Worcester native David “Duddie” Massad grew up on Grafton Street in Worcester with his mother and father, who passed away when he was a youngster. He started to go to both the Ionic Avenue and Lincoln Square Boys Clubs. David spent most of his time in the gym and was especially fond of boxing. He boasts he has the nose to prove he was a fighter.
Duddie was extremely fond of the late Harry Devine from the Ionic Avenue Club. Harry, along with his strong and supportive mother, kept him out of trouble. They instilled in him the importance of always striving to be the best that he could be. “The Boys Club was the best place to be because it kept you out of trouble,” he says. David went to the Club on a steady basis for about 2 ½ years and never forgot the values he learned as a member.
David has become a well-known businessperson. As a teenager, one of his first full time jobs gave him an opportunity to sharpen his people-observation skills. He guessed weights at White City Park just over the bridge in Shrewsbury. As the years passed, his business acumen continued to grow.
David Started “Duddie’s Cadillac City” in 1950 at the corner of Mill Street and Park Avenue. Today he is the Chairman of Commerce Bank & Trust, Chairman of the Gamewell Company, and a fire systems company in Ashland. He is President of Duddie Ford in Westborough, President of Diamond Chevrolet in Worcester, and President of a newlyacquired Toyota dealership in Wallingford Connecticut. He is also a proud member of the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester Alumni Association.