'Angels without wings,' Jean McGuire praises 2 kids who saved her after Franklin Park stabbing
BOSTON – Jean McGuire, a 91-year-old Boston schools pioneer, was released from the hospital Tuesday one week after she was stabbed during an apparently random attack in Franklin Park. McGuire said she will no longer walk in the park alone, and hailed "two kids" for saving her life following the attack.
McGuire was the first Black woman elected to the Boston School Committee and a former director of the METCO desegregation program.
Boston Police said she was stabbed October 11 while walking on a path near Seaver Street sometime between 7:55 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Her attacker ran off and there have been no arrests.
"I've never in my 91 years not felt safe walking the streets of Boston day or night ever. And now I will never go up there to the park alone again. It's in my head that it wouldn't be wise. It's a different time," McGuire said at a news conference before she was released from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
McGuire, whose right arm is now in a cast, said she used self-defense skills to fight off her attacker.
"I didn't have any words. I used the training that I had, which I did with my staff to protect myself when somebody attacks my body. That was my foot and my knee and it almost ruined my arm," McGuire said.
Doctors operated on McGuire and expect a "very satisfactory" recovery.
"We really want to thank all of the doctors, nursing staff and hospital staff here at Beth Israel Deaconess, for all of their good work to help Jean recover," said McGuire's nephew, Ron Mitchell, who is a WBZ-TV employee.
"Jean is a very, very strong woman," Mitchell added. "We look at her as our Wonder Woman, but at her age anything like this can really take a toll. She is strong, and recovering well--but she still has a long way to go."
Dr. Sammy Dowlatshahi said, "Your energy, your strength, your resolve, your incredible wit and sense of humor are really contagious!"
McGuire praised two young people Tuesday as heroes after they rushed to help save her that night.
"Two kids. I don't know who they are. They were going to the light show. They were coming from the light show -- I was walking toward there. They're angels without wings I'll tell you that much," McGuire told reporters. "Their parents should be so proud that they cared enough to get help for somebody laying on the street bleeding. There's a lot I don't remember. I don't let it bother me now. You all took care of me and so you move on but you do have to be prepared to protect yourself in the future."
Police are looking for anyone who saw anything suspicious in that area at the time. The suspect is believed to have been hurt during the attack and may have asked for medical treatment.
McGuire's family urged the community to "Stand up for Jean" and call the anonymous CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS with any information.
The civil rights pioneer said she is grateful to still be alive.
"You don't know what tomorrow brings, all you have is today," McGuire said.
The Boston Foundation has set up the Jean McGuire Educational and Health Fund to honor her legacy. For more information, click here.