club to innovate, expand beyond East Coast, analysts say - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. would be able to improve its stores andproduct offerings and finally expand beyond its East Coast footprintif it were sold to a private investment company, retail industryanalysts said in response to reports yesterday that the discountfirm has put itself up for sale.

The Natick shopping warehouse has reportedly hired New Yorkinvestment bank Morgan Stanley to conduct an auction of BJ's.Bloomberg News reported that BJ's management received an undisclosedoffer to buy the company from Los Angeles private equity firmLeonard Green & Partners LP, which has a portfolio of brand-nameretail chains and owns almost 10 percent of BJ's stock.

Shares of BJ's gained nearly 13 percent on the news yesterday,closing at $47.34. At that price BJ's has a market capitalization ofnearly $2.6 billion.

'Clearly there's a belief that there's money to be made,' saidPaula Rosenblum, managing partner at Retail Systems Research. 'It'sa clean way to tighten yourself up.'

BJ's and Morgan Stanley declined to comment.

Leonard Green, which took a 9.5 percent stake in BJ's in July,said in a securities filing at the time that BJ's shares were'undervalued.' The private equity firm said it planned to contactmanagement to discuss options, including taking the company privateor finding additional financing.

Leonard Green did not return messages seeking comment.

Industry analysts said that it's unlikely another US retailerwould be interested in taking over BJ's and that a private equityfirm could help BJ's reinvent itself.

'To go private would get them out of the glare of the publicmarket as they expand into new markets and do things that might notbe great for near-term earnings, but might be good for building thecompany in the longer term,' said Jon Springer of the tradepublication Supermarket News.

This isn't the first time BJ's has dealt with Leonard Green. Fouryears after the Zayre Corp. discount chain opened its first BJ'sstore in Medford in 1984, BJ's was folded into Waban Inc., and in1997 Waban attempted to sell its struggling Homebase homeimprovement division to Leonard Green. After the plan fell through,Waban spun off BJ's as a separate company. Today, BJ's has 191stores in 15 states and is run by Wakefield native Laura Sen.

Leonard Green has a successful history of retail investments,including buying Sports Authority and Petco. The firm also hadstakes in Whole Foods Market and Life Time Fitness Inc., positionsthat it acquired and held 'without a perceived hostile role,' NeilCurrie, a UBS analyst, said in a report yesterday.

'Leonard Green seems to be the kind of investor that goes inthere to buy the stock, gets people excited, and then cashes out,'Springer said.

As a distant third to rivals Sam's Club and Costco WholesaleCorp., BJ's has been the subject of buyout chatter for years.

'I think the fact the field is so dominated by Costco and Sam'slimits what they can do,' said Jack Plunkett of the market-researchfirm Plunkett Research.

Sales at BJ's - $10.7 billion over its last reported fiscal year- are dwarfed by business at its competitors. Costco sales are aboutseven times higher, and Sam's Club's are about four times greater.All three companies reported improving sales at stores open for atleast a year in their most recent quarters.

The Natick chain is an attractive buyout target, retail analystssay, because it has stable membership income, which accounts forroughly 80 percent of its operating income, strong cash flow, and acash-rich balance sheet.

Some analysts have speculated that BJ's could sell for as much as$3 billion. Others said the reported auction may be an effort byBJ's to stall Leonard Green as it shops around for better offers.

'If someone has made me an offer and I didn't like it, it doesn'tseem out of the realm of possibilities to seek out other potentialbidders,' said Daniel Binder, managing director of Jefferies & Co.,adding that BJ's has been 'very tight-lipped' about the company'sintentions and its response to the private equity firm has takenlonger than expected.

The timing of the announcement, right before the holiday shoppingseason, isn't ideal, analysts said.

Consumers might see the news as a sign that BJ's is in troubleand hold off on making major purchases there, said Retail SystemsResearch's Rosenblum.

It's one of the rules of the retail industry, she said: 'You ridewhatever horse you're on until the season's done.'

Katie Johnston Chase

can be reached at johnstonchase@globe.com; Jenn Abelson atabelson@globe.com.

MASS. ACQUISITIONS

See notable recent mergers and acquisitions of Massachusettscompanies at www.boston.com/business.

ROTARY CLUB PLANS CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS OF PHILANTHROPY - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

CHELSEA

The Chelsea Rotary Club will celebrate 75 years of service thisSaturday at the Sheraton Ferncroft Resort hotel in Danvers. BobBachelder and the popular Totem Pole Band, a 17-piece swing band,will be performing. The Rotary Club of Chelsea was founded in 1927 tosponsor humanitarian services. Through the years, the organizationhas awarded a number of grants to local students, nonprofitorganizations, sport leagues, and city departments. The club alsosponsors dozens of Chelsea children to attend a wilderness camp inBoxford, called Camp Rotary. And, it also continues to raise funds tosupport the group's umbrella organization, Rotary International, toeradicate polio by 2005. Those interested in attending thecelebration, call Joel Mazur at 617-884-1150.

Two charged with rape, murder of teenager from El Salvador

The two men charged with the rape and murder of a teenage girlfrom the Powderhorn Hill neighborhood of Chelsea, have been chargedwith first-degree murder and aggravated rape. On July 17, MelvinMartinez, 18, and Adelberto Ingles, 24, allegedly raped and beatMonica Mejia, an 18-year-old from El Salvador. A passerby discoveredMejia's body in the woods later that morning. Mejia died as a resultof blunt force trauma to her head and neck, according to SuffolkCounty district attorney. Martinez and Ingles were arrested and wereinitially arraigned in Chelsea District Court. They were indicted bya Superior Court grand jury earlier in the month and were ordered bySuffolk Superior Court Clerk-Magistrate Gary Wilson to return tocourt Oct. 7 for a pretrial conference.

EVERETT

Sheriff's department shows off new bus with high-tech center

The Middlesex Sheriff's Department recently displayed their newbus with a built in high-tech $800,000 communication center. TheCommunity Command Center, as it is known, is one of two suchfacilities in the country. The center is equipped with satellitecommunication systems, wireless Internet access, digital videorecording and a 'best route' mapping finder. Different departments inEverett, Malden, and Medford will be able to communicate with eachother through a 'patch communications system.' The funding for thefacility was mostly acquired through federal grants.

LYNN

Vascular disease screening at Union Hospital today

Union Hospital will conduct Peripheral Vascular Disease screeningtoday, 8 a.m. to noon. The disease is the hardening and narrowing ofarteries that carry blood to arms, legs, and other body parts. Legpain is a common symptom. The hospital is offering the program aspart of 'Legs for Life,' a campaign to educate people about thedisease. For information, call 781-477-3800.

Volunteers needed for programs for elderly, ESL students

Catholic Charities North needs volunteers for the Companions tothe Aging and English as a Second Language programs. The companionsprogram pairs people with elderly residents to provide them withsupport and friendship. Training for both programs will be held inOctober. For more information, call Jean Goguen at 781-593-2312.

Walsh bullish on Lynn. Page 9

MALDEN

Local man gets 10-year sentence with guilty plea in cocaine case

A Malden man who gave an undercover police officer $23,000 for akilogram of cocaine has received a 10-year prison sentence after hepleaded guilty to the charge. David Pray, 34, approached a statetrooper outside McDonald's in Chelsea on Jan. 26 after arranging thetransaction a day in advance. After paying for the drugs, Pray wasarrested, according to the district attorney's office. He wascharged with trafficking in cocaine. Pray's arrest was the result ofa joint investigation between a State Police detective unit, thefederal department of Housing and Urban Development, the DrugEnforcement Administration, and Chelsea Police.

Recycling of tires, batteries,

and paint slated for Saturday

The Department of Public works will hold a recycling day fortires, cathode ray tubes, car batteries, motor oil, and filters thisSaturday. Malden residents may bring those items to the department at356 Commercial St. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday is also 'PaintRecycling Day' and residents are encouraged to take latex, oil, andacrylic paint, as well as stains and varnishes to the same address.For prices on recycling items, call the DPW at 781-397-7260.

MELROSE

MWRA studying construction of reservoir near Spot Pond

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority is looking to build a20-million-gallon covered reservoir near Spot Pond. The authority isreviewing several sites for the project, around the Middlesex FellsReservation. There are at least six potential sites for the six-acreproject. One of those being reviewed is the property owned byGutierrez Co. at the former Boston Regional Medical Center. Thereservoir would store water and improve water pressure in eightneighboring communities.

Historic commission meets tonight on bank renovation

The Historic District Commission will hold a public hearingtonight at 6:15 p.m. in the Basement Conference Room of City Hall.The hearing will focus on the application for a Certificate ofAppropriateness, which Melrose Co-op Bank submitted to the commissionfor the renovations of the facade on the property they own at 630Main St.

REVERE

Mayor proposes new position of director of finance

Mayor Tom Ambrosino is proposing a position for a director offinance and wants to appoint George Anzuoni, the city's collectorand treasurer, to those duties. Because the city cannot afford tohire a new person for the job, Anzuoni would take on those dutieswithout a raise in salary. However, other officials who report tothe mayor on the city's financial matters have voiced theiropposition to the proposal. 'Basically it would just create ahierarchal structure as opposed to a flat one,' said Ambrosino.

Cultural society plans to hold telethon on Oct. 20

The Revere Society for Cultural and Historical Preservation, aneight-year-old organization, is holding its annual telethon on Oct.20 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Moose Hall. The telethon will bebroadcast on KBLE local channel 8. For more information about thesociety or the telethon, call 731-284-1135.

SAUGUS

School committee to meet tonight on MCAS scores

The school committee will meet tonight, 7 p.m. at the schooladministration building on Main Street. A discussion of flat scoreson this year's MCAS exam is on the agenda. Although some schoolsimproved, Saugus scores overall improved little over 2001,particularly in math. 'Some schools peaked, but by and large, we'renot making the gains we want to,' said School Superintendent KeithManville. 'We're going to have to go back and do an item analysis ofthe test. We're going to have to make sure our curriculum is alignedwith the state frameworks. We've got to hit professional development,too.' The committee will meet at the school administration buildingon Main Street.

Zoning Board of Appeals to consider sign bids

The Zoning Board of Appeals will meet tonight, 7 p.m. at theSaugus Public Library on Main Street. The agenda includes anapplication by the Applebee's restaurant chain, which is building arestaurant on Route 1, to add an extra sign. Extra Space Storage,mini storage center on Route 1, also has asked permission to put up asign. Other agenda items include several requests from homeowners tomake changes or build additions on their homes.

WAKEFIELD

Residents convince selectmen to close Galvin skateboard park

Angry residents of Armory Street convinced the Board of Selectmenon Monday to shut down the skateboard park at the Galvin MiddleSchool. The neighbors, whose complaints earlier this month promptedthe recreation commission to move the park 75 feet away from theirhomes to a basketball court behind the school, complained of loudteenagers using the park late at night. The board is now searchingfor a new spot for the park, preferably in a town playground, saidTown Administrator Thomas Butler.

Conservation commission holds meeting tonight on Shaw's request

The conservation commission will hold a special meeting tonight,7:30 p.m. at Town Hall. The public hearing is on a notice of intentfiled by Shaw's Supermarkets to relocate Wakefield Brook, a culvertthat feeds into Mill River. Shaw's wants to relocate the brook aspart of its plan to redevelop the old Robie Mills Industrial complexinto a supermarket. The request could meet some hefty opposition,however. Some board members have said they should have broaderjurisdiction on the environmental impact of the supermarket plan.They note that the culvert feeds into the Mill River, whichultimately flows into the Saugus River.

Support sought for new middle school. Page 3

WINTHROP

Sesquicentennial events end with interfaith service Oct. 6

The town's sesquicentennial events will end with an ecumenicalinterfaith service sponsored by all of Winthrop's religiouscongregations on Oct. 6 at 3 p.m. at the First Church of WinthropUnited Methodist, 217 Winthrop St.

After the service, the group will be led by a color guard ofveterans to the Town Hall where the color guard will lower an 1852 31-star flag. The flag will be presented to the Board of Selectmen. 'Theflag was raised on March 27, on the 150th birthday of our town,' saidDavid Hubbard, chairman of the sesquicentennial committee, who alsoinvites everyone to come and participate in this final event of theanniversary.

Appeals board plans hearing on condo proposal tonight

Skip McMellen; `the glue' that bonded friends, family - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

Skiing the Alps, golfing, sailing off Cape Cod, attending theannual Boston Pops holiday concert, and cooking his specialty -chicken parmesan - were always special moments for Edward J. 'Skip'McMellen Jr. because he was in the company of friends and family.

As a teenage baseball player with the state finalist MedfordLegion team, Mr. McMellen, later a star center fielder at TuftsUniversity, would lead the postgame gathering to Buttrick's icecream parlor in Arlington.

'Skip was a doer, he was loyal, and he was always getting theboys together to have fun. He didn't like to take no for an answer,'recalled Mr. McMellen's Legion and college teammate Phil Shaw.

Both were members of the 1958 Tufts team coached by Bobby Meehanthat won the Greater Boston League championship.

Mr. McMellen, who retired in 1996 as an executive with DirectMarketing Guaranty Trust of Nashua and was a former governor atFalmouth Yacht Club, died of cancer Aug. 12 in McCarthy Care Centerin East Sandwich. Mr. McMellen, a resident of Falmouth and PalmCity, Fla., in recent years, was 75.

'He was a people person, and they were drawn to him because theyknew he cared about them,' said Mr. McMellen's wife of 42 years,Jayne (Arnold). She met Mr. McMellen through Dave Harrison, a formerthree-sport athlete at Tufts who was dating one of her roommateswhen she lived on Gloucester Street in Boston.

Al Nardini, a former Tufts football player who lived in the samebuilding at the time, was best man at Mr. McMellen's wedding and isgodfather to the McMellens' daughter, Elizabeth White of PowderSprings, Ga.

'Growing up, it seemed we'd go from one party to another withdad's best friends from college and their children,' said White. 'Weall skied together, went to Super Bowl parties, and that was becauseof his persistence and his personality.'

Meehan, who died earlier this year, Mr. McMellen, Harrison, andNardini were lifelong friends dating back to their college days.

All were members of the Jumbo Club, a group of former Tuftsathletes recognized for achievement in athletics and in theircareers who support the Medford institution's athletic programs.

'The four of us did everything together,' said Harrison, aretired Gloucester District Court judge. 'Skip was the catalyst whenwe were all single and also after we all married and raised ourfamilies. He always included his friends and co-workers at hisfamily gatherings, and he looked back very fondly on his days as aTufts athlete and his relationship with Bobby Meehan. Skip was theglue who held us together.

'In the business world, he helped State Street Bank transitionfrom just a bank in Massachusetts to the international corporationit is today,' said Harrison, a reference to Mr. McMellen's positionas a sales executive specializing in the bank's becoming a custodianfor mutual funds.

Walter Timilty, clerk of Norfolk County Superior Court, was Mr.McMellen's golfing buddy.

'He was absolutely the best I ever saw with the putter in hishand,' said Timilty. 'We played in many member-guest tournamentstogether, both at Woods Hole and Cape Cod Country Club. We never wonmuch, but he was a joy to know and to play with, just a fineindividual.'

Mr. McMellen's son, Edward III `Teddy' of Scituate, is assistantgolf professional at Oakley Country Club in Watertown.

'My father got me started in golf with some of the local clubpros and we played a lot of rounds together. He loved skiing andsailing but golf was his greatest passion,' said Mr. McMellen's son.'He was very close to his late friend, Bill Cushing, and theycompeted for many years in the Squirrels [member-guest] Tournamentat The Country Club [in Brookline] where Bill was a member.'

Mr. McMellen, who grew up in Medford, played baseball, hockey,and football at Malden Catholic High School, from which he graduatedin 1954. His Legion baseball teammates included Medford's BillMonbouquette, a former Boston Red Sox pitcher.

'Skip was my closest friend at Tufts and a [Delta Upsilon]fraternity brother,' said former Jumbos right fielder Dick Fortin.'He was a terrific fielder with speed and a good hitter, but what Iwill most remember him for is that I met my wife, Beth, because ofhim.

'During Christmas break our junior year, Skip got us a jobthrough his uncle working on the docks in Charlestown. One night,there were too many locals showing up for work, so they didn't needus. Skip said he knew where there was a party in Belmont, so we wentand that's where I met my future wife. Wherever I went with him,just about everyone knew his name and he knew theirs.'

After he graduated from Tufts in 1958 with a bachelor's degree ineconomics, Mr. McMellen began a sales career that also includedemployment with First Data in California and Telecheck in Needham.

He had a chance to turn professional in the Dodgers farm system,but chose the business world instead.

Mr. McMellen lived in Melrose after he was married and, afterreturning from California, lived in Westwood for 20 years, and thenin Quincy before moving to Falmouth.

He was a past member of Oakley Country Club and Norfolk Golf Cluband a current member at Monarch Country Club in Palm City and WoodsHole Golf Club in Falmouth.

He was also a member and secretary of the Falmouth Heights Men'sClub.

Mr. McMellen took up sailing as crew for his father-in-law andraced Beetle Cats and 210s out of the Falmouth Yacht Club. Inaddition to his numerous overseas skiing excursions, he rented acondo in North Conway, N.H., for many years.

'I came from a family of sailors,' said his wife, a certifiedpublic accountant from Wellesley who was the first female certifiedpublic accountant hired by a Big Eight accounting firm in Boston(the former Arthur Young & Co.). Her family sailed out of FalmouthYacht Club.

'I made it clear when we were married that he was required tocrew for us, and in turn, he made a skier out of me,' she said. 'Hewas a great sports fan, had season tickets to the Patriots, and hejust loved getting about a dozen tickets for many years for thefamily gathering to see the Holiday Pops.'

Mr. McMellen also leaves a sister, Anne Marie Carpenter ofOgunquit, Maine, and Port St. Lucie, Fla.; and four grandchildren.

A service has been held.

Globe correspondent Marvin Pave can be reached atmarvin.pave@rcn.com

Ex-coach found guilty of stealing from club - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

A former Chelsea High School football coach was convicted oflarceny yesterday for withdrawing thousands of dollars from theteam's booster club account to pay for personal expenses, accordingto the Suffolk district attorney's office.

A Suffolk Superior Court jury found James Atkins, 43, of Revere guilty of five counts of larceny over $250 and one count of larcenyby check, Daniel F. Conley's office said. Atkins was acquitted of asixth charge of larceny over $250.

His sentencing is scheduled for 9 a.m. today.

Prosecutors showed that Atkins, a Chelsea police sergeantsuspended from duty and a former Medford High School football coach,used his position as coach of the Chelsea team and president of thatteam's booster club to withdraw nearly $10,000 from the team's bankaccount between 2004 and 2007.

Withdrawal records indicated that Atkins withdrew $500 at an ATMacross from a Revere strip club; made three-figure withdrawals nearthe Foxwoods casino in Connecticut and the Seabrook Greyhound Parkdog racing track in New Hampshire; and paid a $634 bar tab at theChampions Sports Bar at the Marriott Copley Place hotel in Boston.

In January 2007, at a meeting with Chelsea High School parentsand the school's athletic director, Frank DePatto, Atkins agreed torepay the $8,200 in installments, prosecutors said. Instead, Atkinslater asked for a charitable donation from a respected communitymember to put toward his outstanding debt, prosecutors said.

'It is always difficult when a police officer is found to haveviolated the law,' Chelsea Police Chief Brian Kyes said in astatement.

Atkins's lawyer, Douglas Louison of Boston, maintained hisclient's innocence.

Thomas E. Chretien, 81 Was doctor to sports teams - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

Dr. Thomas Edward Chretien of Wells, Maine, a retired doctor whohad a general practice for 40 years in Newton, died Friday in hishome. He was 81.

Dr. Chretien was a graduate of Medford High School in 1935 andgraduated cum laude from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1943.

He served as a medical officer with the Navy during World War IIin Europe and the Pacific. Dr. Chretien had a general practice inAuburndale from 1946 to 1985. From 1950 until the 1970s he also didsports medicine work for the Boston Bruins and their families, andalso was a team doctor for the University of New Hampshire sportsteams.He was a member of the Charlesgate Yacht Club in Boston, and theArundel Yacht club in Kennebunkport, Maine, and of the US PowerSquadron with the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Dr. Chretien was a stateand national champion in the log competition and was inducted intothe Gulf Marine Hall of Fame in 1968.He was also a member of the 4PM'ers Ham Radio Club. After hisretirement, he enjoyed gardening.Dr. Chretien leaves his wife, June (Wentworth) of Wells; threedaughters, Anne Marie Fantasia of Marlborough, Judith Lundgren ofLittle River, S.C., and Marie Louis of Hudson, Maine; and fourgrandchildren.A funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. tomorrow in Saint Mary'sChurch in Wells. Burial will be in Ocean View Cemetery.

Sports Notebook - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

GLOBE NORTHWEST 1 / SPORTS

He gets a hole in one and doesn't even see it!

It's the dream of every golfer, young and old, and Chris Kennedyof Lowell is no exception. He has dreamed of a hole-in-one for 53years. And, after thousands of rounds of golf, a near miss or two orthree times, the dream finally came true late last month. Onlyproblem is, Kennedy never saw it. His playing partners did, thegroup in front of him did, but Kennedy didn't. Seems he waspreoccupied picking up his tee.

'Can you imagine,' he mused, 'after playing for so many years, Ifinally get what every golfer wants, and I don't see it go in thecup. I mean, I knew I hit it good and that it was heading for theflag, but when you've been playing for 53 years, you just don'tthink of it happening. So after I hit it, I bent down to pick up mytee. My partners told me it went in, but I didn't believe them untilI saw it in the hole. That's when I got a little excited.'

Kennedy's ace came on the difficult par-3, 177-yard, 14th hole atVesper Country Club in Tyngsborough, where he has been a member for28 years. He used a 5-iron. Holes-in-one are rare on the 14th,because the Merrimack River flows in front of the tee and the greenslopes from front to back. There's a tree to the right of the greenand a bunker to the left.

'A typical Donald Ross hole,' joked Kennedy, now 61, who caughtthe golf bug way back 'when I was an 8-year-old and a caddy atOakley Country Club in Watertown.'

The closest Kennedy had come before this was 'about half an inchaway' at Abenaqui Country Club in Rye, N.H.

Kennedy knows just how much luck - more so than skill - isinvolved in a hole-in-one.

'It's a stroke of luck, that's all it is,' Kennedy, who plays toa 6 handicap, said. 'Even on the pro level, so much luck is involvedin making one. What was most important to me that day was that Ishot a 1-under 71. I was playing well, and often when you're playingwell and something like that happens, the rest of the round dropsoff. That didn't happen to me. I was even par at that point and Istayed the course.'

Until the hole-in-one, Kennedy's claim to fame were the twodouble eagles he had scored - one at the par-5, 480-yard 5th atVesper and the other on the par-4, 480-yard 18th at Blue HillsCountry Club in Canton. 'Those,' he stressed, 'are more rare thanholes-in-one.'

Kennedy joined his daughter, Meara Kennedy-Golden of Lowell, whoscored an ace several years ago, also at Vesper, in the hole-in-oneclub.

'She certainly didn't have to wait as long as I did,' he joked.

Around 'n' about

Andover native Ryan Hanigan has been chosen to play in theInternational League All-Star game Wednesday in Louisville. Haniganis a catcher for the Louisville Bats, the Triple A affiliate of theCincinnati Reds. Through the first 50 games of the season, he wasbatting .295 with 3 home runs, 22 RBIs, and 25 runs scored. He'salso thrown out 36 percent of potential base stealers. ... BrianWilson of Londonderry, N.H., is the ace of the San Francisco Giantsbullpen, and his 24 saves earned him a spot on the National LeagueAll-Star team. ... He's still two years away from college, butCentral Catholic junior basketball phenom Carson Desrosiers isalready part of the college recruiting hunt. New Hampshire andFordham have made offers to the 6-foot, 6-inch junior, and BostonCollege, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Penn State, Purdue, and Providencehave been knocking on his door. ... Mark Fisher of Newton and ErinWyner of Medford were the men's and women's 5-mile winners of the19th annual Sons of Italy Road Race in Lawrence. Kevin Alliette andChristie Fox, both of Methuen, topped the 3.1-mile field. More than250 runners participated. ... Former Methuen and Dartmouth All-American Sean Furey turned in a strong performance in the US OlympicTrack and Field Trials in Eugene, Ore. He threw the javelin 241feet, 3 inches and finished seventh overall. He qualified for thefinals with a throw of 243-4.

LADIES IN RED WOMEN'S CLUB MEMBERS WEAR THEIR COLORS - AND THEIR AGES - PROUDLY - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

Back in the days when ladies wore hats, it wouldn't have beenunusual to see a woman wearing a red cloche or red pillbox, but evenin that bygone era, the sight of 16 women in red hats and purpledresses would have occasioned a glance or two. So, of course, such agroup elicits murmurs when the women take their seats at a varnishedtable at the Sunday gospel brunch at Dick's Last Resort near CopleySquare.

'Ladies,' says waitress Lynne Olson, 'you look lovely today.'

Thus starts the maiden meeting of the Grande Dame Groupe, theMedford chapter of the Red Hat Society, attended also by threemembers of a fledgling Back Bay chapter named the Boston BakedBeings. Started as a lark by a few friends in California, the Red HatSociety has, in the last 21 months, grown to 1,700 chapters of womenover 50 gathering for no more serious purpose than having fun andconnecting with other women willing to appear in public, en masse, inred hats and purple dresses. In April, 750 women are expected inChicago for the society's first convention.

Taking their cue from a Jenny Joseph poem ('When I am an old womanI shall wear purple with a red hat which doesn't go . . . '), thewomen buck a youth-obsessed culture and proclaim, rather than hide,the fact that they're old enough to join the AARP (which no longercalls itself the American Association of Retired Persons).

Beyond the ample frivolity that characterizes the Red Hat Society,the simple reality is that with the years come life experiences morethan sufficient to warrant a little convivial silliness.

'We need to laugh more at this stage of the game,' says JosephineFagan, 73, a retired seamstress who lives in Medford and has'arthritis really bad.' She has rhine stones on her dress and aplastic diamond the size of a small egg on her hand. 'You need toforget yourself and look forward in life instead of backward, ' shesays.

Diane Maruzzi, a 56-year-old seamstress from Saugus, snapspictures with a digital camera. She made the purple, glittery bandthat trims her red felt hat, and draped her granddaughter's red boaaround her neck. When Maruzzi clicks her camera back to show an imageof her quadriplegic son, she's at once a grown-up girl playing dress-up and a woman sharing her life story with other women. Her son wasinjured 15 years ago playing high school hockey. 'If he can get upevery day and face life, everyone can,' she says.

Watching her now, it's hard to believe Maruzzi was reticent aboutjoining. 'I wasn't coming until two days ago,' she says. 'I wasn'tsure. Purple outfit? Red hat? Come on.' Sharyn Pulsifer, 53, thefounder (or Queen Mother) of the Back Bay group, arrived carryingher broad-brimmed red hat concealed in a plastic bag.

The women in red hats join the jeans-and-jersey crowd around abuffet table laden with bacon and bread pudding and melon. Onstage,the Silver Lining Gospel Singers, in sequins and black, praise theLord. Catherine Mitchell, 55, Queen Mother of the Medford chapter,shows off the floppy vintage hat ('something you'd see in an old JohnGarfield movie') and red, ruffled fishnet gloves she found in athrift shop. Rose Rose, a craftswoman from Reading whose hat sports ared rose, never would have done something like this when she wasyounger ('I was probably the most shy human being in the entireworld,' she says), but now that she is 66, a widow for 15 years whowent to work and started 'a whole new life,' she doesn't hesitate.'People move away. Husbands die. You lose connection with your socialcircle,' she says. 'Here, the only purpose is to have fun and meetnew people, which is very hard to do.'

The Silver Lining sing 'Glory, Glory.' Whether it's the beatthat's contagious or the hats that loosen the mood, or both, thewomen start to twirl their cloth napkins overhead. Linda Dawson, a 47-year-old Internal Revenue Service manager from Salem watching fromthe next table, is curious, and when she learns the club's purpose,she says, 'I'm going to get a red hat on my 50th birthday.' Shecould, however, join now and wear a pink hat and lavender dress.

The genesis of the Red Hat Society goes back to 1998, when SueEllen Cooper of Fullerton, Calif., gave friends a red hat and theJoseph poem on their birthdays. Five of them went to tea one day,wearing the hats and purple dresses, and soon friends in Florida didthe same. In May of 2000, Romantic Homes magazine published a story,a third chapter then sprouted in Texas, and a movement was launched.'Our culture has made women a little irrelevant after 50, a littleinvisible,' says Cooper, 57. 'We're trying to make 50 something tolook forward to rather than dread.'

The society's Web site lists chapters in 44 states and theDistrict of Columbia, and in nine other countries from Mexico to Australia. There are 17 chapters in Massachusetts, enough to make themanager of at least one vintage clothing store notice a blossominginterest in red hats. 'They're selling really fast,' says ElizabethDonovan of the Garment District in Cambridge. 'I try to make sure wehave lots of hats, and when they come I'll dig through and find thered ones.'

Over chocolate-dipped strawberries and coffee, the Grandes Damesand Baked Beings are percolating ideas for their newly formedchapters. Maybe they could lend their presence to charitable causesthat could use some womanpower. What about a day trip to Portland,Maine, via train? 'We could pick up chapters along the way,' saysPulsifer, who owns a seasonal home furnishing shop in Wolfeboro, N.H.

There are women here who've known one another for years - thesister and high school classmates of Mitchell, who founded theMedford group after she ran into red-hatted women in Florida - andwomen meeting each other for the first time. Barbara Tutt, a 53-year-old legal secretary from South Boston, heard about the Red HatSociety from a neighbor of her sister in Ohio, and is here with nomore link than that. 'It struck me as an organization for women otherpeople might think are eccentric,' Tutt says. 'I said, `OK, I'll dothis.' '

The Silver Lining Gospel Singers belt out 'This Little Light ofMine' and the women in red hats let it shine, standing and clappingto the beat. Diane Bass, 52, an administrative assistant fromSomerville who has battled breast cancer, is swaying, bouncing,actually, to the music, one arm around 82-year-old Eleanor Baird,whom she's just met and who is a model for how Bass, if she's lucky,hopes to grow old herself. With her other hand, Bass lightly touchesthe back of Kathryn Coleman, her friend of a quarter-century. Colemanspends a few hours every other day in a nursing home, visiting amother whose Alzheimer's has stolen the memory of her daughter's nameand the years she spent making ceramic vases and chaperoning a churchyouth group.