USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Andover > Andover: symbol of New England; the evolution of a town > Part 36
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Although represented in legislative chambers from time to time by Democrats, Andover itself never yielded to their seduc- tions. In 1936, in a presidential election which saw Republicans carrying only Maine and Vermont, Andover went strongly for Alf Landon. Four years later, when Wendell Willkie was the Republican standard-bearer, he paid a brief campaign visit to Andover, which at the polls gave him 3,848 against 2,206 for Roosevelt. In 1948, the returns showed 4,151 for Dewey and 2,037 for Truman, a ratio of about two to one. Andover's strong support of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956 indicated
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that its political bias had been little altered since the Civil War.
Much of Andover's essential unity and continuity has been produced by the faithful service of a few town fathers, whose effectiveness has been a consequence not only of ability but of long experience. "Pick a good man and keep him" seems to have been the understood policy. For example, since before World War I, it has had only two town clerks: George A. Higgins, from 1912 to 1930, and George H. Winslow, from 1930 to the present time. During the same period of almost half a century it has had but three town treasurers: George A. Higgins, from 1909 to 1929, Thaxter Eaton, from 1929 to 1956-the longest term of office in the town's history-and Anna M. Greeley from 1956 on. The permanence of these officials has meant stability in town policies. And it has been pleasant to recognize, in the dark and gloomy rooms of the town hall, the familiar cheerful faces and to hear the warm greetings of friends.
The list of selectmen, for those who recall them, also inspires confidence in the democratic system of elective choice. For my own satisfaction as well as the record, I name them as I have known them over more than half a century:
Harry M. Eames
1911-1920
Walter S. Donald
1906-1923
Charles Bowman 1912-1928
Andrew McTernen
1920-1924
Frank H. Hardy
1923-1935
Jeremiah J. Daly
1928-1936
1934-1941 and
Howell F. Shepard
1946-1949
J. Everett Collins
1935-1956
Roy E. Hardy
1936-1955
Edward P. Hall
1942-1945
Sidney P. White
1949-1959
Stafford A. Lindsay 1954-1959
William V. Emmons
1956-1959
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POSTWAR TRANSFORMATION
These men have represented various occupations and view- points, although no teacher, so far as I can ascertain, has ever run for the office, perhaps because teachers are usually too busy! Furthermore, the selectmen, once chosen, have held their posi- tions, growing more and more familiar with their duties and therefore more useful to their neighbors. Having been acquaint- ed with each one personally and watched them at their work, I am ready to match them as people and officials against a similar group from any community in New England. Man for man, they have been persons of character, worthy of recognition and equal to their responsibilities.
The moderator, of course, has less to do, and the annual com- pensation has never been alluring, but in Massachusetts he has always been a trusted citizen. That this is the case in Andover is proved by the following list of incumbents since the First World War:
Alfred L. Ripley
1914-1924
Alfred E. Stearns
1924-1932
Frederick Butler
1933-1943
Howell F. Shepard
1944-1945
Frank E. Dunn
1946
Arthur Sweeney
1947-1953
Roland H. Sherman
1954-
The business of town government after the Second World War became more complicated. With the sudden increase in population, not all the registered voters could be packed into the Memorial Auditorium for town meeting; and the possibility of a representative town meeting, like that in Brookline and other large towns, has sometimes been considered. But the tax- payers have been unwilling to transfer their inherent rights and privileges to others. In the existing system, there are, of course, some annoying difficulties of administration. A vocal and un- ruly minority may get their way by early filling the seats. Often a citizen with a grievance or a pet theory talks too loudly and too
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long. But over the years the completely democratic process has worked, and the voters have been content, or at least indifferent. On most issues orderly debate has led to sound decisions, and the voice of the people continues to find expression.
What will happen when the town-management form of gov- ernment, recently adopted, goes into full operation, remains to be seen, and the discussion of it may properly be left to some fu- ture historian.
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CHAPTER XXVI
Our Own Times
F INANCIAL conditions in the United States had somewhat im- proved under Franklin D. Roosevelt's first administration, with its drastic corrective measures, but in the autumn of 1937, when the New Deal honeymoon was over, we suffered what was delicately termed a "recession"; and in April, 1938, the Presi- dent felt obliged to go "on the air" to ask Congress for a relief appropriation of three billion dollars. Substantial prosperity for towns like Andover was still, to use the current phrase, "around the corner." But there was little real privation, and the citizens went about their daily duties without too much complaint, hav- ing become accustomed to bringing up their children to face a world of crises.
Indeed another crisis was close at hand, for the international situation was steadily deteriorating. In 1931, in defiance of po- litical morality, Japan had seized Manchuria, thus encouraging a series of similar aggressive acts by totalitarian states. Secretary of State Stimson, familiar to the townspeople because of his edu- cation at Phillips Academy and his later service as trustee, real- ized the implications of the Japanese attack but could get little support from other nations in his condemnation of it.
Readers of this history must often have felt that an inordinate amount of space has been devoted to wars. Perhaps it has been a mistake to lay so much stress on military matters. But the con- sequences of these various conflicts, at home and overseas, have been important for everybody, young or old; and, although de- structive and unchristian, they cannot be ignored. War, poten-
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tial or actual, has always been, and unfortunately still is, a po- tent factor in human motivation.
A few dates may help to clarify the course of events in the 1930's. In 1935, Mussolini, encouraged by the success of Japan, invaded Ethiopia. In 1936, Hitler's troops entered the Rhine- land unopposed. The farce of Munich occurred in September, 1938, but in the following March the Fuehrer broke his prom- ises and overran Czechoslovakia. On September 1, the German army marched into Poland. Two days later, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain told the British people that they were at war with Germany. The pattern of 1914 was being repeated, with different names but with the same manner and intent.
What the United States could or would do was again deter- mined by public opinion, expressed directly and indirectly in many communities like Andover. As a people we were too well- informed, intelligent, and patriotic to be deluded by the "Ameri- ca Firsters," like Father Coughlin, Colonel Lindbergh, and their fellow isolationists. But the views of influential citizens did shift as one incendiary crisis followed another and Hitler's purposes became recognizable. The President, skillful in guiding as well as in sensing public opinion, put through his preparedness meas- ures, despite stubborn and often stupid Congressional opposi- tion. Registration under the Draft Law began at Andover in October, 1940. The first two inductees were escorted to the rail- road station, in accordance with precedents set in 1861 and 1917, by a band and a parade; but by a quaint irony, neither one qualified, and both were shortly back in town, without any pub- licity! By the time of Pearl Harbor, ninety-four Andover young men had been inducted.
Probably every middle-aged American remembers where he received the news of the Japanese "deed of infamy." On the eve- ning of Saturday, December 6, 1941, my wife and I attended a small dinner in Boston. An American admiral, over the cigars, declared categorically that it would be impossible for the Japa- nese to fight the United States. We were too well guarded. Our
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fleet was constantly patrolling the China Sea. Our high com- mand was ready for any emergency. Never was complacency more assertive and maudlin.
At noon on the following day, after a Sunday luncheon at the headmaster's house, I was telling my guests the authoritative statements which I had heard on the previous evening. In the midst of our conversation the telephone rang, and I heard the voice of an excited neighbor almost shouting, "Jack, turn on your radio. Pearl Harbor has been attacked by the Japanese, and our whole Pacific fleet was been destroyed." We all listened with incredulity-and horror. The almost hysterical message left no doubt that our fears of the last few months had been justi- fied. Everybody was aware what was sure to follow-months of restriction and sacrifice and mourning, of battles a long distance from home against foes who had long been preparing for the desperate struggle.
The reaction throughout the nation was prompt and impres- sive. President Roosevelt acted without delay in asking Con- gress to declare that a state of war existed between the United States and Japan; and Hitler and Mussolini helped our unity considerably by declaring war on the United States. The Presi- dent on December 9 spoke over the radio to his fellow country- men, now, facing danger, united after the disputes of the previ- ous months. In Andover the response was immediate. A public rally was held in the Memorial Auditorium, and a special town meeting was called to appropriate funds for emergencies. The citizens had learned much from World War I about effective organization. Furthermore, they had known for some months of the coming inevitable test of strength. The mood of the town during this second global conflict was cool and determined. The people had not wanted a war, but they were ready to pitch in and defeat the enemy. The job had to be done, at much cost of money and human lives. We were sure that all the forces making for human progress, indeed the will of God himself, were on our side.
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More than a year before the actual outbreak of hostilities, the three communities of Andover, North Andover, and Boxford had been grouped together for administrative reasons under Selective Board, Number 5, with Samuel F. Rockwell, of North Andover, as chairman, and Henry S. Hopper, of Andover, as sec- retary. They had become accustomed to prolonged sessions, and had accomplished their difficult assignment tactfully, with a min- imum of friction. Even before the United States entered the war two Andover boys lost their lives in training: Robert T. Thomp- son, a flying cadet, had fallen to his death, April 9, 1941, at Max- well Field, Alabama, and Seaman 2nd Class David B. Brown had been killed by the propeller of a plane on September 17 of the same year. In their final report under date of January 1, 1946, the board stated that the combined population of the three towns which they represented was about 20,670. From this area were registered 6,856 males between the ages of eight- een and sixty-four. Of these, 1,838 were sent from Andover to the armed forces. The number listed on the combined three honor rolls came to 2,470, or 13.36 per cent of the population.
Fifty-four Andover residents gave their lives in service- about one out of every thirty-four. In this connection it is worth mentioning that American battle deaths in the Civil War amounted to 140,414, in the Spanish-American War to 368, in World War I to 53,398, in World War II to 291,337, and in the so-called "Korean Conflict" to 33,647. Obviously the Second World War was the bloodiest of them all. And when we realize that the number of "wounds not mortal" from 1941 to 1945 was 670,846 as compared with 203,376 in World War I, we realize that these Andover boys, civilians by training and peace-loving by philosophy, went through the most terrible conflict of mod- ern times, indeed called by Mr. Churchill "the most merciless of all wars of which record has been kept."
The stories behind these cold statistics disclose the upheaval caused by war in a typical American community. Not recorded, of course, are the innumerable minor disruptions and sacrifices,
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OUR OWN TIMES
the separation of fathers from wives and children, the transfer of activities from normal living to emergency demands, the shift of emphasis in what had hitherto been regarded as routine daily programs. Very few in those days shirked responsibility or de- manded special concessions. War, as usual, brought out the best in many quiet men and women.
As the descriptive and autobiographical books since written have indicated, World War II, for the service men on the battle lines, was seldom a romantic experience. All over the world, in- to places with strange names of which they had never before heard, Andover boys were sent, with the Army and Navy, the Marines and the Air Corps. Some of them just disappeared, nev- er to be seen again, blown up in a destroyer or scattered to bits by a bomb, often without ever knowing what hit them. The first to lose his life in action was apparently Arthur J. Gautier, of the Marines, who was killed, November 23, 1942, at Guadalcanal, a name already fraught with tragic connotations. Others died in far-off lands or in half-known seas. Second Lieutenant Edward P. Poynter, of the Army Air Force, went on a mission, July 15, 1943, at Adak, in the Aleutian Islands, and never returned. Technical Sergeant Norman D. Ellis fell mortally wounded, July 17, 1944, near Valtussa, Italy, while leading his men in an attack on a hill held by the enemy. Albert V. Winward was shot down, July 22, 1944, in an airplane crash at Macero, Brazil. Pri- vate, First Class, Alexander Smith was killed, October 6, 1944, in the Vosges Mountains, in France. Private, First Class, Thom- as F. Ryan, in General Patton's famous Third Army, was instant- ly killed, April 12, 1945, in Germany. Sergeant William J. Thompson, of the Second Marine Division, lost his life in the landing on Okinawa, June 18, 1945. These are just a few illus- trations of what happened in foreign lands to many promising young men who, until they were inducted, had never been very far away from home.
Andover's old families, whose representatives had fought in many wars, had also a share in this newest one. Many inspiring
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ANDOVER: SYMBOL OF NEW ENGLAND
examples of continued loyalty could be cited, but perhaps the most unusual was that of two John Radford Abbots, father and son. The older Abbot, a graduate of Phillips Academy and Har- vard, had become an architect; but when war broke out, he en- listed in the United States Air Force, rising to the rank of major, and actually landed in North Africa on V-Day in 1945. John Radford Abbot, Jr., finished Harvard in February, 1943, be- came an ensign in the United States Navy, and lost his life on June 16, 1945, when his destroyer, the Twiggs, was sunk at Oki- nawa by a Japanese suicide pilot. He belonged to the twelfth generation in direct descent from the original George Abbot of the first proprietors.
It was a long, hard war, marked by several early disasters and some very real sacrifices. There was a period when the Japanese dominated most of the Pacific, when Singapore had fallen, and when German submarines were making the Atlantic a sea of terror. The temper of the town in those days was gloomy but de- termined and grim. A Home Defense unit was formed under Captain Emmet Holt, who was succeeded after his death by Captain George C. Emmons. As in World War I, this offered a fine training program not only for many active senior citizens but also for younger men anticipating the draft. More than one middle-aged resident lost pounds of "too, too solid flesh" taking setting-up exercises. Soon every window in town had a black-out curtain, and the streets were patrolled at night by volunteer wardens. The rationing of tires and gasoline was carried out by vigilant committees capable of resisting pressure even from their neighbors. The upper floor of the town hall was remodeled as a center for civilian war activities of every type. Phillips Academy abandoned its spring vacation in order to save travel and initi- ated a summer session so that its seniors could graduate earlier and go into service. From time to time the town welcomed Colo- nel Henry L. Stimson, now Secretary of War, who came back to preside over meetings of the Phillips Academy trustees.
After one announcement of critical shortage, the old trolley
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OUR OWN TIMES
rails on Main Street were removed for badly needed scrap iron, and even the Spring Grove Cemetery gave up its cannon. Once the war came very close to the Hill. One Sunday afternoon in the winter of 1943, when the snow lay more than a foot deep on the level, an army plane flew dangerously low over the Academy campus, finally crashing in the backyard of Mrs. John A. Towle, on Porter Road. There it was surrounded "in a trice" by hun- dreds of students, watching it as it went up in flames while bul- lets went off in every direction, fortunately without finding a human target. The pilot himself had bailed out and, after search parties had scoured the countryside, was discovered sitting on a log in a Boxford swamp with a broken leg.
The Red Cross continued to perform its usual loyal and com- prehensive service. Some three hundred workers produced ap- proximately thirty thousand garments and one million two hun- dred thousand surgical dressings. Home nursing classes were formed. In 1943 the first of many Blood Donor Units visited An- dover and departed with more than three thousand pints of blood. Successive Red Cross fund-raising campaigns resulted in larger and more numerous contributions. In 1944, for example, the total receipts were 24,500 dollars from more than four thou- sand people. Several "drives" for the sale of War Savings Bonds were amazingly successful. It is estimated that more than a thousand men and women were registered in various civilian defense activities, and this does not include the many hundreds who toiled diligently and sometimes triumphantly in their vic- tory gardens.
Unique among the local organizations with constructive ci- vilian programs was an informal Home Service committee which first took shape on August 27, 1942, as a result of a meeting called by John M. Erving for the purpose of assisting service men and their families. At Christmas, it sent a holiday box to every man or woman in the armed forces from Andover. Having found much other useful work to perform, it was more formally organ- ized on April 21, 1943, as the Andover Servicemen's Fund As-
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ANDOVER: SYMBOL OF NEW ENGLAND
sociation, with J. Everett Collins as its first president. Operating through various subcommittees, it eventually covered a broad philanthropic area. It raised a considerable amount of money, secured office space in the Shaw House, prepared a card index of all local persons in war service, sent gift packages to hospital- ized men and women, gave "In Memoriam" certificates to the families of those who had lost their lives, and provided finan- cial assistance to worthy cases on the home front. Nearly all its work was carried on by volunteers. Not until December, 1945, did this organization complete its business, close its headquar- ters, and transfer its valuable files to the Veterans' Office in the town hall.
Gradually, as soon as the necessary preparation and adjust- ment had been accomplished, the United States was able to bring pressure to bear on the enemy. The tide of war turned, and hope of victory become less and less nebulous. The landing in North Africa, the sturdy and heroic resistance of the Russians to German invasion, the Allied advance through Italy, the re- gaining one by one of the Pacific islands from Japan, the mag- nificent landing in France on D-Day, the swift surge across Eu- rope to the Rhine and beyond, the collapse of Germany, and finally, in August, 1945, the dropping of the atom bombs on Japan-these were successive steps towards the ultimate tri- umph. Meanwhile Mussolini had been assassinated, Hitler had committed suicide, Franklin D. Roosevelt had died, Harry S. Truman had succeeded him as President, Winston Churchill had been repudiated by his countrymen, and the United Na- tions had been set up. One dramatic event followed another, each one exciting. Every American was glad when peace had been proclaimed, but it was significant that most of them spoke, not of "victory," but of "the end of the war."
The German debacle was received in Andover rather quietly, with no bands or banners, but with thanksgivings in all the churches. In August, when the Japanese surrendered, the town did celebrate, although with some restraint. The general feel-
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ing was one of relief rather than of elation. A difficult and pro- foundly disagreeable task had been successfully completed, but at a tremendous cost in lives, material, and energy. In a sense it had been a negative conflict, a defense of human freedom, in- volving the extermination of several irresponsible fanatics and their adherents thousands of miles away. As we look back, we can't help feeling doubtful about any positive contribution made by the war to the evolution of man and his society. Wheth- er it actually aided human progress or marked another step in deterioration will be determined by the course of history.
Of the various literary interpreters of the titanic struggle Andover supplied one of the ablest. John Horne Burns, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Burns, born October 7, 1916, attended Phillips Academy and Harvard, where he was graduated in 1933 with Phi Beta Kappa standing. He had originally planned to be a concert pianist, but instead accepted a position as master in English at Loomis School, in Connecticut. Joining the Ameri- can Army in 1942, he was shortly assigned as an intelligence officer with the Allied Forces, first in Africa and later in Italy.
After his discharge, he published in 1947 his first novel, The Gallery, which was chosen by the Saturday Review of Literature as the best war novel of the year. Although it painted a frank and sordid picture of military life in all its aspects, it had both truth and quality. Certainly no participant wrote about that corrod- ing experience with fewer inhibitions or concessions to Puri- tanism. The book showed so much promise that Burns was hailed as one of the most brilliant of the younger, completely disillusioned generation of writers, later to be described by the adjective "beaten." His two ensuing publications, Lucifer with a Book (1949) and A Cry of Children (1952), were disappointing, although they were rooted deep in his own experience and were an expression of his career and temperament. He died, August 10, 1953, of a cerebral hemorrhage, in Livorno, Italy, where he had gone to gather material for what he planned to be his fourth novel. His premature death was a loss to American literature.
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For three years and eight months our nation had been at war with enemies around the world. Americans now had a right to hope that they might enjoy themselves in peace. Instead they faced an era of "cold war," of possible attack from irresponsible exponents of a ruthless political philosophy, during which all young men must look forward to and plan for military service as part of their duties as citizens. A child born in the 1930's could remember years of depression followed by war and was never quite sure what worse things the future had in store for him. But in spite of these depressing recollections and clouded hopes, his parents in Andover were planning for the town's tercentenary observance in 1946.
As a matter of fact, even during the war optimistic history- minded citizens had begun to think of what could be done to observe the significant anniversary. Plymouth, Boston, Salem, and other ancient coastal communities had been celebrating similar occasions ever since 1930, when Governor Coolidge and Senator Lodge had delivered addresses in recognition of the Pil- grims. It was suggested that North Andover be included, for after all it was in that area that Andover originated; but neither town seemed to favor such participation, and that plan was abandoned.
The committee appointed for Andover included, in addition to Claude M. Fuess (chairman) and Roy E. Hardy (secretary), the following representative citizens:
Frederick E. Cheever J. Everett Collins Leo F. Daley Thaxter Eaton Burton S. Flagg
Bessie P. Goldsmith
Edward P. Hall H. Bradford Lewis Bernard L. McDonald
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OUR OWN TIMES
Howell F. Shepard Mary Byers Smith Irving Southworth William A. Trow Henry G. Tyer
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