Back

THE STORY OF PATRICK J. MOGAN
Patrick J. Mogan was born in Norwood, Massachusetts, in 1918. He graduated from Boston College, and in the Second World War served in both the Pacific and European campaigns in the army. After the war, Mr. Mogan began to teach, and eventually came to Lowell, where he was elected Principal of the Molloy and Reilly Schools in Lowell in the 1950s.

In 1965, he was named Assistant Superintendent of Schools and soon after began creating a new curriculum which included primary reading, social work, and outdoor education programs. Mogan also made a name for himself by becoming familiar with the new federally funded programs. His understanding of federal grants made him realize the potential of designating Lowell a national park, and one of his goals was to help the city's many ethnic communities retain their culture by being proud of their historical roots. Working as executive director of the Human Services Corporation and with Lowell's Model Cities Program, Mogan toiled ceaselessly on behalf of getting Lowell named a National Park. Many in Lowell scoffed at Mogan's vision of an "Urban Cultural Park." The National Park Service also hesitated to create a new unit that did not fit in with such parks as Yosemite.

Yet in collaboration with a series of Congressmen, including Brad Morse, Paul Cronin and Paul Tsongas, Mogan worked tirelessly, and his work paid off in 1978 when Lowell was finally designated a national park. Soon Mogan was being called "the Father of the Park." In 1989 the Patrick J. Mogan Cultural Center came into existence, and placed the Lowell National Historic Park at the forefront of cultural learning and preservation. Now retired and living in Chelmsford, Pat Mogan continues to be an unofficial advisor to the National Park and the city.