SAYS MAYOR IS WRONG IN WRIGHT CASE

 SAYS MAYOR IS WRONG IN WRIGHT CASE

Walter Salvo Takes Side of His Former Coach on Pension

Northampton, Aug. 8--A former schoolboy three-sport star at Northampton High School today took the side of David S. Wright, a member of the high school faculty for the past 38 years, in the latter's attempt to retire under the veterans' pension system and said, "the City of Northampton owes him that much, at least."

Walter Salvo, real estate agent and trustee under the Oliver Smith will, who played four years of baseball, basketball, and football under Wright during the latter's coaching days, stated Mayor James Cahillane should not be allowed to use the case of another School Department employee who retired last year as an example in refusing Wright's request.  

Salvo referred to a former member of the faculty at Smith's Vocational School, whose request to retire under the veterans' pension system a year ago was also turned down by Mayor Cahillane. Since then, the teacher in question, Chares Kilpatrick, accepted the state teacher's retirement pension and therefore, cannot change to the veterans' pension regardless of any future rulings.  

"This city would never be able to repay Mr. Wright for the service he has given in his long career to the School Department and the thousands of athletes who have had the privilege of learning under him.  This veterans' pension would not be a gift," Salvo said. "Wright has earned it and the law says he is entitled to be served under that system."

Salvo, also a football star at Columbia where he played end under Lou Little for two years, 1930-31, said he speaks for several other former students and athletes of Wright. "We all feel the same way," He said, "although we are not city officials and therefore cannot take an active part in the fight."

"Mayor Cahillane sets himself up above the laws of the state when he refuses to allow such a request," Salvo continued. "The law has been checked several times in recent weeks by many of us residents, including lawyers, and we find no place where the mayor has the right to take such a course of action."

The local businessman said he brought up the matter in a conversation with the mayor last Saturday and added, "but I didn't get any favorable results. Mayor Cahillane is using a previous case as a wedge as a means of making a decision in the Wright matter."