Family, Friends Pay Tribute To Raleigh Costa

FALMOUTH- A crowd of family, friends, and public officials stood on a busy section of Teaticket Highway Friday morning to pay tribute to community activist Raleigh D. Costa and to unveil the new sign that names the Coonamessett River bridge after him.
Mr. Costa, a lifelong Teaticket resident, died in 2004 at the age of 79.
The roar of traffic in the background was perhaps also fitting, as concerns about too much traffic through what was once a sleepy village was among the many issues that Mr. Costa tackled.
Several people shed tears as they remembered the man some called “the mayor of Teaticket,” and others laughed as they recalled some of his signature quirks, the smell of his pipe, and the ever-present whirr of a fax machine emitting one of his countless letters to public officials.
Mr. Costa’s widow, Alice (Trow) Costa, called the naming of the bridge “a very fitting tribute for a man who loved the village and worked so hard to preserve its character.”

Raleigh Costa’s widow, Alice Costa, receives a round of applause during a dedication ceremony Friday on Teaticket Highway where the road crosses the Coonamessett River. The bridge will now be called the Lieutenant Raleigh D. Costa Memorial Bridge. Among those gathered are, from left, Mr. Costa’s daughter, Lisa Korval; Jason Lunn, a family friend; Victoria Duart, Mr. Costa’s son’s longtime girlfriend; and Emmalyn Anderson, Mr. Costa’s granddaughter. In the background is Barnstable County Sheriff James Cummings. To the right is Frank Shephard of Falmouth, one of the ceremony organizers. At the right edge of the photograph is Town Manager Robert Whritenour and Historical Commission Chairman Sheryl Kozens-Long. LAURA M. RECKFORD/ENTERPRISE

Referring to Mr. Costa’s skill at researching, Falmouth Fire Chief Paul D. Brodeur said Mr. Costa was “one for the law books.”
On Mr. Costa’s advocacy for the Village of Teaticket, Chief Brodeur recalled another longtime neighborhood advocate, saying, “Manny Raposa was on this side of the river and Raleigh was on the other arguing where the Village of Teaticket started.”
Mary K. Bishop of Trotting Park Road in Teaticket, a longtime member of the Teaticket Civic Association which Mr. Costa once headed, said she spent hours with Mr. Costa working on the book “Recollections of Teaticket.”
She also recalled working with him as he petitioned state legislators to “try to get our zip code back” and sitting at his kitchen table as they worked on issues having to do with too much Steamship Authority traffic.
Ms. Bishop read a statement from Edward L. Marks Jr. of Perch Pond Circle, Teaticket, who was at an appointment out of town and could not attend the ceremony. Mr. Marks wrote that he grew up with Mr. Costa and served with him in the fire department. Mr. Marks called Mr. Costa “an honest and sincere person who worked hard to preserve Teaticket and other parts of Falmouth.”
“This honor is long overdue,” Mr. Marks wrote.
Chester J. Krajewski of Mattapan Street, Teaticket, said Mr. Costa was a great friend who was always helping others. He recalled that after Hurricane Bob, Mr. Costa came to see him, making his way down Mattapan Street to see if he needed help.
Mr. Costa’s granddaughter, Emmalyn B. Anderson of Tanglewood Drive, Hatchville, said she helped to answer his mail and type up letters and answer the phone for her grandfather. She said she was never sure what it was all about, until listening to the people at the dedication. “Now I know,” she said.
Mr. Costa’s daughter and Emmalyn’s mother, Lisa Korval, admitted her father could be eccentric, but she said the bridge is a fitting metaphor, representing his ability to overcome any obstacle.
At a reception at Falmouth Public Library after the dedication, Frank C. Shephard of Cumloden Drive, Falmouth, said, “Raleigh was larger than life. He inspired all of us, even today. That’s why I cried at today’s dedication.”
Thomas H. Renshaw of Leslie Street, Woods Hole, called Mr. Costa someone who pulled the town together over issues. “He really connected us,” Mr. Renshaw said.
Mr. Shephard agreed. “He brought this town together, from Teaticket to Woods Hole, to East Falmouth and West Falmouth. To make it better, that’s what Raleigh stood for,” Mr. Shephard said.
State Representative Matthew C. Patrick (D-Falmouth) called Mr. Costa “a true citizen of the Town of Falmouth,” having been born and raised in Falmouth and, but for a stint in Europe during World War II, lived here his whole life.
He worked for the Falmouth Fire Department for 39 years, never taking a sick day.
He played a major role in Democratic politics, besides being active in the Teaticket Civic Association.
Mr. Patrick recalled Mr. Costa’s “notorious” fondness for the fax machine. “You could get a fax from him any time of day or night and he expected a response quite soon,” Mr. Patrick said.
Barnstable County Sheriff James M. Cummings said when he first met Mr. Costa, “everyone called [Mr. Costa] ‘sheriff,’ ” and, in fact, one of Sheriff Cummings’s predecessors appointed Mr. Costa as deputy sheriff.
Falmouth Town Manager Robert L. Whritenour Jr. said the community is honored to have a bridge named after Mr. Costa, who, while he may not have held a high office, “his influence in the affairs that shaped the Town of Falmouth was in many respects larger than people who held those offices.”
Mr. Whritenour called Mr. Costa “the unofficial mayor of Teaticket.”
“His heart was with the Town of Falmouth and he was not shy about sharing any of his opinions,” Mr. Whritenour said.
Mary J. Little of Mattapan Street, Teaticket, said she spent many Saturdays typing his letters, and Victoria Duart, who is the longtime girlfriend of Mr. Costa’s son, said she helped Mr. Costa with research, faxing, and typing.
Sheryl Kozens-Long, who is Mr. Costa’s grand-niece, said her involvement in the community—she is chairman of the Falmouth Historical Commission among other roles—is because of Mr. Costa. “He’s always been my inspiration,” she said.
Margaret Hough Russell, the administrator of The 300 Committee and former editor and publisher of The Falmouth Enterprise, said Mr. Costa was “someone who kept us all on our toes.” But she added that he was “never an angry activist. It was always a pleasure.”
At a reception after the dedication, Mr. Shephard said there was still much to do to accomplish Mr. Costa’s vision. Others agreed and decided the first step is to beautify the Coonamessett Bridge area with xeriscaping, a low-maintenance and ecologically-friendly style of landscaping.