REMEMBERING – Tom Carson of Hopedale was present in Berlin in November 1989 during the fall of the Berlin Wall. He was able to salvage a piece of the top and side of the wall, an East German mark and military hat and also keep the hammer and chisel he used to chip away at the wall. Carson’s wife, Dawn, a teacher at Wayne Elementary, recently displayed the artifacts to pupils at the school. -- Jess Looman

HOPEDALE — When Tom Carson was 12, he had no idea his love for motorcycles would turn into something that would allow him to travel all over the world and to be present during a monumental event. Carson, of Hopedale, started as an amateur motocross racer in 1974. He ran his first race in Kilgore, and in 1980, he participated in his first national amateur championship. In 1982, Carson got his professional license and began competing as an individual. He was invited to race in Holland in 1984 and from there, he was invited to compete in Germany that same year. In November of 1989, he just so happened to be in Germany when the announcement of the fall of the Berlin Wall was made. “There were people everywhere, passing through different openings in the wall as well as trying to find themselves a piece of history,” he said.