The Everett City Council should bestow the posthumous title of Everett City Historian upon Mr. Matarazzo with a portrait of himself and a plaque under it to be displayed on a wall inside the city council chamber.
During a long life, the late Mr. Matarazzo dedicated himself to preserving for posterity everything having to do with Everett history that is relevant.
This was not something simply done.
This incredible effort by Matarazzo took years and years, research and digging, interviews and the collection of anecdotal materials from Everett residents now long gone.
His two editions about the history of Everett which he wrote and published represent the only two such volumes in existence that creates a proper picture of Everett’s place in America during the 19th and 20th Centuries and into the 21st Century.
history in this city would be a dead letter, an empty space,. Now that he is gone, there is no one coming up the ladder to replace him.
In many respects, he cannot be replaced.
This is why he should be honored with a permanent place in the city council chamber.
This way, Mr. Matarazzo will have become a bit of Everett history for the great job he did in preserving it and bringing it to life. Again, without his considerable interest in Everett’s rich history, we would be left with precious little of it had it not been for him.
Maybe the city council can come out of its silent funk and do something right for someone who deserved it.
Mike Matarazzo deserves in death the honor never given to
him officially by the city when he was alive.