USA > Massachusetts > The story of western Massachusetts, Volume IV > Part 48
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In 1947 Mr. Lehmann extended his interests to the field of banking, becoming an incorporator of the City Savings Bank, and a member of the board of directors of the Union Federal Savings and Loan Association of Pittsfield. He participates in the life and civic affairs of his adopted city in a very active way. From 1939 until 1940 he was president of the Berkshire County chapter of the Reserve Officers Association, of which the headquarters are in Wash- ington, D. C. He belongs to the Stanley Club of Pittsfield, which he served as vice president in the 1940-1941 term, and in 1946 and 1947 he was chair- man of the Stanley Club Educational Committee. In 1947 he became a director of the Electric Mutual Liability Insurance Company, Lynn, and also in that year, he joined the Pittsfield Chamber of Com- merce, and became a member of the campaign ad- visory committee of the Pittsfield Community Chest. He sits on the board of directors of the Hartford- Springfield chapter of the Society of the Plastics In- dustry. He is an associate member of the Association
for Family Service of Pittsfield, and also sits on the advisory board of the Berkshire County Home for Aged Women, in that city. He is a majority member of the Order of De Molay, of which he is a past master councilor. In religion, Mr. Lehmann is a Congrega- tionalist, and a member of the First Church of Christ of that denomination. In 1948 he served as moderator of the church.
At Columbia, Missouri, on June 16, 1936, George Putnam Lehmann was married to Margaret Dale Johnson, a native of Houston, Texas, and daughter of Francis Ellis and Elizabeth (Trousdale) John- son. Mrs. Lehmann graduated from the University of Missouri, at Columbia, in 1936. Mr. and Mrs. Lehmann have become the parents of one child, a daughter, whose name is Nancy Putnam.
PETER D. FOLEY, who operates a general in- surance, real estate and bond business at 18 Crafts Avenue, Northampton, was born in Northampton, June 24, 1909. He is the son of Michael P. and Johanna E. (McKenna) Foley. His father, who was born in Ireland, settled in Northampton as a young man and was employed by the railroad and also by the city of Northampton. He died June 18, 1940. Mr. Foley's mother is still living in Northampton.
Peter D. Foley graduated from St. Michael's High School in Northampton and attended the Northamp- ton Commercial College. From 1927 to 1936 he was associated with his brother, John P. Foley, who is now city clerk in Northampton. From 1936 to 1937 he was associated with the engineering department of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and from 1938 to 1939 with the United States Internal Revenue Bu- reau at Boston. In 1938 Mr. Foley took and passed the examination for general insurance broker given by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and he subse- quently entered the insurance business in Boston. In 1942 he purchased the Frank J. Haggerty Insurance Agency in Brookline and the following year, 1943, he purchased the H. J. Bradley Insurance Agency and the Leo T. Goodrich Insurance Agency of Jamaica Plain, Boston, and operated both units out of Brookline until April, 1945. He then sold the Haggerty Agency and moved the Bradley, Goodrich Agency into 89 Broad Street, Boston, where he has conducted a general in- surance business ever since. In September, 1945, Mr. Foley also opened up an insurance business at 18 Crafts Avenue in Northampton, and here he also handles real estate and bonds.
Mr. Foley is a Past Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus, Council No. 480 of Northampton, and a fourth degree member of the Arch Bishop Williams Assembly, and is also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge No. 997. He is a member of the Northampton Chamber of Commerce and of the Exchange Club, and presides as a member of the Board of Control. A staunch Democrat, Mr. Foley served as state delegate to the Democratic Con- vention of 1936, and he takes a keen interest in com- munity affairs. Sports are his chief hobby.
In September, 1942, at the Church of St. Mary of the Assumption in Northampton, Peter D. Foley was married to Mary V. Kiley of Springfield, the daughter of John J. and Margaret (Kiely) Kiley. Mrs. Foley is a native of Worcester.
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DENIS THOMAS NOONAN, JR .- A leading figure among the younger business men of Pittsfield, Denis Thomas Noonan, Jr., is gaining a steady reputa- tion for his contributions toward the progress of the woolen industry of this city.
Mr. Noonan was born September 22, 1918, at Pitts- field, son of Denis T. and Ada Bell (Wisecarver) Noonan. His father was born August 15, 1875, and attended the elementary schools of Lawrence, and the Textile School of Lowell. The elder Mr. Noonan has held positions of authority and responsibility in textile and woolen mills throughout New England and in New Jersey and Tennessee. For many years he has been associated with the Tillotson Manufacturing Company as president, and the owner of the Berk- shire Woolen Company, Inc. He is a trustee of the City Savings Bank, and was formerly a president of the City Council. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He also belongs to the Park Club and the Kiwanis Club. In religious con- nection he attends the Christian Science Church. On July 24, 1906, the elder Mr. Noonan married Ada Bell Wisecraver, daughter of John and Sarah J. Wisecraver, and they became the parents of the following children : I. Kathleen F., born January 23, 1909. 2. Cora L., born August 14, 1910. 3. Ellen L., born February 8, 1912. 4. Ada B., born Septem- ber 28, 1914. 5. Sarah L., born January 1916. 6. Denis T., Jr., of further mention.
Denis Thomas Noonan, Jr., received his elementary training in the local Pittsfield schools, attended Pitts- field High School, and was graduated from Culver Military Academy in Indiana. He received his college education at Colgate University.
During summer vacations and school holidays Mr. Noonan worked in his father's plant, the Berkshire Woolen Company, in order to gain a fundamental knowledge of the business. In 1935, he became asso- ciated with the enterprise on full time employment. His devotion to duty and natural ability earned him an excellent reputation in the firm and he continued to gain promotions. On September 1, 1947, he was appointed superintendent and a director of the com- pany, positions in which he has distinguished himself since. In addition to this business connection, he holds directorships in the Pittsfield Industrial De- velopment and the Hillcrest Hospital.
Mr. Noonan is active in the civic, social, and fraternal life of Pittsfield. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Community Chest, the Rotary Club, and the Country Club of Pittsfield. His college fraternity was Sigma Nu. In religious affiliation he is a Congregationalist and attends the First Congregational Church of Pittsfield.
At New Britain, Connecticut, Denis Thomas Noon- an, Jr., married Adelaide Helmont, daughter of Arthur and Ruth Helmont, and they became the parents of the following children: I. Denis Thomas, III, who was born in July, 1941, at Pittsfield. 2. Timothy Wendell, who was born in May, 1945, at Pittsfield. 3. Tracy Walter, born December 23, 1947.
ROBERT WOLCOTT DAY-A prominent busi- ness executive and banker of Springfield, Robert Wol- cott Day made valuable contributions toward the financial and industrial growth and development of his
community. He earned an excellent reputation for good business judgment and forceful leadership, and his many close friends and associates held him in high esteem.
Mr. Day was born at Springfield, son of William W. Day. He received his education in the local schools.
Robert Day, after finishing his training, became a bookkeeper for the Morgan Envelope Company. After a number of years of service to the firm, he became a partner with Elisha Morgan. Mr. Day was one of the organizers of the United States Envelope Company, and acted as its first treasurer. About 1903, he resigned his position with this firm to become presi- dent of the United Electric Light Company. A direc- tor and one of the organizers of the company, he served as its president until the close of his life. In addition to this connection, he was one of the original organizers and served as a director and vice president of the Springfield National Bank, and a director and president of the Springfield Cemetery. In all his business and professional associations Mr. Day exhibited unusual devotion to duty and man- agerial ability.
Active in the life of his community, Mr. Day was a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Colony Club, the Old Nayasset Club, and the South Branch Fishing Club. In politics he was a Republican, and in religious affiliation he was a Congregationalist, attending the South Congregational Church.
At Hinsdale, New Hampshire, Robert Wolcott Day married Ida Louise Boyden, daughter of Dr. Frederick Boyden. Mrs. Day died in 1941. Mr. and Mrs. Day became the parents of the following children: I. Pauline Boyden, who became the wife of Colonel Charles A. Meals, a retired United States Army colonel. 2. Robert Frederick, who is connected with the Smith and Wesson Company. 3. Winsor Boyden, who is president of the Indian Orchard Company. 4. Morgan Glover.
On November 18, 1926, at Springfield, Massachu- setts, Robert Wolcott Day passed away. His death was a cause of deep sorrow in his community, where he had become known as a benevolent and under- standing friend to many. His loss to Springfield busi- ness life was deeply felt by his many associates, both in industry and in banking.
OVILLA RAYMOND COTE-From small begin- nings Ovilla Raymond Cote of Agawam and Spring- field has, in association with his brother Rosario O. Cote, built up a large and highly successful business, which seems certain to enjoy further expansion in the post-war days.
A native of Canada, Mr. Cote was born at Sher- brooke in the Province of Quebec on April II, 1893, and was a son of the late Wilabald and the late Rose Anna (Lemieux) Cote, both Canadian born. Wila- bald Cote was a stationery engineer who came to Turners Falls, Massachusetts, in 1902, and died in 1915. Mrs. Rose Anna (Lemieux) Cote survived her husband to pass away in 1942. Ovilla Raymond Cote received his formal education in the public schools of Turners Falls.
In 1920 Mr. Cote, in association with his brother Rosario O., organized the O. R. Cote Company, Inc., of Springfield, to engage in the business of the dis-
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tribution of petroleum equipment. Of this corpora- tion Ovilla Raymond Cote became president and trea- surer, positions which he has continued to hold from that time to the present. At the beginning of its opera- tions the firm had four or five employees, and the story of its growth and expansion is told by the fact that today its employees number fifty. The company's operations cover an area over a radius of fifty miles around Springfield and include contract installations. A new factory now makes all the tanks, and heavy equipment used in connection with the business-stor- age tanks, underground tanks and general heavy metal work.
Mr. Cote is an active member of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, the Springfield Rotary Club and the Springfield Country Club. His fraternal af- filiation is with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In religion he is a member of the Roman Catholic Church, and in politics belongs to the Re- publican party. His hobbies are golf and fishing.
At Turners Falls, Massachusetts, Ovilla Raymond Cote was married on November 25, 1915, to Blanche Thibodeau, whose father is a carpenter now living in Waterbury, Connecticut, and whose mother is de- ceased. Of this marriage there is one child, a son, Laurier W., who was born on January 11, 1918, and educated in the public schools of his native Turners Falls and at the Riverside Military Academy. He is married to the former Frances Foisey of Springfield. and they are the parents of one child, Gail, who was born in December, 1946.
FRANK BECKWITH TOWNE-Although a na- tive of San Francisco in distant California, Frank Beckwith Towne came to Holyoke in his youth, some sixty-six years ago, and by his industry, integrity and ability quickly won a substantial place for himself and became one of the best-known and most respected business men and citizens in this part of Western Massachusetts. His business interests were varied, but in the main were concerned with various phases of the paper industry which is more than any other the foundation of Holyoke's growth and prosperity.
The interest of the Towne family in the industrial life of Holyoke began with Frank Beckwith Towne's father, the late James Walcott Towne, a man of great enterprise and business acumen, who was born at Mil- ford, New Hampshire, on May 29. 1829, and in his earlier years was a printer by trade, being for a time a member of the staff of the "Farmer's Cabinet," a noted paper of those days published at Amherst. While still young, however, James Walcott Towne went to California, pursuing his calling as a printer for a time, but eventually becoming a factor in the paper business in the West, as a member of the firm which is now known as Blake, Moffitt and Towne. This concern does an extensive business in the Pacific Coast area, where it maintains a number of warehouses. In 1868 James Walcott Towne became Eastern representative of his company, and took up his residence in the city of East Orange, New Jersey. In 1887 he extended his business operations to New England by acquiring an interest in the ownership of the National Blank Book Company of Holyoke. Of this important firm he be- came treasurer, and his sons Frank Beckwith Towne, Edward Sheldon Towne (q.v.) and Joseph Minott
Towne (q.v.) also took a hand in the executive direc- tion and expansion of the company, of which the two last named were successively presidents. James Wal- cott Towne died at East Orange. New Jersey, on May 29, 1929, full of years and honors.
To James Walcott Towne and his wife, who was Cynthia Gowing, the son Frank Beckwith was born at San Francisco on January 7, 1865. His education began in the public grade and high schools of East Orange, New Jersey, after which he attended the Phillips Academy at Andover, graduating from that famous institution with the class of 1881. In that same year he took employment as paymaster of the Syms and Dud- ley Paper Company in Holyoke, where he remained until some time in the year 1888. In that year he was elected treasurer of this company, at a salary of $1,500 per annum, which was the equivalent of probably $3,000 today. This office he held for fifty-seven years or until 1945.
In addition to his association with the Syms and Dudley Paper Company and the National Blank Book Company, Mr. Towne held an interest in the United States Envelope Company, and was a member of the board of directors of this important corporation, which has a plant and offices in Western Massachusetts. He also became a factor in banking affairs in that part of the state, and sat on the board of directors of the Had- ley Falls Trust Company in the city of that name. His strong interest in education led to his acceptance of a place on the board of trustees of Mt. Holyoke College at South Hadley.
Always a religious man, Mr. Towne, a member of the Second Congregational Church, became one of the deacons of that congregation. His political affiliation was always with the Republican party. His clubs were the Mt. Tom, near Holyoke, and, at one time, the Union League Club of New York City. He died Au- gust 9, 1946.
At Lockhaven, Pennsylvania, Frank Beckwith Towne married Harriett A. Peale, a daughter of Samuel Rich- ard and Harriett (Alter) Peale. Of this marriage there are two children: 1. Richard (q.v.) 2. Barbara.
RICHARD PEALE TOWNE-Representing the third generation of his family to be associated with the growth and management of the National Blank Book Company, one of Holyoke's major industries, Richard Peale Towne is the first of the line to have been born in that interesting city. The Townes are of old New England stock.
Richard Peale Towne was born at Holyoke, Massa- chusetts, October 5, 1899, son of Frank Beckwith and Harriett A. (Peale) Towne. After beginning his studies in the public grade and high schools of his birthplace, he entered the Hotchkiss School, from which he was graduated with the class of 1917. Con- tinuing his education at Williams College in Williams- town, he took his degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1921. Subsequently he graduated from the Harvard School of Business in 1923, receiving the degree of Master of Business Administration. In that same year he be- came a member of the research staff of the Harvard Business School, at Cambridge, where he remained for a scholastic year.
In 1924, Mr. Towne became associated with the National Blank Book Company, at first assigned
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to the production department. Before long he was named office manager, and owing to the death of El- mer E. Cornwell in 1936 succeeded him as sales manager. In 1927 he was made assistant treasurer and elected to the board of directors. This post he held until 1944, when he was made treasurer of the com- pany, his office at the present writing. He is a promi- nent figure in the business and social life of Holyoke, and recognized for his business acumen throughout Western Massachusetts.
Mr. Towne belongs to the Mount Tom Golf Club, the Holyoke Canoe Club; the Williams Club and Harvard Club, of New York City; and the Union League Club of Chicago, Illinois. He is affiliated with the Sigma Phi fraternity. Interested in humani- tarian organizations, Mr. Towne serves as a member of the board of directors, and president of the Young Men's Christian Association, and was a director and president of the Holyoke Tuberculosis Association. He also aids the Budget Committee of the Com- munity Welfare League. He worships at the Second Congregational Church where currently he is a mem- ber of the Board of Deacons.
At Monterey, Massachusetts, on July 19, 1929, Richard Peale Towne married Marion Hartog, a graduate of the public grade and high schools of Holyoke, and of the Wheelock School in Boston. Prior to her marriage Mrs. Towne taught in a kinder- garten in New York City for three years. Mr. and Mrs. Towne are the parents of two children: I. Margaret Ann, who was born on July 29, 1931; a student at the St. Catherine School, Richmond, Vir- ginia. 2. Richard Peale, Jr., born May 2, 1935; at- tending the Highland Grammar School.
THOMAS PETER LEGER-For the past thirty- six years Thomas P. Leger has been in the construc- tion business in Springfield, and he has been identified with the city's growth and development.
Mr. Leger was born March 29, 1885 at Memramcook, Province of New Brunswick, Canada, the son of Peter and Margaret (Gaudet) Leger. His father was born in the same place, and died there September 3, 1898. He was associated with a lumber mill. He was a Republican and a member of the Roman Catholic Church. His wife, also was born at Memramcook, died there December 12, 1900. Peter Leger was the son of Octave and Adelaide (Bourque) Leger, both natives of Memramcook. The Leger family originated in Lyons, France. Margaret (Gaudet) Leger was the daughter of Thomas Gaudet of Memramcook.
After attending public schools in New Brunswick, Thomas P. Leger served an apprenticeship as a car- penter until I911, when he moved to East Long- meadow, Massachusetts. For two years he was asso- ciated with Winslow Champlain as a contractor and builder, and was employed by various other con- tractors until 1921, when he entered the contracting business in partnership with Wallace C. Landry, under the firm style of Leger and Landry, general contrac- tors. Since 1938 he has been in the general contract- ing business under his own name, operating at 142 Dwight Road, Springfield.
Mr. Leger is a Republican, and a member of the Holy Name Roman Catholic Church, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Springfield Home
Builders and Contractors Association, and the Spring- field Building Trades Employers Association.
On July 27, 1914, he was married to Emma Landry, who was born August 19, 1885 at Memramcook, the daughter of Calixte and Margaret (Cormier) Landry, both natives of Memramcook and now living in Thompsonville, Connecticut. Mr. Landry is a car- penter. Mrs. Leger was educated in the public schools of Memramcook, and is a member of the Holy Name Roman Catholic Church. They are the parents of four children: I. Evelyn Margaret, born June 15, 1915, attended Holy Name Grammar School, was graduated from the Cathedral High School in 1933 and from the Mercy Hospital Training School in 1936. She was married January 8, 1940, to George E. Urban of Springfield, who is associated with the Monsanto Chemical Company as engineer in the research depart- ment. They have three children: i. Jean, born De- cember I, 1940. ii. Frederic, born January 12, 1942. iii. Thomas, born September 1I, 1945. 2. Roger Thomas, born April 10, 1917, attended Holy Name Grammar School, was graduated from the Cathedral High School in 1934, was associated with Harry Whyte, Realtor, for two years, entered the Army in May, 1937, and took training at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, and Fort De Lesseps, Canal Zone, and was honorably discharged in August, 1938. He also served in the Merchant Marine from January, 1945, to De- cember, 1945. He is now associated with his father in the contracting business. He was married Sep- tember II, 1939, to Ruth I. Gossman of Springfield. They have three children: i. Lorraine Mae, born Oc- tober 3, 1940. ii. Margaret Ruth, born March 18, 1944. iii. David Joseph, born March 25, 1948. 3. Annette Rita, born January 27, 1922, attended Holy Name Grammar School, was graduated from the Cathedral High School in 1939, and from the Springfield Civil Service and Commercial School in 1941. She was employed in the Springfield sales office of the Crucible Steel Company of America seven years. She was married April 26, 1947, to Hugh J. Culverhouse of Springfield, who is associated with the Fisk Division of United States Rubber in the specifications depart- ment. They have one child, Paul, born November 19, 1948. 4. Estelle Mae, born May 29, 1924, attended Holy Name Grammar School, was graduated from Cathedral High School in 1941, and from the Spring- field Civil Service and Commercial School in 1942. She is in the sales department of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation.
JAMES EDWARD WALL, president and treasurer of the Wall-Streeter Shoe Company of North Adams, which he organized in 1912, has carried many public responsibilities in posts of trust in addition to his busi- ness activities.
He was born in North Adams October 26, 1884, the son of Patrick and Anna (McSheen) Wall, and at- tended the elementary schools of North Adams and North Adams High School. While a high school student he worked part-time in a shoe store as a clerk, thus gaining his initial business experience. Upon graduation he became a full-time clerk and for about four years was manager of the shoe store. He then became a partner in a retail clothing shoe store and continued in this association for six years. In 1912 he organized the Wall-Streeter Shoe Company
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and became its president and treasurer. He has held these offices ever since, and in the thirty-six years that have intervened has built up a thriving business. Mr. Wall is a member of the National Boot and Shoe Manufacturers Association and serves on the board of directors. He was a member of the advisory committee of the shoe manufacturers division of the War Production Board. He is vice president of the Hoosac Savings Bank of North Adams, a director of the North Adams Trust Company and a director of the Berkshire Life Insurance Company of Pittsfield. He serves as vice president of the North Adams Hos- pital, and chairman of the Mount Greylock State Res- ervation Commission and gives his time and energy to many other worth-while civic enterprises. He was one of the ten members drafted by President Roose- velt to work on the National Recovery Act program as members of the state recovery board for Massachu- setts during the depression, and in 1947 he was ap- pointed by Governor Robert F. Bradford as a mem- ber of the nine-man group labor-management ad- visory committee. Mr. Wall belongs to the North Adams Country Club and the Algonquin Club of Boston. He is a Fourth degree member of the Knights of Columbus and a member of St. Francis Roman Catholic Church.
James Edward Wall married at North Adams on October 30, 1907, Martha Congdon, and they have three children: I. Constance, born September 21, I9II and now Mrs. F. Victor Nissen. 2. Robert Ed- ward, born September 26, 1914. 3. Barbara, born May 12, 1920.
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