As Fenway Park approaches its 100th anniversary, fans continue to enjoy Red Sox games at the historic ballpark. Whether it's your first game or your 20th season coming back to the park, or whether your tickets are in the bleachers or behind home plate, there's always a friendly face to answer your questions and point you in the right direction.
Ken Greenwood has been one of those faces for the last 44 seasons, and he's now the longest-tenured usher at Fenway Park.
Greenwood has held several different posts over the years, but he currently patrols the Pavilion box seats on the third-base side. An avid fan of the game, the retired teacher could think of no better way to enjoy his retirement than in the friendly confines of America's Most Beloved Ballpark.
NESN.com: How long have you been an usher at Fenway and how did you get the job?
Ken Greenwood: It's my 44th year here. They were looking for ushers back in 1968. I love baseball and somebody mentioned to me that they were looking for people in the ballpark to be ushers, and I said I'd love that job. I was working at Boston State College and I just came over one day and they said, "You're hired," and that's how I started.
NESN.com: Take us through a typical day of work.
KG: I have to arrive about two hours before the game starts. We have role call and then you go to your assigned spot. When you get to your spot, you check around to make sure everything is in place, and then when everything is set to go you open. When the crowd starts coming in, I greet them and see if I can help them to their seats or help them with any questions. If I see a group over in the corner that's kind of puzzled I'll go over and see if I can help them, but mostly it's just seating the people and making sure that everybody is having a good time.
NESN.com: What’s your favorite part of the job?
KG: My favorite part of the job is coming to work. Everything is great about the job. I love baseball, the ballpark is terrific and I'm working in a good spot. I can see the game great and the people up there are always nice. The regulars will come in a lot and I'll talk to them. Everything about the job is great … sometimes I'm surprised they pay me for it.
NESN.com: What do think about the renovations done to the park and what is your favorite?
KG: I wouldn't say I have a favorite because every time they renovate it they actually improve the park. When people come in and say, "What do you like about the changes?" I'll always tell them that Fenway changes, but it stays the same. In other words, when I come into Fenway, it's always been there, but what they've done with the changes is just improve areas of the ballpark. They added chairs and seats in areas, opened up areas, so the ballpark structure is there, they just improved all the other parts. I have to say they did a fantastic job.
NESN.com: Where do you think the best view at Fenway is?
KG: I'd have to say where I work. I like to be up high, some people like to be done low and watch the action from down near the field. They want to get as close as they can. I'm a person that likes to be back and see all the action. I work up in the Pavilion box seats on the third-base side, and I think that's the greatest spot you can see the game from. You don't have to move your head. You can just look down and it all happens in front of you.
NESN.com: In 44 years at Fenway, what’s the most memorable game you’ve been at?
KG: That would probably be the 1975 World Series, Game 6, Carlton Fisk's home run off the foul pole. I was standing on the foul line in the roof box seats on the first-base side at that time, so that was pretty memorable.
NESN.com: What has been your favorite moment at Fenway Park?
KG: I'll have to go back to another game when Roger Clemens struck out 20 players. That's something that doesn't happen hardly at all, if ever. I think there are maybe only one or two people that have done it, and at the time I said this is going to be memorable because when he got his 20th, I said there aren't too many people I'm going to see from now on that are going to get 20 strikeouts.
For more information on Fenway Park, visit Fenway Park 100.
