Lee Historical Society
Newsletter
Vol. 11, No. 6
June 2014
Our unique history and blend of people defines the foundation of our town.
Crossway Tower
P. O. Box 170
Lee, MA 01238
Visit us: www.leehistoricsociety.homestead.com
Contact us: Lee.Historical@hotmail.com
Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s out there!
The Lee Historical Society is proud to announce that Katie Morin is the winner of our 2014 Scholarship in memory of Dolores I. Eckert and Marion M. Leach. This is an annual award that is presented to a graduating senior from Lee Middle and High School. Congratulations, Katie, continue the fine work!
Again this month we thank the Dowd family for the postcards of Lee and the other newspaper articles related to the history of our town.
The following article was submitted by Carolyn Mirek, daughter of society members Linc and Jan Streeter.
A great event has held in Tyringham on Saturday, May 31st, the Frulla Family Reunion! Five generations of Rosa and Salvatore Frulla celebrated on a picture perfect day in the Berkshires. Salvatore Frulla came over from Pesaro, Italy to Ellis Island on the Duca Di Genova in April of 1910. Rosa arrived with young sons, Mario and Antonio on the Konig Albert in 1911. They ended up residing in Lee, where many future generations still live today. Besides Mario and Tony, their children born in America include Clara Frulla Streeter, Flora Frulla Arment, George Frulla, and Gloria “Dolly” Frulla Murray. Dolly is the only living child, though we count 235 on our family tree of Frulla descendants including spouses! There were more than 100 in attendance. Children were entertained by a magician and a bouncy house while adults enjoyed each other’s company and reminisced watching a slide show and hearing about the Frullas. Everyone enjoyed the best bounty of authentic Italian family style food prepared the way Noni used to make it.
We thank Carolyn for sending in this article. It shows where the foundation of our town comes from. I understand that on that day that it was Linc’s birthday and he actually thought that all these people were there to celebrate it. Happy Birthday to member, Linc Streeter.
Below is this month’s picture sent to us from the Lee Library’s Historical Collection of Lee photographs. This collection has been digitalized for the Lee Library by the Boston Public Library. We thank the Lee Library for making this possible for our readers. If any of our readers would like to comment or add additional information, please contact Mary Philpott at maryphilpott@mindspring.com.
This time of the year we have lots of parades and great band music so it seemed appropriate to send this photo, the East Lee Drum Corp, 1918. Standing, left to right: Louis Stedman, George Warren, George Gangell, Jack Tyler, Ralph Olds, John Decker, Newton Heath, William Stedman.
Seated, left to right: Seated, left to right: Edward Decker, Frank Schotts. The Library received this photo in 1990. The photo was published in Berkshire Bands by Alan Grieve in 1992.
LIBRARY NEWS:
Programs for Children and Adults too!
Summer Reading Program – 2014 – The general theme for the summer reading program is Science. The program begins June 23rd and runs through August 2nd. The slogan for children is Fizz, Boom, Read; for teens, Spark a Reaction, and for adults, Literary Elements. The program will have weekly book prizes, special programs and an end of summer party with prizes.
The Children’s programs are sponsored by the Marjorie C. Wickham Fund for which we are very grateful. The Children’s Kickoff Party takes place on June 24th at 2 p.m. with the Mad Scientists performing “Fire and Ice”.
Adult Program at the Lee Library – June 26th at 6:30 p. m. – “Meditation and your Health” : A talk by International Speaker Dr. Andrew Vidich.
FamiLEE Library Movie – Saturday, June 14th at 11:00 a.m. – “Cloud 9”, rated G, and 88 minutes in length. Please join us.
RECOLLECTIONS XIV
By U. S. Navy Retired Commander Vic Mottarella
A Lee native
(Continued from the May-14 issue)
THE USS MIDWAY
Attack carrier number 41 proudly carried the name of the Battle of Midway in which three American carriers destroyed four Japanese carriers in one day. We never turned back after the battle of Midway. We had finally taken the offensive away from the Japanese and it was a great boost to the morale of all the troops. The keel of the Midway was laid down on Navy Day, October 27, 1943 by the Newport News Shipbuilding Company. Navy Day was chosen on October 27 because it was Theodore Roosevelt's birthday. He had been Assistant Secretary of the Navy and later, as president, was responsible for building the Great White Fleet. Ten days after General MacArthur accepted the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay, the ship was commissioned in Norfolk, Virginia. In less than nine years the Midway completed seven Mediterranean cruises with the Sixth Fleet. The seven-month 19 53/1954 cruise was the longest of the seven. The Midway was the leader of its class and was followed by the Coral Sea and the Franklin D. Roosevelt. They weighed in at 45,000 tons at commissioning and were much larger than all of the World War II carriers. In fact, they were the world's largest ships until 1955. The Midway was the first American Warship that was too big to transit the Panama Canal. At the final de-commissioning of the Midway in 1992 she weighed in at 74,000 tons. The added 29,000 tons were due to a major overhaul in which an angled deck was added which greatly increased overall safety of flight operations since no parked airplanes were now in front of a landing plane.
The Midway had a large antenna that stuck up above all the radars and other instrumentation on the superstructure of the ship. I found out later that this antenna was part of the Tacan navigation system and was for use of its airplanes. While it was still at the experimental stage, our Cougars had the proper receiving equipment for its use. This proved to be a great improvement for navigation, especially when at sea, since there are no landmarks to refer to in order to confirm a particular location. The system allowed a pilot to obtain continuous range and bearings from the ship so when it was working it would be next to impossible to get lost, like what had once happened to me when flying a Hellcat at sea. I was now fascinated to see the nautical miles being clicked off continuously as I was approaching the ship and it never "lied" as long as the Tacan equipment on the ship and the receiver in the plane were both working.
GUNNERY
During the month of November 1953, we scheduled several gunnery flights during our stay at Guantanamo. The first problem that arose was to figure out some way for a Cougar to tow a target. After some time the ordnance crew came up with a unique solution to the problem and that was to use parachute webbing along with the speed brakes of the Cougar. About six feet of nylon webbing (1/4 inch thick and 3 inches wide) was rolled into a wad at each end. The parachute riggers sewed the wads securely. Steel cable about 900 feet long was then attached to the webbing between the wads. The long length of cable was used to ensure a firing plane would not hit the towing plane and that is also why we fired at the target from a sharp crossing angle. An old friend of mine told me that he was hit in the arm by a firing plane while towing a target and that it had been from a 50-caliber shell. The 20 MM shells that the Cougar was using would have been disastrous if a plane (or pilot) were hit.
The target consisted of a white sheet of strong nylon 6 feet high and 25 feet long. It was attached to the back of the cable. A steel rod kept the target vertical once it was dragged into the air. All of the items above were laid alongside the runway until the tow plane taxied to a point adjacent to the wads where the ordnance men signaled the pilot to crack the speed brakes. The wads were then inserted into each of the speed brakes at which time the pilot was signaled to retract the speed brakes. This securely fixed the target assembly for the duration of the flight. The tow plane towed the target at 250 knots (287 mph).
The front ends of the 20 MM shells were dipped into different colors of paint so that each pilot could discern his number of hits. We normally flew with 4 Cougars firing and one towing the target. When a hit was scored on the target it would leave a colored trace. The ordnance crew kept track of the hits for each flight. I was a little disappointed in the hits being scored by all pilots. Some came back with no hits at all. I found out that it was not easy to hit a target that was crossing at 250 knots when fired at by a jet moving at about 490 knots (563 mph) and at an angle quickly decreasing from about 80 to 45 degrees.
I didn't know if the difference from what we had experienced in Bearcats was because of the great speed differential or possibly by some other factor. The gun sight in the Cougar had a floating aim point, which we called the pipper. Since the target was crossing at a large angle from the direction of flight of the shooter it was necessary to lead the target by some distance to have any hope of getting hits. The idea is similar to shooting ducks. You have to aim in front of them because it takes some time for the shell to reach the duck. The amount of lead was built into the gun sight and was proportional to the amount of g forces being pulled as you turned to keep a lead on the target. It was supposed to be a radar gun sight but that function was never used because it was completely unreliable. It was a little tricky to keep the pipper on the target since you were turning all the time with increasing g forces and you were in and out of range in less than a second. The optimal range was 1000 feet. You judged your distance by using the diameter of the pipper versus the height of the target banner. It was only an estimate since things were changing so fast. When the pipper covered one third of the height of the six-foot height of the banner you would be at the proper distance. If you fired when in too close or too far out your probability of getting hits decreased.
(Continued in July-14 issue)
Our May Meeting was held on the evening of the 15th in the Hyde Room at Crossway Tower. We discussed a probable “Cemetery Walk” being held in either August or September. This would be the second walk being held by the society as the first that we held last year was very well attended and quite informative. We selected the person for the third annual Consolati-Davis-Dennis Award that will be given at our Annual Meeting in October. Also discussed was our upcoming election of board members and officers which will also be at the Annual Meeting. If any member would like to become a board member or be considered to become an officer, please let us know.
Time is like a river. You cannot touch the water twice, because the flow that has passed will never pass again.
Below photo was submitted by Charles Flint. It is a photo of the Bradley family taken at the Bradley Farm.
HOW ABOUT BECOMING A MEMBER OF THE LEE HISTORICAL SOCIETYOR GIVING A GIFT MEMBERSHIP TO A FRIEND OR RELATIVE AND HELP SUPPORT OUR SOCIETY?
Student Membership - $5.00 
Senior Membership (one person over the age of 65) - $5.00
Senior Membership (one person over the age of 65) - $5.00Business Membership - $25.00Individual Membership (one person under the age of 65) - $10.00
Individual Membership (one person under the age of 65) - $10.00Family Membership (all members of one family living at home) - $15.00
Name: __________________________________________________________Mail to:
Mail to:Address: ________________________________________________________Lee Historical
Lee Historical Society,City/Town: _________________________State:_____________Zip:________P. O. Box 170,
P. O. Box 170,Lee, MA 01238Telephone: ______________________Email:__________________
Look for the Lee Historical Society’s booth again this year at the CRAFT FAIR AND FESTIVAL IN THE PARK, sponsored by the Congregational Church on Saturday, August 9th. We are also looking for volunteers to help man our booth between the hours of 9:00 to 4:00. We are asking for one hour shifts for volunteers so your day will not be compromised. Your help would be appreciated. Thanks. We will also be asking for volunteers for our Founder’s Day booth in September. These are also one hour shifts from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 on Friday evening and 9:00 to 3:00 on Saturday
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR “BUSINESS MEMBERS” THAT SUPPORT OUR SOCIETY
The following is a list of the area businesses that are currently “Business Members” of the Lee Historical Society for this year. If you would like your business or company listed here, please fill out the membership application below and send it to us with a check for $25.00.
Bartini Roofing CompanyBen’s ShopCharles Flint Antiques
Ben’s ShopCharles Flint Antiques290 Pleasant Street68 Main Street52 Housatonic Street
68 Main Street52 Housatonic StreetLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Lenox, MA 01240
Lee, MA 01238Lenox, MA 01240413-243-0570413-243-0242413-637-1634
413-243-0242413-637-1634Lee Audio ‘N Security, Inc.Quality Plus CustodialLocker Room Sports Pub
Quality Plus CustodialLocker Room Sports Pub 65 Fairview Street260 Chesnut Street232 Main Street
260 Chesnut Street232 Main StreetLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238800-369-3905413-243-2197413-243-2662
413-243-2197413-243-2662Frank Consolati Ins. AgencyPaperdilly, Inc.Dresser Hull Company
Paperdilly, Inc.Dresser Hull Company71 Main Street74 Main Street60 Railroad Street
74 Main Street60 Railroad StreetLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238413-243-0105413-243-1928413-243-4545
413-243-1928413-243-4545Robert M. Kelly, PaperhangingDeely & Deely, AttorneysJonathon Foote 1778 House
Deely & Deely, AttorneysJonathon Foote 1778 HouseSouth Prospect Street218 Main Street1 East Street
218 Main Street1 East StreetLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Monk’s Professional Barber ShopLee BankDevonfield Inn
Lee BankDevonfield Inn91 Main Street75 Park Street85 Stockbridge Road
75 Park Street85 Stockbridge RoadLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238413-243-3341413-243-0117413-243-3298
413-243-0117413-243-3298Hunter & Graziano P. C.Terrace Hair StudioWilcox Plumbing & Heating
Terrace Hair StudioWilcox Plumbing & Heating10 Park Place135 Housatonic StreetP. O. Box 561
135 Housatonic StreetP. O. Box 561Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238413-243-0789413-243-1799413-243-2494
413-243-1799413-243-2494Kelly Funeral HomeLee Hardware Store, Inc.Berkshire Mt. Country Store
Lee Hardware Store, Inc.Berkshire Mt. Country Store3 Main Street221 Main Street151 Main Street
221 Main Street151 Main StreetLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238413-243-0204413-243-0786413-243-2144
413-243-0786413-243-2144A. F. Viale Insurance AgencyGreylock Federal Credit UnionPumpkin Patch Quilts
Greylock Federal Credit UnionPumpkin Patch Quilts75 Main Street47 Main Street58 West Center Street
47 Main Street58 West Center StreetLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238413-243-0347413-243-2121413-243-1635
413-243-2121413-243-1635Considine & Leary, AttorneysKaren Keenan Gifts & HomeGrasshopper’s Lawn Care
Karen Keenan Gifts & HomeGrasshopper’s Lawn Care49 Main Street69 Main Street560 Fairview Street
69 Main Street560 Fairview StreetLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238413-243-4900413-243-2689413-243-4020
413-243-2689413-243-4020Check out TownOfLee.com for information about Lee; where
