MAYOR WALSH DEDICATES GENERAL CASEY AMPHITHEATER IN ALLSTON AUGUST 28

Mayor Martin J. Walsh, Boston Parks and Recreation Commissioner Ryan Woods, and Boston Planning & Development Agency Director Brian Golden will join the Casey family at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, August 28, for the dedication of the Major General George W. Casey Amphitheater located at Smith Playground at 235 Western Avenue in Allston.

Built with a capital budget that included funding from the Boston College Neighborhood Improvement Fund, this flexible amphitheater can accommodate both small and large events alongside the newly renovated Smith Field. As noted on a plaque at the site, Major General George W. Casey was born on March 9, 1922, in Allston to Dr. John F. Casey and Elizabeth McDermott Casey, the fourth of seven children. The family lived at 94 Franklin Street, approximately 400 yards from the location of the amphitheater. Casey attended Boston Latin School and Harvard University before transferring to the U.S. Military Academy where he was commissioned in 1945.

General Casey served in occupation duty in Japan following WWII and in combat during the Korean War, where he received a Silver Star for his actions on Heartbreak Ridge. He was commanding the 1st Cavalry Division on his third tour in Vietnam when he was killed in a helicopter crash with six others en route to Cam Ranh Bay to visit wounded soldiers from the Division’s operations in Cambodia. His awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star (3), Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star with Valor device, Purple Heart (2) and Air Medal (8).