The “Heart and Soul” of the Boston Globe dies at 73

I had what at first appeared to be a rather difficult assignment for my News Writing and Reporting class, but after getting started with interviews and searching background information, I found myself feeling very accomplished and at ease after finishing the piece. It is an obituary for Rose Devine, who formerly worked at the Boston Globe's message center before passing away from cancer on March 14, 2010. After reading about her life she seemed like a very wonderful woman who will be missed dearly at the Boston Globe.

The Boston Globe has lost what many of her coworkers believed to be the “heart and soul” of the Globe community.

Rose Devine, who worked at the Globe’s message center for over 20 years, died at the age of 73 on Sunday, March 14, 2010 after a battle with lung cancer. She lived in Bridgewater, MA and is survived by her husband John Devine and their four daughters, Kathi Cuprinski, Karen Mussari, Maureen Callahan, and Patti Smith. She also leaves two sisters, Barbara McDonough and Agnes Rexroad, and 12 grandchildren.

At the Globe, Devine managed to transform an impersonal job into one that produced intimate and personal relationships among each individual she worked with. She made it a point to personally acquaint and concern herself with each reporter, which gained her recognition at the Globe as a prominent figure who not only made a reliable telephone operator, but also a dependable friend.

“She made it a point to get to know everyone. She was just an incredibly warm and loving person,” said Eileen McNamara, a former Globe metro columnist. “I remember one day I was having a crisis, and she had me over for lunch. We had lunch in her kitchen in South Boston.”

“Whether it was from a spouse a child or the mayor, Rose would have the message ready for you,” said op-ed columnist Joan Vennochi. “Her level of involvement at the Globe went beyond message operator because she truly cared about the news and the people involved with it.”

Many of her colleagues at the Globe came to trust Devine’s personal instincts and observations when dealing with sources. Instead of taking a secondary role to the reporter, Devine engaged herself in her work until her retirement in 1998.
“I was always struck by her good judgment, she always based her opinions on real experience,” said City & Region reporter Brian Mooney. “Rose always knew who was a good person and who wasn’t.”

Given the hectic environment that typically surrounds a newsroom, Rose was the person to go to when one needed a brief break or pep talk. According to former Globe editor and now Head of Communications at Notre Dame Matthew Storin, there was rarely a time he would pass by Rose’s desk and not see someone there talking to her. Colleagues not only went to Rose to receive their messages, they went to her to gain great personal advice for both in and outside of the newsroom.

"When my daughter was a toddler and could not get over a bad cold despite trips to the doctor, I worried aloud about it,” said columnist Bella English. “Rose said, ‘Bella, she's got pneumonia. Tell the doctor you want an x-ray.’ Sure enough, I took her in and sure enough, she had pneumonia. On the right antibiotic, she was better in days."

Growing up in South Boston, Devine was an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox and was a woman who always put family first, especially her grandchildren. She helped to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation when her grandson was diagnosed with the illness and got many people in the newsroom devoted to the cause.

“I remember one year they put on a tennis tournament to raise money and it was really an act of love and devotion on the part of the staff who you normally couldn't get to do anything outside of work. But with Rose it was done without question.” said Storin.

Devine’s charming yet sharp-witted spirit pervaded the newsroom and enlightened those who came to her for help and advice.

“Without even seeing her you knew she was there, because she was – literally, emotionally, spiritually,” said Globe photojournalist Ted Gartland.

A funeral Mass was held for Devine at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 18 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Bridgewater. She was buried Friday, March 19 at Pine Hill Cemetery in Dover, NH.