USA > Massachusetts > The story of western Massachusetts, Volume IV > Part 39
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55
William Avison Fuller graduated from Westfield High School in 1928 and from Deerfield Academy in 1929. He then became a student at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and spent three years there, leaving college in 1932 to become associated with the American Abrasive Company. After two years in the employ of this concern, of which his father had been president from its early beginnings in 1918, William Avison Fuller was elected treasurer and a director of the company in February, 1934. He filled the office of treasurer until February, 1946, when he was elected vice president, a post he has held ever since. In September, 1939, he was elected treasurer and a director of the Cortland Grinding Wheels Cor- poration of Chester and since that date has held these offices continuously. In January, 1949, he was elected treasurer and a director of the Hamilton Emery & Corundum Company of Chester. Mr. Fuller has taken an active part in the Abrasive Grain Association, hav- ing served on its board of directors for a number of years and having been president of the board in 1948. He has also been a director of the Westfield Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Fuller is a member of the Long- meadow Country Club of Longmeadow, and of the Granville Fish and Game Club. His college fraternity is Delta Kappa Epsilon. He and his family attend the First Congregational Church.
On October 27, 1934, at Westfield, William Avison Fuller was married to Virginia Williston Smith, the daughter of Edward S. and Clara (Gibbs) Smith. Mr. and Mrs. William A. Fuller have two children: I. Judith Bancroft, born May 24, 1937. 2. Susan Shep- hard, born April 5, 1939.
LOUIS MELVIN FULLER, prominent indus- trialist of Westfield, is active in the business and banking life of the city and has served on the West- field city council and in other public offices. He is president of the American Abrasive Company of Westfield, which he founded in 1918, and president, too, of the Cortland Grinding Wheels Corporation and the Hamilton Emery & Corundum Company, of Chester. He is a vice president, trustee, and auditor of the Westfield Savings Bank and a vice president and director of the First National Bank of Westfield.
Louis Melvin Fuller was born in Southwick, Massa- chusetts, April 30, 1881, the son of Melvin Clayton and Myra (Rising) Fuller. His father was a manufac- turer of whip stocks.
Mr. Fuller attended the Westfield High School, from which he was graduated in 1899. After his graduation from high school, he became associated
with the First National Bank of Westfield and spent something over three years in a training course and as bookkeeper at this bank, of which he is today a vice president and director. In 1902 he left the bank to become bookkeeper and later salesman for the Cortland Grinding Wheels Corporation, then of Cort- land, New York. He returned to Westfield in 1903 or 1904 and became salesman for the Vitrified Wheel Company of that town. He was associated with the Vitrified Wheel Company for ten years and, during the latter part of this period, was also proprietor of a local ice business. In 1918 Mr. Fuller founded and organized the American Abrasive Company in West- field, and he has served as president and a director of this company since its first meeting in February, 1918. " In September, 1939, Mr. Fuller was elected president and a director of the Cortland Grinding Wheels Cor- poration of Chester, formerly of Cortland, New York, with which he had been associated in his early business career, and he has held office as president continuously ever since. He was elected president and a director of the Hamilton Emery & Corundum Company, of Chester, in January, 1949. He has served as a member of the board of directors of the Lea Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut since 1947, and was a director of the H. B. Smith Company of West- field during the period of its reorganization. As stated above, Mr. Fuller serves as a vice president of two Westfield banks -- the First National Bank where he started his career, and the Westfield Savings Bank. He is a director of the first and trustee and auditor of the second of these institutions. He serves as a direc- tor of the Westfield Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Munitions Board Non-Metallic Min- erals Industry advisory committee. Mr. Fuller has served as a selectman of the Town of Westfield and as city councilman, city auditor and a member of the aviation commission of the city of Westfield. He is a member of the Colony Club of Springfield, and, fra- ternally, is affiliated with Westfield Lodge No. 1418, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
On June 2, 1908, at Utica, New York, Louis Melvin Fuller was married to Mary Avison, the daughter of Eugene Thomas and Margaret (Smith) Avison. Mr. and Mrs. Fuller have two sons: I. William Avison Fuller, (q.v.). 2. Richard Eugene Fuller, (q.v.).
RALPH ADAMS PRINCE, of Westfield, found his true vocation in the field of automotive sales, after successful operation in several other commercial ven- tures, including foodstuffs and trucking. In the latter he has retained an interest, being an officer in Royal Service, Inc., whose operations cover the New Eng- land states. His primary business interest, however, is in the firm of Prince, Inc., distributors of Packard automobiles, of which he is president and treasurer.
Mr. Prince is a native of Westfield, where he has founded his profitable business venture. Born April 10, 1897, he is a son of Clarence Knight and Edith (Knott) Prince. His father was associated with the H. B. Smith Company of Westfield, local leaders in the manufacturing field, and also co-operated whole- heartedly in service to his community, being a mem- ber of the commission that started the municipal li- brary, a member of its building committees, and a director for some years. Clarence K. Prince was also a member of the school committee, and of the gas
Edward P. Bag MD.
385
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
and electric light commission. He died in 1927. His wife, the former Edith Knott was a native of Westfield.
Ralph Adams Prince attended the public grade and high schools of his native city, then entered the Worcester Polytechnic Institute where he was gradu- ated with the degree of Bachelor of Science. His first employment was on the Anna Dean Farm in Barber- ton, Ohio, where he remained for one year, thereafter entering army service for a period of eighteen months. This was during World War I, and in that conflict Ralph Adams Prince served in the Aviation Signal Corps.
On his return to civilian life, he became associated with Professor L. B. Allyn, food expert, and engaged in laboratory work. He thereafter continued for a time in this field, becoming purchasing agent and manager for Certified Foods, Inc., in Westfield, with which concern he remained in this responsible capacity for five years. He was associated during the ensuing three years with the Foundation Company of New York, engaged in construction work for which he showed considerable aptitude. In 1926, however, Mr. Prince returned to Massachusetts and bought the Chattis Trucking Company, which subsequently be- came the Royal Service, Inc., under which name it continues operations to the present time. This firm, which does general trucking throughout New England. was Mr. Prince's chief interest for twenty years, and he remains its treasurer. However, in April, 1946, he en- tered the automotive field, founding the Prince, Inc., agency, dealing in Packard cars and International trucks; of this successful organization, he is president and treasurer. It is located at 234 East Main Street in Westfield, and has become well known among citizens of that community as a progressive and ably managed agency, dealing in a top-quality line in both the truck and pleasure-car fields.
Mr. Prince, long a Republican in good standing in the councils of his party, is a member of the board of assessors and of the park department of Westfield. He has also, for fifteen years, been on the board of managers of the Sarah Gillett Home for Aged Peo- ple; and has been on the board of the Westfield Athenaeum for the past twenty years. He is a member of the Mount Moriah Lodge, at Westfield, of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He and his family attend the First Congregational Church.
At Flemington, New Jersey, October 6, 1923, Ralph Adams Prince married Helen Taylor Deats, daughter of Hiram and Eva (Taylor) Deats. Mrs. Prince is a member of the board of managers for the Shurtleff Mission. She and Mr. Prince are the parents of two children: I. Bradford Adams, born March 4, 1930. 2. Mary Bradford, born March 5, 1941. The family resides at 118 West Silver Street in Westfield.
EDWARD PARSONS BAGG, M. D .- A leading member of the medical profession of Holyoke, Dr. Edward Parsons Bagg is rendering distinguished serv- ice to his community. His splendid work in pediatrics has merited the admiration and confidence of all those who have known him, either as a professional physician or as a private citizen.
Edward Bagg was born December 4, 1883, at Holy-
oke, the son of Edward Parsons and Eliza (Crane) Bagg. The Bagg family is an old one in this part of the country, John Bagg having come to Western Massachusetts in 1653. Originally the family dwelt in Denmark, after which they lived in England for two centuries. Edward P. Bagg, the elder, father of Doc- tor Bagg, was a prominent paper manufacturer, being president of the Parsons Paper Company.
Edward Bagg attended Lawrence Grammar School, and, in 1902, was graduated from Holyoke High School. He spent a year at Phillips Academy, An- dover, and then entered Yale University. In 1907 he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts at that insti- tution and, four years later, in 19II, was awarded the Doctorate in Medicine at the Harvard Medical School.
After completing his formal medical training and serving a year as intern in the Massachusetts Gen- eral Hospital at Boston, Dr. Bagg began a practice of medicine in Holyoke, specializing in pediatrics. Throughout the years he has continued his very successful private practice, and in addition has taken an active part in the work of many medical institu- tions and organizations. In 1936 he became a li- centiate of the American Board of Pediatrics. He belongs to the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the New Eng- land Pediatric Society. During the year 1947-1948 he was president of the Massachusetts Medical Society. He is a former president of the Hampden District Medical Society, and also holds memberships in the Holyoke Medical Society, and the Springfield Acad- emy of Medicine, having in the past served as presi- dent of the last two organizations. He is the author of "Another Canterbury Tale," published in 1938, and is active with the American Physicians Art Association of Boston.
Dr. Bagg is prominent in the business affairs of Holyoke. He serves as president and director of the Parsons Paper Company, vice president and director of the Henry G. Sears Company, and a director of the Millers Falls Paper Company.
Dr. Bagg is also active in other phases of com- munity life. He is president of the Holyoke Society for the Care of Crippled Children, and serves as chairman of the Child Welfare Commission of the City of Holyoke, a position to which he was ap- pointed by the mayor. He is president of the Holy- oke Public Library. He is a former president of the Rotary Club and fraternally is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In re- ligious faith he is a Congregationalist, and attends the Second Congregational Church of Holyoke.
In political belief and principles he is a Republi- can, but has been known to vote independently for a man rather than for his party.
On August 13, 1913, at Holyoke, Dr. Edward Parsons Bagg married Marion Emma Sears, daughter of Henry Gorham and Fanny (Ford) Sears. They became the parents of the following children: I. Edward Parsons, III, who was born May 9, 1914. 2. Henry Sears, born May 17, 1916. 3. Laurence Gor- ham, who was born April 21, 1918, and died in 1942 while in military training. 4. Marjorie, who was born December 29, 1919.
386
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
WALLACE EDWIN DIBBLE-A leading archi- tect and educator of Springfield, and of the state of Massachusetts, Wallace Edwin Dibble has made out- standing contributions toward the beautification of the city of Springfield.
Mr. Dibble was born August 27, 1889, at Springfield, son of Burton Edwin and Mattie Abigail (Bridge) Dibble. Alfred Dibble, grandfather of Wallace Ed- win Dibble, was engaged in whip manufacturing operations, and died at Westfield. His son, Burton Dibble, father of Wallace Dibble, was a native of Westfield, resides in Springfield, and is associated with the New York Life Insurance Company. He married Mattie Abigail Bridge, daughter of Watson W. Bridge, who was captain of the first colored regi- ment to fight in the North during the Civil War. Mattie Abigail (Bridge) Dibble was born at Malden, and died at Springfield.
Wallace Edwin Dibble was graduated from the Springfield Central High School in 1909, and then studied at the Columbia University School of Archi- tecture in New York, New York. In addition, he attended architecture schools at Holyoke and Spring- field.
In 1915 Mr. Dibble opened his offices in Springfield, where he has carried on a general practice since. While engaged in practice, he has been responsible for the design and construction of many of the fine residences, bank buildings, schools, and commercial establish- ments of Springfield.
In addition to his business interest, Mr. Dibble is an instructor and lecturer in the Adult Education Di- vision of the Massachusetts Department of Education, and for a number of years has given courses on Resi- dential Architecture throughout the state. Also, he has given numerous special lectures at various schools and colleges.
Mr. Dibble is active in the professional life of the state of Massachusetts and of the city of Springfield. He is a member of the American Institute of Archi- tects, and as such is a member of the Boston Society of Architects, and for the past nine years has served as a director, vice president, and acting president of the organization. He is a member of the Massachu- setts Association of Architects and the Connecticut Valley Architects Society. He holds membership in the Springfield Department of Education, and is affi- liated with its Adult Education Council, being a member of the Council's executive committee and program committee.
Mr. Dibble plays an important role in the civic and social affairs of his community. He is a member and vice chairman of the Connecticut Valley branch of the Foreign Policy Association. He is a former president of the Advertising Club of Springfield, a director of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra Asso- ciation, a former president of the Exchange Club of Springfield, chairman of the planning board of the East Longmeadow College fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi, and a director of the University Club. He is a mem- ber of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and is affiliated with the Springfield Lodge and the Samuel D. Sherwood Lodge, of which is a former Master. In politics he is a Republican.
On October 24, 1914, Wallace Edwin Dibble married Elizabeth Fitzgerald, daughter of Judge Frank T. Fitzgerald, who was a surrogate judge in the New
York County courts. Mrs. Dibble received her edu- cation at the Brearley School, a private school for girls in New York City, and was graduated from Smith College, in 1912, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Wallace Edwin and Elizabeth (Fitzgerald) Dibble became the parents of the following children: I. Frank Burton, who was born July 29, 1915, was graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology, and is now engaged as a research engineer. 2. Eleanor, who was born February 22, 1917, was graduated from the Women's College of the Univer- sity of North Carolina, at Greensboro, North Carolina, with the degree of Bachelor of Science. 3. Morris E., born February 1, 1920, who was graduated from Colby College in Maine with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and, in 1947, received the degree of Bachelor of Laws at Yale University. 4. Lina A., who was born No- vember 5, 1922, was graduated from the Stockbridge School of Massachusetts State College, receiving a degree in Animal Husbandry; she married, and she and her husband operate a large stock farm. 5. Wal- lace Edwin, Jr., who was born January 7, 1925, at- tended Norwich University, served during World War II as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, and is now attending Yale University, where he is majoring in English preparatory to receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts.
WALTER M. SHEA-A prominent Chicopee at- torney and former alderman and city solicitor, the late Walter M. Shea, who died in August, 1948, at the age of fifty-six, took an active part in the civic life of Chicopee and will be greatly missed in that city. Upon the news of his sudden death, flags on all public buildings were ordered flown at half mast by Mayor Edward O. Bourbeau for a period of thirty days "in respect to the memory of one of Chicopee's most illustrious sons."
Walter M. Shea was born September 20, 1891, in Chicopee Falls, the son of Patrick C. and Mary E. (Shea) Shea. He was a graduate of St. Patrick's Parochial School. During World War I Mr. Shea served overseas for eighteen months with the Ameri- can Expeditionary Forces in France, with the ordnance section of the 310th Infantry of the 78th Division of the United States Army. Upon returning to civilian life he finished his high school course at evening school and became a student in the Northeastern University Law School, where he studied under Representative Charles R. Clason. In 1927 Mr. Shea was admitted to the Massachusetts State Bar. Mean- time, however, he had become active in the political life of his native city. He served as alderman from 1920 to 1922 and then was appointed a member of the Registrars of Voters, serving from 1923 to 1929 and for three years of this period as chairman. Mr. Shea also served for nine years as city solicitor, and at the time of his death he was being retained by the city as special counsel on several claims against the federal government based on damages in the establishment of Westover Air Base. Mr. Shea was an active mem- ber of both the Hampden County Bar Association and the Massachusetts Bar Association. For the past ten years he had served as president of the Chicopee Falls Board of Trade, and he was a trustee of the Chicopee Falls Savings Bank and a director of the Chicopee Falls Co-operative Bank. For many years Mr. Shea
Pierre eAuguro
387
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
had been a director of the Chicopee Chapter of the American Red Cross, and during World War II he was a member of the Chicopee United Service Or- ganization board, and also a member of the Hampden County War Chest Commission, to which he had been appointed by the Massachusetts Supreme Court. A past commander and charter member of Charles C. Kennedy Post of the American Legion and Davitt Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Mr. Shea took a keen interest in veterans' affairs. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club, and active in the Community Chest organization. Mr. Shea also held membership in the Tuesday Club of Springfield. He was a com- municant of St. Patrick's Church, a member of the Father Mathew Total Abstinence Society of Chicopee Falls, and a member of the Elder Council of the Knights of Columbus.
On September 20, 1927 Walter M. Shea was married to Josephine K. Dowd, the daughter of Jeremiah J. and Helen (Coughlin) Dowd of Chicopee Falls. Her father, who was a stationary engineer, died in 1916; her mother is still living in Chicopee Falls. Before her marriage Mrs. Shea was a practical arts instructor. Mr. and Mrs. Shea were the parents of two sons: I. Walter M. Shea, Jr., born July 18, 1928. He is studying for the priesthood and is now Rev. Mr. Wal- ter M. Shea, Jr., S.J., of Lenox. 2. Francis Jerome Shea, born January 8, 1934, and now a student at Cathedral High School.
Walter M. Shea died suddenly on August 21, 1948 at Shadowbrook, Lenox, where he had been visiting his older son, Mr. Shea. Burial was in St. Patrick's Cemetery, following funeral services at his home at 64 Hendrick Street in Chicopee Falls and a solemn high requiem mass in St. Patrick's Church, which was attended by scores of municipal officials of Western Massachusetts and members of the Hampden County Bar Association who wished to do honor to this well loved citizen. Besides his widow and two sons, Mr. Shea is survived by a brother, John E. Shea, of the School Department of Chicopee, and three sisters, Mrs. George Corrigan, of Hartford, Miss Nellie Shea, and Mrs. Charles O'Keefe, of Chicopee.
PIERRE ANGERS-For more than half a century engaged in the building and contracting industry, Pierre Angers made significant contributions to the business growth of Springfield and the State of Massachusetts. His good business judgment and in- telligent foresight earned him a reputation among his many friends and business associates.
Mr. Angers was born in Canada, son of William Evariste and Salomee (Tetreault) Angers. In 1887, when a young man, he came to the United States and settled in Springfield, where he became associated with J. B. Provost, a local contractor. After two years he joined C. I. Gagnier in the building business under the name Gagnier & Angers, a partnership which lasted until October, 1926. While the association lasted, the Messrs. Angers and Gagnier erected about eight hundred buildings in Boston, Cambridge, Wor- cester, Hartford, Chicopee, Westfield, Holyoke, and Springfield.
In the early stages the concern specialized in one, two and three-family houses, but after 1897 they be- came pioneers in the apartment house line, which they
continued to construct from that time on. In addition the firm built churches, store buildings and other types of edifices, developing large tracts of land. An expert architect, Mr. Angers designed most of the building projects. In 1902 the company organized and erected the Trois Pistoles Pulp and Lumber, in Canada, and the following year it organized the Wat- kins Lumber Company, New York wholesale lumber dealers.
In 1926 Mr. Angers purchased the assets of the enterprise, and in turn sold it to his sons, Henry Edward Angers (q.v.), George William Angers (q.v.), and Laurent Arthur Angers (q.v.), who incorporated the business under the name of H. E. Angers and Brothers, Inc., and who have continued to operate it successfully since then.
Active in the life of his community, Mr. Angers was a member of the board of appeals.
Pierre Angers married Mary Adams, who died in 1922, and they were the parents of the following children: 1. Henry E. 2. George W. 3. Laurent A. 4. Yvette, who married Dr. E. J. La Liberte, of Wor- cester, and they make their home here.
Pierre Angers remarried in 1924, Maria Ryan of Three Rivers, Province of Quebec, Canada. He re- mained a resident of Springfield until his death on May 19, 1936.
WILLIAM GEORGE ANGERS-One of the prominent figures in the business world of Spring- field and Holyoke, and of Hampden County, Massa- chusetts, William George Angers contributed much toward the prosperity and well-being of these centers. His business acumen and foresight gained for him a stalwart reputation among his many friends and business colleagues.
Mr. Angers was born March 17, 1865, at St. Ce- saire, Canada, son of George and Lucy (du Pont) Angers. Paul Angers, grandfather of William George Angers, was a native of St. Cesaire, and was a promi- nent educator of the region. He married a member of the Massey family, and their son, George Angers, father of William George Angers, was born, in 1840, at St. Cesaire, and died there in November, 1915. He owned and operated a gristmill, was a member of the Roman Catholic Church, and in politics was a Con- servative. He married Lucy du Pont, daughter of Wil- liam du Pont, a prominent hotel proprietor of St. Damas, Canada. Lucy (du Pont) Angers was born at St. Damas, in 1842, and died July 1, 1915, at St. Ce- sairc.
William George Angers received his early education in the public schools of St. Cesaire. At the early age of thirteen years, he became associated with his father in the elder Mr. Angers' gristmill, remaining there for eight years. In 1886, he came to the United States, settled in Holyoke, and became affiliated with Prentiss, Brooks and Company, Inc., dealers in wholesale and retail grain. After eighteen years of faithful service to the firm as steam engineer and miller, he organized his own enterprise in the wholesale lumber trade, and specialized in the supplying of box boards to paper mills. He established his offices at 56 Main Street. in Holyoke, which after 1930 became a branch office. About 1925 he admitted into partnership his nephew, George William Angers (q.v.), and, in 1930, they
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.