USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Hampden county, 1636-1936, Volume III > Part 18
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medical practice, which has since been dis- tinguished for its outstanding success. Pro- fessionally, Dr. Bergeron is a member of the American Medical Association, the New England Medical Association, and the Springfield Academy of Medicine. He is a member of the Ludlow Board of Health and occupies the post of school physician for this community. For three years he served on the Ludlow School Board. Apart from his professional activities he has been elected a trustee of the Ludlow Savings Bank. Socially, Dr. Bergeron is a member of the local post of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and frater- nizes with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He finds his greatest recrea- tion and pleasure in gardening, a hobby that has played a major part in beautifying the grounds which form the site for his beautiful home, which is located at the corner of East and Chapin streets, the estate comprising four acres.
CHARLES LEONARD NEWCOMB-
The late Charles Leonard Newcomb, of Hol- yoke, achieved notably in both the fields of engineering and invention, and his impor- tant contributions to industry and several other kinds of human activities continued over a period of a half century.
Mr. Newcomb was born at West Willing- ton, Connecticut, on August 7, 1854. He was a son of Charles Leonard and Martha Jane (Hudson) Newcomb, the former born in Tolland, Connecticut, and died at Rock- well, Connecticut ; the latter born in West Willington, Connecticut, and died at Hol- yoke, Massachusetts. His father, a contrac- tor and builder, enlisted in the Union forces during the Civil War and served until ill- ness forced him to accept his discharge.
Charles Leonard Newcomb, the son, re- ceived his early education in the public
schools of his birthplace and while he was still a boy learned the trade of glass-blower under a relative at Willington. Later, he worked in the Murless Iron Foundry at Rockville, Connecticut, and still later en- tered the employ of Pratt and Whitney, manufacturers of high-grade machine tools at Hartford, Connecticut, where he secured a thorough training as a machinist. Here he remained until sometime after his mar- riage in 1874, when he resolved to fit him- self for larger opportunities and entered Worcester Polytechnic Institute at Wor- cester, Massachusetts, from which he was graduated in 1880. During the time he was a student there, he worked nights and in vacation periods as a watchman in order to help finance the expenses of his course. Fol- lowing his graduation he was employed for a short time by the Globe Horse Shoe Nail Company in Boston and then became asso- ciated with the Thomson and Houston Elec- tric Company of New Britain, Connecti- cut, which was subsequently absorbed by the General Electric Company. This connec- tion he continued from March until May, 1881, during which time he was the experi- mental mechanic and superintendent in charge of its manufactures, and worked in close collaboration with its distinguished owners, Professor Eli Thomson and Pro- fessor Houston.
Mr. Newcomb's life at Holyoke began in 1881, when he came to this city as superin- tendent of the Deane Steam Pump Com- pany, serving in that capacity for twenty years. In 1900 his company was absorbed by the International Steam Pump Company, and later reorganized as the Worthington Pump and Machinery Company. He also became a director and president and general manager of the Blake and Knowles Steam Pump Company of East Cambridge, Massa- chusetts, and in 1927 was largely instru-
Charles 2 Newcomb
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mental in promoting its merger with and transfer to the greatly enlarged Deane Works. During the years in which he served as head of the company it expanded, under his administration, from small be- ginnings into one of the largest manufac- turers of pumps in the world. His long rec- ord as an hydraulic engineer, organizer and executive made him a familiar figure in the modern industrial and engineering world and brought him many honors. His me- chanical ingenuity and inventive genius were reflected, not only in the solution of the ordinary manufacturing problems, but in the perfection of some one hundred and fifty devices, many of which were patented and found wide application.
Among his more important achievements were the design and perfection of several pumps of distinctive character and great value. One of these was the so-called "hot- oil" pump essential in the handling of hot oil in the modern cracking process of pro- ducing gasoline. Another was what is known as the pipe line pump required in the trans- portation of petroleum products through long pipe lines from one part of the country to another-a remarkable improvement in present-day methods in oil transportation. He also came to the aid of the citrus indus- try of California with a deep well pump of extraordinary durability, capable of tapping reservoirs of water from four hundred to six hundred feet underground. This same pump also was developed to facilitate the irriga- tion of the vast dry lands of the West. This device was appropriately named after the first place in California where it was in- stalled, the Glendora Pump. Mr. Newcomb was also, in all probability, a pioneer in de- veloping practical air-conditioning as ap- plied to railroad trains, an effort which found him a number of years in advance of his times. In his inventions he displayed vision. technical facility and practicality, a
combination which greatly enhanced the usefulness of his productions.
In the life of Holyoke, Mr. Newcomb played an active part. From 1885 to 1887 he was a member of the Common Council of the city and in 1888 was elected to the Board of Aldermen. In 1893 he was appointed to the city's first Fire Commission, a board of seven members. When it was reduced to three members he was retained as chairman and so continued for seventeen years. Dur- ing this time he devised a nozzle attachment for an aerial ladder-the forerunner of the modern fire-tower-which was manufac- tured for many years by the Combination Ladder Company of Providence. He also invented the improved easy-flow fire hy- drant, whose value has been demonstrated by every city in the country. At this time he developed the fire hydrant flow table, a re- corder, now used by all fire inspection serv- ice and fire and water departments through- out the country to ascertain the flow through hydrants at various pressures. While in later years he held no public office, he con- tinued to participate actively in community affairs, lending his leadership and counsel to a variety of civic movements.
In addition to his primary business con- nections Mr. Newcomb rendered important services to Holyoke as president of the Hol- yoke Co-Operative Bank and as a member of such local organizations as the Holyoke Chamber of Commerce and the Employers' Association of Hampden County, in which he was a member of the executive commit- tee. He was president of the New England Foundrymen's Association and vice-presi- dent of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, in which he served at various times as chairman of the western Massachu- setts section, chairman of the nominating committee and member of the standing com- mittee on professional conduct. He was an organizer and the original vice-president of
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the National Metal Trades Association, a member of the National Founders Associa- tion ; a life member, first president and mem- ber of the executive committee of the Engi- neering Society of Western Massachusetts; a member of the State Administrative Com- mittee for Massachusetts of the Federated American Engineering Societies ; a member of the executive committee of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts; and a member of the Marine Architects and Engineers' Club and the Engineers' Club of New York City.
Mr. Newcomb had been a frequent con- tributor to the engineering press and was especially interested in human relations in industry, serving as an executive and mem- ber of the conference and advisory commit- tees of the Silver Bay Industrial Conference Board at Lake George, New York. In 1927, he was elected a trustee of Worcester Poly- technic Institute and continued as such until his death, manifesting a great interest in affairs of the institute. He was a Republi- can in politics ; and a member of the Second Baptist Church of Holyoke. Fraternally, Mr. Newcomb was affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons, in which he was a member of all higher Scottish Rite bodies, including the thirty-second degree of the Consistory, and he was also a member of Holyoke Lodge, No. 902, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; the Boston Ath- letic Club, the Holyoke Canoe Club, the Mount Tom Golf Club, and the Colony Club of Springfield.
When Mr. Newcomb retired from active business on December 1, 1927, he received many tributes from his associates and em- ployees, his fellow-engineers and his friends and neighbors at Holyoke. He did not retire to a life of inactivity, however, for this was entirely foreign to his nature. "One thing that made Mr. Newcomb stand out, head high, over the next man." wrote the "Hol-
yoke Daily Transcript," "was his perpetual youth. By that is meant his attitude toward life. He never grew old on the job. Work, work, work was one of his cardinal princi- ples. At seventy, he was the same tireless worker that he was at twenty. The security that he won for himself never softened his powers or dulled his desire to stay on the front line. The requirements of industry today are many times more exacting than they were a generation ago. Mr. Newcomb did the unusual-he kept abreast of his time.
"'Young men for battle ; old age for coun- sel' is a familiar saying. Mr. Newcomb was the rare man that combined both aggressive- ness and wisdom throughout his life."
On January 20, 1874, at Vernon. Connecti- cut, Charles Leonard Newcomb married Inez Louise Kendall, born in Revere House, Boston, daughter of Charles Randolph and Lavinia Dorcas (Austin) Kendall. Her mother's family were shipbuilders, but her father was a literary figure and publisher of the "Bangor Whig." He was born aboard ship coming from Holland to New York, and died at the battle of Bull Run while on duty there as a newspaper correspondent during the Civil War. Her mother was born at New Marlboro, Massachusetts, and died in New York City. Mrs. Newcomb was educated. in a private school at South Lee, Massachusetts ; and is a member of the Sec- ond Baptist Church of Holyoke. She has devoted her life largely to her home and family, the church and charitable interests.
Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb were the parents of six children : 1. Charles L., now a resident of New York City, where he is one of the officials of the National Tuberculosis Asso- ciation. He married Katherine Dieterich of Wilmington, Delaware. He has two sons: Charles Leonard and William E. 2. Lucy Bradford, who married Fordis O. Bushnell, a salesman, of New York City. 3. Robert E., who was graduated from Cornell Uni-
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versity as a mechanical engineer in 1907 and served for twenty years as superintendent of the Deane plant of the Worthington Pump Works. He is now president and treasurer of the Puritan Gasoline Company, a whole- sale and retail distributor of petroleum prod- ucts at Holyoke. Robert E. Newcomb also served as chairman of the Fire Commission of Holyoke for one year under Mayor John Woods. He married Dorothy England, of Eastbourne, England. 4. Alice Lavinia, who married Alfred R. Wright, of Centerbrook, Connecticut, one of the proprietors of the Valley Manufacturing Company. They have one son, Walter Newcomb Wright. 5. Ben- jamin Rudolph, a patent attorney of Brook- lyn, New York, who is associated with the Babcock and Wilcox Company of New York City. He married Caroline Hanson, of New York, and they have two children: Robert Kendall and Martha Jane. 6. Austin Hud- son, who is associated with the Puritan Gasoline Company of Holyoke and was formerly chairman of the Board of Public Works of Holyoke under Mayor Scanlon. He married Helen Lawler, of Holyoke, now deceased, and has one daughter, Geraldine Lawler.
Charles Leonard Newcomb died at Hol- yoke on March 13, 1930, following a short period of failing health. His career was crowded with achievements and with honor and the love of many friends. These monu- ments he created in his lifetime and they re- main today as a lasting memorial. "His death," said the "Holyoke Daily Transcript," "brings to a close the story of one of the most interesting personalities and greatest individual forces that the city has had the good fortune to have."
EDWARD DOCHERTY-Among the prominent figures in the social, civic and business life of the city of Holyoke is Ed- ward Docherty. Throughout his residence
here he has taken a keen and active part in the affairs of this community and is a mem- ber of many of the leading organizations of this vicinity. In a business capacity he is secretary and treasurer of the Holyoke Wire Company, an organization founded by his father over fifteen years ago. Generations of experience in this business have enabled the members of this firm to build it into one of the most outstanding of its type on the eastern seaboard. According to family rec- ords some representative of this family has been engaged in this work for over one hun- dred and twenty-five years and today, Mr. Docherty's father, who is president as well as founder of the aforementioned concern, holds the distinction, it is said, of being the oldest wire cloth weaver in both the United States and Scotland, having started in the trade at the age of sixteen years.
Edward Docherty was born in Scotland, May 4, 1891, the son of George and Mar- garet (Ferguson) Docherty. His father, who directs the activities of the Holyoke Wire Cloth Company at No. 649 Main Street, is also a native of Scotland, having been born there December 10, 1863. Prior to coming to this country he engaged in the wire cloth trade and was proprietor of the Mile End Wire Shop in Glasgow, Scotland. He came to this country as a young man and shortly after settling in Holyoke be- came associated with Buchanan and Bolt, wire cloth manufacturers. He worked with this concern for fifteen years and then joined Cheney Bigelow in the city of Springfield as a wire cloth weaver, remaining here for nine years. An expert, skilled to the highest de- gree in his profession, he determined to enter business for himself and in 1919 founded and organized the Holyoke Wire Cloth Company. This organization manu- factures Fourdrinier wire cloth for paper mill use and is equipped with the most mod-
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ern machinery for the production of this product. George Docherty was the son of Edward and Isabell (Whitelock) Docherty, botlı deceased. His father was a horticul- turist in Tollcross, Scotland, where he raised many flowers and vegetables for show pur- poses and was the winner of many prizes. George Docherty has been active in civic matters. For a number of years he served as deputy game warden in this district. He fraternizes with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows where he is Past Noble Grand of the Manchester Unity and belongs to the William Whiting Lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons. He is also Past Chief of the Clan McClaren and belongs to the Paper City Rod and Gun Club where for many years he has served as an officer. An ardent sportsman, he finds great pleasure in hunting and fishing and is still an excellent shot at clay pigeons. His wife, Margaret Ferguson, who was born in Scotland, April 7, 1866, and is now living in Holyoke, was the daughter of Alexander and Isabelle (Whitelock) Ferguson, both natives of her birthplace and now deceased. Her father was superintendent for William Riddle and Sons, wire cloth manufacturers in Glasgow, Scotland.
Edward Docherty received a general edu- cation in the public schools of Holyoke, graduating from the high school with the class of 1909. Shortly after completing his studies he secured a position with the Bos- ton and Albany Railroad at their office in Westfield. Starting in the modest capacity of office boy, he eventually held the posi- tion of employment manager for the system until 1920, when he joined his father and became secretary and treasurer for the Hol- yoke Wire Company, a position he occupies at the present time.
As an enthusiastic and public-spirited citi- zen Mr. Docherty is prominently identified
with many of the leading societies and clubs of this city. Politically he is a member of the Republican party and as an active figure in its affairs has served on the ward com- mittee of this organization for four years. He is scribe for the Holyoke Lions Club, a member of the board of directors for the Holyoke Masonic Association, which he has served for twelve years, a charter member of the American Legion and a member of the Holyoke Canoe Club. He has served in all the offices of the latter organization. For three years he was commodore for the Canoe Club and today serves as a member of the executive committee. In his fraternal affili- ations he is a member of the William Whit- ing Lodge of the Free and Accepted Ma- sons. On May 25, 1917, shortly after the United States entered the World War, Mr. Docherty enlisted in the city of Boston and was dispatched to Camp Rockingham at Salem, for training. He became a member of Company D of the 14th Engineers and sailed for France on July 27, 1917. After a term of duty of almost two years, he de- parted from France on April 17, 1919, and was honorably discharged from the service at Camp Devens, Massachusetts, May 3, 1919, with the rank of company supply ser- geant. An ardent sportsman Mr. Docherty finds his greatest enjoyment in the game of tennis, a sport in which he has excelled on various occasions. From 1931 to 1934 he was the tennis champion of the Holyoke Canoe Club, was champion of the city of Holyoke in 1933-34-35 and was also co- holder of the doubles championship for 1934. In the winter he is a devotee of contract bridge.
On April 27, 1929, Mr. Docherty married Natalie Fitzgerald, born in West Spring- field, August 17, 1903, daughter of the late Thomas J. Fitzgerald and Minnie (Hubisch) Fitzgerald. Her mother now resides in
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Springfield. Mrs. Docherty is a graduate of the Springfield Technical High School and the Westfield State Teachers College. She taught in the public schools of Springfield prior to her marriage. In religion she wor- ships at the All Saints Episcopal Church in Springfield. Mr. and Mrs. Docherty are the parents of one son, Bruce Edward, born May 17, 1934.
CLAYTON E. BIGG-To his colleagues and clientele in West Springfield, Clayton E. Bigg is well known as an able lawyer in general practice. Few, however, are familiar with his career as an attorney-at-law in the years from the entrance of the United States into the World War and again since 1930. In 1917, when he was a recent graduate in law and a few years beyond the age re- quired for admittance to the bar, he was sent by the National Government to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, as a full-fledged Judge Advocate, the first government attor- ney ever appointed to this group of West Indian islands during that war period. To conform to international treaties, the ap- pointee had to be a civilian, and his position in a foreign country, as the Virgin Islands were at that time, was one requiring a strong and diplomatic hand.
Mr. Bigg performed his duties with skill and dispatch, and at the end of hostilities returned to Washington, District of Colum- bia, where he was connected with the Judi- cial Division of the United States Depart- ment of Justice, for two years. He then carried on certain special work in Baltimore, Maryland, and from thence went to Cincin- nati, Ohio, in 1923. From 1924 he was lo- cated in Philadelphia, coming to Spring- field, Massachusetts, in 1930, where he has since practiced his profession independently.
Mr. Bigg is a native of Dexter, Michigan, born July 1, 1895, son of Arthur Bigg, re-
tired, and Mrs. Garnet (Faught) Bigg, both of whom were of Michigan birth. After completing his academic education, he ma- triculated at the National Law School, Washington, District of Columbia, from which he was graduated in 1917, with the degrees of Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws. Since his advent in West Spring- field, Mr. Bigg has not only won an envi- able reputation as a professional man, but has taken an active and valuable part in local affairs. He is a member of the Ameri- can Legion and has been a Past Commander of West Springfield Post, No. 207. Frater- nally he is affiliated with the Free and Ac- cepted Masons and the Loyal Order of Moose.
On February 9, 1917, Clayton E. Bigg married Jeannette Wolff, a native of New Jersey, and they have a daughter, Ruth F., born October 17, 1919.
LEON P. GOODYEAR-As owner and founder of the Springfield Stamp and Die Company, Leon P. Goodyear enjoys a na- tionwide reputation for directing the activi- ties of one of the finest organizations of its type in the trade. Not only does he carry on an extensive business in this country but abroad as well, many of his products being shipped throughout the civilized world.
Mr. Goodyear was born in Sunderland, Massachusetts, April 25, 1887, son of Harry G. and Emma (Graves) Goodyear, the for- mer a native of Binghamton, New York, the latter of this Commonwealth. His father, who resided here for many years, engaged in the real estate business. Mr. Goodyear re- ceived a general education in the public schools of his native city and after complet- ing his studies started to learn the tool- maker's trade, working for various firms in this vicinity until he became associated with the Smith and Wesson Company of Spring-
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field. Throughout his career with this con- cern, which spanned some eighteen years, he made rapid progress and at the time he sev- ered his connections here was occupying the post of chief designer for this world famous revolver manufacturing plant.
Having enjoyed a thorough and well- rounded practical experience, Mr. Goodyear determined to establish a business of his own in 1928 and founded the Springfield Stamp and Die Company, with operating quarters at No. 9 Market Street in this city. Here he has devoted his energies to the manufacture of metal stamp and die panto- graph engraving as well as doing other fine precision work. The success he has achieved has gained him wide renown and he serves many of the largest concerns in this coun- try as well as doing a sizeable business with companies abroad. He is recognized as one of the outstanding authorities of this trade and has frequently been called upon to con- tribute to scientific publications, among them "Iron Age," for which he has written several articles.
Though interested in social and civic af- fairs here, pressure of business activities has compelled Mr. Goodyear to limit his affilia- tions to fraternal and sporting organiza- tions. In this connection he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is a life member of the Izaak Walton League, as well as many other fish and game clubs. Mr. Goodyear finds his greatest pleasure in this sport and indulges in it during his leisure.
On April 4, 1913, Mr. Goodyear married Rose A. Bouvier, a native of Massachusetts.
RICHARD J. SPECHT-Among the outstanding young business men of West Springfield is Richard J. Specht, formerly associated with the United States Depart- ment of Commerce in Washington, District
of Columbia, later with the Springfield branch of the Travelers Insurance Company, and today postmaster of his native com- munity of West Springfield. He was ap- pointed to the latter position by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Throughout his life he has taken an intense interest in the life of his surroundings, being particularly ac- tive in political affairs. As one of the younger leaders of this vicinity he has con- tributed substantially to the welfare and progress of this community and is highly esteemed and regarded by the citizenry.
Richard J. Specht was born in West Springfield, December 8, 1896, son of Fred- erick D. and Bridget G. (Sweeney) Specht. His father is now living in retirement in West Springfield. His mother passed away here in 1927.
Mr. Specht received a general education in the public schools of his native com- munity and after completing his studies matriculated at Georgetown University from which he was graduated. Shortly after fin- ishing his collegiate training the United States entered the World War and Mr. Specht enlisted in the United States Army, serving at Camp Devens.
After receiving an honorable discharge from the service he became associated with the United States Department of Commerce in Washington, District of Columbia, and served with this body until 1925, at which time he resigned to join the staff of the Travelers Insurance Company in Spring- field. He continued to work with this firm until August 23, 1934, when he was ap- pointed acting postmaster of West Spring- field, to succeed Donald A. MacDonald, and on January 30, 1935, was commissioned postmaster. Since he has assumed this office he has conducted its affairs with outstand- ing distinction and success. He is emi- nently qualified to carry out this work for
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