USA > Connecticut > History of Connecticut, Volume IV > Part 14
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In New London, on January 22, 1914, Charles Robert Tubbs married Aldea Burke, daughter of Euseb and Zoe (Goddard) Burke. The couple became the parents of a daughter, Olive M., who grad- uated with honors from Williams Memorial Institute, and in 1936 took her degree of Bachelor of Arts at Connecticut College for Women at New London. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and is town clerk of East Lyme.
Mr. Tubbs' death occurred suddenly in New London on March 5, 1954. His township lost a capable business leader, who had proved himself a most effective and devoted public official.
JOHN N. DEMPSEY A native of Ireland who has found in Connecticut an oppor-
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tunity for the effective use of his talents along political lines and in public service, the Hon. John N. Dempsey is now Lieutenant Governor of the state. He was born on January 3, 1915, in the town of Cahir, County Tipperary, and is a son of Edward P. and Ellen (Luby) Dempsey. His parents were both natives of Ireland, his father born in Dublin and his mother at Cashel, and the family came to the United States in 1925 and settled at Putnam, Connecticut.
The education which young John N. Dempsey had begun in Ire- land was continued in the public schools of Putnam, and in 1934 he graduated from Putnam High School with honors. While in high school he excelled in athletics. He was a member of the football team, captain of both basketball and track teams, and later continued to play professional basketball and soccer. He continued his education at Providence College, Providence, Rhode Island.
At the age of twenty-one, he was elected to serve on the Putnam City Council. He was appointed manager of the Putnam water de- partment in 1940, and in 1942 Governor Robert Hurley appointed him to the Connecticut Development Commission. Three years later, in 1945, he was appointed field representative for Mrs. Chase Going Woodhouse, then congresswoman from the Second Congres- sional District. Since that time, Mr. Dempsey has held every elective office in the city of Putnam. He was elected mayor of Putnam in 1948, and in two subsequent mayoralty elections he was unopposed by the Republican party. At the time of his election to the office of Lieutenant Governor, he was serving his fifth consecutive term in that office. He was at the same time Democratic town chairman of Putnam.
John N. Dempsey was elected to the General Assembly in 1949 and re-elected in 1951 and 1953. In the 1951 session, he became assis- tant minority leader, and in the 1953 session he was elected minority leader of the House of Representatives. He served on some of its most important committees, including Finance, Cities and Boroughs, Executive Nominations and Rules. Mr. Dempsey was named the No. I Legislator of the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1953. This role in the legislature eventually led him to become his party's choice for the office of Lieutenant Governor in 1954. When, in that year, Governor Abraham Ribicoff took office, he was appointed the Gov- ernor's executive aide.
John Dempsey's leadership and good citizenship have won him many honors. Among them was the highest award of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, on both the state and local levels. After the floods of 1955 devastated Putnam, he was honored for his outstanding lead-
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ership to the people of his community. At the time he was elected Lieutenant Governor, he was receiving national recognition for his role in the recovery and redevelopment program now in progress in Putnam. On May 12, 1959, Lieutenant Governor John Dempsey re- ceived the First Distinguished Public Service Award presented by The New Haven Club of the Providence College Alumni. He was elected to the state's second executive office in November, 1958.
Mr. Dempsey is a member of numerous organizations that strive for community improvement. He is a Fourth-Degree member of the Knights of Columbus; a member of Putnam Lodge No. 574 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; a member and past director of the Putnam Chamber of Commerce; a member of the Putnam Irish-American Club; and a member of the Foresters of America. He is a communicant of the Roman Catholic Church.
At Warren, Rhode Island, on July 27, 1940, John N. Dempsey married Mary Frey, daughter of Carl and Margaret (Sampson) Frey. Her father was born in Berlin, Germany, while her mother is a na- tive of Prince Edward Island, Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Dempsey have four children: 1. Edward, who was born in 1941. He is a student at St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield. 2. John, born in 1946. 3. Mar- garet, born in 1947. 4. Kevin, born in 1949. The three younger chil- dren are attending St. Mary's Parochial School in Putnam. All of the children were born in that city.
HON. JOHN ALBERT SPEZIALE
One of Connecticut's younger leaders in public life, John Albert Speziale practiced as an attorney at Torrington, served as judge of the municipal court there, and was clerk of the Judiciary Committee of the General Assembly before assuming the duties of his present office as State Treasurer. He is one of the youngest men ever to serve in this office. Mr. Speziale is also a veteran of naval service in the Pacific in World War II.
Born November 21, 1922, at Winsted, he is a son of Louis and Mary (Avampato) Speziale. Both of his parents came to this country from Italy, where his father was born on December 1, 1896, and his mother on December 21, 1895. She is now deceased. The State Treas- urer received his early education in the schools of Torrington, and graduated from high school there in 1940. He completed his regular college course in three years at Duke University, where he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1943. His law training had
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to wait until the conclusion of his naval service in World War II. He enlisted in the Reserves while still a student, in 1942; and following his call to active service and his stateside training, saw combat duty in the Pacific. He was assigned to destroyer transports, and participated in twelve major invasions. He was one of the first Americans ashore at Nagasaki, Japan, following the atomic bombing of that city which quickly brought the termination of the war. Before being released to inactive duty as a lieutenant, junior grade, in the United States Naval Reserve, John A. Speziale had been awarded the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one star; the Victory Ribbon; American Theater Ribbon, and the Asiatic-Pacific Ribbon with two stars. He is a member of the John Cavallari Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
After the war, Mr. Speziale completed his professional training at Duke Law School, where he took his degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1947. Admitted to the bar of the state of Connecticut, he began practice at Torrington, where he became senior partner in the law firm of Speziale, Mettling, Lefebre and Burns.
At the age of twenty-six, he was appointed judge of the Municipal Court of Torrington, serving as one of the youngest judges in the country. He occupied the bench from 1949 to 1951. In the latter year he served as director of Civil Defense for the City of Torrington; and in 1951-1952 was also federal attorney with the Office of Price Stabi- lization. He is a member of the State Judicial Council. Mr. Speziale has also served as clerk of the important Judiciary Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly. He was elected Treasurer of the State of Connecticut in 1958, and has served with distinction since that time.
Active in the councils of the Democratic party, Mr. Speziale is a member of the Democratic State Central Committee. He also has business interests, being secretary of The Torcon Land Development Company and secretary of Torrington Distributors, Inc. He is secretary and director of The Torrington Country Club.
As a lawyer, Mr. Speziale is a member of the American Bar As- sociation, the Connecticut State Bar Association, the Litchfield County Bar Association and the Torrington Bar Association. He is an hon- orary life member of the American Federation of Musicians, and a member of Council No. 37 of the Knights of Columbus, in which he holds the Fourth degree in the Father Duggan Assembly. He also belongs to the lodges of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Loyal Order of Moose, and the Unico Club. A Roman Catholic, he is a communicant of St. Peter's Church at Torrington.
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In that city, on August 12, 1944, John Albert Speziale married Mary Kocsis. Her parents were born in Hungary-her father, Frank Kocsis on October 22, 1885, and her mother, the former Julia Bacho, on December 28, 1893. Mr. and Mrs. Speziale have two children: I. John Albert, Jr., born on February 13, 1950. 2. Marcia Jean, born December 18, 1952. Both children were born in Torrington, where the family still lives.
ELLA TAMBUSSI GRASSO
Mrs. Ella Tambussi Grasso of Windsor Locks was elected to the office of Secretary of the State in November, 1958. She had previously served in the Legislature during the 1953 and 1955 sessions and was an assistant House Leader in the 1955 session. During the latter session she was elected by the Capitol reporters' Laurel Club as the "Most Hardworking" legislator in the 1955 session and also as "Best State Ticket Material."
In addition to serving on a number of important legislative com- mittees, she was appointed by Governor Ribicoff to several major study groups including the Long Lane Farm Study Commission and Highway Financing Study Commission. She served also as chairman of the 1958 Democratic Platform Committee, a post she also held in 1956, and was the first Connecticut woman of either party so honored. She is also the first woman to serve as a floor leader in the State Legislature.
A lifelong resident of Windsor Locks, Mrs. Grasso was born Ella Tambussi on May 10, 1919, daughter of James and Maria (Oliva) Tambussi. She is a graduate of St. Mary's School and the Chaffee School in Windsor. Mrs. Grasso received a degree of Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, in economics and sociology from Mount Holyoke College. She also holds a Master of Arts degree from the college and during her junior year there was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, national scholastic honor society.
A former president of the Chaffee School Alumnae Association, she is president of the White Sands Beach Association and a charter member of the Suffield League of Women Voters. She is also a meni- ber of the American Association of University Women, the Council of Catholic Women, the Mount Holyoke Club of Hartford and the Windsor Locks Committee for the Symphony Society of Greater Hart- ford. She served as Democratic National Committeewoman for Con- necticut from 1956 until her election to the office of Secretary of the State. Mrs. Grasso's hobbies are gardening and reading.
zom noble
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She is married to Thomas A. Grasso, principal of Center School in East Hartford. He was born in Hartford in 1914, son of Anthony and Mary (Avitui) Grasso. The couple have two children: I. Susanc, born in Hartford on September 5, 1948. 2. James, born there on March 5, 1951. Both children attend St. Mary's School.
RT. REV. DONAT COTÉ
The Rt. Reverend Donat Coté, who in recent years was invested with the title of Monsignor in the Roman Catholic Church, serves as pastor of St. Mary's Church in Willimantic. He has behind him a distinguished record of devoted service to the faith and its followers, going back over a period of more than three decades and a half.
In assuming his duties at Willimantic, Monsignor Coté returned to his native city. He was born there on November 19, 1896, son of Louis and Victoria (Heneault) Coté. Both of his parents are now deceased. After attending the grammar and high schools of Willi- mantic, Monsignor Coté began his advanced studies at Assumption College in Canada. He was a student there from 1911 to 1918, then entered the Grand Seminary in Montreal. On completing his theologi- cal studies, he was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood, on June 10, 1922, at St. James Cathedral in Montreal. His Excellency Archbishop George Gauthier officiated.
Returning to Connecticut for his first duties in the priesthood, he became assistant pastor of the Church of St. Ann's at Hartford, continuing his service to this parish over a period of seventeen years. In 1942 he was named pastor of St. Joseph's Church at Dayville. Con- necticut. Two years later he went to Moosup as pastor of All Hallows Roman Catholic Church. He remained there until 1958, and on August 13 of that year assumed the duties of pastor of St. Mary's Church in Willimantic.
On February 29, 1956, Monsignor Coté was appointed consultor to Bishop Flanagan of Norwich. He was invested with the title of Monsignor on May 27 of the same year. Active in the Knights of Columbus, he holds the Fourth degree. His address is 72 Maple Street, Willimantic.
WILLIAM NOBLE
As president of W. J. Megin, Inc., in Naugatuck, William Noble heads one of the largest general contracting firms in New England, with major projects not only in this region but in many other parts
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of the country. For over four decades, Mr. Noble has played a con- siderable part in bringing the organization to its present status in the building field. He has other business connections at Naugatuck as well, and has taken a constructive part in the city's organizational life.
Born in that city on April 12, 1894, he is a son of William J. and Delia (Fallon) Noble. His father, a native of Lainesboro, Mas- sachusetts, was a farmer, who also dealt in horses and trained trotters and pacers. Also for a time he operated horse-drawn cars carrying both freight and passengers between Waterbury and Naugatuck. He is deceased, as is his wife, the former Delia Fallon.
William Noble attended the public schools of Naugatuck. He began his career as a farmer, but in 1914 joined the firm of W. J. Megin, Inc., a Naugatuck firm which even at that time had a con- siderable reputation as a contractor. His responsibilities with the com- pany grew over the years, and in 1942, in association with four others in the present management, he had the opportunity of purchasing its stock. He has been its owner and president since that time. This con- struction firm now employs about four hundred workers, and in the scope of its operations it has few peers in the United States. It has undertaken a number of large building projects far afield, as indicated by its recent completion of a plant in Indiana for Peter Paul, Inc., at a cost of several million dollars. Some of the local projects recently completed in Connecticut were for the following: Kimberly Clark Corporation; United States Rubber Company ; American Brass Com- pany; American Cyanamid Company; Connecticut Light and Power Company; B. F. Goodrich Company; Lawrence and Memorial Hos- pitals, New London; Waterbury Hospital; Bristol Hospital; Ma- sonic Home; Connecticut State Highway Department projects; as well as numerous churches and schools.
While capably heading his own firm, Mr. Noble has found time to serve the interests of other local businesses. He is at present a trustee of the Naugatuck Savings Bank. He was president of the Naugatuck Chamber of Commerce for the 1958 term. A Republican, he has served for several years as a member of the Naugatuck town board.
A veteran of World War I, he served in the 302nd Field Artii- lery, a component of the 76th Division, and was overseas ten months. He is a member of the American Legion, a Rotarian, and belongs to the lodges of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Sheppard Lodge No. 78, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. In Masonry, he belongs to the higher bodies, including the Consistory of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. Holding the Thirty-second degree, he is
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also a member of Sphinx Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobics of the Mystic Shrine in Hartford. His other memberships include the Order of the Eastern Star, the Waterbury Club, and Waterbury Country Club. He is a communicant of St. Michael's Episcopal Church.
On April 13, 1922, William Noble married Mildred Prather of Naugatuck, daughter of James Cooley and Adeliza Prather. To their marriage one son was born : Edward S., who was born on February 9, 1924. He attended Virginia Military Institute and graduated from Lafayette College. Serving in Europe with the armed forces during World War II, he was captured and imprisoned by the Nazis for five months. On June 9, 1945, Edward S. Noble married Evelyn Emery, and they have two children : Mildred Pamela and Edward, Jr. Edward S. Noble is associated with his father in the management of W. J. Megin, Inc., holding office as executive vice president.
F. RUSSELL ABELL
With over three decades' experience in the banking field to his credit, F. Russell Abell has advanced to the position of senior vice president of The Connecticut Bank and Trust Company. He holds other official positions in banking and industry, and is interested in the cause of education and civic work.
A native of Lebanon, he was born on August 30, 1906, son of Fred M. and Gertrude E. (Lillie) Abell. His father, a farmer, was a member of a family which had settled in that town in the early days. He is deceased, but Mrs. Abell survives him and makes her home at Lebanon.
The banker graduated from Windham High School and from Morse Business College at Hartford, and began his banking career in 1926, joining The Connecticut Bank and Trust Company of Hartford at that time as a messenger.
Over the years since that time, he has acquired experience in all departments of the Trust Division, and is now head of that depart- ment in addition to his other duties. He was promoted to assistant secretary in 1945 and to assistant vice president in 1949. In 1950 he became vice president of the bank, and has been senior vice president since 1958.
Mr. Abell is a director of the Dime Savings Bank of Hartford, Sage-Allen and Company, Inc., and the Spencer Turbine Company. He is a trustee and member of the Finance Committee of Loomis School in Windsor. He is a member of the Hartford Club, and he
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and Mrs. Abell attend the First Congregational Church of East Hart- ford.
She is the former Miss Esther C. Isleib, daughter of Martin and Lillian (McVein) Isleib. The couple were married at East Hartford on April 23, 1932, and they are the parents of three children: Philip W. and Paul L., twin sons, who were born in Hartford on October 19, 1935, and a daughter, Cynthia, born April 21, 194I.
Philip graduated from East Hartford High School and from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, in 1957. He is now doing graduate work in geology at Stanford University in California. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. His twin brother, Paul, graduated from East Hartford High School and from Hamilton College in 1957. He is now associated with the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company in Bloomfield. On April 25, 1959, he married Mary Louise Cook of Hartford, Connecticut, and Lewiston, Maine. They presently reside in Avon.
Cynthia is a graduate of Chaffee School in Windsor, and is presently attending Connecticut College for Women in New London.
GEORGE H. JACKSON, JR.
An engineer by training, George H. Jackson, Jr., has advanced to the position of vice president and general manager of the Danielson Finishing Company, Inc., which has its offices and plant at 189 Main Street in Danielson. He is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was born on November 18, 1907, son of George H., Sr., and Viola (Lynch) Jackson. His father, for many years prior to his retirement, was with the Pullman Company. His death occurred in 1959, and Mrs. Jackson survives him, making her home in Danielson.
George H. Jackson, Jr., completed his public school education in his native city, graduating from West Philadelphia High School. He then attended Pennsylvania State College, where he graduated in 1929 with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Immediately afterwards he began hs career with the firm of Powdrell and Alexander at Danielson, and has been a resident of that city, and an active influence in its industrial life, ever since.
He commenced his connection with the Powdrell and Alexander organization in the capacity of junior executive, acquainting himself with the various phases of operations in textile manufacture, and a short time afterwards he was transferred to the sales department, winning promotion to sales manager. In 1944 he was named vice presi-
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dent of Powdrell and Alexander, and in 1950 became president of the firm, succeeding the late Joseph Powdrell, who resigned from the chief executive office to become chairman of the board. While serving as president of the corporation, Mr. Jackson was concurrently, from 1950 to 1954, the president of the Gosnold Mills, Inc., of New Bed- ford, Massachusetts. When in 1954 the Danielson Finishing Company was organized, he was named its vice president and general manager, and is also a member of its board of directors.
Mr. Jackson is a member of the Danielson Chamber of Com- merce. His fraternity is Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and he is affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons, being a member of the Moriah Lodge at Danielson. He is a communicant of the Westfield Congregational Church in that city.
At Thompson, Connecticut, on May 30, 1944, George H. Jackson, Jr., married Pauline R. Rawley, daughter of George and Charlotte (Palmer) Rawley. Mrs. Jackson is a graduate of Russell Sage College at Troy, New York. The couple are the parents of one son, George H., 3rd, who was born in February, 1939, to Mr. Jackson's first mar- riage to Amy McDonald. Amy (McDonald) Jackson died in 1941. George H. Jackson, 3rd, is a graduate of Killingly High School in Danielson, and is now attending Dartmouth College, where he is a member of the Class of 1961.
WALDO E. TILLINGHAST
For many years the name of Tillinghast has been identified with capable and conscientious service in the profession of funeral directing in eastern Connecticut. Waldo E. Tillinghast carries on in this tra- dition, managing the Tillinghast Funeral Home at 6 Mechanic Street in Danielson.
He was born at Central Village, some miles to the south of Daniel- son, on April 25, 1902, and is a son of the late Fred W. and Jennie (Cary) Tillinghast. His father was an early funeral director of Cen- tral Village. Waldo E. Tillinghast completed his public school educa- tion at Plainfield, graduating from high school there before entering Worcester Institute of Technology. From there he transferred to Brown University, and when he had completed his studies there, joined his father in the firm of F. W. Tillinghast and Sons in 1922. The other son, Edward Tillinghast, still operates the original funeral home founded by their father at Central Village. Waldo E. Tillinghast founded his own funeral home at Danielson in 1937.
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He is a member of the Danielson Chamber of Commerce, the lodges of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and also Moosup Lodge No. 113 of the Free and Accepted Masons. He belongs to all the Scottish Rite bodies, holding the Thirty-second degree, and is also a member of the York Rite bodies including Columbia Commandery of the Knights Templar at Norwich. He is likewise a member of Sphinx Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine at Hartford, and the Royal Order of Jesters. He is a member of the Westfield Congregational Church in Danielson.
On September 1, 1934, Waldo E. Tillinghast married Maude L. Craig of Chicopee, Massachusetts, daughter of William and Isabella (Anderson) Craig. Mrs. Tillinghast attended Chicopee public school, graduated from high school there, then entered State Teachers Col- lege at Fitchburg. She taught at the college prior to her marriage. The couple are the parents of a son, William Craig, who was born on June II, 1937. He graduated from Taft School at Watertown, in 1955, and from the University of Vermont in the Class of 1959.
WILLIAM O. LADISH
William O. Ladish's entire business career has been spent with the Stafford Savings Bank at Stafford Springs, Connecticut. After more than two decades as its secretary and treasurer, he was elected president early in 1959. He has also held public office as a member of the town finance board, and is a veteran of military service in World War I.
Mr. Ladish is a native of Stafford, and was born on January 29, 1895, son of Herman and Christina (Berg) Ladish. His father, whose death occurred in 1941, was a textile worker, employed in the local mills. Mrs. Ladish died in 1944.
Receiving his public school education locally, William O. Ladish was a sophomore at the Stafford High School when, on September 10, 1910, he joined the staff of the Stafford Savings Bank on a part-time basis. In the course of his student years, he performed such services for the bank as janitor, as well as performing clerical work. Following his graduation from high school, he began full-time work at the bank, in 1913.
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