Lee Historical Society

Newsletter

Vol. 7, No. 10

October 2010

Lee Historical Society, Inc.

P. O. Box 170

Lee, MA  01238

www.leehistoricsociety.homestead.com

The Annual Meeting of the Lee Historical Society will be held on Thursday evening, October 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of the Senior Center at Crossway Village. This will be our annual meeting with board members and officers being elected.

If you received a ballot to vote for board members, please return it as soon as possible. The ballots will be sent out by both U. S. Postal and by electronic mailing. They must be returned by October 12th.

PLEASE JOIN US AT 7:00 P.M after our business meeting for a game of “Love the Berkshires” a unique to the market, 2300 plus question game that concentrates on Berkshire County. This game is the brainchild of Phil Smith, who along with his wife are members of the society. The game can be found in many locations in Berkshire County and can be purchased or ordered from Phil at this meeting. The game would be great for a Christmas gift or for something to do on a cold night this winter. The public is invited and encouraged to attend at no charge.

Phil Smith was born in Ware, Massachusetts, raised in central Massachusetts, and has resided full or part time here in Lee for 17 years. He was director of the Lee Chamber of Commerce from 2006 to 2009. Prior to his retirement, Phil was an award-winning teacher and administrator in schools in Connecticut and New Hampshire for 34 years. He holds college degrees in weighty subjects like history, government, economics and education from American International College, Wesleyan University and the University of Connecticut. He is a veteran of four years service in the United States Air Force.

SEE END OF NEWSLETTER FOR SAMPLE RAFFLE TICKET

If anyone is interested in purchasing a raffle ticket or has any questions regarding the raffle, please email us at Lee_Hist_Soc@msn.com or call 413-243-1797 and leave a message and we will get back to you. $10.00 a ticket with great prizes!! You will win all the prizes listed for that day and your ticket will go back into the drawing box.

Remember you can’t win any of these prizes if you don’t buy a ticket.

New Members to Welcome:

Verna Houff, 607 Greylock Street, Lee, MA 01238

Brenda Lee Liebenow, P.O. Box 145, Lenox Dale, MA 01242

FOUNDERS’ DAY WEEKEND:

Volunteers from the society set up and maintained a booth near Memorial Hall for both Friday afternoon and evening and all day Saturday of Founders’ Day Weekend. We had great weather, lots of nice people to talk too and a brisk business selling our raffle tickets, mugs, books, magnets and picture packets.

While this was going on in Lee, our President, Gary and the first lady, Barbara were representing us out at the “Summit” on the Jacob’s Ladder Trail. The Jacob’s Ladder Scenic Byway Advisory Board organized a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the old scenic route 20. There was a recreation of the original dedication of the stone cairn at the “Summit” in Becket. George Westinghouse and his wife came and stood in for his great-grandmother, who participated in the original ceremony. The Lee Land Trust and several other historical societies were also present and a dozen antique vehicles were present to show the public the kinds of cars that would have been on the Trail when it was open. Two new stones were added to the cairn as part of the celebration.

Recollections VIII

By U. S. Navy Retired Commander Vic Mottarella,

A native of Lee

(Continued from the September-10 issue)

The  Executive Officer was a small blond Texan by the name of Willie Williams who had flown in the war.  While I had great respect for the Skipper I developed a strong dislike for the Executive Officer.  He reminded me of a cantankerous, obstinate, mean spirited individual who took great pleasure in satisfying his prejudices.  It became apparent to me that he didn’t like Italians because he seemed to show distain for both John and I and seemed to harass us continuously.  At the time a good portion of Texans looked down on the Mexican population.  I could only assume that Williams associated Italians with Mexicans.  While I knew I was far from perfect, particularly when carrying out administrative assignments, he always seemed to find something wrong with whatever situation I might be in.  I would compare him to a nagging wife of which I have only read about.

Gene Berger was the Administrative Officer of the squadron and I was his assistant during my early days in the squadron.  I ended up doing a lot of boring and unimportant tasks such as making corrections and additions to various documents that were being continuously promulgated by the Navy Department.  At that point in my career it was almost more than I could handle. He was all business and seemed that he assigned more importance to his administrative duties than his flying.  At that time in my career any priority that surpassed flying was an enigma to me. I never knew much about Gene’s flying skills because I hardly ever flew with him but he was a decent sort of guy and treated me fairly. I wanted to fly and not do paper work because I loved flying and hated paper work. Both Gene and George Veiling were later killed in accidents while flying in the Pacific.  George was the commanding officer of an A4 Skyhawk squadron and was killed as a result of a cold catapult shot while being launched at night.  I believe Gene was killed in a twin-engine anti-submarine aircraft while flying from a carrier.

“Whiskey Mason” was a Senior Lieutenant and a Naval Academy graduate.  Don’t ask me where he got the name but I surmise it had something to do with drinking.  Back in those days heavy drinking seemed to be a sign of manhood especially among fighter pilots.  I did not measure up in that respect.  At the beginning I felt that “Whiskey” and some other Senior Lieutenants, especially the Naval Academy Graduates, seemed to look down at us junior Ensigns. We lowly Ensigns called the Naval Academy types “ring knockers” behind their backs, of course.  Most of them wore graduation rings from the Naval Academy.  Later, I noticed that most of them became very friendly and I felt that I had earned their respect due to my flying skills.  Sadly “Whiskey Mason” was killed in a Corsair about a year after he left the squadron while instructing cadets at Corpus Christi.

Fred Carment was an Ensign.  Although his hair had turned prematurely gray he must have been at least a couple of years older than John and I because he had some college under his belt.  The event that I remember most about him was that he refused to ride to New York with me because I apparently had scared him on several previous trips.  We both had girlfriends in the New York area.  Later, Fred ended up crashing on the USS Kearsarge in a Bearcat.  Fred Carment, not an Annapolis graduate, finished his Naval career as a Captain, which seemed to show that he had the “Right Stuff”. We keep in touch via e-mail. He still mentions the notorious rides to New York. 

One of the most colorful pilots was Senior Lieutenant Bob Hoppe.  He was an excellent pilot and had a great sense of humor.  He was about twenty-seven years old and was the Operations Officer (third in command).  Bob had considerable combat experience during the war.  He was a great party guy but had a little too much one night and had a mishap when driving home following a gala event. He flipped his car over but neither he nor his wife was injured.  Bob later barely survived a midair collision when flying in my Bearcat that had Ensign V. G. Mottarella printed in big letters on its side.  At the time we were participating in a fleet exercise while flying from the carrier Kearsarge near Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  The plane now sits on the bottom of the Caribbean. I was flying at the same time but in another Bearcat.  Bob and I were to meet again about twelve years later.  He was on the Admirals inspection team when I was a Jet Training Officer at NAS South Weymouth, Mass.  He was the inspection officer for my unit.  He awarded me an outstanding – don’t know if I really earned it or if it was because of our previous acquaintance. 

Leo Krupp, a Lt. Junior Grade fellow, who had fought in the carrier war, was a great pilot and a nice guy.  He too was from Toledo.  Later on he became my section leader and we became quite close.  He and his wife (Dorothy) would occasionally invite John and I to his house for spaghetti dinner.  He did the cooking and had some kind of a contest going with someone from our sister squadron (VF-3) as to whom was the best Italian cook.  Votolato and I served as judges.  Leo later became a test pilot and after retiring from the Navy worked for an aerospace company and appeared several times on national television with Walter Cronkite during several Saturn moon launches. Leo died of leukemia about five years ago.  

Jack Armstrong was a red headed Senior Lieutenant who became my division leader.  Jack had been a Blimp pilot during the war and somehow got himself into fighters.  I never thought he was a particularly good pilot but he treated me well and usually took my side in any disputes that might develop. The fourth fellow in our division was Ensign Davidenas.  He was of Greek descent and was Armstrong’s wingman. Jack, Dave, Leo and I formed a division and served together as a unit during a couple of foreign cruises on two different carriers. Ensign Jim Petty was a Southerner from Tennessee.  For some reason he seemed to be put in an even lower category than John and I by the Executive Officer and others.

Frank Posch was the oldest Ensign in the Squadron.  He was about thirty years old and was almost bald.  He had been an enlisted man and earned a selection to the Aviation Cadet Program. Having been an Aviation Machinist Mate he was assigned as the Assistant Maintenance Officer.  He did an outstanding job in this respect and his knowledge was frequently sought out by most of the pilots.  We later became roommates and good friends.  He was the most mature and straight-laced Ensign in the squadron but he went astray on one occasion when flying with me.  I will describe this event in detail later. He attended our wedding as an usher on August 30, 1950.

Dick Linnekin was a Senior Lieutenant and a Naval Academy graduate.  He had served in the fleet earlier in the war and went through the flight-training program at the same time as John and I.  Of the “ring knockers” I would have to say that he was the quietest and most courteous of the group.  I only flew with him a few times and don’t remember anything in particular about his flying.  I had almost completely forgotten about him until about ten years ago when a friend approached me and mentioned a book written by Linnekin in which he referred to Votolato and me several times.  The name of the book was “Eighty Knots to Mach 2 – Forty Five Years in the Cockpit”.  One chapter was entirely devoted to VBF-3 covering the time that John and I were in the squadron. It flattered me that he remembered so much about me forty years after the fact. At the time I was quite mischievous both on the ground and in the air.  While certain stunts were not overlooked I was particularly interested in a sentence in which he referred to me as “a cool head and a precociously good pilot”.  I didn’t even know what that long word meant.  After looking it up it pleased me to no end.  He mentioned both John and I individually and also as a couple of Italian pals who always hung out together.  He did not overlook Votolato’s cow incident as well as his crash on the USS Kearsarge.    

Lastly, I mention Lieutenant Junior Grade Jim Dillingham.  During the fall of 1947 the squadron was assigned two Hellcats. These were not rigged as fighters but instead were fitted with sophisticated photographic cameras. Dillingham and I were selected as the photo pilots.  This was in addition to our normal Bearcat duties.  He served as my section leader but only when flying the Hellcats. This meant that we would be flying both the Hellcat and the Bearcat off the carrier  and sometimes on the same day.  Dillingham was a pretty nice guy when sober but I have seen him become quite mean and boisterous when drinking and he liked to drink.  Will mention more about him later. 

(Continued to the November –10 issue)

Who was Nathan B. Bradley?

Nathan Ball Bradley was the sixth child born to William and Lucy Ball Bradley in Lee, Massachusetts on May 28, 1831 and moved with his family to Lorraine County, near Cleveland, Ohio in 1835 where he attended common schools. William Bradley was in the tanning business in Lee but decided to move his family to Ohio and take up farming, In Ohio, Nathan learned the skills of a custom clothier from his father and at age 16, started work in that profession, In 1849, Bradley, desiring a more lucrative occupation, moved to Wisconsin where he was employed in a sawmill in the pine region of the state. In 1850 he returned to Ohio and built and operated a sawmill business until 1852 with his brother. He then bought land and  ventured in the manufacturing of lumber in Lexington, Michigan for a couple of years. Next, he moved to St. Charles in the Saginaw Valley of Michigan, and continued in the lumber business as superintendant of a lumbering plant. He purchased a lumber mill with his brothers in 1858. Three years later, saw manufacturing was added to the business, making it among the first in the area. Several years later, one brother opted to leave the business and then in 1880, his other brother died and then Nathan brought his two sons into the business and renamed it N. B. Bradley & Sons. One of the first civic activities that Bradley was involved in, was the establishment of a Masonic Lodge in Bay City in 1861. In 1864, he and others created an organization with plans to build a street railway system. Nathan Bradley was the Secretary, Treasurer and managing director for several years. He also engaged in the salt business in Bay City and also started there in his political career as justice of the peace for three terms, a city supervisor for one term and city alderman for three terms and then as the city’s first mayor of Bay City after it obtained its charter in 1865. As a Republican, he was a member of the Michigan State Senate from 1866 to 1868. He also engaged in the banking profession and became vice-president of the First National Bay of Bay City with partner, B. E. Warren and brought it back from the brink of disaster. Again in 1873, he threw his hat into politics, when he was elected as the first person to represent Michigan’s 8th congressional district as a member of the United States House of Representatives in the 43rd and 44th Congresses between March 4, 1873 and March 3, 1877. During his two terms in Congress, he was able to direct funds into the community that would dredge the Saginaw River and its harbors increasing the appeal for shipping related industries. He was not a candidate for re-nomination and once again returned to the lumber business in Bay City. Nathan B. Bradley was also instrumental in establishing the first beet-sugar factory in the state of Michigan. This industry is still an important part of the local economy today. In 1899 the Sisters of Mercy came to Bay City to establish a community hospital and Bradley sold them his three story residence for $7500.00,  a price they could well afford. The building, which sat at the foot of Fourteenth Street served as Mercy Hospital until the 1970’s when a modern hospital was built. His old home then became an apartment complex, which carries his name.  Nathan Ball Bradley set a fine example as a citizen and first mayor of Bay City. He died in Bay City on November 8, 1906 and is interred in Elm Lawn Cemetery in Bay City, Michigan.

If you have a story or article about Lee that you would like to see printed, send it to us. Maybe you have a question about Lee that you would like answered or an ancestor that you are searching for, we might be able to help. Let us also know if there is a certain subject that you would be interested in us writing about. We are all interested in learning about the history of our little town.

RESEARCH HELP NEEDED:

David Levinson is looking for information on a 1880 South Lee resident, named Henry S. Jackson. He was a blacksmith who took the lead in Pittsfield in recruiting men for the 54th in 1863. He actually never served in the Civil War himself. He lived in Columbia County, NY and then in Pittsfield in the 1850’s to 1870’s.

In the 1880 census, he is in Lee, with a shop, house, and land in South Lee (#42 on the Child’s Gazatteer Map). We are interested on his life in Lee and what then became of him. His wife, Duesey (Densey), died in 1902 and was buried in Gt. Barrington (no stone), Any info would be appreciated. Contact levinsdavid@gmail.com.

The Lee Historical Society has the following items for sale. Any one of these would make a great gift for an out of town friend or relative.

(1.)Picture Packet – Six, 8” x 10” colored prints of “Old Lee” for $10.00 each or 3 packets for $25.00, plus $2.50 if they need to be shipped.

(2.)Refrigerator magnets – (approx. 2” x 3”). Three are of old street scenes from the early 1900’s and one is an “Entering Lee” replica sign. They are $3.00 each or buy a set of three of your choice for $7.50 with no shipping charges.

(3.)Cookbook – “Boiling Water” – a 400 recipe cookbook, put together by the ladies of the society for $10.00, plus $3.50 if shipped.

(4.)“Historical Lee” – a tribute to the late Betty Dennis. A seventy-three page book containing the articles that Betty wrote between April 1971 and August 1977 that appeared in the Penny Saver. Price is $10.00, plus $2.50 if shipped.

(5.)“Third Strike”- a book, the last of three written by Ralph W. Smith that was published in 1984. It contains stories of people and tales of earlier days in Lee. The price is $15.00, plus $2.50 if shipped.

(6.)Commemorative Mugs.

(a.)A 2008, #1 in our series, mug with a replica of Memorial Hall embossed on the side.

(b.)A 2009, #2 in our series, mug with a replica of Central Fire Station embossed on the side.

(c.)A 2010, #3 in our series, mug   with a replica of the Lee Library embossed on the side.                    

                  These mugs can be purchased for $10.00 each, plus $3.00 shipping or two

                  mugs for $18.00 and $5.00 shipping or all three mugs for $27.00 and $7.00 for

                  shipping.

Please send me (amount) ___________of (item/items) __________________________

Enclosed is my check for (no cash please)______________________________________

Name_____________________________________________________________________

Address___________________________________________________________________

City_________________________State_______________Zip________________________

Mail to:

Lee Historical Society

P. O. Box 170

Lee, MA 01238

A QUOTE FROM THOMAS JEFFERSON;

“A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have”.

WHO WAS BILL KENNEDY?

William James Kennedy was born in Lee, Massachusetts on March 13, 1919. He attended Northwestern High School in Detroit, Michigan and Michigan State University where he played football. He played eleven games professionally for the Detroit Lions in 1942 as a 5’ 11”, 200 pound guard at the age of 23. He is found again playing in twelve games for the Boston Yanks in 1947. He finished his career playing in 23 games for both the Lions and Yanks.

SunMonTuesWedsThursFriSat

1

•Two tickets to “A Christmas Carol” from Barrington Stage Company

•66-pc. DeWalt kit donated by Carr Hardware Inc

2

•Four Springfield Falcons tickets for 12/26/10 game

•Framed picture donated by Al Hollworth

3

•Family Membership for one year to Hancock Shaker Village ($75 value)

•$25 Cash Donated by RW’s Inc

4      Gift Certificates:

•$30 Clark’s Garden Center

•Haircut at Steve’s Barber Shop

•$25 Price Chopper

•$20 Cakewalk Bakery & Café

5

•Throw & pillow donated by Country Curtains ($93 value)

•Subscription to the Berkshire Record

•Three passes to the New England Air Museum

6

•Four hand painted wine glasses by Sheila Maroni

•Bostitch Instant Change Saw System donated by Dresser-Hull Co

7

$100 Cash Donated by L B Corp

8

•Handmade afghan donated by Peggy O’Neill Westergard

•Dinner for two at The Lion’s Den (approx. $50 value)

9       Gift Certificates:

•$50 Zabian’s Jewelers

•$25 Lee Power Equipment Inc

•$10 Red Apple

•Haircut at Professional Barbers

10

•Two tickets to “The Music Man” on 01/22/11 at the Colonial Theatre ($130 value)

11

•Lunch for two @ Pauline’s at Greenock

•$50 Cash   Donated by Frank P. Consolati Insurance Agency

12

•Two Berkshire Theater Festival tickets for any 2011 season performance ($98 value)

•Lucky Nails manicure

13   

        Gift Certificates:

•Lg two-topping pizza from Locker Room Sports Bar

•$25 Ben’s Shop

•$25 Price Chopper

•$25 in alterations from 5¢ A Dance

14

        Gift Cards:

•$25 Visa Debit Card donated by Legacy Banks

•$25 Salmon Run

•$20 Arizona Pizza

•$10 Price Rite

15

•Two Williamstown Theater Festival tickets to any 2011  performance

•Subscription to the Berkshire Record

16

•Two Chesterwood tickets ($30 value)

•$50 Cash Donated by Carlson Auto Body

17

•$100 Savings Bond donated by Lee Bank

•Family Fun Pack (2 adult & 2 children tickets) to Lebanon Valley Speedway

18     Gift Certificates:

•Five Ultimate Wash car washes from Patriot Car Wash

•Haircut at Professional Barbers

•$25 Lee Hardware

19     Gift Certificates:

•$25 Lee Picture Framing

•$25 Joe’s Diner

•Wash, cut, & dry at Sandy’s Place

•$20 Lee Video

•$10 Hot Harry’s

20

       $100 Cash Donated by Valley Mill Corp

21 Gift Certificates:

•$30 Terrace Hair Studio

•$25 Sullivan Station

•$50 LePrevost Plumbing & Heating

22

•Two MASS MoCA tickets ($30 value)

•$50 Cash Donated by Daley & Sons Trucking, Inc

23

•Two tickets to a June 2011 performance at Jacob’s Pillow Dance ($100 value)

•Two 2011 Big E tickets

24     Gift Certificates:

•$25 East Lee Package Store

•Brunch for two at The Morgan House

•Haircut at Clip ‘N Snip

•$20 Hats & Jewels

25

      Two passes to Norman Rockwell Museum and a copy of American Chronicles: The Art of 

      Norman Rockwell ($75 value) Pandora bracelet donated by Crown Jeweler’s ($100 value)

26

•Lg pizza from Timothy’s Restaurant & Pizzeria

•$50 Cash Donated by Fox Homes

27

    Two tickets for a 2011 Red Sox home game donated by Foundation to be Named Later 

   (FTBNL)

28

•Two tickets to The Mac-Haydn Theatre for any 2011 performance

•Framed picture donated by Al Hollworth

29     Gift Certificates:

•Lg two-topping pizza from Locker Room Sports Bar

•$25 Karen Keenan Gifts & Home

•$50 Henry’s Electric Inc

•$10 Hot Harry’s

30

•$100 Savings Bond donated by Berkshire Bank

•$20 Cash Donated by Country Lady Antiques & Gifts

RANDOM BONUS GIFTS MAY ALSO BE GIVEN OUT DURING THE MONTH!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ticket # 2010-_______

Cash or Check Payable to: LEE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Please complete all information below and return bottom portion to seller.

Keep the top portion for your records. Thanks for your support!

Name: __________________________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________

Phone Number: _________________________ Seller’s Name: ________________