November 14, 2022 Submitted by Geri Duff
Back in 2017, Library Trustee Tom Carey, then Hingham Fire Chief Mark Duff gave a talk in the Whiton room at the Hingham Library on the Cocoanut Grove Fire that occurred November 28, 1942. This was the 75th anniversary of the fire that killed 492 people. The room was packed, and the audience responded with stories of friends and family that were there or were supposed to be there but luckily weren’t. It was a fantastic night at the Hingham Library.
Tom Carey, attorney and still a Library Trustee and Chief Mark Duff, now retired, have joined forces with Registered Nurse and Patient Safety Senior Manager Karen Griswold to mark the 80th anniversary of this fire by giving a panel discussion at the Sanborn Auditorium at Hingham Town Hall on November 28, at 7:00 PM.
COMMEMORATION OF The Cocoanut Grove FIRE EIGHTIETH ANNIVERSARY
A panel Discussion of this historic Event and its enduring significance Hingham Town Hall Auditorium Monday, November 28, 2022, 7:00 p.m. Panelists: Tom Carey, attorney; Mark Duff, Retired Hingham Fire Chief; Karen Griswold, Registered Nurse, Patient Safety Senior Manager. 492 people died from a fire at the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub in Boston’s Bay Village area on the night of November 28, 1942. The tragedy shocked the nation, brought about major changes in building codes, fire regulations, and emergency medicine, and led to a precedent-setting conviction of the nightclub owner for the crime of Manslaughter. The Grove Fire is still the deadliest restaurant fire in the history of the United States. The panelists will analyze the fire (with the aid of audio-visual materials) including recent evidence and theories about its cause, discuss its impact on the community, and describe the aftermath of the fire on laws, regulations, and fire-fighting practices. In addition, the panelists will explore why -- eighty years after the event -- the Cocoanut Grove Fire remains a landmark historical event with enduring lessons not only for today’s society as a whole but also for each of us individually. Free Admission. Inquiries: (781) 740-1234.
