Crime & Safety

SJP Class of '87 to Pay Tribute to Peabody's Jim Rice

Peabody firefighter Jim Rice's classmates at St. John's Prep will be holding a memorial service Saturday.

Fallen Peabody firefighter James Rice will be remembered by his former classmates at St. John's Prep on Saturday.

Rice, who died last December in the line of duty, graduated from the Prep in 1987, along with fellow Peabody firefighter (now Captain) John Hosman and Danvers police officer Steven MacDonald, who organized Saturday's memorial service.

The ceremony, which is slated for noon at the entrance to the Brother Linus, CFX Athletic Commons, will also include the dedication of a memorial stone engraved with Rice's name. The school expects about 40 of Rice's classmates, familiy and friends to attend.

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Once the service and a reception in Griffin Hall are concluded, the St. John's Eagles will host Catholic Memorial on the gridiron.

While at the Prep, Rice captained the baseball team and started two years for Eagles' football. MacDonald, in an interview with the Salem News, said Rice was "the perfect teammate. Quiet and leading by example."

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He and his classmates thought it would be a fitting tribute to Rice to install a memorial at their alma mater, where Rice had "made a lasting impression."


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