Pete and Julie Frates. (Getty Images)
BEVERLY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — After a long battle with ALS, Pete Frates died on Monday. He was the man who inspired the Ice Bucket Challenge, which raised millions of dollars for research.
Frates is from Beverly, Mass. WBZ NewsRadio went to his home town to learn more about Frates’ legacy.
In Beverly, Frates is remembered as a hero and an inspiration, according to some residents at the Beverly Athletic Club.
“His impact will live on forever in Boston history and through Boston College as well,” resident Brett Bishop said.
Part of that legacy comes from the Ice Bucket Challenge, which took the country by storm during the summer of 2014.
“I just remember doing the Ice Bucket Challenge with a bunch of friends, like five years ago in high school,” resident Ryan Oakley said. “It was really inspirational, all of the money they gathered from it. It was really awesome.”
Oakley said he can’t remember anything quite like it, and that Frates showed that “no matter what, you can overcome what you put your mind to.”
Resident Bryce Mitchell said Frates came to speak to his hockey team during the challenge, where he spoke “a lot about responding to adversity, and just being the best person you can be despite any of the things that could happen to you.”
Frates leaves behind his wife, Julie, his daughter, Lucy, and his parents, John and Nancy.
The Frates family's 8th annual polar plunge will be held on Dec. 28th in Gloucester to raise money for ALS research. Frates would have been 35 on that day.
WBZ NewsRadio's Deb Lawler reports
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