USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume III > Part 12
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Every drop of Worden's milk is laboratory tested, weighed, clarified, and perfectly pasteurized, and then placed in a large refrigerator until ready to go out to maintain the Worden name for high standard. The methods used in testing milk are inter- esting. As the milk is trucked in from Watertown and Wood- bury each morning an expert lifts the can covers and his keen nose tells him instantly if the milk is fresh, of proper tempera- ture and scent. If it is not it goes to one side. It it passes the first test it is weighed and a sample taken for the laboratory. From the weighing tank the milk is sent through sanitary piping to
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twenty-six years of its existence and its aim is to uphold the prin- ciples laid down by R. F. Worden by giving the people nothing but the best in ice cream and safe dairy products. Some idea of the progress made by R. F. Worden & Sons, Inc., may be gained from the fact that in 1908 their activities were confined to three retail routes and one wholesale route, while they now cover forty- one retail and six wholesale milk routes, and deliver their product within a radius of twenty miles of Waterbury, maintaining de- livery service to Meriden, Derby, Shelton and New Britain. More- over, they operate two branches, one in Ansonia, and the other in Bristol, Connecticut. The volume of their business is twice as large as that of their nearest competitor, making the enterprise one of the foremost in Waterbury.
The present officers of the corporation are : Arthur D. Worden, president and treasurer; Carroll Hincks, secretary; R. C. Fisher, vice president and general manager; and Harry H. Cashin, ad- vertising and sales manager.
Robert Franklin Worden, formerly president and treasurer of R. F. Worden & Sons, Inc., was born at Wappingers Falls, New York, June 26, 1858, a son of Robert and Lucy (Hildreth) Wor- den. Robert Worden, Sr., was a native of England and when a lad of ten years crossed the Atlantic to the United States in com- pany with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Worden. A contempo- rary writer wrote: "His home in the new land was the town of Wappingers Falls, New York, and he there at an early age iden- tified himself with the community's life and in the course of time became a prominent figure. He engaged in a mercantile business there and also kept a successful livery stable, but the connection in which he was best known in the town of his adoption was that of music, in which line he was something of a genius, and his enthusiasm was such that he communicated it to others, so that the concerts which he gave under the name of the Worden family were most popular and achieved a fame that extended beyond the limits of the community. He and his wife were the parents of seven children, the youngest being Robert Franklin Worden. The father died in October, 1857, when still a young man, and before the birth of his son, and when the lad had reached the age of seven months the mother died, leaving him, the youngest of seven chil- dren, in charge of his sisters, who cared for him and brought him up. His educational advantages were limited and he began work
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when but thirteen years of age, securing a position with a safe deposit concern in New York city. From there he made his way into the state of Connecticut, where he obtained employment on a farm. He remained on the farm for about five years and from there returned to New York, making his home on this occasion in Brooklyn for five years more. Subsequently he resided for four years in Torrington, Connecticut, where he learned the trade of brass casting, which he followed for a quarter of a century. In 1890 Mr. Worden came to Waterbury, which city has remained his home and the scene of his active business life throughout the intervening period of four decades. Later he established himself in the milk business, an enterprise that has grown to such an extent that it has become one of the most important in Water- bury."
On the 4th of October, 1881, Mr. Worden was married in Brooklyn, New York, to Miss Isabella Duncan Wood, a native of New York city, born December 26, 1858, who passed away July 21, 1915, when fifty-seven years of age. They were the parents of three sons, namely : Clarence H., born July 15, 1882, who mar- ried Miss Carrie Phillips, of Springfield, Massachusetts; Arthur D., who was born December 20, 1884, and married Miss Hor- tense Wildman, of Waterbury; and Howard F., born February 5, 1888, who married Miss Ruth Conibal, of Greenfield, Massachu- setts.
Fraternally Mr. Worden was identified with the Knights of Pythias and the United Workmen of America. A man of marked business ability, clear vision and strong character, he measured up to high standards in every relation of life, enjoying to the fullest extent the esteem and confidence of those who knew him, and his passing on November 4, 1922, occasioned deep and wide- spread regret.
HON. FREDERICK M. CLARK
Hon. Frederick M. Clark, who is serving for the second term as a member of the Connecticut legislature, has always resided in Milford and is a man of large affairs and keen powers of dis- cernment, widely known as the vice president of the Associated Seed Growers, Inc., of New Haven, an extensive business which
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owes its inception and development to the Clark family. He was born in Orange, Connecticut, November 24, 1874, and is one of the five children of Everett Bryan and Charlotte C. (Woodruff) Clark. The father started as a seed grower in 1857 and was the first to enter the business in this part of the country. He con- ducted the business alone until 1890, when he formed the firm of Everett B. Clark & Sons, and operated under that nomenclature until 1897, when the name was changed to The Everett B. Clark Seed Company, of which he was elected president, thus serving until his death in 1905.
The educational advantages of Frederick M. Clark were those afforded by the public school system of Connecticut and when his textbooks were laid aside he joined his father and brothers in the seed business, to which he has since given his attention. He was one of the incorporators of The Everett B. Clark Seed Company, becoming secretary and treasurer of this concern, which was the first to engage in the commercial growing of seed corn. The firm not only raised seeds of the most popular varieties of vegetables but also produced new varieties and was notably successful in its undertakings. Eight hundred acres of land were acquired by the company in Orange and vicinity, and equipment was pur- chased for the raising, storing and distribution of seeds. Parti- cular attention was given to the growing of sweet corn, peas and beans, and as the business increased branch houses, growing sta- tions and warehouses were established in East Jordan, Michigan ; Green Bay, Wisconsin; St. Anthony, Idaho; Bozeman, Montana; and Denver, Colorado. In 1928 The Everett B. Clark Seed Com- pany consolidated its interests with those of the John H. Allan Seed Company of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and N. B. Keeney & Son, Inc., of Le Roy, New York, thus forming the Associated Seed Growers Association, Inc., of which Frederick M. Clark is now vice president. Possessing a highly specialized knowledge of the business, executive power and keen discernment, he has con- tributed materially to the success of the new corporation, which now ranks with the largest growers and distributors of seeds in the country. He is also identified with financial affairs as a director of the Milford Trust Company.
Mr. Clark was married to Miss Anna Platt, also a member of one of Milford's old and prominent families, and they are the par-
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ents of three sons and a daughter, Merritt, Donald Newton, Jose- phine King and Newton Platt.
Mr. Clark was called to the presidency of the No-License Lea- gue of Milford and is also identified with the Sons of Veterans, while his wife is connected with the Daughters of the American Revolution and a number of organizations of a social and civic nature. He is likewise a Rotarian and a thirty-second degree Mason. In politics he is a republican and in 1926 was chosen to represent his district in the state legislature, to which he was reelected in 1928. During his tenure of office he has aided in securing the passage of many constructive measures and at all times has manifested a zealous and watchful regard of public rights. Since 1927 he has served on the finance board of the town of Milford, also doing valuable work in that connection. Mr. Clark shapes his conduct by the teachings of the Church of Christ, of which he is a trustee, and the influence which he exerts upon the life of his community is strong, beneficial and far-reaching.
OVIDE S. MONTAMBAULT
During the past quarter century and more Ovide S. Montam- bault has been actively engaged in business as president of the Franco-American Coal & Wood Company of Waterbury and has developed an extensive and profitable patronage in this connec- tion. He was born in Batiscan, Quebec, Canada, April 19, 1877, and acquired his education in the public schools of his native coun- try. It was in 1890, when a youth of thirteen, that he crossed the border into the United States and entered the employ of the New England Watch Company of Waterbury, Connecticut, the busi- ness of which was subsequently taken over by the Waterbury Clock Company. In the service of this corporation he continued for thirty years, thoroughly acquainting himself with the machin- ist trade, with tool making and with the operation of automatic screw machines in the making of parts for watches, clocks and tools. He supplemented his early educational training by attend- ance at night school and as he grew in knowledge and efficiency was steadily promoted until eventually he held the responsible position of foreman of the plant. In 1900, however, he had begun operating in real estate as a side line and four years later em-
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barked in the coal and wood business under the name of the Franco-American Coal & Wood Company. It was in 1920 that he severed his connection with the Waterbury Clock Company to devote his entire time and attention to the interests of the Franco- American Coal & Wood Company, of which he is president. The scope of his business activity is further indicated in the fact that he is also president and a director of the Sterling Stop Watch Company of New York city and a director of the Finance Realty Company and the Guaranty Service Corporation of Boston. He is also a director of the Mutual Loan Company, Inc., and of the Franco-American Company, a real estate holding company.
On the 6th of December, 1923, Mr. Montambault was united in marriage to Emma Creighton, of New York city. He exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the republican party and has a military record covering three years' service with old Company G, Connecticut National Guard, of which he was a member in 1905, 1906 and 1907. For fifteen years he was an amateur tumbler and high-wire walker and sub- sequently was a professional, traveling over the country for a few years. He is a charter member of the Brooklyn Athletic Club of Waterbury and for thirty-eight years has been a member of St. Jean the Baptiste, the leading French society of New England. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Elks and the Eagles, and he is president of the Franco-American Club of Waterbury, being widely known as one of the leading French-Americans of the city.
ANTHONY RALPH TETA
A versatile and talented young man, Anthony Ralph Teta has registered achievement in the field of music as well as in business affairs, gaining distinction as an organizer and leader of mili- tary bands and also proving his capacity for executive direction and administrative control as president of the Ideal Printing Company of New Haven. He was born in Saint Laurence, Italy, February 19, 1893, and was but nine months old when his parents came to the United States. His education was acquired in the Zunder and Webster schools of New Haven, and early in life he evinced a keen interest in and love for music. He pursued his studies under competent musical instructors, proving an apt
ANTHONY R. TETA
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pupil, and in 1914 made his first public appearance as leader of the New Haven Boys Band in the old Grand Opera House at a concert given in honor of Colonel Mosby, the great Confederate leader. In 1915 Mr. Teta organized the Boys Club Band and he also formed other bands, while he was likewise instructor of the Montrose Fife and Drum Corps.
Eager to aid in quelling the disturbance on the Mexican bor- der, Mr. Teta enlisted as a bugler June 22, 1916, and was the first non-Yale man to join D Battery, Tenth Regiment of Field Artillery. He was sent to Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, and soon afterward returned to New Haven, as the Mexican uprising was of short duration. In the spring of 1917 the United States joined the allies in the conflict with Germany, and the Second Regiment of the Connecticut National Guard was advised to increase its war strength. It was without a band and Captain Guinan and Lieutenant Wallace called upon Mr. Teta to organize a regi- mental band, a task which he performed with efficiency and despatch. On April 25, 1917, he was the first to enlist as a musi- cian, becoming a private in Headquarters Company of the Second Regiment of Connecticut Infantry, and entered the federal serv- ice on the 5th of August.
When the First Regiment of Hartford and the Second Regi- ment of New Haven camped at Yale field prior to the departure for overseas in September, 1917, the Second Regiment Band was selected as the official One Hundred and Second Infantry Band, with Mr. Teta as its leader, and in France he covered himself with glory by playing before President Wilson on Christmas day of 1918 at Mandres in the Haute Marne district. When the armistice was signed the band was called to the citadel of Ver- dun, where the organization was acclaimed by the French and allied troops. At that time the band received from the people of New Haven, sponsored by Colonel Morris G. Osborne, a gift of eight hundred dollars, with which new instruments were pur- chased, also vin rouge. The day following the armistice Lieu- tenant Carroll Reece, now Congressman Reece, ordered the mem- bers of the band to be transported in ration wagons to "No Man's Land," where they cheered the exhausted regiments and speeded up the departure of the Germans. At the presentation of the Croix de Guerre to the regimental colors the band played before a bevy of allied generals led by Marshal Petain. On the three
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hundred mile march back from the front after the armistice the band played most of the time. After returning to the United States Mr. Teta and his band led the parade in Boston and two days later they were mustered out of the service at Camp Devens. While the band did not lose any members on the battlefield, it had thirty-one casualties, most of them being gas cases. In addi- tion to the service which they rendered as musicians, the mem- bers of the band acted as stretcher bearers in France and aided in burying the dead. On one occasion they were detailed to wash thousands of dirty socks worn by the men in the front line, owing to a shortage in the supply of socks, and sang as they performed this menial task. The detail was so unusual that the band re- ceived a regimental citation signed by Colonel John H. Parker. That Mr. Teta was recognized as one of the foremost bandmas- ters of the American Expeditionary Force is indicated in the fact that he was one of the ten band directors sent to the band leaders® conference at Neufchateau, ordered by General Pershing to reorganize bands of the American Army, the outcome of which was the enlargement of regimental bands to forty-eight pieces. On the 29th of April, 1919, Mr. Teta was honorably discharged as a lieutenant, and in 1922 he reorganized his musicians, form- ing what is now the One Hundred and Second Infantry Band, of which he is the leader.
Mr. Teta is also a sagacious, farsighted business man, and his modern printing plant at 207 South Orange street turns out artistic, high-grade work. Everything that indicates progress in the "art preservative" is found in his establishment, which reflects his enterprising spirit and efficient methods. He con- ducts one of the leading institutions of the kind in the city and has won a large share of the local printing trade.
In 1917, soon after his arrival in France, Mr. Teta met Miss Ines Gabrielle Brayer, of Paris, where they were married Jan- uary 2, 1928, and have since made their home in New Haven.
Mr. Teta is a prominent member of the Italian-American Club of this city and the Yankee Division Club of Boston. His fraternal affiliations are with the Knights of Columbus, the Shepherds of Bethlehem, the Royal Arcanum, the Eagles, the Moose, the Red Men and the Elks. He retains his connection with the Connecticut National Guard, which awarded him a ten- year medal for meritorious service. In the affairs of the Ameri-
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can Legion he has taken an active and prominent part and was one of the organizers of New Haven Post, No. 47, for which he has secured more new members than any five men combined. He was elected second vice commander of the post in 1923, first vice commander in 1924, commander in 1925, and has been post adju- tant since 1928. He attended the national conventions of the Legion at Omaha in 1925; Philadelphia in 1926; Paris in 1927; San Antonio, Texas, in 1928; and Louisville, Kentucky, in 1929, while he has also attended every state meeting of the organiza- tion. He belongs to the American Legion Press Association and to the Forty and Eight Society, the social branch of the Legion. Mr. Teta is also a member of the Officers Reserve Corps, the order of Military Officers of the World War, the association of Disabled American Veterans, and the Yankee Division Veterans Association, of which he is the secretary. He is president of the Musicians Union of New Haven and secretary of the Band Leaders Association of the United States. Intensely loyal and patriotic, Mr. Teta has served his country to the extent of his ability, and, although still a young man, his accomplishments have been notable, placing him with the musical celebrities of America.
ANNA BRUNSON PLATT
Anna Brunson Platt, a native daughter of Waterbury, is sec- retary to the president of the Waterbury Lumber Company, in the service of which corporation she has continued for the past twenty-two years, and is a past president of the Waterbury Busi- ness & Professional Women's Club. She was born in Prospect, Connecticut, her parents being William Henry Platt, of Water- bury, and Hattie (Purdy) Platt, of Croton Falls, New York. In the acquirement of an education she attended St. Margaret's Diocesan School for Girls at Waterbury, from which she was graduated and subsequently pursued a business course. There- after she was employed as bookkeeper and stenographer in a brok- erage office for two years and then associated herself with the Waterbury Lumber Company, with which she has since continued, having for many years been secretary to the president. Her long
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experience in the business has gained her thorough familiarity therewith and the value of her services is recognized.
At the time of the World war Miss Platt did effective commit- tee work in connection with the Liberty Loan drives. She has served on the music committee of the Waterbury Woman's Club and has also served on the social and entertainment committees of the Waterbury Business & Professional Women's Club, which was founded in 1920, Miss Platt being one of its fifteen charter members. She was chosen the fourth president of the organiza- tion, serving in that capacity for a two-year term, and now holds the office of vice president. She has devoted considerable time to the activities of the club and her efforts have constituted an important factor in its steady growth and success. She is well known throughout the community in which she has always lived and the circle of her friends is a very wide one.
Charles William Platt, brother of Miss Anna Platt, is a bass soloist of more than local renown. He was born in 1892 and following his graduation from the Crosby high school of Water- bury began the study of music under Isaac Beecher Clark, con- tinuing his artistic training in the School of Music of Yale Uni- versity under Francis Rogers for three years. He was soloist at the commencement exercises of the School of Music and is the possessor of a splendid bass voice that has brought him many re- quests for solo work. He has been choir director and bass soloist of the First Methodist Church of Waterbury for many years and is manager of the Imperial Male Quartette. Mr. Platt is now suc- cessfully engaged in agricultural pursuits and is widely known as one of Waterbury's representative and popular young citizens.
WATERBURY BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL WOMEN'S CLUB, INC.
It is generally conceded that the mother of the Waterbury Business & Professional Women's Club, Inc., is Ella Young Goss. She it was who in 1920 invited a small group of business and pro- fessional women to luncheon in the Leavenworth building on Cen- tral avenue, which was then headquarters for the Waterbury Girls' Club, and at that first meeting expressed the wish that the group might become the nucleus of a business and professional
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women's club. Some months later her vision became a reality when on May 1, 1921, the Waterbury Business & Professional Women's Club was organized.
The purpose of this club as set forth in its constitution is "to promote the interests of business and professional women; to collect and distribute information concerning vocational oppor- tunities ; to stimulate good fellowship ; and to create a deeper sense of the dignity of the professions and of business." Its annual meeting is held on the first Monday in February, and its regular business meetings on the first Mondays of March, April, May, October, November, December and January.
The affairs of the club are administered by a cabinet composed of the officers of the club and the chairmen of standing commit- tees. The presidents of the club have been as follows: 1921- Carrie Heppner, unable to complete term, succeeded by Carrie Walden; 1922-24-Alberta Latham Kerner; 1924-26-Ruth E. Camp; 1926-28-Alethea R. Puffer; 1928-30-Anna B. Platt; 1930-Emily E. Merriman.
The club was incorporated under the laws of the state of Con- necticut in November, 1929. It now has approximately two hun- dred and twenty members and has limited its membership to two hundred and fifty. The organization takes a helpful part in all public welfare activities and in civic affairs and is affiliated with both the State and National Business & Professional Women's Clubs. Its present quarters are in the Waterbury Institute build- ing at 31 Leavenworth street.
HAROLD EDWARD ALPROVIS
Harold Edward Alprovis, a rising young attorney of New Haven and a member of the well known law firm of Alprovis & Alprovis, was born in this city, April 4, 1900. His parents, Mor- ris and Sylvia (Rosoff) Alprovis, were natives of Russia and established their home in New Haven about 1895. The father, who was long numbered among the city's enterprising merchants and substantial business men, passed away in 1923.
At the usual age Harold E. Alprovis became a grammar school pupil, passing through consecutive grades to his graduation from the Hillhouse high school in 1918, and he next enrolled in the
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Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University as a member of the class of 1921. He entered that institution of learning during the progress of the World war and served for a time in the officers training school. His law studies were pursued in Georgetown University, which awarded him the degree of LL. B. in 1923, and in January of the following year he was admitted to the Connecti- cut bar. He has since engaged in general practice in New Haven and is associated with his brother, George L. Alprovis, who was graduated from the law school of Fordham College in 1925. The firm of Alprovis & Alprovis occupies a suite of offices at 152 Temple street, and a lucrative practice is indicative of the confid- ence reposed in the legal knowledge and counsel of the partners, who have won many verdicts favorable to the interests of their clients.
Harold E. Alprovis is a member of the Atlas Club, the Knights of Pythias, New Haven Lodge, No. 25, B. P. O. E., and Cosmopoli- tan Lodge, No. 125, F. & A. M. Like his brother, he is deeply interested in movements for civic growth and betterment, and their many friends in New Haven attest their ability and worth.
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