Friends remember late Marblehead selectman, state rep

MARBLEHEAD – Former Selectman and state Rep. J. Hilary Rockett gave Marblehead, Swampscott and other area communities a lot to be thankful for – and ironically he died on Thanksgiving at the age of 74.One of the first places in Marblehead to hear the news of the passing of the man who was also a prominent North Shore lawyer, realtor and developer was Sweeney’s Retreat Restaurant, which was open on the holiday.”It was a shock when one of our customers told us,” recalled Marcia Sweeney, who was at the restaurant with her husband, Philip, the owner.The Sweeneys have known Rockett and his family for about 40 years. In 1970, less than 18 months after the Sweeneys moved to Marblehead, Phil Sweeney ran against Rockett for state representative.At the time Rockett, the type of politician sometimes described as a rock-ribbed Republican, was seeking his fifth term. He usually ran unopposed.”That was the only reason Phil ran,” Marcia Sweeney said. “We had a very weak Democratic Town Committee and Phil said, ‘I’m going to run against him.’ Phil lost, but not by a lot and in 1972 Hilary didn’t run again.”Politics may have temporarily divided the Sweeneys and the Rocketts but Marblehead Youth Hockey, with its dedicated parent group and its annual trips to Canada, brought them solidly together.The first hint of that came during the campaign at an early hockey practice, when their oldest sons chanced to sit next to each other on the bench. They introduced themselves – Phil Sweeney and Hilary Rockett – and there was a pause. By that time signs for both candidates were up all over town.Then both boys began laughing. No matter what might be going on in town, they were on the same team inside that rink.Rockett himself practiced that philosophy in sports – once a teammate, always a teammate.Former Selectman Bill Conly, a fellow member of the Marblehead High Class of 1953, recalled playing football and baseball with Rockett, whom he had known since the seventh grade.”He was a rugged kid, a tough kid,” Conly remembered. Their first year out of high school, they met on the gridiron as opponents, Rockett as a member of the Tufts freshman squad and Conly playing for Cushing Academy.”We stopped and talked downfield like everyone else does,” Conly said. “Then one of my guys intercepted a pass and I said, ‘See you later, I gotta go.”Rockett’s classmates could usually count on him and Denise to open their home for a class get-together. “I had a nice conversation with him last year when he was starting chemotherapy,” Conly said. “He was a good friend all these years.”In the mid-70s, Marcia Sweeney was elected to the School Committee. She had no supporters more generous than Hilary Rockett and his wife, Denise.”I always thought he was a truly good, upfront person,” Sweeney said. “We were from different parties but I don’t think anyone loved Marblehead more than Hilary did.””He’ll be missed, but his legacy will go on with his children.”