USA > Connecticut > History of Connecticut, Volume III > Part 18
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The solution of the bus dispute ranks as a deserved personal triumph for Governor Ribicoff .. . From his personal legal background in labor-management relations, he devised an acceptable answer to the problems that had been causing trouble . .. It was a problem into which many men would have preferred not to step. It is even more to the Governor's credit that he stepped into the situation and brought off an agreement.
He also devised a "program with teeth" for the distribution of Salk polio vaccine so that children in poor families would be assured the benefit of treatment. His interest in the welfare of the people of his state took him to Washington when the Appropriations Com- mittee of the House of Representatives slashed scheduled appropria- tions for flood control. He helped organize an effective drive to restore the lost funds.
Perhaps Governor Ribicoff's best-known, and certainly his most controversial, program, has been that relating to highway safety. Adhering to the belief that excessive speed is the major factor in fatal traffic accidents, he won acceptance of a program for suspending the licenses of convicted speeders. First offenders lose their licenses for thirty days, second offenders for sixty days, and third offenders face an indefinite suspension. A rigid "no-fix" policy is a part of the program, which has become widely known to out-of-staters driving in Connecticut. At the state lines, large billboards warn: "Don't Speed. Conviction Means Loss of License." These out-of-staters too can lose their licenses if their own states have reciprocal agreements with Connecticut. Quite naturally, such a crackdown stirred up resentment in some quarters, but the Governor stuck to his guns with the remark, "If it saves one life, it will be worth losing the next election." It has done considerably better than that. The program was reviewed recently in Reader's Digest :
By the end of the (first) year there were thousands of unhappy motorists, but the death toll had dropped from 324 the previous year to 288-a saving of thirty-six lives ... In 1957 the traffic death toll declined further, to 283, and, as the remarkable early record for this year shows, the downward trend is con- tinuing.
Governor Ribicoff himself wrote an article on the system for The Saturday Evening Post. As to its losing votes, it does not seem
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to have had any appreciable effect on his popularity-indeed, ninety- five per cent of the letters he receives in this connection express ap- proval and praise.
In keeping with his idea of keeping the people of his state posted on state government matters, the Governor holds two press conferences a day, and has impressed newsmen with his willingness to talk "off the cuff," answering questions unequivocally and honestly. He has been markedly effective in working with a divided legislature, from which he has secured most of the legislation he has asked. A veteran Connecticut columnist referred to a brief period of his administration as "the most fruitful six months any individual has ever spent in the office of Governor." Some of the measures put into effect since he came to office have included the first statewide adult probation system in Connecticut history; consolidation of control of neglected or abandoned children; reduction of costs to families of patients in state institutions; increased assistance to towns and cities for educa- tional purposes; an expanded interior road building program; a state shore erosion control program; a humane and welfare institutional program, and an expansion program at the University of Connecticut and the teachers colleges, both of the above costing in excess of twenty- six million dollars. Legislative reforms have included passage of Con- necticut's first statewide direct primary law, a Fair Dismissal Practices Act and a Teachers' Tenure Bill, the provision of wage increases, overtime compensation and group life insurance benefits for state employees, and improvement of the Unemployment Compensation and Workmen's Compensation laws.
On March 26, 1959, Governor Ribicoff signed into law one of Connecticut's biggest judicial reforms, the abolition of its 320-year- old minor court system. This measure, which eliminated the 102 trial justice courts and created a new circuit court of 44 full-time judges, was at first vigorously opposed by Republican leaders. However, as the result of a two-hour meeting with the Governor, the leaders of both parties reached a compromise, and the bill was passed by an overwhelming majority of both houses. Governor Ribicoff declared upon the passage of the bill, that it "will stand in history as a tribute to the men and women who have worked so hard for so many years, both within and outside the legislature in the cause of fair and equal justice."
As a lawyer, Governor Ribicoff is a member of the Hartford County Bar Association. He served as a member of its legislative committee from 1945 to 1948, was chairman of that committee in
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1947-1948, and held office as secretary of the state organization in the same two-year period. He is also a member of the American Bar Association and the State Bar Association of Connecticut, and the Order of the Coif. He was chairman of the Connecticut Assembly of Municipal Court Judges in 1941-1942; and he has served on Hart- ford's Charter Revision Commission.
On June 28, 1931, Abraham A. Ribicoff married Ruth Siegel, daughter of Jacob and Florence (Segall) Siegel. The couple are the parents of two children: I. Peter, who was born on June 15, 1937. 2. Jane, born on April 12, 1941.
(Since going to press, Mr. Ribicoff has been appointed as Com- missioner to the Federal office of Health, Education and Welfare).
PHILIP BARTHOLOMEW STANLEY
Philip Bartholomew Stanley has been in the investment field since 1930. He is president of the Stanley Securities Company, and also serves on the boards of a number of corporations.
A native of Granby, he was born on January 18, 1883, son of Timothy Wadsworth and Theresa R. (Bartholomew) Stanley. After completing his secondary education in his home state, Philip B. Stan- ley entered Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he graduated in 1906 with the degree of Bachelor of Science. He began his career with the Stanley Rule & Level Company of New Britain in the man- ufacturing department, becoming second vice president in 1918. In 1920 the Stanley Rule & Level Company was purchased by the Stanley Works of New Britain. Mr. Stanley was elected vice president of the latter company. In 1930 he retired from the Stanley Works to become executive vice president of the Stanley Securities Company of which he had been a director since its formation in 1921. He has been pres- ident since 1954.
Among his other directorates are New Britain Machine Company, Stanley Works, New Britain Trust Company, Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, the Phoenix Insurance Company of Hart- ford, and Connecticut Fire Insurance Company.
In 1940-1941, Mr. Stanley served as assistant district chief of the Hartford Ordnance District. A director of the New Britain Gen- eral Hospital, he formerly served as its president; and he is also a director and past president of The Newington Hospital for Crippled Children. He is a member of the advisory board of Bingham's "History of Connecticut."
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His social organizations include the New Britain Club, Shuttle Meadow Country Club, Ekwanok Country Club and Fishers Island Club. He is a Republican, and he and Mrs. Stanley attend the First Congregational Church.
She is the former Miss Helen Hooker Talcott, daughter of John Butler and Fannie Hazen Talcott. She was married to Philip B. Stan- ley on February 25, 19II, and the couple are the parents of a daughter and a son : I. Frances Talcott, who married in 1939, John D. Stout, Jr., and has three children, John Stanley, Elizabeth Talcott and Samuel Deming Stout. 2. Talcott, who married Nina Hewitt of New Haven in 1945; they have four children: Philip Talcott, Rebecca Hewitt, Alix Hewitt and Lucinda Brower Stanley.
Mr. and Mrs. Stanley make their home at 440 Shuttle Meadow Road, New Britain, and his office is at 259 Main Street, New Britain.
DR. HERBERT DAVID WELTE
Dr. Herbert David Welte's experience as an educator dates from the beginning of his career, and he taught in the Midwest before coming to New Britain three decades ago to become president of the Teachers College of Connecticut (now Central Connecticut State Col- lege). He has been active in a number of educators' groups, and has written several texts on mathematical and geographical subjects.
A native of David City, Nebraska, he was born on March 6, 1898, son of Joseph and Nancy (Grafft) Welte. After completing his public school education, he entered State Teachers College at Kearney, Nebraska, and graduated there in 1924, taking the degree of Bachelor of Arts. The following year he received his Master of Arts degree from the State University of Iowa. He took his degree of Doctor of Philosophy there in 1929.
Dr. Welte received his first teaching experience in the rural schools of Butler County, Nebraska, where he taught from 1916 to 1919. During the next year he was superintendent of schools at Abie, Nebraska, and in the 1922-1923 academic year, was superintendent at Bruno. When he had completed requirements for his Master's degree, in 1925, he accepted a position on the faculty of the State Teachers College at Mayville, North Dakota, as professor of education and dean of men. From 1927 to 1929 Mr. Welte was research assistant at the State University of Iowa at Iowa City. In the latter year he came to the East to accept appointment as president of Central Connecticut State College, and has held that position continuously since that time.
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Concurrently, from 1949 to 1954 Dr. Welte was lecturer in education at Yale University in New Haven. During World War I, Dr. Welte served in the United States Navy, enlisting in 1918 and receiving his discharge in 1919.
Dr. Welte's books are "A Psychological Analysis of Plane Geome- try" (1926) ; "A Workbook in Our State-North Dakota" (1927) ; and "A Workbook in Plane Geometry," which was first published in 1929 and revised in 1947. He is co-author of the last two works, and he has also written numerous articles which have been published in several professional magazines and journals.
The educators' groups to which Dr. Welte belongs include the New England Teacher Preparation Association, which he served as president in 1937. He has also held office in the Eastern States As- sociation of Professional Schools for Teachers, having been its secre- tary from 1936 to 1938 and its president for two years as well. He was a member of the executive committee of the American Association of Teachers Colleges from 1942 to 1944 and again from 1950 to 1955. He served as president of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education during 1954-1955. In 1953-54, 1954-57 and 1957- 60, he has been a member of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and has served on its Executive Committee, and as chairman of the Committee on Visitation and Appraisal from 1954 to 1957. In 1955-56 he was vice president and in 1956-57 was president of the Association of Teacher Education Institutions. He is currently serving as a member of the Committee on Higher Institutions of the New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools ( 1956- 61), and as a member of the National Commission on Accrediting (1957-60). He is a member of Phi Delta Kappa and Kappa Delta Pi fraternities, and has served as president of the New Britain Teachers Club. His other memberships include the National Education Associa- tion, Connecticut Education Association, New England Association of School Superintendents, Connecticut Association of Superintendents of Schools and the Executive Committee of the Connecticut Council on Higher Education.
Dr. Welte is affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons, and is a member of the New Britain Rotary Club, of which he is past secretary and president. He is a Republican, and attends the Methodist Church.
On November 26, 1927, at Larimore, North Dakota, Dr. Herbert David Welte married Aletha May Boulden, and they have four chil- dren : 1. Keith Joseph. 2. Eileen Frances (now Mrs. Harris). 3. Eliza-
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beth Ann (now Mrs. Lund). 4. Herbert David, Jr. The family's resi- dence is in Burlington.
FREDERICK L. FORD
As founder and for many years head of Ford Brothers, Inc., at New Haven, Frederick L. Ford centered his business life in the distribution of road oil, asphalt, and fuel oil. But this successful ven- ture represented only one aspect of his career, for he was also a public official, a legislator who had served in both of his state's law- making bodies, a dependable organizational worker, and an effective proponent of a program for better roads in his state.
Mr. Ford was a native of North Branford. After completing his education through the secondary years in local public schools, he matriculated at Yale University, where he took the degree of Bachelor of Engineering in 1894.
In 1923 Frederick L. Ford joined his brother, Robert N. Ford, in founding Ford Brothers, Inc. Initially, the company handled only road oil and asphalt. Since they served the road construction industry, their distributorship tended to be seasonal in nature, and in 1929, they added a line of fuel oil, to assure a year-round schedule of work. It has distributed the three products since that time, and has earned a wide reputation for dependability and effective management. The company was incorporated at the start, with Frederick Ford as presi- dent and treasurer and Robert as vice president. On Frederick Ford's death in 1940, he was succeeded in the presidency by William H. Kershaw, who had come with the firm in 1936 and had advanced to the office of vice president. On September 1, 1932, Robert Henry Stevenson had joined the organization as treasurer, a position he has held ever since. Following Mr. Ford's death, he assumed additional responsibilities as vice president, and continues in that office as well. Percy N. Ford, only son of Frederick, is also a vice president of the firm. Ruth D. Ford, daughter of the founder, is secretary. In their effective management, the present generation of executives have proved themselves worthy successors to Mr. Ford, and they have continued to build the organization and its volume of trade. Today it has about forty employees on its payroll, and distributes asphalt and paving oil in all parts of the state, as well as serving the fuel oil needs of an increasing number of customers.
Frederick L. Ford traveled extensively in Europe, especially in Germany and Belgium which in many respects had pioneered in the construction of good roads. He learned much through his studies,
Samuel tawhy
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and became a staunch advocate of better road programs. For some years after his return, he lectured widely, and worked through or- ganizational and legislative channels, for improved highways.
His engineering training was put to effective use in municipal service. At various times he served as city engineer of both Hartford and of New Haven. He was a member and past president of the Con- necticut Society of Civil Engineers. Elected to the Connecticut State Legislature, he served one term in the House, and two terms in the Senate. He was elected on the Republican ticket, and he was a loyal supporter of the principles and candidates of that party throughout his life.
Frederick L. Ford married Winifred Newton. They had two children, Percy N., and Ruth D., executives of the company he foun- ded, as mentioned above. Mr. Ford's death occurred on December 18, 1940, and Mrs. Ford survived him until 1953.
SAMUEL WALLER HAWLEY
As president and trustee of the Peoples Savings Bank, Bridge- port, Samuel W. Hawley has earned a place of leadership in the ranks of his profession, which has led to his election to the presidency of the Savings Bank Association of Connecticut. He is past president of the Savings Bank Life Insurance Fund Trustees, and has a num- ber of business connections, including memberships on the boards of directors of the Connecticut National Bank, the Bridgeport Gas Com- pany, the Bridgeport Hospital, the Middlesex Mutual Assurance Com- pany and the National Association of Mutual Savings Banks.
Mr. Hawley was born in Bridgeport on February 24, 1910, the son of Samuel M. and Cornelia B. (Hincks) Hawley. His father was born in that city in 1877, and became a banker there. He died in 1924. Mrs. Hawley was also born in Bridgeport, in 1882, and died in 1918. Samuel W. Hawley graduated from Rumsey Hall School in Cornwall in 1923, and from St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, in 1927. In 1931 he received his degree of Bachelor of Arts at Yale University. He then studied at the Harvard School of Business Ad- ministration, where he received the Master of Business Administra- tion degree in 1933. He has been associated with the Peoples Savings Bank, Bridgeport since 1933, and now holds the position of president and trustee.
In addition to his major connection with that organization, he has served on the boards of directors as mentioned above, and he is also vice president of the Mutual Investment Fund of Connecticut.
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He serves on the membership committee of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States.
His fraternity is Zeta Psi, which he joined at Yale University, and his other memberships include the University Club of Bridgeport, the Rotary Club, and the Fairfield Country Club. A Republican in politics, he attends religious service at the United Congregational Church of Bridgeport.
Samuel W. Hawley is married to Florence Isabel Roberts, who was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 15, 1910, the daughter of Edward H. and Carolyn S. (Perry) Roberts. Her father was born in Faribault, Minnesota, and was head of the Roberts-Hamilton Com- pany. He died in July, 1956. Mrs. Hawley's mother was born in Southport, and died in 1953. Mrs. Hawley graduated from high school in Minneapolis, and took the degree of Bachelor of Arts at Smith College in 1932. She is a past president of the Visiting Nurses Association of Fairfield.
Mr. and Mrs. Hawley have three children: I. Bruce B., born in Bridgeport on May 24, 1934. In 1952 he graduated from Gunnery School in Washington, Connecticut, and after serving two years in the army, attended Columbia University. He is now married. 2. Carolyn Roberts, born in Bridgeport on May 22, 1939. A graduate of Dana Hall in 1957, she spent two years at Connecticut College for Women and is now a student at Columbia University. 3. Samuel Waller, Jr., born on March 5, 1941. He is attending Andrew Warde High School in Fairfield.
JOHN LYMAN, SR.
John Lyman, Sr., chairman of the board of Lyman Gun Sight Corporation of Middlefield, and president of The Lyman Farm, Inc., has played a leading role in the modern-day development of both of these well-known family enterprises. He is an official of other organ- izations as well, and is active in civic affairs and in municipal govern- inent.
A native of Middlefield, he was born on December 24, 1895, son of Charles E. and Emma ( Hall) Lyman. His father was a farin- er. tilling the same acreage on which the family has lived for seven generations. The original holding, consisting of forty-three acres, was purchased by John Lyman in 1741. Today it comprises eleven hundred acres. Charles E. Lyman was a graduate of Amherst Agricul- tural College, which has since become a part of the University of
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Massachusetts. He died on September 23, 1923, surviving his wife by many years. She died on December 25, 1901.
Completing his preparatory studies at The Taft School, John Lyman, Sr., entered Yale University, where he graduated in 1917. Since that time he has been active in the management of the Lyman Gun Sight Corporation and The Lyman Farm, Inc. These are two of the most unusual enterprises among Connecticut industries. The Lyman Gun Sight Corporation is the subject of a separate sketch in the industrial and institutional section of this history. Its plant is located on the farm acreage, in one of the most attractive industrial sites occupied by any New England manufacturing firm. It produces telescopic sights and other components for firearms. The farm pro- duces livestock, specializing in registered Guernsey cattle; and a variety of produce-apples, peaches and pears-are also raised here. Mr. Lyman has been director of the industrial organization since 1921, and president of the corporation which manages the farm since 1921.
In addition, he serves on the board of directors of the Hartford Electric Light Company. He is president of the board of the Coe Pub- lic Library of Middlefield, and was formerly town selectman. In 1939 he was appointed to the Connecticut State Board of Education, and served until 1951. From 1947 until 1951, he was chairman of the board. He is also a member of the advisory board for Dr. Bingham's "History of Connecticut."
On June 1, 1922, at Enid, Oklahoma, John Lyman, Sr., married Edna Anderson of East Hampton, Connecticut, daughter of Frank E. and Charlotte (Moard) Anderson. Mrs. Lyman is a registered nurse, who received her professional training at Middlesex Hospital. The couple are the parents of the following children: I. Catherine Elizabeth, who was born at Middlefield on October 26, 1924. She is a graduate of Connecticut College for Women. Married to James E. S. Warden of Scotia, New York, she is the mother of three children : i. Lindsay. ii. James, Jr. iii. Susan. 2. John Lyman, Jr., born in Mid- dlefield on September 21, 1926. He graduated from The Taft School, and from Yale University, where he took his degree of Bachelor of Science in 1950. He is now associated with his father in the manage- ment of The Lyman Farm. At South Orange, New Jersey, on May 24, 1952, John Lyman, Jr., married Kathryn McDermott, a registered nurse who is a graduate of the Flower Hospital in New York City. Their children: i. Patricia Lyman, born August 15, 1953. ii. Mary Elizabeth, born May 27, 1955. iii. John, 3rd, born February 15, 1957.
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iv. Faith, born July 3, 1958. 3. Dorothy, who was born on December 5, 1929. She is a graduate of Oberlin College in Ohio, and is the wife of Michael Waller of Cincinnati. Their children: i. Andrea, born July 20, 1952. ii. David Lyman, born January 17, 1955. iii. Amy, born October 27, 1957. All were born at Columbus, Ohio. 4. Mary Esther, born September 6, 1931. She graduated from Skidmore College, Sara- toga Springs, New York, and trained as a nurse. She married Clark Heist at Trumbull, Connecticut, who served two years in the United States Marine Corps. They reside in Glastonbury and have one daugh- ter, Jane Hall Heist, who was born in Hartford on February 5, 1956, and a son William Lyman, born August 18, 1958.
HONORABLE HENRY D. ALTOBELLO
Now serving his third term as mayor of Meriden, a former Connecticut state senator and a former member of the Meriden Housing Authority, Mr. Altobello has had an active business career, and since 1949 he has been president and treasurer of the York Hill Trap Rock Company and the L. Suzio Construction Company of Meriden and of the L. Suzio Trap Rock Company of Southwick, Massachusetts.
He was born in Meriden on October 1, 1907, the son of Antonio Altobello and of Agnes (Petrucelli) Altobello. His grandparents were born in Italy, were both orphaned as children and both died at an early age. Mr. Altobello's father came to the United States in 1900, settling first in New Jersey, where he worked on the railroad, and then moving to Kensington, Connecticut, where he farmed and had a milk route. He also farmed for a time in Meriden, became a mer- chant, and died in 1942. Mr. Altobello's mother, still living, had six children: 1. John, born in Italy. 2. Daniel deceased. 3. Angelina, de- ceased. 4. Henry D. 5. Emil. One child died at birth while the parents still resided in Italy.
Mr. Altobello attended Kensington School to the third grade and then studied at Meriden elementary schools and Meriden High School, where he was an outstanding athlete. He attended Gettysburg Aca- demy, graduated from Gettysburg College and entered Georgetown University for the study of dentistry. It was in 1929, while he was a student at Georgetown, that he began summer work for the Suzio Company as a timekeeper on highway construction and he did not re- turn to school but remained with the Suzio Company. A superintendent in 1932. he went to Southwick, Massachusetts, to operate a quarry which the company had purchased; he entered local politics there
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and became a member of the Board of Selectmen of Southwick, and then chairman of the board. He was successful in reducing the town's bonded debt, in lowering the tax rate from 37 to 2612 mills, and in increasing the community's cash surplus from $18,000 to $130,000. His success in this post won him election as president of the Hampden County Selectmen's Association.
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