USA > Connecticut > History of Connecticut, Volume IV > Part 39
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located at 65 Airport Road. Mr. Grant was recently selected by a committee of the Greater Hartford Junior Chamber of Commerce as one of the best employers in his area, and received a gold ruler and scroll.
Besides heading the R. M. Grant Tool Supply Company, Mr. Grant is a partner in other firms. He holds the office of vice president in the Grant-Murray Company and L. L. Ensworth and Son, both of Hartford, and Bamber Tool Supplies of North Haven. He is also a director of the South End Bank and Trust Company. Mr. Grant is president and a director of the Hanson-Whitney Company of Hart- ford, manufacturers of taps, gages, measuring equipment, etc. This company employs approximately one hundred fifty people and has distributors covering the United States. He is vice president and a director of the United Tool Supply Company Inc. of St. Petersburg, Florida, with main office and stockroom in St. Petersburg and branch office located in West Palm Beach. Mr. Grant is also president and a director of the Newington Turnpike Associates, Inc., which has two hundred acres of land located on the Berlin Turnpike in Newington. This corporation is currently building a par 3 lighted nine hole golf course, driving range, 18 hole golf course, $150,000 clubhouse and restaurant, and 100-room motel.
Interested in civic affairs and municipal improvements, Mr. Grant serves as acting chairman of the Greater Hartford Bridge Authority, and he is a member of the Hartford Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. His favorite sport is golf, and this sport has been the focal point of a number of his organizational activities. He is a mem- ber and past president of the Connecticut State Golf Association, and is a member of the advisory board of the New England Golf Associa- tion, representing Connecticut. He was instrumental in organizing and promoting the Insurance City Open Golf Tournament, sponsored by the Junior Chamber of Commerce. A member of the Wethersfield Country Club, in the city where he makes his home, he was its presi- dent in 1946-1947. As a skilled amateur golfer, Mr. Grant has been admitted to the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame. He was formerly Connecticut Amateur Golf Champion and New England Amateur Golf Champion. His memberships include Wampanoag Country Club, Farmington Country Club, Winged Foot Golf Club of Mamaroneck, New York, and the City Club of Hartford. He is a communicant of the First Presbyterian Church of Hartford, although Mrs. Grant be- longs to Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church.
She is the former Miss Veronica Helen Turosky, daughter of
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Peter and Helen Turosky, and she became the wife of Robert M. Grant in a ceremony at Millerton, New York, on November 12, 1938. The couple are the parents of three children: I. Robert M., Jr., who was born on September 22, 1939. He is attending Wilbraham Academy at Wilbraham, Massachusetts, where he has an outstanding record as golfer and in track events and soccer. 2. Wendy Ann, born No- vember 18, 1940; now completing her courses at Wethersfield High School. 3. James Anderson, 3rd, born March 30, 1942; attending Wethersfield High School. All of the children were born at Wethers- field, and the family resides at 301 Wolcott Hill Road in that city. Like her husband, Mrs. Grant is interested in golf, and she served as president of the Connecticut Women's Golf Association for the term 1957-1958.
WALTER M. DOWNES
Coming to Glastonbury to practice law following previous profes- sional experience at Hartford and East Hartford, Walter M. Downes is currently serving on the bench as judge of the town court of Glas- tonbury.
He is a native of Hartford, and was born on August 28, 1913, son of Michael W. and Stella F. (Foley) Downes. His father, prior to his death in 1944, was engaged in the automobile business in Hart- ford. Mrs. Downes died in 1938.
Attending the public schools of his native city, Judge Downes graduated from Weaver High School in the Class of 1931. He then entered Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy. For his profes- sional training he returned to his native city and entered the Hart- ford College of Law. He was president of his class there, and gradu- ated in 1940 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. Concurrently with his law studies, Judge Downes was teaching in the public schools of Glastonbury, serving on the faculty of the high school there from 1935 to 1942.
In 1942 he took a position in the personnel department of Pratt and Whitney, a division of the United Aircraft Corporation. He held this position until 1947, when he left to commence his practice of law in Hartford. In that city, he was with the firm of Hunt, Averill and Johnson from 1947 until 1949. From that year until 1952, he was associated with J. Robert Galvin at East Hartford. He came to Glas- tonbury in 1952, and has practiced there independently since.
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In 1949, Walter M. Downes was appointed by Governor Chester Bowles to the post of judge of the town court of Glastonbury. He has been twice reappointed by Governor Abraham Ribicoff-first in 1955, and again in 1959.
Judge Downes served as town counsel from 1947 to 1951. He was elected to the Connecticut State House of Representatives for a term beginning in 1949, and served through 1951. As a lawyer, he is a member of the Connecticut State Bar Association and the Hart- ford County Bar Association. Judge Downes is a member and past president of the Glastonbury Chamber of Commerce. A charter mem- ber of the Rotary Club of that city, he served as its first president. He is fond of the out-of-doors and enjoys fishing.
On August 21, 1941, at Torrington, Judge Walter M. Downes married Mary C. McGowan, daughter of James and Mary (Finn) McGowan of that city. Mrs. Downes is a graduate of Torrington High School and of St. Joseph's College at Hartford. The couple are the parents of the following children: I. Michael, who was born on July 9, 1942. He is attending Glastonbury High School. 2. Mary Beth, born December 14, 1944; also a student at Glastonbury High School. 3. James, born June 15, 1947. 4. Margaret Ann, born in Janu- ary, 1950. 5. Thomas, born on November 25, 1952. 6. Sue Ellen, born January 14, 1954. All of the children were born at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford. The Downes family has resided in Glastonbury since 1941. They attend St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church.
GRAHAM HUDSON ANTHONY
In an industrial career centered primarily in Hartford, Graham Hudson Anthony has been active in the management of several firms. He is now board chairman of Veeder-Root, Inc., and of Colt's Manu- facturing Company, and serves on a number of other boards of di- rectors.
A native of Shelby, North Carolina, he was born on April 2, 1892, son of John Alston and Ollie (Gardner) Anthony. After at- tending the public elementary and high schools of his native region, he entered North Carolina State College, where he graduated in 1914, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineer- ing. He received the professional degree of Mechanical Engineer in 1921, and an honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering in 1942, both from the same institution.
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Mr. Anthony began his business career with The Mason Machine Works of Taunton, Massachusetts, as factory clerk. He later became associated with The William L. Gilbert Clock Company of Winsted, Connecticut. Coming to Hartford in 1920, he assumed duties as secre- tary and factory manager with the Allen Manufacturing Company there. In 1928 he joined Veeder-Root, Inc., manufacturers of mechani- cal counting devices, as vice president and director. In 1932 he was elected president, and held that position until April, 1944, when he was elected chairman of the board. He is now chairman of the cor- poration's executive committee as well. Concurrently a director of Colt's Manufacturing Company from 1936, he was elected president of that firm in April, 1944, and served as chairman of its board of directors from March, 1949, to 1954.
In addition to his directorate with Veeder-Root, Inc., Mr. An- thony serves on the boards of Aetna Insurance Company, Burlington Mills Corporation, Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, Hartford Electric Light Company, Hartford National Bank and Trust Company, Mechanics Savings Bank, New York Trust Com- pany, and Southern New England Telephone Company, and he is chairman of the board of the Holo-Krome Screw Corporation.
A member of the Manufacturers Association of Hartford Coun- ty, Mr. Anthony served on its board of directors from 1934 to 1951, and again became a director in 1953, continuing to the present time. He was president of the organization in 1937, 1938 and 1939. He is also a director of Metropolitan Junior Achievement Inc. (New York). He represented industry on the National War Labor Board in Wash- ington, D. C., in 1942-1943, and was an industry member of the No. I Regional War Labor Board at Boston, 1943-1944. He is a member of the National Association of Manufacturers and served on its board of directors from 1937 to 1944.
Taking a vital interest in civic affairs, he is a director of the Hartford Community Chest, and was vice president and campaign manager in 1936. He is a life trustee of the Young Men's Christian Association of Hartford, the American School for the Deaf at West Hartford, and Kingswood School, also in West Hartford. His fra- ternities are Sigma Nu and Phi Kappa Phi, and he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the higher bodies of Masonry, in- cluding the Knights Templar commandery. He holds the Thirty-sec- ond degree, and is a member of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. A member of the Newcomen Society of England, he has served as vice chairman of the Connecticut Committee of its
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American Branch. He is a member and past president of The Hart- ford Club, and a member of Hartford Golf Club, Hartford Gun Club, the Economic Club of New York, St. Andrews Society of New York, the Southern Society of New York, the Metropolitan Club of New York, and the Twentieth Century Club of Hartford.
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony attend the Episcopal Church. He is fond of the out-of-doors, enjoying such sports as quail and duck hunting, fishing and golf. His hobby is photography.
Twice married, Graham Hudson Anthony chose as his first wife Miss Elizabeth Johnson of Raleigh, North Carolina. They were mar- ried on April 27, 1916, and became the parents of one son, James I. Elizabeth (Johnson) Anthony died in December, 1953, and in De- cember, 1954. Mr. Anthony married, second, Mrs. C. Julian Kaiser. They make their home at 35 Ledyard Road, West Hartford.
RALPH C. DIXON
Practicing law in Hartford since the beginning of his career, Ralph C. Dixon is a member of the firm of Day, Berry and Howard. He has distinguished himself in the wartime service of his country, and in the service of his community in such public offices as prose- cutor and judge.
The son of Arthur and Ada M. (Grimshaw) Dixon, he was born in East Hartford on February 12, 1913. Attending the public schools of East Hartford, Ralph C. Dixon graduated from high school there, and at the age of twenty, completed his regular college courses at Wesleyan University in Middletown, where he received his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1933. For his professional courses he enrolled at Yale Law school, where he took his degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1936.
Admitted to the Connecticut bar in that year, he commenced practice as an associate in the firm of Day, Berry and Howard, and was admitted to full partnership in 1943. He is a member of the Hart- ford County, Connecticut State and American bar associations.
In 1938, Mr. Dixon assumed duties in his first public office, that of prosecutor of the Town of East Hartford. He capably filled that office until 1942, and during a part of that time was also county prosecutor. He is a former judge of the municipal court of East Hart- ford and served as corporation counsel there as well.
During World War II he saw active service in the United States
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Naval Reserve. With a commission as lieutenant, he served in an armed guard unit on convoy duty between the United States and England. He was later assigned to the office of counsel, Bureau of Ships, Navy Department, in Washington, D. C. He received his honor- able discharge at the end of hostilities.
Interested in community programs to bring his city better cultural opportunities, Mr. Dixon serves on the board of directors of the Con- necticut Opera Association. He was admitted to Phi Beta Kappa na- tional scholastic honor society while at Wesleyan University, and in his own city he belongs to the University Club and The Hartford Golf Club. He and his family attend Asylum Hill Congregational Church. He finds recreation in golf and amateur photography.
In Houston, Texas, on May 21, 1944, Ralph C. Dixon married Helen J. Hannay of that city, daughter of Judge and Mrs. Allen B. Hannay. Mrs. Dixon attended Shipley School at Bryn Mawr, Penn- sylvania, and Rice Institute in Houston. The couple have two children : I. Mark Hannay, born March 19, 1946, in Houston, Texas. He is attending Kingswood School in West Hartford. 2. Anne Frances, born February 14, 1950, in West Hartford. She attends Renbrook School. The family lives in West Hartford.
RONALD A. MITCHELL
Trained as an engineer, Ronald A. Mitchell began his connection with the Cyril Johnson Woolen Company of Stafford Springs at the beginning of his career, and he is now its secretary and treasurer. Born at Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on March 7, 1902, he is a son of Alexander Ireland and Susie (Potter) Mitchell. His father, a woolen textile manufacturer, moved his family to Stafford Springs in 1904 and purchased the Cyril Johnson Woolen Company in 1911. Alexander Mitchell remained active in this business until his death in 1932. His wife, the former Susie Potter, died in 1927.
Attending the public elementary and high schools of Stafford Springs, Ronald A. Mitchell completed his preparatory studies at Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, and went from there to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he graduated in 1925 with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Engineering. In the same year he joined the Cyril Johnson Woolen Company, first serving an ap- prenticeship, and in 1929 he was named to its management roster as secretary and treasurer, the position he has since held. David P. Mit-
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chell, a brother, is president of the firm, having succeeded Alexander Mitchell in that office when the latter died in 1932.
Ronald A. Mitchell is also chairman of the board of the Stafford Springs Savings Bank, and he was formerly vice president and a trustee of the Cyril and Julia C. Johnson Memorial Hospital at Staf- ford Springs. He is currently serving his state as a member of the Connecticut Public Expenditure Council, and he was formerly a mem- ber of the Court of Burgesses, Borough of Stafford Springs, an office he capably filled for several years. He has also held the post of warden of the borough, an office tantamount to mayor. He is a former member of the Stafford board of education, and he is also past president of the Stafford Library Association.
Mr. Mitchell likewise finds time for a prominent and active role in his industry. He is currently a director of the National Association of Woolen Manufacturers, and serves on the board of governors of the Northern Textile Association. As an industrialist, he is a valuable former member of the Connecticut Development Commission. He is a member of the board of field advisors for the Small Business Ad- ministration.
His social memberships include the University Club of Hartford and the Cohasset Country Club of Southbridge, Massachusetts. He is fond of golf and of gardening. A reliable worker in his church, the Stafford Springs Congregational, he formerly served on its business committee.
At Springfield, Massachusetts, on October 19, 1927, Ronald A. Mitchell married Ruth Bates, daughter of Dr. Everett A. and Ruth (Bowers) Bates. Mrs. Mitchell attended Smith College at Northamp- ton, Massachusetts. The couple are the parents of four children: I. Nancy, who was born on September 16, 1928. She attended the Walnut Hill School at Natick, Massachusetts, Garland School in Boston, and Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School in Boston, and she is now Mrs. Russell Walseche. 2. Ronald A., Jr., born on January 24, 1930. He attended Stafford Springs High School and Westminster School at Simsbury. From 1952 to 1956 he served in the United States Navy, and he has since been with the Newell Textile Sales Company in New York City. He married Laura Jean Osten of Jacksonville, Florida. 3. Philip B., born on April 7, 1935. After attending Phillips Andover Academy, he entered Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he graduated in 1957. He is now with the Cyril Johnson Woolen Com- pany of Stafford Springs. He holds a second lieutenant's commission in the Quartermaster Reserve Corps. 4. John B., born on May 6, 1939.
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He attended Worcester School at Danbury, and is now a member of the Class of 1962 at Franklin and Marshall College at Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
RICHARD H. PUGH
Active in the real estate field in New London, Connecticut, since 1928, and a member of the Advisory Board and of the Executive Com- mittee of the Hartford National Bank and Trust Company (New London area), Mr. Pugh is a director of the Connecticut Develop- ment Credit Corporation and he served as president of the Greater New London Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Pugh was born in New York City on January 6, 1900, the son of Daniel Pugh and of Susannah (Harvey) Pugh. Both of his parents are now deceased. Mr. Pugh attended Wheeler Preparatory Academy at North Stonington, Connecticut, he studied at William and Mary College and New York University, he took extension courses at La Salle Institute and he obtained the degree of Bachelor of Laws from La Salle. Mr. Pugh did some graduate work at Cooper Union.
Associated with Dun and Bradstreet in New York City from 1923 to 1928, it was in 1928 that he established himself in the real estate business in New London, Connecticut. A former chairman of the New London Housing Authority, and a former vice president and now director of the Associated Charities of New London, Mr. Pugh is a former member of the Personal Board and of the Personal Appeals Board of the State of Connecticut, he is a former council- man of the City of New London, and he served as chairman of the Committee on Administration from 1950 to 1952.
A past president and a past lieutenant governor of Kiwanis In- ternational, Mr. Pugh is also vice president of Salvation Army, Incorporated, in New London. He is commodore of the New London Tuna Club, past commodore of the New London Power Squadron, and his social connections also include membership in the Elks, the Thames Yacht Club, the New York Athletic Club and the New York Anglers Club. A Thirty-second degree Mason of the York and Scottish Rites, he is a director of the Sphinx Bedouin Shrine Club of New London. Mr. Pugh enjoys the out-of-doors, and deep sea fishing, big- game hunting, golf and yachting are his favorite sports. He attends religious services at St. James Episcopal Church in New London, and is a member of the executive committee and is a vestryman.
Mr. Pugh was married on September 28, 1935, to Elizabeth Wil-
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son, the daughter of J. Edwin Wilson and of Emily (Roberts) Wilson of Holyoke, Massachusetts. Mrs. Pugh graduated from Connecticut College for Women in 1931.
Mr. and Mrs. Pugh have one daughter, Barbara, born in New London on May 14, 1945, and now a student at Bulkeley High School in New London.
CARL VICTOR NELSON
With over three decades' experience in the practice of law to his credit, Carl Victor now has his offices at 36 Hoyt Street in New Canaan. He also has a creditable record in public office, and is now serving as judge of probate in the District of New Canaan.
Born at Stamford on January 17, 1904, he is a son of Anders Victor and Hilma Pauline (Bengston) Nelson. Both of his parents were born in Sweden, his mother in 1876 and his father the follow- ing year. Arriving in the United States in the 188os, Andrew V. Nel- son settled in Stamford, where he became a foreman with Yale and Towne Company. He died in 1956. Miss Bengston, whom he married, arrived in this country in 1893. She died in 1955.
Carl V. Nelson attended the Brunswick School in Greenwich for his secondary studies, and graduated there in 1921. In 1925 he took his degree of Bachelor of Arts at Bowdoin College, and he went to New York University for his professional studies, receiving his degree of Bachelor of Laws there in 1929.
Admitted to the Connecticut bar, he commenced practice in Stamford, where he remained until 1945. He then moved to New Canaan, where he has practiced since. He is a member of the New Canaan Bar Association, the Connecticut Bar Association and the American Bar Association, and was formerly a member of the Stam- ford Bar Association.
A Republican in his politics, Mr. Nelson served as assistant prose- cutor for a time. He is now serving as judge of probate, District of New Canaan.
Active in the Lions Club at New Canaan, Mr. Nelson holds office as its second vice president. He is a communicant of St. John's Lu- theran Church in Stamford.
Carl Victor Nelson's marriage to Miss Ardelle Allen took place at Port Chester, New York, on December 28, 1929. She was born in that city on October 10, 1904, daughter of Everest J. and Phynetta (Parker) Allen. Her father practiced as a dentist at Port Chester, and he is deceased as is his wife. After completing her studies at
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Port Chester High School, Mrs. Nelson attended and graduated from the Boston School of Physical Education. She is a Sunday school teacher.
The couple have two children: I. Jane, who was born in 1931, in Stamford. She graduated from New Canaan High School in 1949, and is now Mrs. Jane Mucci, and the mother of two children: John and Deborah. 2. Nancy, born in Stamford in 1934. She graduated from New Canaan High School in 1952, and attended Worcester College in Ohio for two years. She is the wife of Peter Durant of New Canaan, and they have two children: Francine and Derick.
CLAUDE P. WATROUS
Since he began his business career at Chester, Claude P. Watrous has had a record of most rewarding achievement in his commercial and industrial connections. He is the owner of Bishop and Watrous, manufacturers of small novelties, and for the past decade has also been president of the Chester Trust Company. He has also acquitted himself well in public office, representing the people of the Town of Chester in the Connecticut State Legislature for six terms.
Born at Deep River on October 17, 1893, he is a son of Carl C. and Lena (Arnold) Watrous. His father is now retired after a career in the profession of veterinarian. He is a native of Chester, and the late Mrs. Watrous was born in Haddam.
Claude P. Watrous attended local public schools, and graduated from Chester High School. Shortly afterwards, in 1912, he took his first full-time job in general capacities with the C. J. Bates Company at Chester. He remained with this firm until 1920, and in the course of his connection, became a partner in the operation of the Chester Laundry, with the late Oliver Bishop.
In 1921 he and Mr. Bishop established the firm of Bishop and Watrous for the manufacture of novelties, a line in which it has been engaged ever since. When the elder partner retired in 1947, Mr. Wat- rous bought his interests. The laundry which they jointly operated has since been sold.
With another partner, Angelo Zanardi, Mr. Watrous operates a dairy farm in Chester. He has been president of the Chester Trust Company since October 8, 1946, and vice president of Chester Savings Bank since July 8, 1946.
The first public office he held was that of member of Chester's
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board of education, which he held for eighteen years. During World War II, he was administrator for the township under the Office of Price Administration. First elected to the Connecticut State Legis- lature as a representative from Chester in 1947, he has been returned to office in each general election since that time, and is now serving his sixth term. He served two terms, 1955 to 1957, as chairman of the House Rules Committee, and has been chairman of the Interim Rules Committee. He also served four terms on the Appropriations Committee. Mr. Watrous attends the United Church of Chester. Fond of the out-of-doors, he particularly enjoys fishing and hunting.
In his home town on June 14, 1916, Claude P. Watrous married Marion Emmons, daughter of George and Katie (French) Emmons. Her father was engaged in the insurance business at Chester. Mrs. Watrous is a graduate of Chester High School. The couple are the parents of four children : I. Hazel, who was born on March 20, 1918. She married Harry Archambault, who now manages the Emmons Insurance Agency. They have four children: i. Karen. ii. Raymond. iii. Thomas. iv. Mary. Mrs. Archambault is a graduate of Connecticut University. 2. Claude P., Jr., born on May 21, 1919. He served as a master sergeant in the United States Army during World War II, and was in the Far Eastern theater. He married Lyle Crook of East Haddam, daughter of Dr. Bruce and Henrietta Crook. They have five children : i. Kathryn. ii. Cynthia. iii. Jay. iv. Marion. v. Claude, 3rd. 3. Arnold H., born on August 31, 1920. He piloted a B-17 during World War II, being with an Air Corps unit in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. He is a graduate of Rider College in New Jer- sey. He is associated with his father in business, and is chairman of the board of the Middlesex County Commission. Arnold H. Watrous married Mary Jane Fleitz, daughter of Major and Mrs. Benjamin Fleitz of Mansfield, Pennsylvania, and they have two children: i. Bruce. ii. Betsy. 4. George Frederick, born on December 23, 1921. He served with General Patton's army in Europe during World War II. He too is associated with his father in business. Married to the former Daisy Hunt, daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Hunt of Middletown, he is the father of two children: i. Jack. ii. Denise.
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