USA > Connecticut > History of Connecticut, Volume IV > Part 6
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In his native city of Chicago, on November 17, 1943, John Brown Cook married Marian Frances Miner. She was born there on January 16, 1919, daughter of Albert Sayles and Helen (Butler) Miner. Mrs. Cook graduated from Schurz High School in Chicago and attended Northwestern University. She is a member of the Service Club of Chicago. She and her husband are the parents of two children: I. Marcia Mary, who was born September 5, 1944. She is a student at Miss Porter's School, Farmington, Connecticut. 2. Gregory Miner, born on January 28, 1949. He is attending Hamden Hall in Hamden. Both of the children were born in Chicago.
RIGHT REVEREND MONSIGNOR JOHN J. MCGRATH
Pastor of Saint John's Roman Catholic Church in Middletown, since 1948, and a priest in the Catholic Church for more than forty years, Monsignor McGrath is a leading figure in the clergy of the Norwich diocese.
He was born in Waterbury, the son of Thomas M. McGrath and of Alice (McGrath) McGrath. His parents were born in Ireland and came to the United States in their youth. They married and settled in Waterbury, and Monsignor McGrath's father, now deceased, was a machinist with the Farrell Foundry of Waterbury. Monsignor Mc- Grath attended the Waterbury public schools and Crosby High School in Waterbury. He then attended Niagara University, where he ob- tained the degree of Master of Arts and he was ordained in the priesthood at Saint Joseph's Cathedral, Buffalo, New York, in 1914. He was an outstanding athlete in his student days. During World War I, he served as a chaplain in the United States Army in Europe with the rank of first lieutenant.
Monsignor McGrath served as a curate at Saint John's Church in Stamford, Connecticut, from 1914 to 1917. He was a curate at Saint Rose's in Meriden in 1917 and 1918, at Saint Mary's, New Lon- don, from 1919 to 1924, and at Saint Peter's, Hartford, from 1924 to 1927. He became pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Wash- ington, Connecticut, in 1927; he served as pastor of Saint Thomas's Church in Thomaston, Connecticut, from 1934 to 1948; and it was in 1948 that he assumed his present post as pastor of Saint John's
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Church of Middletown, Connecticut. He was created a Monsignor in the Catholic Church in 1955.
Monsignor McGrath is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and has taken an active interest in civic and religious life in Middletown.
CHARLES B. BACON
President of Bacon Brothers, Incorporated, of Middletown, and associated with the company since 1929, Mr. Bacon is a registered professional engineer in the State of Connecticut. He is also a director of the Middletown Savings Bank.
He was born in Middletown on March 13, 1906, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Paddock Bacon. His father, with his brother, Henry Bacon, founded the firm of Bacon Brothers in 1899. Henry Bacon retired from the business in 1930, and the firm continued under the direction of Mr. Charles Bacon and his father. When the company was incorporated in January 1946, Mr. Bacon's father became presi- dent and he served in this post until his death on March 18, 1954.
Mr. Bacon graduated from Middletown High School and Chaun- cey Hall School in Boston, and he obtained the degree of Bachelor of Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1929. He joined the firm of Bacon Brothers upon graduation, and he became a partner with his father in 1930, when his uncle, Henry Bacon, retired from the firm. He has held the post of president of Bacon Brothers, In- corporated, since his father's death in 1954.
A past president of the Middletown Rotary Club and past presi- dent of the Middletown Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Bacon is a mem- ber of the board of directors of Middlesex Memorial Hospital. He attends religious services at the First Church of Christ, Congrega- tional in Middletown, and he is a member of the board of trustees of the church.
Mr. Bacon was married on October 4, 1930 to Mary Elizabeth Gardner, the daughter of Roscoe H. Gardner and of Elsie L. (Leech) Gardner of Rocky Hill, Connecticut. Mrs. Bacon graduated from Mid- dletown High School and obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts from Radcliffe College.
Mr. and Mrs. Bacon have six children: 1. Mary Anne, born on August 14, 1931, graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School and obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts at Duke University. She is married to William L. Tuttle, who is associated with Bacon Brothers,
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Incorporated. Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle have three children: i. Stephen Bacon, born July 2, 1954. ii. Susan Elizabeth, born October 16, 1956. iii. Nancy Atwell, born August 28, 1958. 2. Charles William, born on June 22, 1934, studied at Woodrow Wilson High School, graduated from Loomis Institute, and obtained the degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology in 1957. He is now employed by Lennox Industries, Inc., at Marshalltown, Iowa. He married Mary Elizabeth Meyfaith, and they have one child, Barbara Diane, born July 28, 1958. 3. Carolyn Hart, born on April 28, 1938, graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School and is now a student at Bard University. 4. John Thomas, born on February 27, 1941, graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1957 and is now a student at Monson Academy, Monson, Massa- chusetts. 5. Jeannette Susan, born on August 5, 1943, is a student at Woodrow Wilson High School. 6. David Gardner, born on September 25, 1946, is a student at Woodrow Wilson Junior High School.
REVEREND RICHARD DAVID CURTIN
A member of the Catholic Priesthood since 1934, Father Curtin has been pastor of Saint Sebastian's Roman Catholic Church in Mid- dletown, since 1952. He was born in Hartford, on November 10, 1909, the son of Richard J. Curtin and of Nellie (Lombard) Curtin. His father, a machinist by trade, was an employee of the Underwood Typewriter Company for forty years. He died on April 2, 1957, at the age of eighty. Father Curtin's mother died in June, 1914.
Father Curtin graduated from Saint Joseph's Cathedral School in Hartford, obtained the degree of Bachelor of Science at Saint Thomas Seminary in 1929, and then prepared for the priesthood at North American College in Rome, Italy, receiving the degree of Doc- tor of Philosophy in 1931, and the degree of Doctor of Sacred Theology in 1933. He was ordained to the Priesthood in Rome on July 22, 1934, and he returned to the United States in 1935 to become curate at Saint Donato's Church in New Haven. Curate at Saint John's Church in Cromwell, Connecticut, from 1942 to 1944, he then served as curate at Saint Joseph's Church in New Britain from 1944 to 1948, and at Saint Mary's Church in Derby, Connecticut, from 1948 to 1952. He has been pastor of Saint Sebastian's Church in Middletown since 1952.
A Fourth-Degree member of the Knights of Columbus, Father Curtin turns to golf and fishing as his favorite sports.
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STURGES G. REDFIELD, JR.
President of the Clinton National Bank of Clinton, Connecticut, since 1954, and a sales representative for the Fairbanks Company for twenty years, Mr. Redfield is a member of the Clinton Library Board and of the Clinton Finance Board.
He was born in Clinton on January 20, 1895, the son of Sturges G. Redfield and of Mary Hill (McAlley) Redfield. His father, born in Clinton, was president of the Clinton National Bank and died in 1932. Mr. Redfield's mother was born in Brooklyn, New York, and died in 1919. Mr. Redfield graduated from Morgan High School, he attended Boston University, and he graduated from Bryant-Stratton Business College in Boston, Massachusetts.
Mr. Redfield became associated with the Fairbanks Company in 1914, working in the sales department, and he later became manager of two branches in New England. He has been sales representative for more than twenty years. He is a member of the Clinton Historical Society, he holds membership in Harmony Masonic Lodge No. 9 of Providence, Rhode Island, and his social connections include member- ship in the Thames Club of New London. He is a member of the board of directors and treasurer of the Henry Carter Hall Library of Clinton. Boating is his favorite sport. He attends religious services at the First Congregational Church of Clinton, and he is senior deacon of the church.
Mr. Redfield was married in Providence, Rhode Island, on No- vember 25, 1938, to Muriel J. Jackson of Providence, Rhode Island.
HARRY W. EDELBERG
In the past decade and a half since his professional career began, Harry W. Edelberg has practiced law in Middletown. He has twice held office as clerk of the municipal court there.
A native of the city, he was born on May 14, 1916, son of Simon and Hessie (Bischkoff) Edelberg. His mother died on June 24, 1934, but his father is still living, although now retired from his occupation as merchant. After he had attended Central Grammar School and graduated from Middletown High School, Harry W. Edelberg entered Wesleyan University, where he graduated in 1937 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. For his professional training, he entered Fordham Law School. There he received his degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1943. In July of that year he was admitted to practice in Connecticut.
Returning to his native city of Middletown, Mr. Edelberg opened
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offices there and has practiced there since. Before he had been there long, he was chosen, in 1945, to fill the office of clerk of the municipal court. He served until 1949, and again from 1951 to 1955. As a lawyer, he holds membership in the American Bar Association, the State Bar Association of Connecticut, and the bar association of his county. His nonprofessional memberships include the Middletown Exchange Club, and his religious affiliation is with Congregation Adath Israel.
On June 14, 1942, at Brooklyn, New York, Harry W. Edelberg married Ann Wainess, a native of that borough of New York City, and daughter of Nathaniel and Pauline (Brenner) Wainess. Both of her parents are deceased. Mrs. Edelberg attended Brooklyn College. The couple are the parents of three children: I. Jay Wayne, who was born at Middletown on February 26, 1947. He is attending Central Grammar School, where his father was once a student. 2. Paul Bren- ner, born at Middletown on April 6, 1950; also attending Central Grammar School. 3. Roger Keith, born on August 16, 1953; attending Stillmann School.
LEON JACQUES BASCOM
Leon Jacques Bascom practices law in New London as a member of the firm of Bascom and O'Brien, with offices in the Federal Sav- ings and Loan Building. He is a bank official as well as a lawyer, and has held several public offices.
A native of New London, he was born on July 24, 1905, son of Edward and Anna (Jacques) Bascom. Both of his parents are de- ceased. After attending local schools and graduating from Bulkley High School in 1922, he began his professional studies at New York University, taking his degree of Bachelor of Laws there in 1927. The following year he was admitted to practice in Connecticut. He has practiced in New London since that time, and formed the firm of Bascom and O'Brien, in partnership with Edmund W. O'Brien, in 1950. They have Donald O'Brien as an associate, and conduct a general practice. They serve as counsel for The Connecticut Power Company, Hartford Electric Light Comapny, New London Federal Savings and Loan Association, Southern New England Contractors' Supply Company, Federal Paper Board Company, United Services Automobile Association, and the towns of Waterford, East Lyme and Old Lyme. Mr. Bascom is chairman of the board and attorney for the Winthrop Trust Company of New London, and director and attorney for New London Federal Savings and Loan Association.
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From 1929 to 1946, Mr. Bascom served as prosecuting attorney of the Town of Waterford. He was clerk of probate court for the District of East Lyme from 1930 to 1934. A member of the New London County Bar Association, he served as its president in 1948, and he is also a member of the American Bar Association and the State Bar Association of Connecticut. His nonprofessional member- ships include The Thames Club, and Hammonaset Fish and Game Club of Madison.
On May 5, 1940, Leon Jacques Bascom married Esther Osborne, daughter of Edward and Ada P. (Mayer) Randall. Mrs. Bascom is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts. The couple are the parents of one son, Hunt, who was born in New London on April 19, 1941. He is attending Phillips Andover Academy.
HOWARD B. SMITH
President, treasurer and a director of the Middletown Savings Bank of Middletown, Connecticut, and a director of the Mutual In- vestment Fund Savings Bank Association, Mr. Smith has been active in the banking field for more than thirty years. He is a past president of the Middletown Community Chest.
Mr. Smith was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 3, 1904, the son of Peter L. Smith and of Dora (Bostwick) Smith. His father for many years was general plant engineer for the Crompton and Knowles Loom Works in Worcester. Mr. Smith's mother is now deceased. Mr. Smith graduated from South High School in Wor- cester and then attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He entered the Worcester County Institute for Savings in 1927 as a clerk, later becoming mortgage officer, and he became director of the Department of Mortgage Finance of the American Bankers Association in New York in 1944. It was in 1947 that Mr. Smith came to Middletown, Connecticut, as treasurer of the Middletown Savings Bank, and he became president of the bank in 1952.
He has been active in community and social organizations, is a former director of the Middlesex Memorial Hospital, is vice president of the Middletown Young Men's Christian Association, and is a mem- ber of the Parking Authority of Middletown. He enjoys social connec- tions as a member of the Exchange Club of Middletown and the Hartford Club of Hartford, Connecticut, and he attends religious services at the Third Congregational Church of Middletown.
Mr. Smith was married to Florence Bourke of Worcester, Massa-
Conn. IV-5
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chusetts, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith have one son, Howard M., born in Worcester in 1928. He graduated from North High School in Wor- cester, and then obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts from the University of New Hampshire. He is now associated with the Wor- cester County Institute for Savings in Worcester, Massachusetts, and is married to Norma Donahue of Worcester. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have three children : Lynn, Kevin, and Dennis.
GEORGE HENRY METTLER
Two decades ago, George Henry Mettler, in partnership with his brother Rollin, founded the M B Manufacturing Company at New Haven. It is now a division of Textron Electronics, Inc., but Mr. Mettler remains president of the division, which maintains its preeminence in the testing vibration machinery and equipment field.
A native of New Haven, George H. Mettler was born on Janu- ary II, 1915, a son of Casper and Anna Marie (Aninger) Mettler. His father, who was born in Switzerland on May 12, 1870, came to this country in 1888 and settled first in Vermont, moving from there to New Haven about 1892. He followed the trade of machinist until his death in 1930. Anna Marie Aninger, whom he married, was born in Germany on May 6, 1869, and died in 1931.
George H. Mettler attended Hopkins Grammar School in New Haven, and later entered Yale University, where he took his degree of Bachelor of Science in Engineering in 1937. He spent the first six months of his industrial career with the Waterbury Manufacturing Company at Waterbury, Connecticut, then moved back to his native city of New Haven. There, in February, 1938, he joined his brother Rollin, and they established the M B Manufacturing Company. It began its existence with four employees in addition to the brothers, and did contract machine work. In the years which followed it con- tinued to expand its operations and increase its volume of trade. In 1954 the brothers sold the company to Textron, which continues to operate it as a division, but under its own original name. Under the new management, George H. Mettler continued as president, and Rol- lin Mettler as vice president. The extent of its growth is indicated by the present size of its payroll, which lists seven hundred employees. Its manufactured output consists chiefly of vibration testing ma- chinery and equipment, although it still does a great deal of contract machine work.
Mr. Mettler is a member of the New Haven County Manufac-
georgess. Matthes
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turers Association, Aerospace Industries Association, the New Haven Chamber of Commerce, Union League, Quinnipiac Club, New Haven Country Club, Winged Foot Golf Club, Hartford Canoe Club and Yale Golf Club. He and his family attend the Lutheran Church.
In his native city on April 30, 1938, George Henry Mettler mar- ried Elizabeth Kurz. Born in New Haven on September 10, 1915, she is a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Finn) Kurz. Elizabeth Finn was born at Kent. Mrs. Mettler graduated from Hillhouse High School in New Haven and from a local business college, Stone. She is active in the local Garden Club and in various women's organiza- tions. The couple are the parents of two children: I. Maryann, born on December 9, 1939, in New Haven. A graduate of Emma Willard Academy at Troy, New York, she is now attending Vassar College at Poughkeepsie in that state. 2. George Henry, Jr., who was born on November 17, 1942, in New Haven.
DAVID ALBERT CARLSON
Practicing law in his native city of Portland since the mid-1930S, David Albert Carlson has concentrated his attention on those phases of the law dealing with real property, wills, and administrations. He has served as president of both his city's and his county's bar associa- tions.
Born in Portland on October 14, 1892, he is a son of Charles Carlson and Ellen (Brinkman) Carlson. He attended local schools, graduated from Portland High School, and some years later, deciding upon a career in the law, enrolled at Hartford College of Law, where he was a student from 1930 to 1932. Mr. Carlson was admitted to the bar of the State of Connecticut in 1935.
Before he completed his law training, he had served as city editor of the Middletown Press, and he had also held several public offices, becoming town clerk of Portland in 1920, and secretary of its board of education the same year. In 1927, he took his seat in the General Assembly of Connecticut, having been elected a representa- tive from Portland, and served until 1929. Concurrently with his law practice, Mr. Carlson has continued to serve as town clerk. Also, since 1920, he has been secretary and director of the Portland Build- ing and Loan Association, having assumed these offices when the bank was founded. He is a member of the advisory board of Riverside Trust Company, Portland Branch, and he is currently serving as presi- dent of Swedish Cemetery Association of Portland. During World War I, he was a member and secretary of the Portland War Bureau.
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Mr. Carlson served as president of the Middletown Bar Associa- tion in 1941, and as president of the Middlesex Country Bar Associa- tion in 1952. He is a former chairman of the Bar Grievance Committee for Middlesex County. He is a member of the State Bar Association of Connecticut and the American Bar Association. Affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons, Mr. Carlson is a member and past master of Warren Lodge at Portland. He also belongs to that city's lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
On March 8, 1930, David Albert Carlson married Helen Hed- strom, daughter of C. O. and Julia ( Anderson) Hedstrom. Her father developed and placed on the market the Indian Motorcycle. He is still living, at the age of eighty-seven, although Mrs. Hedstrom is de- ceased. Mr. and Mrs. Carlson have no children.
WILLIAM F. BRIGGS
William F. Briggs of Portland is president of the Valley Oil Company, Inc., and has held a number of offices in oilmen's groups, as well as in banks and business corporations in his home area. He is a native of Middletown, and was born on July 29, 1902, son of Charles N. and Trula M. (Pease) Briggs. Both of his parents are deceased.
Attending local schools, William F. Briggs graduated from Mid- dletown High School, and he attended Springfield College at Spring- field, Massachusetts. He has since received an honorary degree of Master of Humanics there. During the years from 1927 to 1944, he was working as secretary of the Young Men's Christian Associations at Middletown, Waterbury, and Rochester, New York. However, in 1943, he was named president of the Valley Oil Company, Inc., of Portland, and resigned from his Y. M. C. A. connection the following year to devote his full time to the new job. He has headed the petro- leum firm since that time. He is a member and past president of the Oil Heat Institute of New England, and a member of the National Fuel Oil Committee of the American Petroleum Institute. Mr. Briggs is also a member of the National Fuel Oil Committee of the National Oil Jobbers Association.
Mr. Briggs is a member of the advisory board of the Hartford National Bank and Trust Company, Middletown Branch, and a direc- tor of the Rockfall Corporation of Middletown. He is an incorporator of the Middletown Savings Bank, and was formerly a director of Wilcox-Crittenden Company, Inc., of Middletown. He is president of Middlesex Associates, Inc., of Portland.
He has retained his interest in the affairs of the Young Men's
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Christian Association, and is a director and past president of the Y. M. C. A. at Middletown. He is also president of the board of trus- tees of Long Lane School for Girls, and a director of the Middlesex Memorial Hospital. He is a member and past vice president of the Middletown Chamber of Commerce, and has taken a full part in community welfare work. A director of the Middletown Community Chest, he formerly served as its president; and he is also a director of the Middletown United Fund.
Mr. Briggs is a director of the Connecticut Petroleum Associa- tion, and a member of the Middleton Exchange Club. He is a member of the Edgewood Country Club of Cromwell, and belongs to lodge No. 771 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Middletown. A Thirty-second degree mason, he belongs to York and Scottish Rite bodies, and is af- filiated with St. John's lodge No. 2 of Middletown, and with Sphinx Temple of the Shrine, at Hartford. He is a communicant of the Third Congregational Church of Middletown.
On August 18, 1928, at Waterbury, William F. Briggs married Dorothy E. Porteous, daughter of James H. and Josephine (White) Porteous. Mrs. Briggs is a graduate of Middletown High School and the Smith Froebel Institute in Bridgeport. The couple are the parents of the following children : I. William F., Jr., who was born at Water- bury on July 5, 1929. He is a graduate of Northwood School at Lake Placid, New York, and in 1953 took his degree of Bachelor of Science at Oberlin College. He served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy, aboard a mine-sweeper. He is now with the Valley Oil Company. William F. Briggs, Jr., married Barbara White of Middletown, who was a registered nurse. They have three children: i. Charles William. ii. Cynthia. iii. Cathleen Louise. 2. Robert Harold, born at Waterbury on July 21, 1932. He graduated from the Admiral Billard Academy at New London and from the University of Rochester, where he took his degree of Bachelor of Science. He then entered the United States Navy, serving in its air arm during 1954-1955. Robert Briggs married Barbara Thurner, a registered nurse, and they have two children: i. Scott Robert. ii. Lisa. He is associated with his father and brother in the Valley Oil Company.
REV. JAMES T. BUTLER
A little more than a decade ago, the Rev. James T. Butler assumed duties as pastor of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Portland, bringing with him ample experience in parish work, and inspiring de-
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votion to his faith. He has served there as priest since, and has been active in community and organizational affairs.
Born at Naugatuck on October 13, 1887, he is a son of Michael and Catherine (McCarthy) Butler. His father was a teamster, and is now deceased. Father Butler received his early education in the public schools of Naugatuck, and graduated from high school there in 191I. During his high school days he excelled in athletics. He next entered St. Thomas' Seminary in Hartford, where he graduated in 1913; and he went from there to St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland, remaining until 1918. On December 21, of that year he was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood at the Cathedral in Hartford. How- ever, he took further courses at Catholic University in Washington, D. C., in 1920.
His first assignment was as assistant pastor of St. Francis' Church in Naugatuck. He was next assigned to the Church of St. Francis Xavier in Waterbury, going there in 1919 and remaining until 1932. While at Waterbury, he was chaplain to both the Police and Fire departments, as well as to the Knights of Columbus. His next assignment was to St. Mary's Church in New London, where for four years he served as assistant pastor, and he was administrator there after the death of the Rev. Timothy Crowley, LL.D. In 1936 he was appointed pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Chester, and re- mained there for a decade, until called to the pastorate of St. Mary's Church at Portland in 1946.
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