USA > Connecticut > History of Connecticut, Volume III > Part 41
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Roland Faxon Mygatt married Helen Hunt of Norwalk, daughter of Thomas and Margaret (Cavanaugh) Hunt. The couple are the parents of one son, Andrew H., whose biographical sketch follows.
ANDREW HUNT MYGATT
One of New Milford's younger business leaders, Andrew Hunt
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Mygatt represents at least the third generation of his family prominent in the city's practical affairs. He and his father, Roland F. Mygatt (whose biographical sketch accompanies), operate the New Milford Insurance Agency, Inc. He also serves on the boards of a bank and an industrial firm, and takes an interested part in civic and organiza- tional life.
Born on November 12, 1932, at Bridgeport, he is a son of Roland F. and Helen (Hunt) Mygatt. As his father had done before him, he received his preparatory education at Gunnery School in Washing- ton, Connecticut, graduating there in the Class of 1950. He then enrolled at Danbury State Teachers College, completed his courses there in two years, and received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1953. From that time until 1956, Mr. Mygatt was in military service, being assigned to the 69th Division, United States Army.
When he returned to civilian life, he joined his father in the management of the New Milford Insurance Agency, Inc., holding the offices of secretary and treasurer. This weil-known organization is one of the oldest in its line of business in the city, having been founded by Roland F. Mygatt over fifty years ago. It writes policies in all lines of insurance. Andrew H. Mygatt is also a member of the boards of directors of the First National Bank of New Milford and of Keefe Canvas Products, Inc.
He is a member of the Lions Club, Ezra Woods Post No. 31 of the American Legion, the Sons of the American Revolution, and Alpha Chi Rho fraternity. He attends the First Congregational Church. Golf and water skiing are his favorite sports.
In his home city of New Milford on December 8, 1956, Andrew H. Mygatt married Lois H. Arnold, daughter of Forrest and Helen (Robison) Arnold. Her father is president, treasurer and director of the New Milford Savings Bank, and his biography is to be found in this work.
WALTER M. PICKETT, JR.
Since he was admitted to the bar, Walter M. Pickett, Jr., has practiced at Waterbury where he is a partner in the firm of Larkin and Pickett. He is currently serving as assistant secretary and treas- urer of the Connecticut State Bar Association.
A native of New Haven, he was born on June 3, 1926, the son of Walter M., Sr., and Kathryn Tomlinson (Baldwin) Pickett. His father is now retired after some years on the bench as superior court judge. The younger Walter M. Pickett attended Romford School in
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Washington, Connecticut from 1939 to 1942, then completed his pre- paratory studies at Taft School, where he graduated in 1944. In 1949 he received his degree of Bachelor of Arts from Yale University, and took his professional studies at the University of Connecticut School of Law, where he received his degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1952. Before attending Yale, Mr. Pickett served in the United States Navy, from October, 1944, to July, 1946. He was in both the Atlantic and the Pacific theaters.
As soon as he had been admitted to the bar in 1952, Mr. Pickett joined the firm of Carmody, Larkin and Torrance. On January I, 1954, the present firm of Larkin and Pickett was formed. It conducts a general practice, with offices at III West Main Street.
Mr. Pickett is a member of the American Bar Association, the Connecticut Bar Association, the Litchfield County Bar Association and the Waterbury Bar Association, and also of the Connecticut Junior Bar Association, of which he was elected president for the 1957-1958 term. His fraternity is Beta Theta Pi. He is a communicant of the Congregational Church in Washington. His favorite sport is golf.
FORREST DANIEL ARNOLD
Following a varied record of business experience, Forrest Daniel Arnold joined the management roster of the New Milford Savings Bank a decade and a half ago, and is now its president and treasurer, as well as a member of its board of directors. Recognized in his city for his practical abilities, he has accepted a number of other offices and directorships in local business, public, and community organiza- tions.
A native of Meriden, Connecticut, Mr. Arnold was born on April 25, 1907, son of Alfred A. and Harriet (Grove) Arnold. Both of his parents were born in Birmingham, England, and both are now de- ceased. Forrest D. Arnold was educated in the public schools of Meriden, and attended high school there. He began his business career with the Charles Parker Company in that city, and after three years with the firm, left to enter the banking field, joining the staff of the Meriden Savings Bank. He spent two and a half years with that or- ganization, followed by three and a half years with the Capital Na- tional Bank and Trust Company of Hartford. His next position, which he held for five years, was as assistant national bank examiner, with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts.
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In 1936, Mr. Arnold came to New Milford and joined the First National Bank and Trust Company as cashier and trust officer. He remained in that connection until 1943, when he joined the staff of the New Milford Savings Bank as secretary and treasurer. Since January, 1957, he has been president and treasurer, being a member of its board of directors since 1943.
New Milford Savings Bank is one of the city's long-established institutions. One hundred years ago-in 1858-a committee of towns- people headed by Eli Mygatt, Silas Erwin and John S. Turrill, peti- tioned the General Assembly of Connecticut for the incorporation of a mutual savings bank in New Milford. The petition was granted, and in July of that year, Mr. Turrill, as clerk of the committee, called a meeting of corporators. He, David C. Sanford and Sheldon Black- man drafted the by-laws. The first officers were Eli Mygatt, president ; Silas Erwin, vice president; and John S. Turrill, secretary and treas- urer. Deposits were first made late in August. In April, 1859, the first dividend rate of five and one-half per cent was declared. The first statement published at that time showed assets of over eleven thousand dollars, and there were then one hundred and twenty-five depositors. In April, 1876, in consequence of increasing demand for space, a building and land on the north side of Bank Street, the site of the present Cox Building, was purchased. There a new building was erected, and completed in August, 1877. It remained the home of the bank until 1902, when it was destroyed in the fire which swept that part of the city. By 1898, the assets of the bank had passed the million-dollar mark. Following the great fire of 1902, the bank estab- lished temporary quarters in the rooms of the Litchfield County Bar Association in the Town Hall, and later in the Randall-Green Build- ing on Main Street. In 1904 the United Bank Building was completed at the corner of Main and Bank streets, and has since been occupied by the New Milford Savings Bank as well as by the First National Bank. The office was remodeled in 1937. The institution's assets con- tinued to grow throughout World War II, and by 1948 had reached ten million dollars. Further alterations and expansion of office space were completed at about the same time. At the present time the bank's deposits exceed twenty-five million dollars, and its total assets are over twenty-seven million.
Besides his executive post with the New Milford Savings Bank, Forrest D. Arnold serves on the board of directors of the First Na- tional Bank. He is secretary and treasurer of the New Milford Center Cemetery Association; a director of the New Milford Water Com-
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pany ; and president and director of the New Milford Hospital. For six years he served on the New Milford school board.
Mr. Arnold is a Republican in politics, and attends St. John's Episcopal Church. A member of the local Lions Club, he formerly served as its president. He is affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, being a member of St. Peters Lodge, the Consistory of the Scottish Rite, the Commandery of the Knights Templar, and Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
At the Little Church Around the Corner in New York City, on November 12, 1926, Forrest D. Arnold married Helen Robison of Meriden, daughter of Wayne and Sophie ( Bilger) Robison. Her fath- er once served as state senator. Both parents are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Arnold have six children: I. Forrest Wayne, who was born on June 25, 1928. 2. Roger Bruce, born on October 24, 1929. 3. Janct Louise, born on December 28, 1930. 4. William Edward, born on Jan- uary 26, 1933. 5. Sally, who was born on December 3, 1934, and is now Mrs. Hull. 6. Lois, born on January 26, 1936. She married Andrew H. Mygatt, whose biography is to be found in this work.
HARRY E. BELLINI
Joining the Salisbury Bank and Trust Company three years be- fore it was given its present name, Harry E. Bellini advanced steadily to the presidency of the institution, and has held that position for more than a decade. He has capably filled a number of offices in his township and in various organizations.
Born at Norfolk, on October 6, 1903, he is a son of Anthony and Rose Bellini. He attended the public schools of both Norfolk and Winsted, and completed his formal education at the Gilbert School in Winsted, where he graduated in the Class of 1922. That same year, he joined the staff of the Robbins Burrall Trust Company in Lakeville, predecessor of the present Salisbury Bank and Trust Com- pany. This financial institution is one of the oldest in continuous existence in the region, having been founded in 1848. Its name was changed to the present form in 1925. Familiarizing himself with the operations of its various departments, Mr. Bellini advanced steadily to executive positions, and was vice president at the time of his promo- tion to the presidency in 1947. He also serves on its board of directors.
His sound understanding of financial matters has led to a number of opportunities to serve in responsible public positions. From 1932 to 1947, he was tax collector of the Town of Salisbury. Since 1948 he has been chairman of the Salisbury board of education. He is a
Sank Bellum
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trustee of the Connecticut Public Expenditure Council, and a director of the Litchfield County 4-H Foundation. Mr. Bellini is also a member of the Credit Committee of the Connecticut Bankers Association. In politics he is a Republican.
Affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the bank executive is a member and Past Master of Montgomery Lodge No. 13, Past High Priest of Hematite Chapter No. 43 of the Royal Arch Masons, and member of the Connecticut Valley Consistory of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, holding the Thirty-second degree. He also belongs to Sphinx Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a Rotarian, and a member of the Hotchkiss Golf Association. His favorite pastime is golf.
Mr. Bellini is a communicant of the Methodist Church of Lake- ville. He has served the congregation as a member of its board of trustees and as chairman of its finance committee.
On June 19, 1926, at Lakeville, Harry E. Bellini married Gladys Osborn of that town, daughter of Charles H. and Dora (Barrett) Osborn. The couple are the parents of two children: I. Harry E., Jr., who was born on December 21, 1932. 2. Charles Anthony, born February 8, 1936.
WILLIAM T. JEBB
President and director of the Hartford Gas Company, William T. Jebb has to his credit a varied record of experience in the utilities industry. He joined the organization in an executive capacity in 1954, and has taken a constructive interest in the civic life of Hartford since, joining a number of its organizations.
A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. Jebb was born on June 9, 1899, son of William B. and Elizabeth (Ball) Jebb. He attended local schools, and took his degree of Bachelor of Science at Haverford College in 1921.
In that year he began his career with the United Gas Improvement Company of Philadelphia, working first in its engineering department. He later represented the company in various capacities in several of its subsidiary Companies throughout the United States. In 1930 he came to Connecticut, where he first joined the Connecticut Light and Power Company at Waterbury as an engineer. He was also manager of its Western Division of Properties, located at Waterbury.
Mr. Jebb remained with Connecticut Light and Power Company until 1954, when he left to accept appointment to the position of execu- tive vice president and director of the Hartford Gas Company. He
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was named president and chief executive officer of the corporation in 1957.
Mr. Jebb is a member of the following organizations in the uti- lities industry: New England Gas Association (Boston) ; Guild of Gas Managers (Boston) ; Society of Gas Lighting (New York City) ; American Gas Association (New York City) ; and American Chemi- cal Society ( Washington, D.C.). His directorships include : Mac Der- mid, Inc. (Waterbury), and the Small Tube Products Corporation (Altoona, Pennsylvania). He is a member of the advisory board, Connecticut Bank and Trust Company, West Hartford. Mr. Jebb is a registered professional engineer in the state of Connecticut. He is a director of the Hartford Y.M.C.A .; Hartford County Manufac- turing Association; Better Business Bureau; Junior Achievement, and Government Research Institute, all of Hartford. In his home city he is first vice president and a director of the Chamber of Com- merce and a member of the Twentieth Century Club, The Hartford Club and Hartford Golf Club. Affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons, he is a member of Jordan Lodge No. 673 at Allentown, Penn- sylvania. He is a communicant of Christ Church Cathedral. Mr. Jebb's favorite outdoor sport is golf.
In Hartford, on May 7, 1932, William T. Jebb married Marion Harper. A native of Thomaston, she is a daughter of Joseph and Irene (Bradstreet) Harper. Mr. and Mrs. Jebb are the parents of four children: 1. Mary Elizabeth, who was born on March 23, 1934. She is a graduate of St. Margaret's School and of Hartford Hospital School of Nursing. 2. Ann Bradstreet, born on January 19, 1937; a graduate of Bradford Junior College in Massachusetts. 3. William T., Jr., born on November 13, 1941; a student at Suffield Academy. 4. Robert Dudley, born on February 1, 1944. He is a student at Kingswood School, West Hartford.
PHILIP S. BROWN
Philip S. Brown of Hartford has devoted his career to the insur- ance business. Joining the Hartford Fire Insurance Company as an engineer some years ago, he is now vice president and director of the firm, and has other insurance connections in addition.
Mr. Brown is a native of Salem, Massachusetts, and a son of Edward Holmes and Anna (Sears) Brown. He received his early education in local schools, graduated from Salem High School, then enrolled at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he took his degree of Bachelor of Science in 1920. That same year, he began
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his connection with Hartford Fire Insurance Company as an engineer in the special service department. He was promoted to assistant sec- retary in 1935; to secretary in 1940; and to assistant vice president in 1950. He has been vice president of the company since 1953. He serves on its board of directors, and is also a director of Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company.
Mr. Brown is a member of the Farmington Country Club. He and his family attend Asylum Hill Congregational Church.
At Hartford, on June 30, 1928, Philip S. Brown married Myrtle Palmer, a native of that city and daughter of Edgar M. and Margaret (Roessler) Palmer. To their marriage one son has been born: Philip S. Brown, Jr., who was born at Hartford on March 25, 1940. He graduated in 1957 from Kingswood School in West Hartford, and is a member of the Class of 1961 at Wesleyan University.
ROLAND H. LANGE
In the course of his career with Hartford Fire Insurance Com- pany, Roland H. Lange has advanced to senior executive posts both with that firm and with a number of its affiliated companies. At present he is assistant to the president, and vice president of Hartford Fire Insurance Company and assistant to the president, vice president and director of Hartford Live Stock Insurance Company, Citizens Insur- ance Company of New Jersey, New York Underwriters Insurance Company, and Twin City Fire Insurance Company. He is a director of The Columbian National Life Insurance Company. He has also held many responsible posts in insurance groups.
A native of Chicago, Illinois, he was born on July 24, 1910, son of Robert and Elizabeth Lange.
He attended The Nicholas Senn School in Chicago, and went on to Northwestern University at Evanston, Illinois. There he received his degree of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1932, graduating with highest honors. His connection with the Hartford Fire Insurance Company predates the completion of his education, for he joined its Western Department as an underwriter in 1930. Appointed an engineer in Indiana in 1936, he was thereafter Special Agent in Kansas, Illinois and Michigan.
He was appointed to the Executive Staff at the home office of the company in Hartford in 1950, and the following year was elected secretary. He was named vice president and secretary in 1953, vice president in 1954, and assistant to the president, and vice president in 1958.
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Mr. Lange is a member of many boards and committees in the insurance industry. He serves on the executive committees of the Factory Insurance Association and the Nuclear Energy Property In- surance Association. He is chairman of the Public Relations Com- mittee, and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Board of Fire Underwriters. He was also the first chairman of the Executive Committee of the Multi-Peril Insurance Conference. He is a member of the Governing Committee of the American Insurance Association. He serves on the Advisory Board of the University of Connecticut College of Insurance and is a corporator of the Con- necticut Institute for the Blind. In June, 1959, Mr. Lange was elected president of the newly organized Insurance Information Institute. This organization will combine for the first time all of the industry's public relations operations and facilities. These include the seven nationally established stock organizations which represent 292 insur- ance companies.
Mr. Lange is a member of the Hartford Golf Club. He and his family are members of the Asylum Hill Congregational Church of Hartford.
In Chicago, on April 10, 1936, Roland H. Lange married Florence Elizabeth Swartzloff, daughter of Richard and Harriet (James) Swartzloff. She is a graduate of Central Michigan College at Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The couple are the parents of two children: I. Elizabeth Ann, born at Dixon, Illinois, on May 27, 1940. She is a graduate of Oxford School for Girls in West Hartford and attends Connecticut College for Women at New London. 2. Robert James, born February 25, 1948, at Jackson, Michigan; a student at Duffy School in West Hartford.
HAROLD F. KEITH
The Hon. Harold F. Keith, who currently holds office as mayor of West Hartford, is a lawyer by profession, a member of the well- known Hartford firm of Ribicoff and Kotkin. He is a veteran of service in the infantry in World War II, and also of the Korean War, and he has been active both in local organizations and in the United States Conference of Mayors.
A native of Newark Valley, New York, he was born on February 20, 1922, and is a son of Jesse L. and Gertrude (Stimming) Keith. His father, who was a florist, died in 1955, but Mrs. Keith still lives and makes her home in Newark Valley. Mayor Keith attended the public schools of that town and graduated from Newark Valley High
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School. He then entered Northeastern University in Boston, Mas- sachusetts, but left his studies in 1942 to enter military service. As- signed to the 26th ("Yankee") Division, he became a staff sergeant with that outfit. He was in the European Theater of Operations. At the time of the Korean War, he was recalled to active service, as a lieutenant with the 43rd Division, and for some time during that conflict he also served in Europe.
In 1948, Mayor Keith completed his professional courses at North- eastern University Law School, taking his degree of Bachelor of Laws there in 1948. Beginning his practice in Hartford, he joined the firm of Ribicoff and Kotkin, whose senior member, the Hon. Abraham Ribicoff, is now Governor of the state. Mr. Keith has remain- ed with that organization since.
He was first elected mayor of West Hartford in April, 1955, and was re-elected in April, 1957, following an excellent record of achievement in office-a record he has continued into his second term. He is a member of the United States Conference of Mayors. As a lawyer, he belongs to the American Bar Association, the Connecticut State Bar Association and the Hartford County Bar Association.
In his home city of West Hartford, Mayor Keith holds mem- bership in the Exchange Club and the Chamber of Commerce, and as a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, belongs to the posts of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He is a member of the lodges of the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Knights of Columbus. A Roman Catholic, he attends St. Bridget's Church in West Hartford. Mayor Keith serves on the Greater Hart- ford Flood Commission, and is a member of Elmwood Business As- sociates. He is also serving as chairman of the Capital Regional Plan- ning Authority.
In Hartford, on August 30, 1946, Harold F. Keith married Julia A. McCormack, daughter of John A. and Nora ( Prendergast) McCormack. Mrs. Keith is a graduate of St. Joseph's College in West Hartford. The couple are the parents of two children: I. Jacqueline, who was born at Columbus, Georgia, on December 8, 1950. 2. Barbara, born in West Hartford on November 2, 1953.
LEON ALVAH BRADBURY
Born at Bridgewater, Maine, on July 11, 1911, Leon Alvah Bradbury is the son of George Ranaldo and Laura Elizabeth (Kin- ney) Bradbury. After preparatory education at Bridgewater Classical
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Academy, he entered Ricker Junior College, Houlton, Maine. After one year he transferred to Colby College, Waterville, Maine, from which he graduated in June, 1933, with a Bachelor of Science degree. He then entered Harvard Law School and he graduated in June, 1937, with a Bachelor of Laws degree. He was admitted to the Connecticut Bar that same year.
For the next two years he served as an attorney for The Con- necticut Mutual Life Insurance Company in Hartford. In 1939 he transferred to, and was employed as an attorney for The Warner Brothers Company in Bridgeport. In June, 1942, he was commissioned lieutenant (j.g. ) in the U. S. Naval Reserve, and served in the Amer- ican and European Theaters of Operation until the end of World War II when he was honorably discharged with the rank of lieutenant commander. He immediately entered the Harvard Business School from which he graduated in June, 1947, with a Master of Business Administration degree. He has continued active in the U. S. Naval Reserve and has been promoted to the rank of commander.
In the fall of 1947, Mr. Bradbury opened an office for the general practice of law at 983 Main Street, Hartford, where he has practiced independently ever since. His memberships include: Hartford County, State of Connecticut, and American bar associations; Alpha Tau Omega fraternity; Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows; Veterans of Foreign Wars; American Legion; National Sojourners; Naval Reserve Association; Reserve Officers Association; City Club of Hartford, Farmington Country Club and the Harvard Club of Connecticut. His Masonic memberships include : St. John's Lodge No. 4 of Hartford, in which he is an officer ; the York Rite Bodies; the Scottish Rite Bodies, in which he is an officer and a Thirty-second degree Mason; and Sphinx Temple, An- cient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
At Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on November 25, 1945, he mar- ried Ann Nevada, daughter of Andrew and Estella Nevada. They have two children: Lynn Ann, born at Hartford on October 16, 1950; and Leon Alvah, Jr., born at Hartford on March 31, 1953. For recreation, Mr. Bradbury enjoys golf, hunting, fishing, gardening and bee keeping.
SAUL SEIDMAN
In addition to his record of three decades in law practice in Hart- ford, Saul Seidman has distinguished himself on the bench as judge
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of the police and juvenile courts of that city. He has also served on its board of aldermen, is a director of several corporations, and has taken a constructive part in a number of organizational activities.
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