Hampden county, 1636-1936, Volume III, Part 24

Author: Johnson, Clifton, 1865-1940
Publication date: 1936
Publisher: New York, The American historical Society, Inc.
Number of Pages: 770

USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Hampden county, 1636-1936, Volume III > Part 24

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Socially he is a member of many of the leading organizations of this vicinity, among them the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and is one of the founders and past president of the Nordic Club of Spring- field. He fraternizes with Helios Lodge, No. 273, of the Free and Accepted Masons in Cambridge, Minnesota, the Monitor Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Springfield, and the Brage Lodge, Order of Vasa.

On June 19, 1921, in the city of Boston, Mr. Ingve married Pearl Bryan of Bridge- water, and they are the parents of two chil- dren : I. Lucille Marion, born July 15, 1922. 2. Daniel, born July 13, 1925.

KIRBY S. BAKER-Ranked among the outstanding attorneys of the city of Spring- field, a leader in municipal affairs and a prominent figure in social activities, Kirby S. Baker has come to assume an important place in the life of this community. Pro- fessionally he has gained the high esteem and respect of his colleagues and the public- at-large during his comparatively brief but brilliant career here and in a civic capacity has been chosen for important and responsi- ble public office by the citizenry.

Kirby S. Baker was born in Ottawa, La Salle County, Illinois, December 17, 1901, son of Albert W. and Emma C. (Griffin) Baker. His father, who is a native of the State of Indiana, is engaged in the drug business. His mother was born in Illinois.

In 1914 Mr. Kirby removed from his birth- place to Rutherford, New Jersey, with his parents, and it was here that he was to se- cure the early part of his general education. Later he came to Springfield and was grad- uated from the High School of Commerce with the class of 1920. Shortly after com- pleting his studies at the latter institution he matriculated at Bates College in Lewis- ton, Maine, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1926. It was at this time that he determined to pursue a legal career and entered the Northeastern University Law School, securing his degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1929. The same year he was ad- mitted to the Massachusetts State Bar and four years later achieved the right to prac- tice before the Federal Bar. From 1929 to 1935 he was associated with the law firm of Simpson, Clason & Callahan at Springfield.

Upon completion of his legal training he established himself in Springfield and initi- ated a legal career that in subsequent years has proved outstanding for its distinction and success. From the outset he manifested a keen interest in municipal and political affairs. His activity in this direction led to his election as a member of the Board of Aldermen from the Sixth Ward in 1933. The enviable record he has achieved in connec- tion with city government is graphically re- vealed by the fact that today he is chairman of the city property committee, chairman of the legislation committee and chairman of the pensions and retirement committee. In a business capacity he is clerk of the Johns- ton Auto Body Company, Incorporated, of Springfield.

Socially he is a member of the University Club, the Lions Club and the Bates Club of Springfield. Fond of outdoor sports he is a devotee of the game of golf. During the World War Mr. Baker was a member of the New Jersey National Guard.

arthur. Revider

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On December 28, 1925, Mr. Baker married Rose Morey of Springfield and they reside at No. 101 Somerset Street in this city.

ARTHUR HATTON RIORDAN, M. D., F. A. C. S .- During a distinguished medical career of fifteen years in Indian Orchard, Dr. Arthur Hatton Riordan has built up a large and lucrative practice and through his medical achievements has become widely recognized by his colleagues and the public at large. During this period he has also taken a keen and active part in the social and civic affairs of this community and is prominently identified with several of the leading organizations of this section. Through his public-spirited contributions to the welfare of this town he has been chosen by the citizenry to occupy important and responsible public office.

Dr. Riordan was born in North Adams, August 13, 1891. During his childhood he came to the city of Springfield with his par- ents and here he received a general educa- tion, which he completed when he was grad- uated from the Cathedral High School in 19II.

Deciding upon medicine as a career, he matriculated at the University of Maryland, where he was awarded a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1915. He then served an interne- ship at the Mercy Hospital in Springfield and in 1917 initiated a general practice in Indian Orchard that has been distinctive for its success. His career was to be interrupted in April, 1918, when he enlisted in the medi- cal branch of the United States Navy. At that time he was sent to the Navy Medical School in Washington, District of Columbia, where he studied for six weeks. In Septem- ber of that year he was dispatched to the Naval Hospital in New London, Connecti-

cut, and later was transferred to the U. S. S. "Prairie," serving on the high seas until January, 1919, when he was detailed to the United States Naval Training School at Pelham Bay, New York. He was honorably discharged from the service on April 1, 1919, with the rank of lieutenant, senior grade.

Shortly after receiving his discharge he returned to Indian Orchard and resumed his .practice which he has followed with great success since. Today he is on the surgical staff of the Mercy Hospital in Springfield and serves in a like capacity for the Spring- field Isolation Hospital and the Ludlow Hospital. He is a member of the Hampden County Medical Society, the Massachusetts State Medical Society, the American Medi- cal Association and is a Fellow of the Amer- ican College of Surgeons.

He not only has achieved prominence as a medical man but also as a civic leader. He has been deeply interested in social and po- litical affairs, was a member from 1929 to 1930 of the Common Council and between 1930-31 served as a member of the board of aldermen. Socially he belongs to Post No. 277 of the American Legion and holds the distinction of being the first commander of that unit as well as having served as county commander for this organization. He is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and fraternizes with the local council of the Knights of Columbus and the local lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of -Elks. He belongs to the Springfield Coun- try Club and finds his main recreation in the game of golf.

On May 20, 1926, Dr. Riordan married Margaret Mary Conroy of Troy, New York, and they are the parents of three children : I. Margaret Mary, born October 26, 1929. 2. Eugene Joseph, born July 4, 1931. 3. Robert Arthur, born February 10, 1933.

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JOHN A. PARKER-The Common- wealth of Massachusetts has long held lead- ership in State methods of education, and has a particularly notable record for the in- troduction of innovations that served as models for other sections of the country. John A. Parker, director of the Springfield Department of School Attendance, has the distinction of having served in his present capacity for more than four decades, a pe- riod in which he not only witnessed history being made in the better knowledge of, and care for, those of school age, but has made his own valuable contributions to this his- tory.

Mr. Parker was born in Bridgeport, Con- necticut, October 12, 1868, son of Thomas and Mary J. (Sparrow) Parker. His mother, a native of Chipping-Sodbury, England, was a descendant of Robert Raikes, who, in his own home, founded the first Sunday school in England. Thomas Parker, of London, England, birth, came to America a year or two prior to the War Between the States. He remained for a time in New York City, where he married, later removing to Bridge- port. Enlisting with the Ist Connecticut Heavy Artillery, an entirely enlisted unit, he served throughout most of the Civil War, and played a part in some of the noted bat- tles of the long conflict. In civilian life, he was for many years foreman of the National Needle Company, in Springfield, to which city he came to live in 1873. Later he was with Forbes and Wallace, Springfield mer- chants, in the credit department, for twenty years. He died in August, 1932; Mrs. Parker lived until January 31, 1934.

John A. Parker was educated in the Springfield schools and studied for several years at the Summer School of Harvard University. His first employment of any importance was as a printer, a trade he learned thoroughly. Over a period of five

years he was employed by the Frank K. Williams Company, and the Weaver, Ship- man Company. The last two decades of the past century were notable for a rising inter- est in organized grouping of boys to their advantage and also that of the community. In 1890 Mr. Parker accepted an invitation to take charge of the Sharon Street Boys' Club, and he carried on this work so remark- ably well during the following five years as to attract more than local attention. In September, 1895, he was appointed director of the Department of School Attendance, by the Springfield authorities, and began his long and constructive régime. One might describe his duties briefly as: Paying close attention to school attendance and behavior ; maintaining a continuous school census of children between the ages of five to seven- teen years; determining what pupils, and when, are entitled to transportation ; issuing working certificates to those between the ages of fourteen to twenty-one; licensing newsboys, and others twelve to sixteen years old, for part-time work. Mr. Parker is an honorary life president of the National League of Compulsory Educational Officials, and member of the Massachusetts Associa- tion of Supervisors of Attendance and the Springfield Educational Club.

On April 11, 1925, John A. Parker married Christine Louise Harvey, of New York City, a graduate nurse of New York hospitals, and they are the parents of two children : I. Lil- lian Mary, born January 2, 1927. 2. John Harvey, born July 23, 1929.

JAMES P. MAHONEY-As an active member of the Springfield bar during the past twelve years, James P. Mahoney has established his reputation in general prac- tice. He has also been prominent in Demo- cratic politics and on several occasions re-

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ceived the nomination of his party for pub- lic office.

Mr. Mahoney was born in Springfield on July 6, 1895, son of James J. and Ellen (Donovan) Mahoney. His father, a native of Ireland, came to the United States in early life and settled in Springfield where he followed his trade as a stonecutter. His wife, Ellen (Donovan) Mahoney, was born in this city.

James P. Mahoney received his prelimi- nary education in local public schools, grad- uating from Central High School in 1914. In 1916 he attended the Army and Navy Academy at Washington, District of Co- lumbia, and with the entry of the United States into the World War in 1917, enlisted in the aviation corps. He attended the Avia- tion Training School at Kelly Field, Texas, where he was promoted to the rank of ser- geant. Following the Armistice he received his discharge from the service and entered Boston University Law School to prepare for his chosen career. In 1922 he was grad- uated from that institution with the degree of Bachelor of Laws and in 1923 was ad- mitted to the Massachusetts bar. Since that time he has carried on a general practice at Springfield which has grown steadily through the intervening years.

Mr. Mahoney has taken an active interest in public affairs since the beginning of his career and is influential in councils of the Democratic party. In 1930 and 1932 he was the candidate of his party for the Governor's Council. He is now a member of the License Committee. In addition to other connec- tions he is a member of the Hampden County Bar Association, the American Le- gion and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is unmarried.

CORNELIUS WILLIAM PHILLIPS

Although numbered among younger public officials of Springfield, Cornelius William

Phillips, the superintendent of the Depart- ments of Streets and Engineering, has been connected with that department for fourteen years. Immediately after his graduation as an engineer, he entered the employ of the municipality, and his elevation to his im- portant post was the merited recognition of professional ability and proved skill. He is a native of Springfield, born October 3, 1898, son of Cornelius W. and Mary E. (Cunningham) Phillips. His mother also was born in this city. His father, who died in 1920, was a native of New York City, and for many years was a well-known banker and realtor of Springfield. He was elected a member of the City Council at the age of twenty-two years.

Cornelius W. Phillips, of this review, after being graduated from the Springfield High School, in 1916, matriculated at Holy Cross College, at Worcester. The World War period interfered with the completion of his formal studies, and he entered Pratt Insti- tute, Brooklyn, from which he was gradu- ated in engineering in 1921. That same year he accepted a position with the engineering division of the Department of Streets and Enginering, city of Springfield. The place the engineer holds in municipal affairs is well recognized as one of increasing respon- sibility and importance. That Mr. Phillips was efficient, capable and successful was evidenced on January 1, 1932, when he was elected superintendent of his department by the City Council. He has always stood out as an exponent of civic loyalty and progres- siveness, and during his years of service has advanced many projects of great value to Springfield.

On October 25, 1924, Cornelius William Phillips married Sally L. Kirby, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, and they are the parents of three children : Cornelius William, Jr., Sally Ann, and James.

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CHRISTIAN FREDERICK SCHUSTER -Not only has Christian Frederick Schuster, of Holyoke, substantially contributed to the business life of Hampden County through his participation in the lumber and box man- ufacturing trade, but he has succeeded, through his hobbies and recreational pur- suits, in doing a very worth while work. Interesting himself in the plight of the American Indian, as well as in the customs and traditions of many tribes, he has been adopted in several nations of the red race, and is able, as a result of his deep studies, to communicate with the Indians by means of their almost lost sign language, and picture writing.

Mr. Schuster was born September 4, 1868, in Brattleboro, Vermont, son of Christian Frederick and Karoline (Keller) Schuster. His father was born in Thuringen, Germany, March 10, 1826, and died in Holyoke, June 12, 1904. He had studied music in Leipsic and The Conservatory of Dresden, Ger- many, and had a notable career as a profes- sor of music. He taught music for many years in Brattleboro, but retired from his active endeavors after coming to Holyoke. He was a member of the Protestant Epis- copal Church and was non-partisan in his political views. Karoline (Keller) Schuster was born in Frankfort-on-the-Main, Ger- many, September 9, 1840, ,and died in Hol- yoke, February 9, 1910.

After attending grammar and high school in Brattleboro, his Vermont birthplace, Christian Frederick Schuster, the younger, made a special study of languages and for- estry under private instructors. His first connection with the lumber trade was in association with the Connecticut River Lumber Company. He remained with this company for twenty years, then organized the Holyoke Box and Lumber Company in 1908 and became its president. The Hol-

yoke Box and Lumber Company plant was situated in Willimansett, which is within the corporate limits of Chicopee. Here he and his associates manufactured lumber and boxes, continuing the business until 1932, the year of his retirement.

Retirement meant, for Mr. Schuster, merely a closer application to what he re- gards as his many other duties, including the preservation of Indian lore and their almost extinct sign language. His contributions to this field have resulted in his position as one of the foremost exponents of the American Indian in the country. His studies of the Indian have never been confined to reading about the red men in books, but he has, like any true student, gone directly into contact with his subject matter, forming many friendly associations with individual Indi- ans. He has been untiring in his efforts to defend their rights, and has lectured and written in their behalf and otherwise advo- cated favorable legislation for them. Visit- ing many of their tribes in the Northwest and the South, he has shared their life, being permitted to do so because of his own very human and loving approach to them. Never failing to regard them as human beings en- joying an equality of humanity with himself, Mr. Schuster has been repaid for his under- standing-the repayment being a reciprocal understanding. His associations with the In- dians have constituted a real exchange of living cultural values. Through his own museum, containing about 5,000 specimens of objects that reveal the depths of Indian culture and civilization, Mr. Schuster has been able to inculcate in others some of his warmth of feeling toward a race which the white man has conquered, suppressed and abused. He keeps his museum in his summer home at Hockanum, and enjoys explaining to interested persons what he has assimilated of the tribal languages and customs. Espe-

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cially valuable have been his investigations and study of the Indian gesture language and picture writing, about which little is known but which is supposedly a survival of very ancient times.

Mr. Schuster has also interested himself in the Boy Scout movement. He has given land to the Scouts for a permanent camp site. This camp is used by boys of all creeds and particular attention is paid to boys who are in need of such recreation and guidance yet lack the funds to pay. They are all treated alike and Mr. Schuster is more of a pal than instructor, thereby gain- ing the confidence of the boys. He was one of the founders and is today an active mem- ber of the Holyoke Canoe Club. He belongs to the Lions' Club of Holyoke and to Saint Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church, and holds membership in several Indian tribal societies and the Holyoke Library Associa- tion. As Scout commissioner of the Holyoke Council of Boy Scouts, he does much to fur- ther a movement that is very dear to him. He is a member of the Audubon Society, Izaak Walton League, Green Mountain Club, Pelham Country Club, Holyoke Rod and Gun Club, National Indian Association, and the Holyoke Public Library (director.) Politically Mr. Schuster has avoided affili- ations with parties and organizations, sup- porting always those measures and candi- dates that seem best suited to the needs of each specific time and occasion.

Christian Frederick Schuster married, in Holyoke, Marie Gustine Jones, born Aug- ust 7, 1869, at Easton, Pennsylvania, daugh- ter of Frederick William Gustine and Annie Elizabeth (Currier) Jones, both of whom are now deceased. Mr. Jones was an Easton merchant. Mrs. Schuster is a graduate of Holyoke High School and a member of sev- eral important organizations, among them the Daughters of the American Revolution,

the Women's Club and the Congregational Church. Mr. and Mrs. Schuster became the parents of a daughter, Marion Louise Schu- ster, who is the wife of Carroll C. Howes, a merchant of Holyoke. Mrs. Howes is a graduate of the Holyoke schools and of Dana Hall, Wellesley, and is an artist by profession. Mr. and Mrs. Howes are the parents of a daughter, Virginia Marion Howes.

FRANK J. DOWNEY-In the public affairs of the city of Springfield, Frank J. Downey has taken an important and helpful part. He is now superintendent of Public Buildings in this municipality, and is at the same time one of the well-known residents of Hampden County.

Mr. Downey was born in Springfield on August 3, 1891, son of Daniel J. and Lucy T. (Nihill) Downey, both natives of Massa- chusetts. His father was a painter, em- ployed for many years by the Boston and Maine Railroad, and is now living retired from his active endeavors.

In the Springfield schools Frank J. Dow- ney received his early education, being grad- uated from high school here in 1909. He attended the High School of Commerce in this city, and afterward was variously em- ployed, working for a time in the car serv- ice department of the Boston and Albany Railroad. In 1914 he entered the employ of the Springfield city government, serving as clerk and storekeeper in the Department of Public Buildings. In 1916 he was appointed chief clerk, and in 1923, he was made assist- ant superintendent of the department. His selection to the post of Superintendent of Public Buildings came in 1933, and his ac- tivities in this office have been useful and effective. He has charge of school and mu- nicipal buildings. His entire business career has gone into the service of his city, and his

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public spirit has been widely recognized and appreciated. The department carries 260 employees.

Mr. Downey is at the same time a leader in organizational activities in this city. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Foresters, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. In spare time he enjoys outdoor recreations, notably golf and fishing.

On October 1, 1912, Frank J. Downey married Marie M. Norris, of Springfield. Five children were born to them: Frances, Raymond, James, Gerald, and Paul.

THEODORE E. TROMBLEY-As gen- eral agent of the Mutual Benefit Life Insur- ance Company in Springfield, Theodore E. Trombley is well known among New Eng- land insurance men. He is a perfect exem- plification of the right man in the right niche in life, a man fortunate in finding what he could do best and which he liked most. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, May 18, 1873, son of Theodore E. and Sarah (Part- low) Trombley, and a member of notable families in the Middle West. The name is Huguenot in origin, and on his mother's side he is descended from the Cleveland Partlows, pioneer settlers of the Western Reserve country in Ohio, and among the first Americans to develop Detroit. Six of that name in the Great Lake region lived to be more than a hundred years old, and two of whom, sisters, attained the ages of 104. They were, for the most part, "tillers of the soil," although Mr. Trombley's father was of the generation that was prominent in business and was himself a contractor.

Theodore E. Trombley received a com- mon school education and learned the trade of shoemaking. While he worked at the bench during the day, he attended night schools and completed studies in a business college. Then he left his trade to become a

clerk in the store of the Elliott, Taylor, Wolfenden Company, Detroit. For four- teen years he retained his connection with this company, making himself so useful and efficient that he became the right hand man to the chief buyer for the corporation. Wait- ing to fill other men's shoes seemed futile, eventually, and in seeking to better himself he turned, in 1907, to the insurance business. He joined the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company as a salesman in Detroit, Michi- gan, and at once began to make records. In his first year he led the other agents of the company in the number of applications for insurance. Within two years he was the superintendent of agents in the Detroit office, a large part of his duties taking him out on the road helping those under him to secure new business. In 1912 he was called to the Springfield office as general agent, and as such has been the head of this impor- tant branch since. In a period when gen- eral financial conditions were not of the best he doubled the business of the Springfield section, and at present has a number of salesmen under his direction in the western Massachusetts territory.

Mr. Trombley is a member of the West- ern Massachusetts Underwriters Associa- tion, and the General Insurance Agents As- sociation. He is a thirty-second degree Mason, affiliated with the York and Scottish Rites, and Melha Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.

On October 16, 1895, Theodore E. Trom- bley married Sarah Robinson, of Detroit, Michigan, daughter of James and Elizabeth (Craven) Robinson, and they are the par- ents of three children : 1. Gladys M., wife of Dr. George D. Malkasian, and they have two children: George D., Jr., and Sally Frances. 2. Howard J., a graduate of Worcester (Massachusetts) Polytechnic In- stitute, who is connected with the Mutual

Peter F.Sinclair.

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Benefit Life Insurance Company at Spring- field. He married Amy Abair, and they have two children : Howard J., Jr., and Rob- ert T. 3. Naomi E., a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, in which she has studied for ten years, and a popular soloist.

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Hampden county, 1636-1936, Volume III, Part 24

Author: Johnson, Clifton, 1865-1940 Publication date: 1936 Publisher: New York, The American historical Society, Inc. Number of Pages: 770

Author: Johnson, Clifton, 1865-1940
Publication date: 1936
Publisher: New York, The American historical Society, Inc.
Number of Pages: 770