USA > Vermont > The Lake Champlain and Lake George valleys, Vol. III > Part 19
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WRIGHT & MORRISSEY-The rôle played by the contracting firm of Wright and Morrissey in the business life of Burlington, Vermont, has been a significant one. After several years with the James E. Cashman, Incorporated, of this city, the two proprietors, George Lawrence Wright and Eugene Frederick Morrissey, determined in 1935 to start their own business. Entering upon their work as general contractors, they became successful from the very outset, and it may be safely said that they are now taking their place among the foremost building contractors in this region of Vermont and eastern New York State.
It is natural that these two men should succeed in their work because of their innate ability and fine training for the work that they are doing. Mr. Wright superintends the actual construction activities, and Mr. Morrissey han- dles the details connected with making bids and managing the office. They form an ideal combination of talent and work together effectively and har- moniously. Since beginning operations they have completed more than four hundred contracts and have also developed a site for small houses in Colo- nial Square. They have, down to the time of writing, finished six such houses on this site. Among their more recent contracts might be mentioned eight new buildings housing the non-commissioned officers at Fort Ethan Allen, a United States Army post; large additions to the National Biscuit Company plant ; additions to the office of the American Woolen Company plant at Winooski ; remodeling of Liggett's Drug Store, the Sears-Roebuck Company store and the Kresge Five and Ten Cent Store; the building of the Altantic and Pacific Market in Pearl Street, Burlington ; the erection of two modern apartment buildings, the Ridgewood and the Marannette, and the new Elihu B. Taft School, for which Elihu B. Taft had left ground and a financial endow- ment before his death.
The Burlington-Winooski district is the richer for the contribution of such men as Mr. Wright and Mr. Morrissey, records of whose work are to be found under separate headings.
GEORGE LAWRENCE WRIGHT-Prominent among the business men of Burlington, George Lawrence Wright is a member of the contracting firm of Wright and Morrissey, in which he is associated with Eugene Fred- erick Morrissey.
Mr. Wright was born August 16, 1900, son of J. Murray and Rose (McBride) Wright, of Colchester, Vermont. He attended Essex Junction High School, and in 1921 was graduated from the Albany Business College, at Albany, New York. Thereafter he was employed for ten years with sev- eral New York contracting firms as superintendent of construction. Work- ing with the White Construction Company and later with the Stone-Webster
1 Ald Wright
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Company, of Boston, as superintendent of construction, he returned to Bur- lington in 1933 and became associated here with James E. Cashman, Incorpo- rated. Remaining until 1935 wtih this firm, he then started the Wright and Morrissey organization, a complete account of which appears under separate heading in this work, as does also the career of his partner, Mr. Morrissey.
In addition to his work with the firm of Wright and Morrissey, Mr. Wright is active in many civic and social groups. He belongs to the Free and Accepted Masons, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Ethan Allen Club and the Lions' Club. He is prominent in the work of the Boy Scouts of Amer- ica in Burlington and in the Congregational Church. In spare time he greatly enjoys the out-of-doors, particularly such healthful sports as fishing and hunting.
George Lawrence Wright married Vivian Shattuck, daughter of Harlan W. and Susan (Dodge) Shattuck, and the children of this marriage have been Lawrence Allen Wright and Clark Shattuck Wright.
EUGENE FREDERICK MORRISSEY-A recognized leader in the contracting business over a period of two decades, Eugene Frederick Mor- rissey is now associated with George Lawrence Wright in the firm of Wright and Morrissey, one of the best-known enterprises of its kind in Burlington.
Mr. Morrissey was born September 5, 1896, in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, son of Eugene Frederick and Margaret (Rice) Morrissey. Graduated from high school in Woonsocket in 1914, Eugene Frederick Morrissey then studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University. In 1919 he became associated with the firm of Ellis and Walton, at Fall River, Massa- chusetts, though soon afterward he went to Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and entered the employ of the American Wringer Company in that city. A year later he became active in the Eastern Construction Company, at Woonsocket. In 1931 he came to Burlington and became associated with James E. Cash- man, Incorporated, as an engineer and estimator, remaining there until 1935. In that year the firm of Wright and Morrissey was organized. Under sep- arate headings will be found further information about this firm and an account of Mr. Wright's career.
Mr. Morrissey is a member of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Concep- tion. He is independent in his political views, and fraternally is connected with Woonsocket Council, No. 113, of the Knights of Columbus, in which he is Past Grand Knight. He also belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and is an active member of the Ethan Allen Club, the Burling- ton Chamber of Commerce and the Lake Champlain Yacht Club.
Eugene Frederick Morrissey married, November 19, 1922, Elizabeth Grace Mahon, a native of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, born July 13, 1894, daughter
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of Francis and Jane Mahon, both natives of Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Morris- sey were the parents of four children : I. Grace Elizabeth, born November 18, 1923. 2. Ruth Frances, born November 7, 1925. 3. Eugene Francis, born November 5, 1927. 4. John Vincent, born February 7, 1932.
TOM ROGERS-In Glens Falls "Tom Rogers" is not only the name of a realty firm but of a citizen who is especially active in the life and affairs of the city. He brought to his present vocation a most interesting and broad experience in varied lines of endeavors, and always has shown himself ready to do his best in any movement or organization undertaken for the benefit of the municipality and its people.
Mr. Rogers was born at Hudson Falls, New York, July 5, 1889, son of James Clarence and Elizabeth M. (Coleman) Rogers, both of whom are deceased. His father had been a prominent attorney of Hudson Falls, of which place he and his wife were natives. Tom Rogers attended the grammar and high schools of Hudson Falls before entering Union College, from which he was graduated in 1912, with the degree of Bachelor of Science. For a year he worked on the "Schenectady Gazette," but left to go with the Griffin Lum- ber Company, of Hudson Falls. In 1914 he became interested in real estate developments at Hudson Falls and Hoosick Falls, New York, and continued as a realtor until 1917. In that year he went with the United States Steamship Lines, as superintendent of cargo, located for the most part in Mediterranean ports. Then America entered the World War, and Mr. Rogers enlisted in the United States Army. After he was mustered out of the service he became associated with the Arrow Grip Manufacturing Company, makers of auto- mobile accessories, and was president and general manager of this corporation until 1930. In the latter named year, he returned to the real estate business in Glens Falls under the trade title of "Tom Rogers" and has since continued his realty and development enterprises with marked skill.
The World War military record of Mr. Rogers is as follows : Attended the Second Officers' Training Camp, at Fort Niagara, New York; in Septem- ber, 1917, was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Infantry and stationed at Camp Travis, San Antonio, Texas; later promoted to first lieutenant of the 165th Depot Brigade; and in January, 1919, honorably dis- charged.
Mr. Rogers, whose hobbies are gardening and farming, is a member and former president and secretary of the Glens Falls Real Estate Board ; a mem- ber of the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. His college fraternity is Chi Psi. He attends the Presbyterian Church.
In 1920 Tom Rogers married (first) Maude Ely, of Hoosick Falls, New York, who died in 1928. They were the parents of a daughter, Susan E. He married (second), in 1930, Cleo H. Hull, a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
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DANIEL E. KELLY-In his capacity as proprietor of the Plattsburg Public Market, Daniel E. Kelly is the operator of the largest independently owned establishment of its kind in this locality.
Mr. Kelly was born at Blue Mountain Lake, Hamilton County, October 18, 1886, the son of William and Sarah (Heeney) Kelly, both deceased. William Kelly, a native of Cadyville, New York, was engaged for many years as New York State Observer for Blue Mountain Lake. Sarah (Heeney) Kelly was born at Phoenicia, New York.
Daniel E. Kelly received his elementary education in the public schools at Blue Mountain Lake, and later attended high school at Long Lake. He then went to Kingston to study at Spencer's Business College, and after completing his courses, he secured employment as a bookkeeper with the John Anderson Company at Newcomb, where he remained for three years. For the next three years he was engaged as a cashier at the Hotel College Arms at Deland, Florida, and he then returned to New York State, to become manager of the John Anderson Company office at North Creek. He continued there until May, 1919, at which time he came to Plattsburg, purchasing the public market formerly owned by Mayor John McGaulley. Mr. Kelly's venture in this field has proved most successful, and his present large market employs about twenty-five people, and serves an area covering the city limits and along the Lake Shore.
Mr. Kelly is a member of the board of trustees of St. John's Roman Catholic Church, and he is active in civic affairs, being a member of the Young Men's Christian Association, and the Samaritan League of Champlain Valley Hospital, and a director of the local Rotary Club. He is also a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and fraternally is affiliated with Plattsburg Council, No. 255, Knights of Columbus, Plattsburg Lodge, No. 621, Benevo- lent and Protective Order of Elks and the Independent Order of Foresters.
Mr. Kelly was married, in 1910, to Lenore Treadwell, a native of Weaver- town, Warren County. Mr. and Mrs. Kelly are the parents of two children : I. Mary Marjorie, a graduate of the College of New Rochelle, now an English teacher on the faculty of Plattsburg High School. 2. John Carleton, a gradu- ate of Georgetown University, and a member of the 1940 class at McGill University Dental School.
JOHN E. BLOSSER-Director and manager of the Veldown Com- pany, of South Glens Falls, a subsidiary organization of the International Paper Company, John E. Blosser, of Glens Falls, is one of the leading paper manufacturing executives of the Lake George district and is also well known throughout Pennsylvania and Virginia.
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John E. Blosser was born in Amherst County, Virginia, February 26, 1880, son of James A. and Ella E. (Camden) Blosser. James A. Blosser, who was born in Amherst County, Virginia, was engaged during his life as a mechanical engineer. Ella E. (Camden) Blosser, his wife, also deceased, was born in Amherst County, Virginia, also.
After passing through the grade schools and the high school of Amherst County, Virginia, John E. Blosser, becoming interested in the chemistry of paper manufacturing, took special chemistry courses from the International Correspondence School and then found employment with the Columbian Paper Company, Buena Vista, Virginia, with which organization he spent five years. Leaving Virginia, Mr. Blosser went with the Hammermill Paper Company, at Erie, Pennsylvania, where he worked for six years, leaving to join the staff of the Scott Paper Company, at Chester, Pennsylvania, as plant manager, a post in which he served for seventeen years. During his term with the Scott Paper Company, he worked from 1917 into 1919 for the United States War Department, manufacturing a special paper for use in gas masks, the Scott Paper Company having been taken over by the United States Gov- ernment for that specific purpose. Finally, in 1931, Mr. Blosser joined the International Paper Company and has become the plant manager and a direc- tor of the Veldown Company, a subsidiary of the parent corporation. A mem- ber of the Glens Falls Rotary Club and the Queens Village Country Club, where he is enabled to indulge himself in his favorite recreation of golf, Mr. Blosser is also an attendant of the Glens Falls Baptist Church.
John E. Blosser married, in 1912, Veda Lowry, who is a native of Punxsu- tawney, Pennsylvania.
ALFRED C. BRANN-A member of the firm of Glencraft Printing Company of Glens Falls, Alfred C. Brann is not only one of the outstanding members of the printing trade in the Lake George district but is also active in civic affairs, particularly those concerned with the improvement and develop- ment of his community.
Alfred C. Brann was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, May 13, 1900, son of Chandler and Martha (Johnson) Brann. Chandler Brann, who is a native of Maine, is a paper-maker, being a resident at the present time of Hudson Falls. Martha (Johnson) Brann, his wife, was born in Massachu- setts.
After passing through the grade schools of Hudson Falls and graduating from the Hudson Falls High School, Alfred C. Brann became interested in printing and found employment with the Enterprise Printing Company of Glens Falls. This firm, which was established in 1910 by Clarence E. Browne, operated under its original name until 1923 when Mr. Browne sold the busi-
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ness to Chester B. Grandey and Joseph Tremblay, who altered the company's name to its present title of the Glencraft Printing Company. Following Joseph Tremblay's retirement from the company, Alfred C. Brann purchased the Browne interest, thus beginning his present partnership in the company. Today the firm is one of the leading presses of Glens Falls, having been developed through various enlargements in various buildings from its original place of business in one room of a building which stood on the site of the present Rialto Theatre. Mr. Brann's career as a printer was, however, interrupted by his service in the United States Army during the World War, as he enlisted from Glens Falls in 1918 and, assigned to Headquarters Company, IIth Field Artillery, he was sent overseas, saw service in the Meuse and Argonne cam- paigns, and was discharged in 1919, as a private. Always interested in civic problems, Mr. Brann has devoted himself to the work of the Kiwanis Club in particular, having been a director of Kiwanis in Glens Falls. Mr. Brann is also devoted to outdoor sports and finds recreation from his business respon- sibilities in fishing and hunting.
Alfred C. Brann married Dorothy A. Cole, of Lake George. Mr. and Mrs. Brann are the parents of two children: I. Mary Margaret, now a student in the Glens Falls public schools. 2. Jeanne, also a student in the Glens Falls public schools.
WILLARD A. WHITE-Since coming to Glens Falls, in 1915, to establish himself in the practice of the law, Willard A. White has not only been successful in his profession, but has become a valued citizen, active in many phases of city life. He is a native of Fort Edward, New York, born Novem- ber 14, 1891, son of Melvin and Eliza (Galusha) White, both of whom were also born in the Fort Edward section.
The elder Mr. White still continues his lifelong interest in agriculture. Mrs. White is deceased. Willard A. White completed his academic education in local grammar schools and the South Glens Falls High School. He also pursued courses in the Haley Business Institute, before going to the Albany Law School, from which he was graduated in 1915. That same year he was admitted to the New York bar, and opened offices in Glens Falls, where he has since become a distinguished figure in his profession. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association and has served as president of the War- ren County Bar Association. During the World War period, Mr. White was a member of the Board of Legal Advisors, and acted as secretary of the local Draft Board. His legal fraternity is Delta Chi, and he is affiliated with the Glens Falls Lodge, No. 121, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is a Past Master. He is also a member of the Glens Falls Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he has been an officer. As a member of the
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Kiwanis Club, and a past president, he has been active in the promotion of the best interests of Glens Falls. His church is the Presbyterian.
In 1922 Willard A. White married Florence May, born in Wilder, Ver- mont, and they are the parents of three children : David W., Jane M., and L. James White.
EGBERT C. EVEREST-A member of the New York State bar for more than fifty years, Egbert C. Everest has practiced his profession in Platts- burgh since 1898, and being one of the oldest practitioners in Clinton County, and an attorney of long established ability, he holds the respect and confidence of the local populace with whom he has been associated for so many years.
Mr. Everest was born in Champlain, Clinton County, December 29, 1863, the son of Charles E. and Pamelia (Savage) Everest, both deceased. Charles E. Everest, a native of Moriah, Essex County, graduated from Middlebury College, and was a practicing attorney in Champlain for more than forty years prior to his death. Pamelia (Savage) Everest, a native of Champlain, was the granddaughter of Deacon David Savage, one of the pioneer settlers in Champlain.
Egbert C. Everest received his preparatory education at Champlain Academy, studied law two years in his father's law office, and later matriculated at Albany Law School, where he was graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1887. After his admission to the bar later in the same year, Mr. Everest became associated with his father in the general practice of law in Champlain, and he continued this partnership until 1889, when he went to Rouses Point to establish his private practice upon the death of his father. He remained there for nine years, after which, in 1898, he came to Plattsburgh, where he has since been most successfully engaged, with offices located at No. 47 Clinton Street. In addition to his private practice, Mr. Everest's career has been marked by many years in public service, as he served for three and one- half years as United States Commissioner, one year as Corporation Counsel, two years as city judge of Plattsburgh, twenty-four years as assistant district attorney of Clinton County, and three years as district attorney. While a resident of Rouses Point, he served for three years as a member of the local Board of Education. He has also been active in financial and civic life, serv- ing for six years as a member of the board of directors of the Champlain National Bank, and for several years as president of the board of directors of the Plattsburgh Young Men's Christian Association. He has also, for many years, been a member of the Discussion Club of Plattsburgh and was one of its founders. During the World War he served as a member of the Legal Advis- ory Board.
Geburt & Earnest.
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Mr. Everest is a member of the Presbyterian Church, where he is a teacher of a boys' class. In political allegiance he is a staunch supporter of the Republican party, serving for the past thirty years as a member of the Repub- lican City Committee. He is an active member of the Clinton County Bar Association.
He was married in 1898 to Lillian Pike, a native of Mooers, Clinton County, and they became the parents of four children : I. Grace M., a graduate of Brenau College, Georgia, for years now a teacher of expression; married Arthur Sabin Yeaw, of Williamson School, Pennsylvania. 2. Marian Angell, a graduate of the University of Vermont, and also the recipient of a Master's degree from the University of Michigan; married Alfred E. Long of Wil- liamsville, New York. 3. Ruth Angell, who died in infancy. 4. Charles Dud- ley, who died at the age of thirteen years.
Mrs. Everest, at the time of her marriage, resided in Denver, Colorado, where she had been instructor of oratory and gymnastics in the Denver East Side High School for several years. Since her marriage she has continued her work by occasionally giving public readings and private instruction in expression.
While residing at Rouses Point, Mr. Everest was an active member of the Montgomery Hose Company, and an enthusiastic member of the American Canoe Association, attending its meetings when held on Lake Champlain. His summer vacations were often spent in cruising with his brother, George, on Lake Champlain, Lake George, down the Hudson and one trip down the Rich- elieu and St. Lawrence rivers to Quebec. Mr. and Mrs. Everest have been accustomed to camp each summer on the lake shore near Plattsburgh, their camp being a mecca for numerous friends and young people.
Besides this outdoor life, Mr. Everest's main hobby has been the study of the culture of the American Indian, especially the Algonquin tribes of the Champlain Valley, and the Iroquois race, and their Confederacy of Six Nations. He has found and acquired a fine collection of Indian stone artifacts and pottery. Mr. Everest, of late years, has frequently been called upon by historical societies, schools and science clubs, to give addresses on the history of Lake Champlain, its fortifications and land and naval battles ; also on the life and culture of the aborigines of this North Country, which he illustrates with many of his finest specimens of Indian workmanship found on the lake shore, and some from the site of the ancient Indian village, the largest Algonquin village on the shore of Lake Champlain, located on the site of Plattsburgh's fine Municipal Beach.
His growing collection also includes fossils, coral, shells and specimens of archæological interest, in which subjects he is deeply interested. It is his hope and expectation that a historical and general museum be established in Platts- burgh, where his collection, and those of other citizens, may be placed for the benefit and instruction of posterity.
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FRANCIS BINCH-President and treasurer of H. and F. Binch, Incorporated, Francis Binch, of Glens Falls, is one of the leading lace and netting manufacturers of New York State, operating the only plant of its kind in the East outside of New York City.
Francis Binch was born in Nottingham, England, the son of Walter and Mary (Winfield) Binch. Walter Binch, who was born in Nottingham, Eng- land, spent his life as a manufacturer of lace, being so engaged at the time of his death. Mary (Winfield) Binch, his wife, also deceased, was born in Nottingham, England, also.
After passing through the public schools of Nottingham and attending Nottingham University, Francis Binch became associated with his father, Walter Binch, in the lace manufacturing business, an enterprise with which he was connected until 1908 when he came to Saratoga, New York, and found employment for two years with the Clark Textile Company. Then, in 1910, Francis Binch joined his brother, Herbert Binch, in the establishment of a small lace manufacturing business at Saratoga Springs, the company having but eight machines and employing only ten hands. However, the business of making laces and nettings prospered and in 1915 the two brothers moved their plant to its present location in Glens Falls, gradually continuing its develop- ment until they not only have some forty-three machines making laces and nettings with some forty-five hands employed but also conduct their own bleaching and dyeing establishment in addition to a new development of a line of veiling, scarves, laces and novelties, being the only manufacturers of such products outside of New York City. The original partnership of Francis and Herbert Binch continued until 1935 when, upon the death of Herbert Binch, the company was incorporated under its present name of H. and F. Binch, Incorporated, with Francis Binch as the president and treasurer, and F. E. Binch as vice-president and secretary. Supporting Glens Falls by membership in the Glens Falls Chamber of Commerce and worshipping at the Glens Falls Methodist Church, Francis Binch is a member of the Glens Falls Masonic Club and belongs to Senate Lodge, No. 456, Free and Accepted Masons. Francis Binch finds recreation from his business duties and responsibilities by indulging in his favorite pastime of automobiling and his favorite game of soccer.
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