| They commissioned a stone cutter to carve their colors into the footstone.
Although the stonecutter was unsure of her ability to fulfill their request
she was willing to try. She succeeded brilliantly. The stone’s a beauty.
Shiny black marble with the colors of the club’s emblem painted in red,
white and green it rests at the foot of Joey’s grave for everyone to see.
Big Joey’s friends chose this way of recognizing their brother, knowing
he would be proud to have his colors forever flying.
Colors are a prized possession for motorcycle club members. They work
hard to earn them and once earned wear them with great pride. Colors are
the club’s logo, the patch that all members wear. It identifies them. The
Red Emerald’s colors show a red emerald in the center with white pipes
leading to red, yellow and white streamers. The lettering is done in green.
Since most founding members were Irish the colors reflect their ethnic
beginnings.
There are strict rules about the design, where a member can put the
logo, where it goes on his jacket and his responsibility to keep it safe.
Its not unknown for members who lose their colors, a somewhat disgraceful
occurrence, to be ejected from the club’s membership.
"Mad Jack" Cahill founded The Emeralds Motorcycle Club in 1964, in a
two story barn, a former blacksmith shop, in Jamaica Plain. Members would
keep their bikes, equipment, and tools in the open, concrete floor of the
barn. To get to the second floor they climbed a perpendicular ladder, at
high risk to life and limb, stepped into the "office" where they attended
meetings, played cards, or just hung out. The office had a large Formica
counter, tall, thin stools around it, four easy chairs and a sofa, with
the final touch of a huge juke box holding up the left corner wall.
The name was changed from Emeralds to Red Emeralds when one of the first
members and former president, Red Fleming, was in an accident riding his
bike on Route 138. There are no protective steel walls surrounding the
driver of a motorcycle, and Red didn’t come back from his ride. He was
greatly missed by his brothers and they wanted to remember and honor him,
so they added his name to the club’s name. They became the Red Emeralds.
When Mad Jack was president of the Red Emeralds, they were "outlaws."
The term "outlaw" merely means the club doesn’t pay dues to the American
Motorcycle Association. But Hollywood, Marlon Brando and the movie "The
Wild Ones" gave an impression of gangs of outlaws running wild in the streets,
an impression still held by many today. People thought the outlaw club
was a wild, lawless, drunken gang of hoodlums. They were not well received.
Jack Cahill knew people were afraid of biker thugs and he didn’t want
himself or his club associated with the Hollywood style bad guy image.
He built an active organization keeping himself and members busy with constructive
activities. The club was always staging weekend runs (trips), or cookouts
and barbecues. They partied hard and loud and loved a good time. But every
member participated in local charity fund raising events and helped raise
money for special causes. Sometimes members had special needs of their
own. They could always turn to their brothers for help. Food, clothes,
shoes, medicine, even mortgage payments were forthcoming when needed. Brother
helping brother.
The club grew to be the Boss club in Boston, but New England
wasn’t ready for motorcycle gangs. Despite being legal, helping neighborhood
kids, buying clothes and food for neighbors in trouble, even preventing
one neighbor from committing suicide they became an annoyance to the neighbors
and the club had to relocate.
Despite encountering less than receptive neighbors the club has continued
to thrive. Red Emeralds have been involved with charity since their inception
over 36 years ago. Starting with Jack Cahill’s group they raised money
during the holidays so each girl at the Home for Italian Children could
have a new dress and sweater, and each boy could have a new suit and sweater.
They give annually to the Globe Santa and other charities in the Greater
Boston area. In 1998 the club donated $4,000.00 to the Dream Come True
Fund where they helped seriously ill children fulfill their dreams. They
donated a large sum of money in 2000 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
The Boston Red Emeralds showed up at the annual Hawgs & Rods benefit
party. The Hawgs & Rods put on a Poker Run and Chicken BBQ for Jillian
Heger who is the only girl in the world to be diagnosed with a rare condition
known as ALADD (Aromatic L-Amino Acid Decarboxylase Deficiency). This condition
can look like Cerebral Palsy, can cause further neurologic injury and can
be fatal. REMC also support the annual golf tournament and fund raiser.
Over the years the club has changed, membership has changed and the
focus of the group has changed. In the 60s members were young, in their
20s, and ready to party. Today’s members are older, range in age from 23
to 56 and have wives and children. They’re still ready to party, but not
quite so loud, not quite so long and not quite so intrusive to their neighbors.
Membership into this community is not easy to attain. Although there
are no absolute rules they are selective in who is allowed into their membership.
To join, the hopeful applicant must be accepted by 100% of the other members.
Even one dissenting vote can prevent entry.
One rule that is taken very seriously is that once a year, each member,
along with his wife and children, must go on the family run. Dedication
to family is as important as dedication to the club. The run usually winds
up being a camping trip where everyone has a great time. Wives, girlfriends
(old ladies, as they’re called) all know each other and enjoy one another’s
company. The kids look forward to the event each year. When it ends they
can’t wait for next year.
This is the allure of the Red Emeralds Motorcycle Club—membership; brotherhood;
family; commitment. Big Joey became part of this family and for the first
time in his life felt he had a place where people accepted and cared about
him. He lived a short but full life as an Emerald. He gave every bit as
much as he took. The neighborhood kids loved Joey, he was always there
for them and he let them know he cared.
When it came time to bury Joey the Red Emeralds brought his colors to
the funeral home, and Joey flew his his colors one more time. He’s still
flying them. A young neighborhood friend asked Father Patringa, who was
saying the funeral Mass, if he could serve as an alter boy for his friend,
Joey. Joey’s love and caring meant a lot to this child and he wanted to
do something to show Joey he cared. Father Patringa was glad to have his
help.
The R.E.M.C. showed up in force. They carried Joey’s coffin up the stairs
into the church, they spoke at his service, and they gathered at his gravesite.
They were there from start o finish, just as they had been during Joey’s
living years. But they wanted to do even more. They knew how important
the club was in Joey’s life, how proud he was of being a member, and how
he loved his colors. So they flew his colors, embedded in stone, where
he could always see them. |
