Wellesley has lost a community volunteer, school crossing guard, and one-time childhood medical miracle, after a short illness, at age 67. A memorial service will be held for Everett Woodrow Knowles, known as “Eddie”, on Thursday, Nov. 3, at the Community Center, 503 Washington St., behind the police station, 2pm – 4pm.
Eddie, who died on September 23, lived in Wellesley for ten years and will be remembered around town as the guy who always lent a hand whether it was doing the heavy lifting while volunteering at the RDF Reusables area or grabbing a snow shovel to help clear out part of the Wellesley police department parking lot. All this despite having limited use of his right arm and hand due to a childhood accident in 1962 that could have been tragic but instead made him a medical miracle. He was the first patient to which a major limb was successfully reattached to the body. His groundbreaking surgery was performed by Wellesley resident Dr. Ronald A. Malt, a Mass General Hospital surgical resident. Dr. Malt died in 2002.
Eddie’s accident was due to youthful hijinks, when he and several friends jumped a freight train for a quick ride home after getting out of Northeastern Junior High School in Somerville. Eddie got clipped by a stone abutment supporting an overpass, and his arm was severed from his body. He somehow got to his feet and began to stagger home, but was spotted by workers in the area who assisted him and called an ambulance.
At Mass General, Dr. Malt thought it was possible to save Eddie’s arm. During the surgery, word spread through the hospital, and the operating balcony filled with medical personnel wanting to witness what all hoped and prayed would be an historic moment. According to Fletcher Knebel, blogger at Medical Miracles, and whose full and riveting account of Eddie’s surgery and the events leading up to it you really must read:
“And now came the moment of truth. While Malt still held the arm tightly, Shaw removed the artery clamp. Blood rushed down the arm. People in the balcony stopped talking. Not a word was spoken around the operating table. Everybody watched. Slowly, the waxen limb began to regain its flesh coloring. A glow seemed to envelop the arm. The doctors wanted to cheer. In the balcony, there were exclamations of joy.
“My,” said Malt, “its nice and pink, isn’t it?” Judy Moberly, the scrub nurse, felt the hand. “It is warm.”
In true Swellesley understated style, the good doctor filed his one-page official report, referring to the event as a “Suture of Right upper Extremity.”
Eddie recovered and went on to lead a full life. Despite some limitations, he was known as a natural handyman, drove trucks, taxis, and school vans, and volunteered his time. He made many friends during his ten years living in Wellesley, who he kept laughing with his stories and turns of phrase. “He was quite the character,” said RDF volunteer Marsha Rowlands. “His favorite meal was spaghetti and meatballs, and we called him Eddie Spaghetti with the Meatball Eyes.”
Knowles was the devoted brother of Julia Knowles and her husband, Laurence Bloom of Winthrop, and the late Mary Ann Knowles of Newton, uncle of Lars Knowles of Wellesley and Nora Zaldivar, and her husband, Jonathan of Norwood; granduncle to Dante and Livia Zaldivar. A celebration of his life will be held on Thursday, November 3, from 2-4 PM at the Community Center room of his Washington Street apartment complex. All are welcome to attend. Funeral and interment services will be private.
On the day of the accident I was with a bunch of kids across from the tracks at George’s coner store and my mom came looking for me in her car. She saw the ambulance and people standing around. She parked her car and went over to see if she could offer assistance since she was an RN and back in the day drivers were not as skilled as they are today. When she saw Eddie the first thing she asked was where his arm was? One of the drivers had rapped it in a blanket and she immediately told him to run across the street and get all the ice that was available, which he did and she packed the arm in another blanket in the ice and told them not to take him to Somerville Hospital but directly to Massachusetts General which she ran over to the coner pay phone and called the hospital to give them a heads up to explain his situation. I was sure glad my mom had come looking for me that day. Condolences to the family.
I happened to read this article in Look magazine when it originally came out. From the other comments, it appears to have been in 1962, when I was in the 6th and 7th grades. The title of the article, “The Right Arm of Eddie Knowles” has always stayed with me, and I recalled it many times over the years. Just tonight I had the idea to google his name to see what would come up and I landed on this page. Apparently, Eddie and I were nearly the same age, which I did not previously know. So sorry to hear of his passing and my condolences to his family and friends.
There is an article on Facebook about the old Madison Hotel in Boston being torn down.
I told the story that I had Stayed there when I was 12 or 13. Room 1234. My mother was in Mass General Hospital. This would have been around 1961 or 1962. I remember meeting a boy my age that had fallen onto the train tracks and had his arm amputated. Mass General re- attached it. This was a historic event. It was the first time that was ever done. I never knew his name only that he was from the Boston area. I do not remember what we talked about probably about his surgery.
At 69 years old I have never forgotten about my chance encounter with a boy who’s name I never knew, until tonight.
Someone responded to my story with the website below. I am thankful to this person for reuniting me with part of my past.
https://www.wired.com/2011/05/0523surgery-reattaches-boys-arm/?mbid=email_onsiteshare“
I live far away USA. I live in a far Country, Chile. I knew about Eddy and his accident reading the Reader Digest Selection. Early 60s. I never forgot this article. I feel like I have lost a friend.
I know. He died three years ago, but, I knew about his death this recently.
Fly high, my friend
I read that Reader’s Digest article back when I was in 6th grade in Eastman School in East Concord, NH and gave an oral report on the story; so I recently researched to see what issue of Reader’s Digest it was in. November 1962, Reader’s Digest, originally from Look magazine… page 68. “The Right Arm of Eddy Knowles by Fletcher Knebel”
Apparently, India also had a Reader’s Digest; and in theirs it was published in March of 1962. Page 44.
Because of that, you can download and view an old version of the India Reader’s Digest at https://ia801600.us.archive.org/3/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.101072/2015.101072.The-Readers-Digest-Vol82-83feb-july1963.pdf
Hi
I grew up in Somerville on Highland Ave in the 70’s. When I was real young , I loved baseball. I lived across the street from a gas station where Ev worked. Well, he saw me outside hanging around a lot in front of my house, always with my baseball glove. One day Ev approached me and was so extremely kind. We would talk about baseball a lot and then he would throw the ball around with me on a daily basis. He was just a great man. To go out of his way to throw the ball with some little kid in the neighborhood, amazing!! Ev also gave me all of these baseball memorabilia autographed photos of great major league players that he met through his tragic accident, of which of course I lost. I was thinking about him recently and how kind he was to me. So I decided to try and look him up. I was so very sad to hear of his death. The world needs more people like Ev. My condolences to his family.
Eric Rubin
The McNeal Family sends condolences to the knowles family. I just found out the sad news, and want to say that I will remember Eddie and his family from the Times before his accident, and the years after. David McNeal
he was a good friend and a pretty good mechanic he drove a 428 cobra ford fairlane that was fast as hell and he could drive it rest in peace my friend condolences to his family gary
Red would put us kids to shame the way he could hit a baseball while only using one arm. So sorry to hear about his passing.
Knew Eddie as a kid from Glen park We used to go looking for races in his 428 ford.
He was called “one arm bandit”
Cause he stole all the wins
He would shift 1-2 with right arm then 2-3 would use his left arm.
Scary but awesome
I’ll always remember him
So sorry for the loss to his family and friends