**A HUNDRED REASONS TO SMILE:** Four generations of the Anastos family gathered this past weekend to celebrate the 100th birthday of Adrienne Anastos. In the back row are Julia, Alex, Chris, and Adrienne’s daughter Cindy Feo; 10-year-old great-grandson Nash Zaremba with his mother, Angela, and Gina Anastos; seated on either side of Adrienne are sons Dennis and George; in front are Sophia Anastos and four-year-old Myles. Not pictured are grandson Doug and great-grandchildren Arthur, Amelia, and Elias Anastos. . [Skip Tull photo]

• In small towns like Hull, place names carry on through the generations, even as circumstances change over the years. Many people still refer to the intersection of Nantasket Avenue, Bay Street, and George Washington Boulevard as Anastos Corner – named after the family who owned property around that intersection and operated businesses there, including Anastos Hardware, Anastos Corner Restaurant, and the Apollo Spa/Apollo Theater. One member of that family celebrated her 100th birthday this past weekend.

Adrienne Anastos, for many years a fixture at the restaurant she ran with her husband, “Papa Lou” Anastos, was born on August 1, 1925. Family and friends gathered at her daughter’s home on August 3 to mark the special occasion as she earned membership in the “century club.” Think good thoughts about Mrs. Anastos the next time you are at California Underground, which now occupies the spot where Anastos Corner Restaurant served thousands of happy customers over the years.

• Congratulations to Madeleine Mahoney, who was named to the Dean’s List for the spring semester at Simmons University in Boston.

• Ryan Johnson on Mountford Road said it took several years for his Dragonfruit Cactus to finally blossom. Thanks to Mark Abatuno for capturing this image!

• Vincent Curran participated in last weekend’s Pan-Mass Challenge bike ride in memory of his father, Stew Curran, who died in November 2021. The annual event raises funds for cancer research.

Curran’s story echoes the experience of many local families facing a cancer diagnosis: “Glioblastoma Multiforme are two words that are not familiar to most people; a quick Google search will tell you that it’s very rare, under 200,000 cases per year. However, that stat was not what popped off the page when I did the same Google search – statements like ‘highly aggressive’ and ‘this condition cannot be cured’ are what stood out.

“My father was a bear of a human; for us to find him unconscious and unresponsive on the floor of our house was a blindside that started a 13-month battle that ultimately ended with him passing in November of 2021. Through that journey, the hospital became a second home and the constants were surgeries, seizures, daily chemo trips, etc. Every time you felt there was a step forward; it was accompanied by two steps back.

“Glio was something we couldn’t control, fortunately my Dad set the tone for the family and his mindset never wavered on what we could control – referring to the seizures, terrible MRIs and loss of mobility as minor speedbumps. Even though he was fighting a battle he couldn't win, he battled as hard as possible, using humor, kindness, and courage as his weapons.

“Glio as a cancer diagnosis doesn’t get the innovation and capital it needs. The clinical trials are very limited and the treatment has been more or less the same for 20+ years. Last year, Crus11Tour raised over a million dollars for Dana Farber to fight Glio. Crus11Tour was the name Davey Hovey gave his battle with Glioblastoma Multiforme. Davey was a lifelong lacrosse player, my Dad was a lifelong lacrosse coach. The game of lacrosse has an amazing way of bringing people together. In this case, it’s to raise money so that in the next 20 years, when you do have to do that quick Google search, it no longer says this condition can’t be cured.” Congratulations to Vincent and all the riders in this year’s Pan-Mass Challenge!

• They’ve swum with sharks, leapt off cliffs, and surfed the Pacific – all before turning 22. Now, Hull-Hingham couple Ryan Parks and Kristi Phillips are chasing their next big thrill: being crowned America’s Favorite Couple and landing a feature in Variety magazine. The high school sweethearts first met at age 15 on Nantasket Beach, where a “mistakenly” thrown ball and a spontaneous game of four-square sparked a connection that’s only grown stronger. Phillips remembers spotting Parks and his red bike that day, a moment that would mark the beginning of a bold, adventurous love story.

From their first date (when Ryan nervously warned, “If you ever want to kiss me, please don’t eat peanuts”) to their cross-country move to San Diego, the couple has embraced every challenge together. After a year of long distance, they reunited for college just 15 minutes apart and have since adopted a rescue dog, explored the wild coast, and continued building a life rooted in trust, thrill-seeking, and shared dreams.

Now 21, they’re currently ranked first in their group in the national contest. A win would mean $20,000 toward rent, student loans, a donation to the Humane Society, and a spotlight in Variety magazine. Voting is free once per day, and additional votes support ocean conservation through Oceana. For more information and to cast a vote, visit https://americasfavcouple.org/2025/kristi-and-ryan.

If you have news about Hull residents to share – birthdays, anniversaries, career and education achievements, weddings, births, and other milestones – send your information to us at news@hulltimes.com. If you include a photo, please be sure that everyone in the image is identified. Thank you!

Like what you’re reading? Stay informed and support our work with a Hull Times subscription by clicking here.

Do you have an opinion to share? Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.