USA > Massachusetts > The story of western Massachusetts, Volume IV > Part 26
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Upon his return to civilian life, Mr. Dawson en- tered the business world. Throughout the years he has held important positions with prominent firms, including the Byron Weston Company, of Dalton, and the E. D. Jones and Sons Company of Pittsfield. Through excellence of performance and devotion to duty he has become plant manager of the former com- pany and treasurer of the latter concern. In these capacities he is demonstrating leadership, and his business judgment has been an important factor in the rapid progress of these businesses.
Mr. Dawson is active in the life of his community. He is a member of the Country Club of Pittsfield, and, of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
In 1924, at Providence, Rhode Island, Elmer E. Dawson, Jr., married Maude Preston Gardner, daugh- ter of Preston H. and Mary E. Gardner, and they became the parents of one son, John E. Dawson, who was born in 1928, and is now a student at Princeton University.
AMBROSE BERNARD COTE-Well-known in Springfield, as a leading printer of this city, Ambrose Bernard Cote has done much to further the indus- trial growth of Springfield and the surrounding region of Massachusetts.
Mr. Cote was born December 31, 1889, at Holyoke, son of Severe and Elizabeth (Coughlin) Cote. The earliest progenitor of the Cote family on the North American continent was Louis Cote, a native of France, who came to Quebec, Canada, in the early part of the seventeenth century. Pierre Cote, grand- father of Ambrose Bernard Cote, a native of Canada, was a lumberman and butcher of Louisville, Canada. He married a member of the Rivers family, and their son, Severe Cote, father of Ambrose Cote, was born May 21, 1858, at Three Rivers, Canada, moved to West Springfield, became a paper maker there, was a member of St. Thomas' Roman Catholic Church, and voted the Republican ticket; he died November 26, 1942; he married Elizabeth Coughlin, daughter of Bartholomew and Ellen (Walsh) Coughlin. Her father, a native of Ireland, came to this country and became foreman of a cotton mill at Agawam, which later became West Springfield, and died there in 1886. He married Ellen Walsh, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, and died at West Springfield in 1873.
Ambrose Bernard Cote received his education in the West Springfield public schools and took special courses on his own initiative. He became associated with W. Frank Clark, who later was an instructor of printing in the high schools of Washington, D. C. When he first started as an apprentice printer, he was paid only a dollar and a half a week. After remaining eighteen months, he became affiliated with the Strath- more Paper Company of West Springfield as a
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printer. He remained with this concern for five years, and then was employed in numerous other shops, gaining valuable knowledge about the printing busi- ness from all angles.
In May, 1917, Mr. Cote interrupted his promising career to enter the United States Navy, served on transports, and for more than two years acted as chief printer on the Battleship "Utah" and on the staff of Admiral Sims in London. He received his honor- able discharge from the service on July 2, 1919.
On returning from duty with the Navy, Mr. Cote was employed by the Phelps Publishing Company, of Springfield, as a compositor. In November, 1920, he opened Cote Press, Inc. on South Main Street in Springfield, and, in 1922, moved to his present location at 29 Worthington Street. Over the years the en- terprise has grown and prospered. In 1936, Mr. Cote formed a corporation with himself as president. At present, the concern, which specializes in advertising printing of a very high quality, employs twenty-six craftsmen. In addition to the responsibilities of acting as president, Mr. Cote has taken on the responsibilities of treasurer of the thriving printshop.
Mr. Cote plays an active role in many phases of community life. He is an adroit member and former vice president of the Advertising Club of Springfield. He acts as treasurer of the Society of Master Printers, and is a director of the West Springfield Co-operative Bank. In religious faith he is a devout Catholic, and attends St. Thomas' Roman Catholic Church. In politics, he is a Republican, and has held local party offices. For relaxation and recreation he enjoys fish- ing, refinishing antique furniture, and gardening.
On September 24, 1928, Ambrose Bernard Cote married Katherine Van Keuren, daughter of Edward and Ann (McGowan) Van Keuren. Her father was a cotton mill superintendent for many years; he mar- ried Ann McGowan, a native of New York State, who died in Chicopee in 1911. Mrs. Cote, who was born October I, 1894, at Stuyvesant Falls, New York, was graduated, in 1911, from the Holy Name High School at Chicopee, having been valedictorian of her class. She took business and advertising courses, and for awhile was associated with the Strathmore Paper Company as a stenographer, later becoming assistant advertising manager there. In 1920 she became affi- liated with the Old Colony Envelope Company, at Westfield, where she remained until her marriage. She is an active member of numerous garden clubs, and, with her husband, attends the Roman Catholic Church in Springfield. Ambrose Bernard and Kath- erine (Van Keuren) Cote became the parents of the following children: I. Mary Lou, who was born July 13, 1929, was graduated with honors from the Cathe- dral High School in 1946, and is now attending the Massachusetts State College at Amherst. 2. Robert A., who was born November 27, 1931, and is a student at the West Springfield High School. 3. Richard John, who was born April 8, 1933, and is a student at the West Springfield Junior High School.
MALCOLM K. SKIPTON-In the dairy and ice cream business since 1910, Malcolm K. Skipton has been president of M. K. Skipton, Inc., the Spring- field firm he founded, since 1928. For nearly a score of years he was an official of Tait Brothers. Active in civic affairs and interested in the welfare of youth,
Mr. Skipton has long been president of the Boys' Club of Springfield.
He is a native of New Rochelle, New York. Born on October 18, 1892, he is the son of the late James and Adela L. C. (Gregg) Skipton and a member of a family which traces its history back to England to the year 1137. His father, born in Derry, Ireland, in 1840, came to the United States at an early age, settling in New York City. There he was a merchant until his death in 1894. His widow, who survived him for more than three decades, was born in London- derry, Ireland, in 1850; she died in Springfield in 1928.
Malcolm K. Skipton was educated in the elementary and high schools of New Rochelle and the Eastman- Gaines Business College. From 1909 to 1910, he was in the employ of the Sinclair and Valentine Litho- graphic Company at New York City. On March 3, I910, he became a member of the staff of Tait Brothers, the dairy firm, with which he remained until February 28, 1928. Mr. Skipton's association with Tait Brothers was interrupted by World War I, during which he served in the Fifty-first Aerial Squadron. At the time he resigned from the Tait firm, Mr. Skipton was a vice president and director and was in charge of production, sales and distribution. On March 10, 1928, he organized his own business, the M. K. Skipton, Inc., with headquarters at 755 Worthington Street, Springfield, and has been president of that concern ever since. Aside from his sponsorship of boys' work, Mr. Skipton is active in the Kiwanis Club of Springfield, the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, the International Association of Ice Cream Manufac- turers, and Esoteric Lodge, Ancient Free and Accept- ed Masons, also in Springfield. His church is Faith Congregational. Politically, he is a Republican.
Mr. Skipton married Mildred A. Welch at New Rochelle, on June 28, 1919. Mrs. Skipton was born at Hardarck, Vermont, on March 3, 1895, the daughter of Henry and Mabel B. (Brackett) Welch. Her father, a native of Groton, Vermont, was a merchant who died in 1943. Her mother, born in 1868, lives in Springfield. Mrs. Skipton was educated in elementary and high schools and was graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1916. She is president of the Mount Holyoke Club of Springfield. Mr. and Mrs. Skipton are the parents of three children: I. Mal- colm K., Jr., born March 15, 1924. 2. Bruce R., born August 31, 1926. 3. Judith Anne, born October 31, 1933. Malcolm K. Skipton, Jr., a graduate of Classical High School, Springfield, and a junior (1947) at Am- herst College, was a tower operator in the Caribbean Theater of Operations with the United States Army Air Forces in World War II. Bruce Skipton, also a graduate of Classical High School, was graduated from Amherst in June, 1947. Mr. Skipton's daughter was, in 1947, a pupil at junior high school in Spring- field.
SAMUEL DIETZ-A resident of Springfield, and a leader in the tire service and conservation field, Samuel Dietz has made valuable contributions toward the safety and well-being of his community and the nation in general.
Mr. Dietz was born February 3, 1897, at what was then the border between Germany and Russia but is now Poland, son of Joseph Morton and Anna D. (Rubin) Dietz. His father was engaged in the whole-
الشرج
الصيانة
Sous Dietz
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sale flour and grocery business, and was a prominent citizen in his section.
Samuel Dietz came to the United States at the age of fifteen years, and entered the Hooker Street School, which he attended one year. For a while he studied at the Chestnut Street Evening School, and was gradu- ated from the High School of Commerce in 1918.
Back in the year 1915, while still a student, Mr. Dietz and Charles Broad became partners in the operation of a branch of the Keystone Tire and Rubber Company of New York, formerly known as the Com- mercial Tire and Rubber Company. In 1927, after many years of successful operations under the partner- ship, the enterprise was incorporated, being known from then on as the Standard Tire Sales, Inc. with Mr. Dietz as president, a position in which he has distinguished himself to the present time. It is a super-service station, specializing in tire engineering and maintenance. Now one of the largest, oldest and most completely equipped organizations of its type, the firm has for more than thirty years been an agent for the B. F. Goodrich Company. Situated on the corner of Chestnut and Worthington Streets, on the site of the old Elks Home, the Tire Sales Company is at one of the best locations in the city, and it does a thriving business under the able management of Mr. Dietz. The enterprise employs thirty-five men, and it uses all the most modern equipment.
A national leader in the tire industry, Mr. Dietz, through his years of experience, was one of the first to recognize that more than one-half of the tire invest- ment may be saved by expert tire conservation and maintenance. He has written many articles on the topic of tire maintenance and conservation, and his knowledge has aided car and truck owners in saving hundreds of dollars and made driving safer.
Mr. Dietz plays an active role in many important community and professional organizations. He is a director of the Credit Union of Springfield, and is a member of the Independent Tire Dealers Association. He holds memberships in the Chamber of Commerce, the Agawam Sportsman's Club, the Level Club, the Esoteric Lodge of Springfield, Free and Accepted Masons, and is also affiliated with the Melha Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and holds the Thirty-second degree of Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. In politics he is a staunch Republican, and adheres to the Hebrew faith, attend- ing the Congregation Kodimoh of Springfield, where he was at one time vice president and chairman of the board of directors, but is now a director. For recreation and exercise Mr. Dietz enjoys a lively game of golf.
On December 30, 1917, Samuel Dietz married Es- ther R. Broad, daughter of Isaac and Ruth (Bearg) Broad. Her father was engaged in mercantile opera- tions at Springfield. Mrs. Dietz received her educa- tion at the Hooker School and the High School of Commerce at Springfield, attends the Congregation Kodimoh, and is a member of the B'nai B'rith Lodge Auxiliary. Samuel and Esther R. (Broad) Dietz be- came the parents of the following children: I. Doro- thy Ann, who was born April 7, 1919, was graduated from Classical High School, attended Northeastern University, and was married to Henry Braddon, who is associated with the West Springfield Trust Com- pany; they became the parents of one daughter, Fran-
cine Braddon, and a son, Michael. 2. Irving Broad, who was born December 31, 1920, attended North- eastern University and Bates College, and was gradu- ated from the University of Colorado following four years of war service in the Navy. He is married to Jane R. Barger and is now assistant manager for Standard Tire Sales, Inc. 3. Ruth, who was born in 1923, was graduated from Classical High School, and was married to George Dambrov, who is associated with the Standard Tire Sales, Inc .; they became the parents of two daughters, Susan A. Dambrov, and Patricia Dambrov, and a son, Robert. 4. Joseph Morion, who was born May 20, 1928, was graduated from Classical High School, and is now a student at Amherst College. 5. Philip C., who was born August 20, 1929, was graduated from Technical High School, and is now a student at the University of Colorado and a member of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps.
EDSON HARRY CLARK is president and gen- eral manager of the Model Laundering Company, In- corporated of North Adams, which was established in 1889 by his grandfather and father. It is one of the oldest laundering businesses in continuous operation by the same family in all Berkshire County.
Edson Harry Clark was born in North Adams on July 5, 1897, the son of the late Harry G. and Evadne (Osborne) Clark. The Clark family were pioneers in Berkshire County, and the town of Clarksburg derives its name from them. Mr. Clark's grandfather, William R. Clark, with his son Harry G. Clark, founded the business in 1889, and both were still active in its management in 1915 when Edson Harry Clark first became connected with it. William R. Clark died in 1925. Harry G. Clark was active in civic affairs and served as president of the North Adams City Council and president of the Kiwanis Club. He died in 1935.
Edson Harry Clark graduated from Drury High School in the class of 1915, and at once became as- sociated with his grandfather and father in the family business. His brother, Howard S. Clark, is also as- sociated with the company, in the capacity of vice president and treasurer; he graduated from Drury High School and entered the firm in 1930. A nephew, Allen H. Clark, will be the fourth generation to carry on the business. He served as a radio man in the United States Navy in the Asiatic Theater of Operations during World War II, and is now attend- ing the Ohio Mechanics Institute in preparation for his career in the laundry business. The Model Laun- dering Company, Incorporated employes a force of fifty persons at present. As president and general manager, Edson Harry Clark has worked to maintain standards and keep up with developments in the in- dustry. He is a trustee of the Hoosac Savings Bank. He also serves as a trustee of the Congregational Church of North Adams. Fraternally he is affiliated with Greylock Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
THOMAS C. MONTAGNA-A man of varied in- terests, Thomas C. Montagna is well-known in North Adams as a funeral director, conducting a modern and beautifully appointed establishment located at 135 State Street. The citizens of North Adams also know
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him as a business man engaged with his brother in the operation of a successful automotive agency.
Mr. Montagna's home, and the center of these occu- pational activities, was also his birthplace, on August 20, 1902. He is the son of the late Angelo and Emilia (Montagna) Montagna who, both natives of Italy, came to this country as young people and chose North Adams as a place to settle and earn a liveli- hood. They soon established a prosperous grocery and provisions store. This store, still in operation, is now managed by other members of the family.
Thus Thomas C. Montagna early developed the business sense which was later to be indispensible in the dual role he was to assume in the life of North Adams. After graduating from local schools, he en- rolled at the Renouard School of Embalming in New York City, and, on completing his course there, estab- lished himself as a mortician in his native town. He is a licensed funeral director in the states of Massa- chusetts, New York, and Vermont.
In 1938 Mr. Montagna became associated with his brother, Hugo Montagna, in establishing the Montag- na Motor Company. This automotive agency, which has prospered, holds throughout the North Adams area the distributorship of Chrysler and Plymouth cars, and of International Trucks and farm equipment. It maintains a large garage, and gives full-time em- ployment to sixteen persons.
Mr. Montagna is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and of the Lions Club of North Adams, as well as of the Sons of Italy. Of Catholic faith, he attends St. Anthony's Church.
Thomas C. Montagna is unmarried.
MILTON WOOD STOUGHTON-Prominent in the radio industry of Springfield, Milton Wood Stoughton has done much to further the progress and development of radio broadcasting in this city.
Mr. Stoughton was born May 10, 1903, at Brooklyn, New York, son of James C. and Sarah (Newman) Stoughton. His father, who was born June 11, 1861, at West Chazy, New York, was engaged in importing, and is now a retired lawyer at West Springfield. His mother was born in September, 1863, and died in 1932. Milton Stoughton is descended from William Stoughton, the governor of Massachusetts from 1693 until 1701, who was one of the founders of the Massachusetts Colony, and who gave Stoughton Hall to Harvard University. Members of the family have participated in every conflict since the Revolu- tionary War.
Milton Stoughton received his early education in the public schools and high schools of Springfield, and attended Yale University.
In 1923, Mr. Stoughton became associated with the Wico Sales Company as a member of the sales and advertising departments. Four years later he joined the Westinghouse Radio Company as manager of Station WBZ in Springfield. In 1931, he was transferred to take charge of the firm's Chicago office, and the following year was promoted to the position of general sales manager of Station WBZ-A. He remained in this capacity four years, exhibiting excep- tional ability and leadership. At the end of this period, in 1936, he resigned his position in order to organize Station WSPR as a partner. When the en- terprise was incorporated, he became vice president
and a director, the positions he has held since with distinction.
Mr. Stoughton takes an active part in many phases of the life of his community. He is a member of the National Advertising Board of the Advertising Fed- eration of America, the Sales Managers Club of America, the Better Business Bureau of which he is vice president, the Advertising Club of Springfield of which he is a charter member, the Chamber of Com- merce of which he is a director in its Convention Bureau, the Rotary Club, and the Winthrop Club.
On September 5, 1923, at Springfield, Milton Wood Stoughton married Alice May Smith, daughter of Robert F. Smith and wife, both of whom are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Stoughton became the parents of the following children: I. Gloria Wood, who was born June 10, 1937. 2. Sandra Westbrook, who was born August 5, 1938, and is a student in the local public schools. 3. Susan Alice, who was born November 9, 1941.
JOHN DEANS-Coming to the United States from his native Scotland in 1903, John Deans started his life here a fourteen-year-old lad, with only his determination and natural aptitudes to rely upon. He is today treasurer and general manager of the Renton Baking Company in North Adams.
He was brought up as a respecter of hard work. Born in Glasgow on May 6, 1889, he was the son of William and Elizabeth (McNab) Deans. He attended the public schools both in Scotland, and the United States after his arrival in this country, at Norwich, Connecticut, completing his courses in the Norwich Free Academy.
At about the time when young John came of an age to help out his family financially, they removed to North Adams, where he found employment in the Windsor Print Works, and then at the James Hun- ter Machine Company. Always alert to opportunities for self-advancement, he took up the study of chem- istry during 1914 and 1915 at the Operative Millar Laboratories in Chicago, specializing in food and cereal chemistry. This was a look ahead, for it was in a related field, that of baking, in which he subse- quently established himself, and in which he gained success.
Returning to North Adams in 1915, he became as- sociated with the Renton Baking Company, and with this concern he continued to advance. In 1941 he as- sumed the position of treasurer; he is likewise gen- eral manager of the firm.
Mr. Deans is a trustee of the North Adams Savings Bank. He is prominent in club activities of his home community, being a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Lafayette Lodge, located in North Adams. Other Masonic affiliations are with the Royal Arch Chapter of North Adams and Saint Paul's Com- mandery of Knights Templar. He also holds mem- bership in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and in the Rotary Club. His church is the First Congregational.
At North Adams, on June 22, 1915, John Deans married Miss Janet C. Renton, daughter of Alexander and Jane A. (Anderson) Renton. Alexander Renton had long been active in the bakery business in North Adams. The Deans are the parents of two children: I. Jeanie, born in North Adams, a graduate of Drury
tranh.
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High School and of Dickinson College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 2. Donald D., who was born in North Adams in November, 1918. Also a graduate of Drury High School, he attended Dickinson College for three years, thereafter enlisting in the Air Corps during World War II, attaining the rank of first lieutenant. He is now engaged with his father in the bakery busi- ness. He married Jean Zimmerman, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and they have two children, Donna Jean and Christine Ellen.
ALEXANDER W. BORAWSKI, head of the A. W. Borawski Agency of Northampton, is one of the outstanding men in the real estate and insurance field in Hampshire County. He developed the hous- ing project known as Florence Heights, in near-by Florence, in 1941, and since his return from service in the United States Army during World War II, has been working on a new development of two hun- dred and fifty acres established recently on the Easthampton-Northampton Highway. Mr. Borawski served as the first president of the Hampshire Coun- ty Board of Realtors, which was founded in 1947, and he is a member of the board of directors of the Massachusetts Real Estate Association. He is an active member of many local organizations and takes interest in community affairs.
Alexander W. Borawski was born in New York City March 27, 1909, the son of Anthony and Feliksa Borawski. About a year later the family settled at Whately, in Franklin County, where they were en- gaged in farming. Alexander W. Borawski attended the local schools of Whately and Northampton, and also Dean Academy, at Franklin. In 1930, at the age of twenty-one, he established the A. W. Borawski Agency in Northampton, to conduct a general insur- ance and real estate business, and he has been en- gaged in this business ever since with the exception of two years during World War II, which he spent in the United States Army, holding the rank of staff sergeant. During those years the business was car- ried on by his wife, an accomplishment in which Mr. Borawski takes great satisfaction. Due to the cap- able manner in which she conducted the business in his absence, he was able to pick up the threads of his many activities again without loss of time or energy. At present, he is devoting much of his efforts to developing the two hundred and fifty acre tract of land on the Easthampton-Northampton Highway, but he is also carrying on a general insurance busi- ness, as usual, and is engaged in other business activity as well.
In association with his twin brothers Anthony W., Jr., and Felix W. Borawski, who are the active mem- bers of the firm, Alexander W. Borawski is engaged in business in Northampton under the name of Holi- day Beverages, Inc. He serves as president of this concern of which Anthony W., Jr., is secretary and Felix W. is treasurer. Mr. Borawski is also identi- fied with the Manhan Fruit Company, Inc., of Fort Pierce, Florida, of which he is secretary. He is a trustee of the Florence Savings Bank.
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