USA > Connecticut > History of Connecticut, Volume IV > Part 5
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Active in the United States Power Squadron, Mr. Clark is chair- man of Ship 3, and a member of the local council of the Boy Scouts of America. Affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons, he belongs to Emulation Lodge No. 1022 at Buffalo, New York, and to the
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higher bodies of the Scottish Rite, holding the Thirty-second Degree. He also belongs to the Exchange Club in his home town, and he and his family attend the Congregational Church. Boating is Mr. Clark's favorite sport.
At Madison, on August 1, 1936, Herbert T. Clark, Jr., married Barbara Richmond, of that town, the daughter of Carl E. and Mabel (Mintie) Richmond. Mrs. Clark is a graduate of Madison High School, and of the University of Connecticut, where she took her de- gree of Bachelor of Arts in 1936. The couple have three children: I. Herbert T., 3rd, who was born on September 3, 1941, at Buffalo, New York. He graduated from Madison High School with the Class of 1958. 2. LeRoy, born on January 29, 1944, also in Buffalo, and a student at Madison High School. 3. Marjorie Ann, born June 28, 1958.
JOHN FRANCIS LYONS
One of Norwalk's attorneys, John Francis Lyons commenced practice in his native city a decade ago. He is now a partner in the firm of Keene and Lyons, and he already has an excellent record of service in public office to his credit, having served as prosecuting at- torney and judge of the city court.
Born on February 6, 1924, he is a son of William Joseph Lyons, who is active in the contracting field as head of the William J. Lyons Construction Company. Born May 19, 1882, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the father came to Norwalk about 1905, to lay brick-block streets under contract with the city. He has remained there ever since, building up a successful construction business. He has likewise been interested in public affairs. A Republican, he served from 1926 to 1931 as city councilman, and was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives for two terms, covering the years from 1932 to 1936. His wife is the former Miss Mary Byrnes, who was born in Norwalk on September 20, 1891.
Their son, John F. Lyons, received his early education in local schools and graduated from Norwalk High School in 1941. He went to Notre Dame University for his advanced academic studies, and received his degree of Bachelor of Arts there in 1945. In 1947 he took his degree of Bachelor of Laws at Yale Law School.
Admitted to the bar of his state, Mr. Lyons began his practice of law in Norwalk that same year, and has been there since. The firm of Keene and Lyons, in which he is a partner, engages in a general practice, and has its offices at 50 North Main Street, South
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Norwalk. Mr. Lyons is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association and the Norwalk-Westport-Wilton Bar Association.
In 1951, John F. Lyons was appointed prosecuting attorney at Norwalk, and served capably in that office until 1954. In that year he became city court judge, and served on the bench for one year. He is a Republican.
In addition to his connections with bar associations, Mr. Lyons is a member of Corbey Court, a legal and social fraternity which he joined at Yale. He is a director of the First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Norwalk. He is also a member of the Exchange Club and is a communicant of the Roman Catholic Church.
CHARLES RAYMOND BROCK
The dairy industry has been the focal point in the career of Charles Raymond Brock, who has succeeded his father in the manage- ment of a family enterprise, the Brock-Hall Dairy at Hamden. Be- sides holding office as president of this organization, he is an official of other corporations in the region, where he also has an outstanding record of public service. He has served in both the Connecticut House of Representatives and the State Senate.
A native of Hamden, he was born on July 20, 1896, son of Charles Walter and Minnie Cora (Hurd) Brock. His father, who was born on March 18, 1866, at Middletown, began life on a dairy farm, and in 1886 entered the dairy industry. In 1921 he formed his own firm, C. W. Brock and Sons, Inc., of which he was the president. In 1925 he joined Henry F. Hall in forming the present organization, Brock- Hall Dairy, and was its president from September I of that year until July, 1942. He continued on the board of directors until April, 1958. He is now retired, and he and Mrs. Brock live in Hamden. They have been married sixty-eight years. A Republican, Charles W. Brock served his home city of Hamden as selectman, and has also served in the Connecticut State Legislature. Mrs. Brock, the former Minnie Cora Hurd, was born March 24, 1869, at Woodbury.
Graduating from New Haven High School in 1914, Charles R. Brock planned from the beginning of his career to follow his father's occupation, although the elder man had yet to form his own first organization. He entered the University of Connecticut and took technical studies there, receiving his degree of Bachelor of Science in Dairying in 1919.
He then entered the dairy business with his father, and two years Conn. IV-4
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later C. W. Brock and Sons, Inc., was formed. He took part in the merger of interests with Henry F. Hall (who had owned his own dairy prior to that time), and in the formation of the Brock-Hall Dairy. Mr. Hall, incidentally, succeeded the elder Mr. Brock in the presidency for a short time-from July, 1942, until July, 1944. He held the position of chairman of the board until July, 1958. Charles R. Brock became president of the corporation in July, 1944, and has held office since. Mr. Brock serves on its board of directors, and is also a director of New Haven Water Company, First New Haven National Bank, New Haven Savings and Loan Association, and the Mutual of Hartford. He is a trustee of the Connecticut Savings Bank. The firm which he heads, Brock-Hall Dairy of Hamden, is the largest independent dairy in the entire state of Connecticut, and serves more than sixty thousand patrons.
Through his role in its leadership, Mr. Brock has won recogni- tion as an influential figure in his industry. He is immediate past president of the Milk Industry Foundation, an international organiza- tion of milk dealers, and was a director of the Connecticut Milk Dealers Association, in which in past years he has held all offices.
A Republican, Mr. Brock was for fourteen years a member of the board of finance at Hamden. He was first elected to the Connecti- cut House of Representatives for the term beginning in 1937, and he was re-elected for the terms beginning in 1939 and in 1941, thus serving a total of six years in the Lower House of the state legislature. In 1943 he took his seat in the State Senate, to which he was re-elected for the 1945-1947 terms. He was minority leader in the Senate in 1945.
The Brock-Hall Dairy holds organizational membership in the Hamden Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Brock's individual memberships include the Kiwanis Club, The Hartford Club, Quinnipiac Club of New Haven, and the New Haven Country Club. He is a member of the lodges of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Free and Accepted Masons. In Masonry, he is a member of all York Rite bodies, and also of all Scottish Rite bodies, wherein he holds the Thirty-second degree. He is also a member of Pyramid Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Bridgeport. He attends the Congregational Church.
At Wallingford, on September 19, 1921, Charles Raymond Brock married Elfie Foote Blakeslee. Born at Northford on March 9, 1898, she is a daughter of Arthur A. and Flora A. (Foote) Blakeslee. Her father, born at North Haven on June 12, 1869, has been a farmer
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all his life. An active Democrat, he was second selectman in Walling- ford. Flora A. Foote, whom he married, was born at Northford, and is deceased. Mrs. Brock is a graduate of Wallingford High School. She is active in Hamden women's organizations. The couple are the parents of the following children: I. Jean Eleanor, born Oc- tober 18, 1922, in Hamden. She attended Hamden grade school, Miss Day's School, and LaSalle Junior College, then entered William and Mary College, where she received her degree of Bachelor of Arts. She is the wife of Robert William Stone, and they live in Springfield, Missouri. Their children: Shelby and Ann. 2. Raymond Blakeslee, born January 10, 1925, in New Haven. He attended Hamden High School and Kent School, after which he entered Wesleyan College and took his degree of Bachelor of Science there. During World War II he served in the 15th Air Force with the rank of first lieutenant, and was in the European Theater of Operations. He is now secretary and treasurer of the Brock-Hall Dairy. He married Janet Miller, and their children are Sharon, Raymond Blakeslee, Jr., and Peter. 3. Muriel Elaine, born August 9, 1929, in New Haven. Beginning her education in Hamden schools, she attended Miss Day's School and Tufts College, where she received her degree of Bachelor of Arts. She is now physical education instructor at the Grosse Pointe, Uni- versity School in Michigan. 4. Thelma Foote, born January 18, 1921, in New Haven. She too attended local elementary schools and Miss Day's School, and took her degree of Bachelor of Science in Education at Lake Erie College, Painesville, Ohio. She is now the wife of John H. Bonnar of Warrensville Heights, Ohio and they have one son, Douglas. Mr. and Mrs. Brock make their home on Foote Hill Road in Northford.
RICHARD C. PARMELEE
Senior member of the law firm of Parmelee, Snow and Street of Middletown, and active in the practice of law since 1940, Mr. Parmelee is a member of the Middletown Industrial Development Commission. He was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1945 to 1947.
He was born in Durham, Connecticut, on March 14, 1913, the son of Willis I. Parmelee and of Esther E. (Clark) Parmelee. His father was a farmer and cattle dealer and died on November 16, 1935. Mr. Parmelee graduated from Durham High School, obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts at Clark University in 1936, and received
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the degree of Bachelor of Laws from Hartford College of Law in 1939. He was admitted to the Connecticut Bar in 1940, and was admitted to practice in the United States District Court in 1941.
Former judge of the Durham Justice Court, Mr. Parmelee was a member of the Durham Board of Education from 1939 to 1949, he is a trustee of the Middletown Savings Bank, and he is a member of the Durham Development Commission. He is active in professional organizations and is a member of the American Bar Association, the Connecticut State Bar Association, and the Middlesex County Bar Association. He is a member of the Divisional Committee for the Connecticut Power Company, he is chairman of the Building Com- mittee of the Town of Durham, and he has served as public defender for Middlesex County since March, 1945.
A member of St. John's Masonic Lodge No. 2 and a past presi- dent of the Kiwanis, Mr. Parmelee is a member of the Grange and of the Farm Bureau. His farm in Durham is one of the largest farms in Middlesex County. Fishing is his favorite sport, and he attends religious services as a member of the Episcopal Church.
Mr. Parmelee was married in Meriden, Connecticut, on May 22, 1943, to Althea Mills, the daughter of Charles Mills and of Matilda (Christopher ) Mills. Mrs. Parmelee graduated from Meriden High School and from the School of Physical Therapy in New Haven. Mr. and Mrs. Parmelee have five children, all of whom were born in Middletown: 1. Richard, Jr. 2. Joan. 3. Thomas C. 4. Ann. 5. Beth.
FREDERICK B. FACIUS
The dealer for Buick and Cadillac automobiles in Middletown, Mr. Facius is also prominent as an industrialist. He is the chairman of the board and treasurer of the Russell Manufacturing Company of Middletown, and he was responsible for the company's reorganiza- tion and for its remaining in Middletown. He is a director of the Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank of Middletown and he is a member of the advisory board of the Hartford National Bank and Trust Company of Middletown.
Mr. Facius was born in Middletown on December 7, 1902, the son of Anton Facius and of Sophie (Grimm) Facius. He attended Middletown High School for one year, and then started to work for the Russell Manufacturing Company at the age of fourteen. He en- tered the automobile field in 1921 when he became associated with the F. L. Caulkins Auto Company of Middletown, a firm which had dealt
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in Cadillac automobiles since 1903 and had been Buick dealers since 1906. Mr. Facius became a member of the firm in 1923, and it was in 1941 that he became the owner of the firm.
A member of the Middletown Board of Education and a director of Middlesex Hospital, Mr. Facius is a noted sportsman. Hunting, fishing and yachting are his favorite recreations. He is a member of the Middletown Yacht Club, the Nictau Fish and Game Club of Nictau, New Brunswick, Canada, and the East Haddam Fish and Game Club of East Haddam, Connecticut.
He was married in East Berlin, Connecticut, on June 15, 1927, to Theresa C. Krauth, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Krauth. Mr. and Mrs. Facius have four children, all of whom were born in Middletown : 1. Joan, graduated from Laurelton Hall in Milford, Con- necticut, is now married to Joseph Murphy of Middletown, and they have one son, Michael Joseph. 2. Mary, attended Dana Hail in Wel- lesley, Massachusetts, and graduated from Briarcliff College. 3. Fred- erick, Jr., graduated from Middletown High School. 4. Elizabeth, at- tended the Middletown public schools.
THEODORE J. RACZKA
Active in the practice of law in Middletown since 1941, and a trustee of the City Savings Bank of Middletown, Mr. Raczka is a member of the American Bar Association, the Connecticut State Bar Association, and the Middlesex County Bar Association.
He was born in Middletown on June 3, 1917, the son of Alexander Raczka and of Victoria (Adamczyk) Raczka. His father is a retired employee of the Russell Manufacturing Company of Middletown. Mr. Raczka graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Middletown, obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University in 1938, and received the degree of Bachelor of Laws from Yale Uni- versity Law School in 1941. During World War II, Mr. Raczka served in the United States Army from 1942 to 1946 with the rank of captain and he saw action in the Pacific Theater of Operations.
Admitted to the Connecticut Bar in 1941, he established his law practice in Middletown, he is a member of the Middletown Board of Education and he is a former trustee of the Connecticut State Hos- pital in Middletown. He is active in the Middletown Rotary Club, gardening is his favorite hobby, and he attends religious worship at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Middletown.
Mr. Raczka was married on May 6, 1946, in Middletown to Laura
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Maron, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Maron. Mrs. Raczka graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Middletown. Mr. and Mrs. Raczka have two children: 1. Catherine Victoria, born in Middletown on July 10, 1948, and a student at Spencer School. 2. Theodore, Jr., born on February 19, 1950, and a student at Spencer School.
ERNEST A. BAILEY
Ernest A. Bailey started his career in the Essex Savings Bank, Essex, Connecticut, in 1895. He became its secretary and treasurer in 1907, at which time he was the youngest savings bank treasurer in the State of Connecticut. In 1954 Mr. Bailey was made president of the bank, an office he stills holds.
Believing there was need in Essex for a Trust Company, he was instrumental in organizing The Bankers Trust Company of Essex in 1925, serving as its first president until June 1958, when it merged with the Riverside Trust Company of Hartford, Connecticut. Mr. Bailey is now chairman of the advisory board of the Essex branch of the Riverside Trust Company.
Mr. Bailey was born in Essex, Connecticut on August 22nd, 1878, son of Wesley C. Bailey and Ellen (Buckingham) Bailey. He attended local schools, and later went to New York to further his education.
When Mr. Bailey entered the Savings Bank, he was a lad of seventeen, and began his career by doing everything from shoveling sidewalks in winter and attending the coal stove, to cutting the grass in the summer.
The office of town treasurer was held by Mr. Bailey for forty- four years continuously. He has been active in community and social organizations, is a contributor to the Congregational Church and is interested in its growth and activities. Horseback riding is his favorite sport, he still rides and has today two very fine riding horses.
He was married in Essex, Connecticut, on December 1, 1917, to Maude S. Staples, daughter of Elias W. and Abilene (Pratt) Staples.
SIBAL, HEFFERAN AND GRIFFIN
Three partners, Abner Woodruff Sibal, Harry Howard Hef- feran, Jr., and Fred Leonard Griffin, formed the law firm of Sibal, Hefferan and Griffin in Norwalk in 1952, taking offices in the Fair-
EinenMy Daily
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field County Trust Company Building. Through these partners, the firm operates in all departments in the general practice of law.
Abner Woodruff Sibal was born April II, 1921, at Ridgewood, New York, and received his degree of Bachelor of Arts at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, in 1943. In 1949 he received his degree of Bachelor of Laws at St. John's University, and at that time started his practice in Norwalk. He served as a first lieutenant in the army during World War II, and saw service both in Europe and in the Pacific. A Republican, he served as assistant prosecuting attorney of Norwalk from 1951-1953 and as prosecuting attorney from 1953 through 1955. In 1956 he was elected to the State Senate and re-elected in 1958 during which term he served as minority leader. Mr. Sibal is married to Mary Ellen Igou. They have two children: Susan and John.
Harry Howard Hefferan, Jr., was born in Norwalk on Decem- ber 20, 1925 the son of Dr. Harry H. Hefferan and Madeleine Hef- feran of Norwalk. He attended Georgetown University, where he re- ceived the degree of Bachelor of Science in 1948, and the Bachelor of Laws degree in 1950. In 1951 he started practice in Norwalk. He served as prosecuting attorney for Norwalk from 1955 to 1959. He is a Democrat. Mr. Hefferan served in the United States Navy in World War II, being in the Pacific as a quartermaster third class. He is married to Catherine R. Sharon. They have five children: Paul, Lee, Sharon, Michael and Stephen.
Fred Leonard Griffin was born in Phillipstown, New York, on April 2, 1901. In 1924 he received his degree of Bachelor of Laws from Brooklyn Law School of St. Lawrence University. He started practice of law in Stamford in 1925, moved to Norwalk in 1942, and practiced there for ten years previous to the founding of the pre- sent partnership. Mr. Griffin is married to Ruth Denney. They are the parents of two children : Mabel and William.
JOHN BROWN COOK
From the beginning of his career in the electrical industry, John Brown Cook has been with the Reliable Electric Company, and has advanced to the position of president of that organization. He now heads two other firms as well: the Whitney Blake Company, and Koiled Kords, Inc., both of New Haven. He has taken an in- fluential part in community affairs.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 4, 1908, he is a son of Wallace
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L. and Mary Ethel (Lemon) Cook. His father had come from still farther west, having been born at Sioux City, Iowa, on October II, 1879. He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1900, twenty- three years after both of his parents had graduated from the same institution. From 1903 until 1913, he was engaged in equipment en- gineering and railroad sales work for Western Electric Company. He left in the latter year to purchase a controlling interest in the Reliable Electric Company of Chicago, Illinois, and became its presi- dent in 1918. Continuing as its active head for more than two de- cades, he became chairman of the board in 1940, a position he held until his death, April 26, 1958. Toward the end of this time he was instrumental in the planning and completion of their present modern plant at Franklin Park, Illinois. Meantime, in 1938, Wallace L. Cock had purchased an interest in the Whitney Blake Company, wire and cable manufacturers, in New Haven. He was also founding member of the Cook Foundation of Hamden, which provides for charitable contributions and college scholarships primarily within the Whitney Blake and Reliable Electric companies. He also helped organize Koiled Kords, Inc., a Whitney Blake affiliate. Mr. Cook was a member of the lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, the Knights Templar Con- mandery, the Quinnipiac Club of New Haven, the Lotus Club of New York City, the Chicago Athletic Club, and the American In- stitute of Electrical Engineers. Mary Ethel Lemon, whom he mar- ried, was born in 1877 in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. She lost her life in an automobile accident in 1938.
Completing his public school education in his native city of Chi -. cago, John Brown Cook graduated from University High School in that city in 1925. He then entered Dartmouth College, where he took his degree of Bachelor of Arts in Science in 1929, having majored in physics. After completion of his college courses, he joined his father in the Reliable Electric Company. He served as executive vice presi- dent of this firm until 1942, and since that time has been its president. He is also a member of its board of directors. Mr. Cook has filled other than executive roles with the company, having invented new products which it manufactures, and acting as administrator in manu- facturing and distribution.
A director of Whitney Blake Company since 1940, Mr. Cook was elected president of that firm in 1947. He has his office at its headquarters in Hamden. Whitney Blake is one of the oldest man !- facturers of flexible cord. Starting in New York as the Goodyear Rubber Insulating Company in 1899, only twenty years after the
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first rubber extruding machine came into use, the company first manu- factured flexible cords and then, to meet the needs of a new era, socn entered the telephone wire field, expanding into a new Whitney Blake plant at the present location in 1912. For many years Whitney Blake supplied wire to the Western Electric Company until that organiza - tion began to manufacture telephone wire itself.
Expanding along with the electrical industry, the Whitney Blake Company has continuously maintained high quality and has improved efficiency by means of new developments, new equipment and closer production control-in a plant which has grown to over six acres of one-story factory area
Whitney Blake is highly regarded throughout the telephone in- dustry by both Bell and independent companies, and also among manu- facturers of appliances. Whitney Blake flexibles and telephone wircs and cables are stocked by distributors throughout the country, with heavy sales stress on the reputation of the distributor and on the quality of the product. During both the first and second World Wars Whitney Blake produced millions of miles of wire for military use. Whitney Blake products are sold throughout the free world and in this country the company maintains sales representatives in all the principal cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia and San Francisco. Mr. Cook has also been president of Koiled Kords, Inc., of New Haven since 1949.
He was founder, with his father and his wife Marian of the Cook Foundation, which was established in 1952. Since 1947 he has been a director of the Michigan Avenue National Bank of Chicago. A con- nection which he formerly held in that city was that of president and trustee of the Library of International Relations, from 1943 to 1947.
As an industrialist in the electrical industry, he is a member of the Electrical Manufacturers Club, the American Institute of Elec- trical Engineers, and the Armed Forces Communications and En- gineering Association. He belongs to Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and the Free and Accepted Masons. In his home city of New Haven, he is a director of the Chamber of Commerce and of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, and a member of the Quinnipiac Club, the New Haven Lawn Club and New Haven Country Club. Member- ships elsewhere include the Lotus Club of New York City, the Chicago Athletic Association, the Racquet Club of Chicago, and the Paradise Valley Racquet Club of Phoenix, Arizona. He is a Protestant in re- ligious faith, and a Republican in politics.
Mr. Cook has an interesting hobby: magic. He is a well-known
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figure in magicians' circles nationwide, having served as president of the Society of American Magicians as well as president of the New Haven Magic Society. He is the author of books and articles on the subject.
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