Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 58

Author: Nelson, John, 1866-1933
Publication date: 1934
Publisher: New York, American historical Society
Number of Pages: 700

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III > Part 58

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Herbert William Estabrook married, January 17, 1900, at Fall River, Massachusetts, Alice Miriam Sherer, who was born January 30, 1870, daughter of Charles F. and Charlotte Miriam (Wesson) Sherer. Mr. and Mrs. Estabrook became the parents of two children: I. Miriam Wesson, born April 8, 1907, graduated from the Bancroft School of Worcester, then entered Miss Madeira's finish- ing school at Washington, District of Columbia, and continued study for two years at Radcliffe College. She is interested in art, having spent two years in the Boston Art Museum. 2. Allen Laidlaw, born August 28, 1909, attended the Ban- croft School of Worcester, studied for two years at Williams College, and is now specializing in history and international relations at Clark Uni- versity.

STANLEY M. BAILEY-Following a con- siderable period engaged in the real estate business in New York City, Stanley M. Bailey came to Shrewsbury in this county and since has pursued the same line, adding to his success and advancing in the esteem of the public as a town official. For a number of years he has been a member of the board of selectmen, of which he has served as chairman.

Mr. Bailey's parents were Walter C. and Esther E. (Browne) Bailey, natives of Massachusetts and residents of Boston, where the former was a merchant. Born in Boston, January 22, 1883, he attended the public schools of that city and pre- pared for college at the Boston Latin School. For about five years he was a medical student at the University of Michigan, and what was lost to the art of healing when he decided to enter a business career was gain to the real estate endeavor, in which he operated in the metropolis for about twelve years. This was an excellent school and he made the most of his opportunities.

It was in May, 1916, that he arrived in Shrews- bury, purchased the old Mason farm and proceeded to subdivide it in building lots. This was a suc- cessful venture, and he was encouraged to go for- ward, making development of properties for build-

ing purposes his specialty. Since taking a resi- dence in Shrewsbury he has been prominently identified with the town's activities. A Republican in political alliance, he was elected on his party ticket to the office of selectman in 1927. For two years he was clerk of the board, and in 1931 was advanced to the post of chairman by his fellow- members. He is a member of the Republican Town Committee of Shrewsbury, the Shrewsbury Fire Department Association, the Massachusetts Republican Club, and the City Republican Club of Worcester. Among his affiliations are the Sons of the American Revolution, Sons of Veterans of the Union Army in the Civil War, Veterans of Foreign Wars (honorary member), Delta Sigma Nu and Phi Kappa Psi fraternities. He is fond of a good mount and the chase, and has also a decided liking for golf.

Mr. Bailey married, in July, 1923, Edna Kruger, of New York. They have their home in Shrews- bury.

RUFUS MARBLE SHAW-Active in insur- ance work in Westboro, Rufus M. Shaw is highly regarded in this community, where he was born and has spent practically the whole of his life. As head of the Fairbanks Insurance Agency, of this city, he is a prominent worker in this particular field of service, handling all branches of insurance except life.

Mr. Shaw was born on July 17, 1898, in West- boro, son of Willie D. and Dora Z. (Marble) Shaw, the father a native of Monson, Massachu- setts, and the mother of Rockford, Illinois. The father came to Westboro with his parents when a small child, and here he lived and died. He was an employee in the railway mail service, having worked for more than thirty years for the Fed- eral Government.

Rufus M. Shaw, of whom this is primarily a record, received his early education in the public schools in Westboro and afterward worked for two years at the Ware-Pratt Clothing Store in Worcester. In June, 1919, he became engaged in insurance work, which he has since carried on. He is the sole proprietor of the business that he now conducts, the largest of its kind in this part of Massachusetts. It has sub-agents in the surround- ing towns, all of them working under the direc- tion of Mr. Shaw and his office. Although still a young man, he has come to be known as one of the foremost figures in insurance work in this part of New England.

He has also figured in other business under- takings, being one of the incorporators of the West- boro Savings Bank; but his chief business activ- ity has been with the Fairbanks agency, of which he is the head. It might be well, in connection with this account of his life and his work, to give something of the history of this agency itself, founded in 1873 by John W. Fairbanks. Mr. Fair- banks, in those early years, built up a lucrative business; then, after continuing for some time in the enterprise, he sold it to Rufus M. Shaw in 1925. Mr. Shaw had already spent six years with him. The agency, as noted above, handles all kinds of insurance except life and represents the strongest stock companies in Massachusetts, prac- tically all of them Massachusetts mutuals.

Also active in civic and social organizations, Mr. Shaw served for one term (1931) as president of

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the Kiwanis Club. He is a member of Siloam Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, and Houghton Chapter, Royal Arch Masons. "He also belongs to the Grange and continues his work with this group. His church is the Baptist. For four years he held civil office as town auditor and he is also chairman of the Republican town committee and an active worker in the local interests of his party. He has served on different committees concerned with civic projects and has been active in the affairs of his community.

Though his activities have naturally claimed a great deal of time and attention, he has been chiefly devoted to his home and family life. Rufus M. Shaw married, September 22, 1923, Mary Eldridge, of Northboro, Massachusetts, daughter of Obed and Amy (Wood) Eldridge.

JOHN SPELLMAN DERHAM-Admitted to the bar of Worcester County while still in service in the World War, Representative John S. Derham, of Uxbridge, is said to have been the first man to be certified for practice when appearing in the uniform of a fighting man. And he has been on the firing line ever since, seeking fresh con- quests for his clients, assisting in making laws for his State, and attacking the Eighteenth Amend- ment. He became known throughout the country as one of the most ardent and resourceful foes of Prohibition.

Born in Whitinsville, Worcester County, Feb- ruary 4, 1895, John Spellman Derham is a son of Joseph T. and Ellen ( Connolly) Derham. His father, a native of Ireland and proprietor of a hotel at East Douglas, died in 1920; his mother was a native of Andover, Massachusetts. John S. Derham received a liberal and specialized edu- cation; he attended the public schools of East Douglas, took a college preparatory course at St. John's Preparatory School, graduating in 1912, and entered the Catholic University at Washington, District of Columbia, where he trained for the law and received his Bachelor of Laws at gradua- tion in the class of 1916. There followed one year of special work at Boston University Law School, and he was admitted to the bar, September II, 1917. He made a picturesque as well as patriotic appearance as, in the garb of a soldier of his coun- try's forces, he presented himself before the court and was sponsored for admission.

When he enlisted for the war, he was assigned to an ambulance unit and was transferred to the third officers training school, whence he was ordered to the surgeon-general's department as instructor in the Reconstruction Division. When honorably mustered out, May 13, 1919, he held the grade of a sergeant. On May 15, 1919, he was made a member of the Federal Board for Vocational Edu- cation, which later was merged into and consoli- dated with the Veterans' Bureau. He was iden- tified with this department until the spring of 1925. On May 15, 1922, he entered the practice of law at Uxbridge, where he has built up a large and desira- ble clientele.

Mr. Derham's career in the public service had its beginning in 1925, when he was appointed town counsel of Uxbridge; in the same year he was elected a member of the school committee, on which board he has since served continuously. He was first elected to the Massachusetts Legislature

in 1926, having been the first Democrat to be elected a Representative from what has been re- garded as the overwhelmingly Republican Sixth Worcester District. He had already served three terms in the House when he was renominated, September 20, 1932, for a fourth successive term.

The following account of Mr. Derham's career in the Legislature is from "The Boston Review," of September 3, 1932 :

Representative John S. Derham, of Uxbridge, who is seeking renomination by the Democrats in the Sixth Worcester District, has been one of the lead- ers of his party in the House since his first term, and as his experience has increased during his six years' service, his prestige has grown, until today he is one of the dominating forces.

Representative Derham upset a strong Repub- lican district to win his first election, but so well has he served his constituents that each succeed- ing election has witnessed a growing margin of approval; now the Sixth Worcester is regarded as quite strongly Democratic, providing Mr. Derham is the candidate.

During his early service Mr. Derham was en- trusted with some of the important reports of his committees. He attained such success that the "wets" in the House gave him the leadership in the strenuous fight for the so-called beer bill to put Massachusetts in a position to take immediate ad- vantage of any modification of the Volstead Act. Mr. Derham's splendid presentation of the case was attested by the packed galleries and the close atten- tion given him by the House. Letters have come from all over the country commending his skillful handling of the matter, particularly with regard to the extensive research in which he indulged for his convincing argument of facts and figures.

Mr. Derham's success in this matter, however, was no surprise to the people of his district, where his well known ability as an attorney has built up an extensive law practice. He has given equal painstaking attention to matters affecting his own district and presented equally convincing cases. This has been especially true in subjects pertaining to the proposed further pollution of the Blackstone River against which he has waged a vigorous fight.

A deep student of legislative questions, a con- vincing orator with ability to marshal facts for impressive presentation, and possessing a wide gen- eral knowledge of parliamentary procedure, Mr. Derham so impressed the administration that he has been one of the closest men in the House to Gov- ernor Ely. His judgment and opinion has been frequently solicited by the administration on mat- ters pertaining to his own district and occasionally on subjects of State-wide interest. Governor Ely has revealed his confidence in the Uxbridge man by selecting him to lead several of the fights for the administration in the House the past year.

Mr. Derham's legislative record has spread be- yond the confines of the Sixth District, and has become so well known in the adjacent territory that many influential Democrats urged him to be- come the party nominee for Congress in the Fourth District. His host of admirers were not only ready to promise support at the polls, but also consider- able financial aid, in the belief that his candidacy would be the strongest the party could offer any- where in the State, and would result in election.

"There are several matters of interest to my own district pending," says Mr. Derham, "and while I appreciate the spirit that has prompted this gen- erous support if I should run for Congress, I have decided I owe a duty to the constituents who have supported me so loyally during the past six years. I shall, therefore, seek reelection to the House. I also want to be in position where I can lend my support to Governor Ely when he is reelected."

With predictions that the Legislature will have a Democratic majority this coming year, Mr. Der- ham as one of the established leaders will be in a position of added influence in the House, and will undoubtedly be included in the administration's cabinet of legislative leaders.

Mr. Derham is one of the younger members in the Legislature, which perhaps accounts for the initiative and enterprise he has shown and his untiring zeal in the causes for which he has fought.

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.Mr. Derham's committee assignments from the beginning have been important and during the last two years in the Legislature he has served on the body dealing with all legal affairs and with all matters affecting towns.

Mr. Derham was appointed a member of the Governor's Safety Committee for the term of 1929- 1932. He was elected an executive member of the Worcester County Bar Association in 1932. His patriotic memberships are in the American Legion and the Disabled Veterans of the World War, and he has served as a delegate to several State con- ventions of the Legion. Among his fraternal affilia- tions are the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Improved Order of Red Men, Knights of Columbus, and Fraternal Order of Eagles. He is a member of the Rotary Club, Whitinsville Coun- try Club and Composite Club.

Representative Derham married, July 13, 1925, Rosalie' Alice Flynn, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. They have two children: I. Rosalie Flynn, born August 14, 1926. 2. John S., Jr., born October 16, 1932. The family residence is at No. 64 North Main Street, Uxbridge, Worcester County.

DR. JOSEPH P. BOUVIER-For more than a quarter of a century, Dr. Joseph P. Bouvier has been engaged in the practice of medicine at Whitinsville, Massachusetts, coming to this city upon the completion of his medical training in his native Canada. He is well qualified by primal inclination, character and education for the pro- fession of his choice, and has been very success- ful in practice.

Dr. Bouvier was born on July 16, 1880, at La Presentation, Canada, son of Misael and Leonore (Savage) Bouvier, the former of whom was born in Canada and the latter in Connecticut. Misael Bouvier, the grandfather, was a native of France, migrating to Canada in early life. The father, who bore the same name, came to Whitinsville, Massachusetts, from Canada and died here. He was a gardener by occupation.

Joseph P. Bouvier received his preliminary edu- cation in Canadian public schools. Subsequently he attended St. Hyacinthe College, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1901, and began his medical training at the Medical School of Laval University. On the completion of the required course, he was grad- uated from that institution in 1905 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. In the following year he came to Whitinsville, Massachusetts, beginning the general practice here which he has since con- tinued with conspicuous success. Dr. Bouvier quickly won a place in the life of this community and with the passing years the demands on his services steadily increased. He has kept abreast of all developments in the medical sciences by reading and study, and brings to his large practice here a medical service of the finest type.

Dr. Bouvier is a member of the American Med- ical Association and the Massachusetts Medical Society. For twenty-five years he has been medical examiner for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Com- pany, and also serves in that capacity for the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York and the Equitable Life Assurance Corporation. Apart from his purely professional connections, he has taken an active part in civic and community

projects, and for the past twelve years has served as a member of the Whitinsville Republican Town Committee. Dr. Bouvier is affiliated fraternally with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks at Milford, and is a member of Bishop Riley Coun- cil, fourth degree, Knights of Columbus at Worces- ter. He is also a member of the Catholic For- esters of America, the Franco-American Foresters, the Artisan Club and the Kiwanis Club. In reli- gious faith he is a Catholic.

On June 20, 1905, Dr. Bouvier married Eva Ledoux, who was born in Canada. They are the parents of four children : I. John, born August 9, 1906, a graduate of Georgetown University Med- ical Department, and now an interne at Worcester Memorial Hospital. 2. Gabriell, born October 21, 1909, now secretary to Harry Brown, a Whitins- ville attorney. 3. Simonne, born April 1, 1912, a third year student at Framingham State College. 4. Phillip, born August 17, 1917, a student in high school.

WALTER C. RICE-As president of the firm of Tucker and Rice, Walter C. Rice figures prominently in the plumbing and heating business in Worcester. Mr. Rice, the head of this business, was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Jan- uary 20, 1876, and here has spent all his life. He was educated in the grammar schools of Worcester and at the age of thirteen years went to work for William F. Tucker. Mr. Rice literally grew up with the business. His first duties were as errand boy. Later he was bookkeeper. He was taught to estimate and in a few years was in full charge of the business.

This business was established in 1838 by Na- thaniel G. Tucker under the name of N. G. Tucker and Son, for the manufacture of sanitary plumb- ing and ventilation devices. In 1891 he turned over the business to his son, William F. Tucker, who conducted it until 1908. It was in that year that the name Tucker and Rice was adopted, witlı William F. Tucker and Walter C. Rice as part- ners. In 1914 Mr. Rice purchased the interest of his partner, William F. Tucker and since that time he has conducted the business independently. The plant, in 1914, was situated at No. 165 Commer- cial Street, Worcester, but on March I, 1932, it was removed to the present site, at No. II Gar- den Street. The firm now owns the plant and operates the business on a large scale, doing a general contracting business in plumbing and heat- ing and sprinkler trade, and they also handle and sell the "Quiet May Oil Burner." It is one of the largest organizations of its kind in this part of Massachusetts, and Mr. Rice deserves high com- mendation for the part that he has played in build- ing it up, especially in his recent capacity of owner and chief operator. The firm had the contract for the heating equipment of the new auditorium, which is one of Worcester's foremost buildings.

Along with his business activities, Mr. Rice is a leader in civic, social and fraternal life. He is a member of Morning Star Lodge, Free and Ac- cepted Masons, and all the York Rite bodies in- cluding Worcester County Commandery, Knights Templar, and Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Or- der Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Boston. He is a member of the Worcester Country Club, the Engineers' Club of Boston, the Wachusett Coun- try Club and the Worcester Rotary Club. He has

MANOR LAWN, THE PERKINS SCHOOL OF ADJUSTMENT, LANCASTER

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a wide circle of friends and acquaintances in Worcester and this part of New England.

Walter C. Rice married, October 17, 1899, Maude Burgess Millett, of Worcester, and they have two children: I. Phyllis, who became the wife of Charles Bunker, of Worcester. 2. William May- nard, who married Ruth LeRoy, of Worcester.

FRANKLIN HASKINS PERKINS, M. D. -During the past eleven years, Dr. Franklin Has- kins Perkins has been director of the Perkins School of Adjustment at Lancaster, Worcester County, a private school of restricted size and selective environment founded by him to supply sympathetic guidance and special instruction to children of retarded mental development. For this task he was well qualified as a psychiatrist of long experience and distinguished record, and the success of his school is a tribute to the efficacy of his work.

Dr. Perkins was born at Oxford, New Jersey, on November 29, 1880, a son of Edwin C. and Harriet E. (Haskins) Perkins. His father, who served with the Union forces for four years dur- ing the Civil War, was superintendent of a nail mill. Dr. Perkins received his preliminary educa- tion in the public schools of Oxford, completing the high school course in 1896. In 1903 he was graduated from Mount Hermon School for Boys at Mount Hermon, Massachusetts, and in 1908 took the degree of Doctor of Medicine at Tufts Med- ical College. From 1908 to 1910 he served as interne at General Hospital and immediately there- after assumed the responsibilities of senior phy- sician and assistant superintendent of the Wren- tham State School, at Wrentham, Massachusetts. Meanwhile he carried on special work in psychiatry and neurology, a field which has always held his major interest. Dr. Perkins remained at Wren- tham State School in the above capacity, for twelve years, playing an important part in the direction of its work and winning increasing honors in his profession. At length, in 1922, it became possible for him to realize an ideal he had long held of owning a school of his own, organized according to plans he had carefully matured, and as a result the Perkins School of Adjustment at Lancaster came into existence. Here he has been able to give to the children under his care the benefit of his long experience as a psychiatrist in an environment ideally suited for the work.

The Perkins School of Adjustment has twice outgrown its accommodations and made it neces- sary to secure larger quarters, once when the present Manor House and seventy acres were pur- chased, and once when Curtis Hall and twelve acres located across the road were added to the school property. At it now stands, the school offers an environment unequalled for the purpose for which it was founded. The total acreage and buildings are within the boundary of the attrac- tive town of Lancaster, whose well-shaded main street is arched with forest trees and is a part of the thoroughfare from Clinton to Leominster. The altitude is high, the air dry and peculiarly ex- hilarating. Out-of-door sports are most popular, and the consequent benefit is shown in the high standard of health maintained from year to year.

Seven separate buildings are used for administra- tive, dormitory and recreational purposes. The

Manor, or main building, is most attractive. It is fireproof, of brick and stucco construction, archi- tecturally beautiful and unique in its general plan and design, representing as it does the best that money and highly skilled artisans could put to- gether. The rooms and halls are spacious and furnished with everything necessary for the com- fort, convenience, happiness and safety of the children. Curtis Hall, another building, overlook- ing a broad expanse of open country, is furnished and decorated as a beautiful home for little chil- dren. A large veranda extending out from the house offers a wonderful play space flooded with sunlight on three sides. The Learned Gymnasium provides for physical education and indoor rec- reation. It is equipped with modern apparatus and offers adequate opportunity for indoor sports. Rindge Hall, the school building, is well-lighted and airy and is particularly adapted for the work of small classes such as are conducted at the school. The Studio is another attractive building, where the boys and girls engage in work which not only gives a stimulus to their other studies, but does much to make lives useful and happy in later life. On the upper floor classes for girls meet throughout the day for instruction in weaving, basketry and all forms of manual arts. On the lower floor is a complete woodworking plant, where the boys enjoy learning the fundamental uses of tools, turning out a variety of useful and artis- tic articles all finished in a workmanlike manner. Dr. Perkins, the director of the school, being a physician of wide experience in this special field, is well able to give the children all that medical sci- ence has to offer in the way of diagnosis and treat- ment.

The school staff consists of a corps of trained teachers who are chosen not only for their scholas- tic attainments, but for their background, tempera- ment and enthusiastic attitude toward their work. Dr. Perkins wants each teacher to demonstrate initiative, originality and an enthusiastic approach to each child's mind, as to one possessing a normal development. He holds tenaciously to the firm belief that there exists some final avenue of sure approach to each child's highest mentality. Thus, there is no end to the originality, initiative and ingenuity to be used by the teacher to reach this goal. To incite interest, maintain enthusiasm and keep the mind alert for receptive ideas and thoughts, are open doors to concentration, reason, memory and general development. The classes at the school range from the early fundamental work in sense-training and kindergarten, up to and through the eighth grade. Besides the regular cur- riculum, there are special classes in domestic sci- ence, manual arts, corrective speech, music, drama- tics, gymnastics and dancing. With the thought in mind that association with others is fundamental and inevitable, the school places special emphasis on the development of the social instincts. It has been well said that "hot house care makes it diffi- cult for the plant to thrive later in the gusty outside air." In an atmosphere such as the school affords, with the prevailing spirit of good fellow- ship, the children are prepared for this larger con- tact. In addition to the school property and build- ings at Lancaster, a summer camp, "Camp Ocean- ward," is maintained on the Maine coast at Christ- mas Cove, just north of Boothbay Harbor. Here, in surroundings ideal for comfort and relaxation,

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Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 58

Author: Nelson, John, 1866-1933 Publication date: 1934 Publisher: New York, American historical Society Number of Pages: 700

Author: Nelson, John, 1866-1933
Publication date: 1934
Publisher: New York, American historical Society
Number of Pages: 700