Daily Pulse: October 19, 2026 (Lowell's Bicentennial Committee)

It's the DNA, like Steve says it all the time, but it's so true.

People are just connected to the city, and they want to see it succeed.

So even the people who have gone out of the town, Steve and I actually took a field trip to see Ted.

Can you tell them about that, Steve? And he ended up donating $50,000 on that trip we took to Washington.

Yeah, exactly.

Ted being Ted Leonson,

unbelievably successful businessman, owns multiple professional sports.

He owns the Washington Wizards, the

Washington Capitals, Washington Mizzics, and the Capital One Arena.

And he's probably the number one citizen and philanthropist in Washington, D.C. Or if not number one, he's right, no one's more than him.

He's just well-liked in that community and has made tremendous strides and impact there.

But he never forgets his root here.

Both his parents were from Lowell.

His mother was a Cumminsals, Joanne Cumminsals.

Her father was Louis Leonsis, Leotakis.

So they're both from Lowell.

And he was actually born in Brooklyn and spent his... young childhood years in Brooklyn, came to Lowell when he was about 13, went to Lowell High School, graduated Lowell High School.

That's where I met him.

And he's just a tremendous person.

And, you know, we're fortunate that he still, you know, has an affinity to the city.

Sure does.

He comes back periodically and does things with the university as well, some kind of a leadership program or whatnot.

Yeah.

By the way, as humble as they're going to be, especially the one in the middle who keeps deflecting blame to her left and right, these are three of the people that whenever any event you go to in the city, whether it's a city sponsored event or one of the nonprofit organizations that is doing so much in our communities, you can always in some way, shape or form find these three people's footprint on it.

So I'll ask and we'll go in order.

It's the DNA, like Steve says it all the time, but it's so true.

People are just connected to the city, and they want to see it succeed.

So even the people who have gone out of the town, Steve and I actually took a field trip to see Ted.

Can you tell them about that, Steve? And he ended up donating $50,000 on that trip we took to Washington.

Yeah, exactly.

Ted being Ted Leonson,

unbelievably successful businessman, owns multiple professional sports.

He owns the Washington Wizards, the

Washington Capitals, Washington Mizzics, and the Capital One Arena.

And he's probably the number one citizen and philanthropist in Washington, D.C. Or if not number one, he's right, no one's more than him.

He's just well-liked in that community and has made tremendous strides and impact there.

But he never forgets his root here.

Both his parents were from Lowell.

His mother was a Cumminsals, Joanne Cumminsals.

Her father was Louis Leonsis, Leotakis.

So they're both from Lowell.

And he was actually born in Brooklyn and spent his... young childhood years in Brooklyn, came to Lowell when he was about 13, went to Lowell High School, graduated Lowell High School.

That's where I met him.

And he's just a tremendous person.

And, you know, we're fortunate that he still, you know, has an affinity to the city.

Sure does.

He comes back periodically and does things with the university as well, some kind of a leadership program or whatnot.

Yeah.

By the way, as humble as they're going to be, especially the one in the middle who keeps deflecting blame to her left and right, these are three of the people that whenever any event you go to in the city, whether it's a city sponsored event or one of the nonprofit organizations that is doing so much in our communities, you can always in some way, shape or form find these three people's footprint on it.

So I'll ask and we'll go in order.