Category: 20th Century

Ralph T. Noonan (1909 – 1986) was born in Clinton, Massachusetts on October 27, 1909. His family was of Irish ancestry. And, like so many Irish, Ralph’s grandparents, the Foleys and the Noonans, came to America in the 1860s. On December 30, 1908, Catherine Foley (26) and Michael T. Noonan (33) were married by Reverend T. K. Heffernan at St. George’s Church in Saxonville. After their marriage, Michael and Catherine moved to Clinton where their four children were born.

It was a family tragedy that brought a young five-year-old boy to Framingham, Massachusetts. Ralph’s father died of pneumonia in 1914 while working on the campaign for David I. Walsh who was the Democratic candidate for Governor of Massachusetts. After Michael Noonan’s death, Catherine brought her four children to live in Framingham with her family. In 1920 she became head of the household at 1198 Worcester Road. To support a growing family, Catherine went to work at Travis Drug Store in Framingham Centre, just a short walk from home. Catherine’s children helped with finances by delivering papers, weeding gardens, mowing lawns, and picking blueberries and vegetables. The children attended Jonathan Maynard School, which had been recently built on the Centre Common in 1915. In those days organized recreation was not provided for youngsters. But the streams, the river, ponds, and fields around Framingham Centre provided plenty of fun for all the neighborhood kids. In the 1920s, baseball was America’s “National Passion” – it’s Golden Age! This passion was very much alive in Framingham as neighborhood kids organized and enjoyed pick-up baseball games in backyards and fields all around town.

In 1927 Ralph and his brother, Walter, graduated from Framingham High School. And perhaps as a preview of his civic involvement, Ralph was asked to give the class oration entitled, “The New Freedom.” In this mature young man’s oration, he spoke of wealth. Not that which is measured by material resources or silver and gold. But, the wealth of those Ralph calls, “the rank-and-file American, the toilers,” whose material gifts are limited. What is this wealth he speaks of? “It is the knowledge that they [the toilers] are individuals, persons free in body, mind, and heart; in a word, the one thing that constitutes their happiness is their freedom. That is the wealth dear to their heart…”

In the fall of 1928 Ralph entered the freshman class at Boston College. Finances would be a problem again for his family as a younger brother had just been accepted to the University of Notre Dame. Shortly after acceptance to BC, Ralph was asked to go to the rectory at St. Bridget’s Church to see Father Michael O’Connor. Provisions had been made to take care of his tuition if he could earn enough through the years to pay for clothes, transportation, and books. So began the years at Boston College as his family and country suffered through the beginning of the Great Depression. Ralph graduated from Boston College in 1932 and was one of the fortunate students who got a job. That first job was at the Finast Grocery chain. It looked like a career in the grocery industry might be for him. However, in the fall of 1934 Ralph was asked to fill in as a substitute teacher at the Memorial Junior High School. He was also asked to assist with a federally sponsored recreation program. At that time, the WPA (Works Project Administration) was part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal Program. This program created millions of jobs across cities and towns of the United States through public works projects. The many community projects under the WPA Program in Framingham included the building of athletic fields now known as Butterworth, Bowditch, and Winch Park, and the construction of tennis courts at the Anna Murphy Playground. Ralph decided to forget a career in the grocery business and was given a permanent teaching position at Lincoln Junior High School at a salary of $1,500 plus $50.00 for coaching Junior High football, basketball, and baseball.

The War Years

In 1937 prior to America’s involvement in World War II, Ralph joined Co. C 101st Quartermaster Regiment of the Massachusetts National Guard. In between his new duties as a soldier and teaching, Ralph married Louise McIlvene, a young lady he had previously met at the Framingham Normal School, on December 28, 1939. As war raged on in Europe, Ralph’s division was inducted into federal service on January 16, 1941. The now Lt. Noonan reported to Camp Edwards on Cape Cod. His division then moved to North Carolina to participate in First Army Maneuvers. Then on December 7, 1941, Japanese bombers launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. America was at war! After the attack, Ralph’s regiment became part of task force 6814 heading toward New Caledonia in the South Pacific. When New Caledonia was secured, the task force was organized as a combat division called the Americal Division. This division, now attached to the First Marine Division, was then ordered to Guadalcanal to establish an advanced Quartermaster Base. Securing Guadalcanal was the turning point in the war. Ralph continued to serve in the South Pacific and was part of the preparations for the invasion of Japan if that was needed. On September 2, 1945, the Japanese surrendered bringing WWII to a close.

Return to Framingham

After 46 months in the Pacific, Ralph returned full-time to Lincoln Junior High School where he taught Bookkeeping and Latin. He settled down with his wife Louise and raised a family that grew to seven children. Ralph, now a Colonel, also continued his military career in the Massachusetts National Guard. In 1954 he resigned from his teaching position to accept a full-time position as State Quartermaster. In this position, he was responsible for all state-owned military facilities, construction of new armories, including Framingham, and the operation and maintenance of all existing armories. He held this position until 1969 and was also promoted to Brigadier General in the same year.

It was during these years that Ralph began to devote his talents to the town of Framingham. In 1957 he was appointed to the town finance committee and served as its chairman in 1962 and 1963. He was a member of the Police Station Renovation Committee and Fire Station Construction Committee. After retirement Ralph became maintenance chief at St. Patrick’s Manor. He was elected Town Moderator in 1969. Ralph served on many town committees and commissions during the 1960s and 1970s. Among his many awards for community involvement was the Jaycee’s Distinguished Service Award. Upon receiving this award, a speaker described Ralph as “a man who always honorably discharged his responsibilities – a just man in the highest sense of the word.” Ralph remained faithful to his original calling as a teacher. He often spoke at Memorial Day ceremonies at the schools in Framingham. In 1985 he gave the students at McCarthy Elementary School a lesson about the Muster Field and other parts of the town’s military history. He presented the third graders with a Japanese General’s sword which had been given to the Americal Division troops. The sword was then given to the Framingham Historical Society for safe keeping. 

Ralph’s final job in Framingham from 1973 to 1977 was the town executive secretary coordinator. In this full-time position, he worked for the board of selectmen and was responsible for all aspects of the town on a daily basis. Upon retirement from this position, the 1977 annual town meeting passed a resolution recognizing his many years of service, stating, “Ralph Noonan has devoted the greater part of his life to town service with the sole object of making Framingham a better place to live.” Ralph and Louise moved to Hyannis on Cape Cod. They are both buried in the Veterans National Cemetery in Bourne. In September of 1990, a ceremony was held at the National Guard Armory on Concord Street. To honor Ralph, a plaque with a picture was hung that listed his many accomplishments. Ralph’s memory to his family, the National Guard and the Town of Framingham will live on forever.

Facts

On the morning of September 8, 1945, just after the Japanese surrender, the first ships edged up to the shore of Yokohama and began unloading. The first unit ashore was the 125th Quartermaster Company under the command of Lt. Colonel Ralph Noonan.

Among Ralph’s many personal decorations were: Legion of Merit for outstanding service in the Pacific, the Bronze Star and a letter of Commendation from Douglas McArthur, May, 1945.

Noonan served as a member of the Youth Commission, Loring Arena Commission, the executive committee of the Framingham Union Hospital, the Algonquin Council of Boy Scouts, and the Danforth Museum. He was named “Light Bearer of 1973″ by the Marist Scholarship fund for “one who is dedicated and deeply involved in helping mankind.”

Bibliography

“Class Oration At High School, ‘The New Freedom’ Subject Treated By Ralph Noonan” Framingham News, July, 1927.

Herring, Stephen W. Framingham: An American Town. Framingham, Massachusetts: Framingham Historical Society, Framingham Tercentennial Commission, 2000.

Leaning, John, R. “Accept historic sword for town, 3rd graders get ‘hands-on’ history lesson.” Framingham News, 31 May 1985. Framingham History Center Collection

The Living New Deal. “Projects in Framingham Massachusetts-The Living New Deal” Accessed 16 July 2022. https.//livingnewdeal.org.

Noonan, Ralph. “Geography lesson reflecting my experience in the South Pacific and the Solomon Islands.” Short presentation from abstract. Framingham Public Schools, Framingham, MA, Oct. 1944. Framingham History Center Collection.

Photos Framingham History Center Collection

In the Nobscot section of Framingham there lies a hidden paradise, a forty-five acre garden of native wildflowers.  This garden, aptly called Garden in the Woods,was the dream of one man, Will C. Curtis (1883-1969).

Will, the eldest of three children, was born to Bryon C. Curtis and Emogene (Doughty) Curtis, in Schuylerville, New York.  Young Will and his mother shared a love of plants. At the tender age of ten, he planted his first garden of wild plants under a pear tree, and at the age of twelve worked for a local florist.

By 1908, both of his parents were deceased, and Will assumed the responsibility of raising his younger brother and sister. This put his plans to attend college on hold. In 1919 at the age of thirty-six, he graduated from the Cornell University School of Agriculture with a degree in landscape architecture. Will’s first professional job was in Schenectady, New York where he laid out the city’s park system.  He then went to work as a purchasing agent for a large leather company in Little Falls, New York.  Missing outdoor work, Will left this job and moved to Massachusetts where he was employed by Warren H. Manning, a landscape architect in Billerica. At the time, Manning was considered the “Dean of Landscape Architecture.”  Manning, who had previously worked for Frederick Law Olmstead, was a proponent of the informal, naturalistic school of gardening.  Will, also of the naturalist school, was an eager student of Manning‘s.  The naturalist school based their designs on patterns found in nature, and used native plants to create landscapes which seemed natural and not deliberately planned. 

Will left Manning’s employ and came to Framingham. He was hired as the general manager of Little Tree Farms, a large nursery on Pleasant Street. In 1931 at the age of forty-eight while out hiking, Will discovered a thirty acre tract of land in rural north Framingham. He bought the acreage from the Old Colony Railroad for one thousand dollars. The railroad had used the land as a gravel mine.  To Will, this naturally beautiful place with its eskers, brooks, bogs, pond, and varied woodland, was the perfect setting for a large wildflower garden.  

After acquiring the land, Will and his friend Ormond Hamilton began developing the Garden. First he built a rustic house, then cleared garden areas, and laid out trails.  While Will was a sensitive artist, he was also opinionated and brusque. This combination drove off many of the volunteers at the Garden.  There was, however, one volunteer who stayed.  In 1933, after losing his jobduring the Depression, Howard (Dick) Stiles joined Will and a lifelong partnership began. Although Stiles was not a formally trained horticulturist, he had a natural talent for landscape design and plant propagation.

The Garden was opened to the public in the early 1930s. It showcased Will’s talents in naturalist landscaping and native plants. By 1936, Dick became a full partner in the Garden. Under Will’s capable hands, the Garden evolved and flourished. Dick shared the workin the Garden, gave tours, sold plants, and developed a collection of exotic plants. Together, they created award winning exhibits for many flower shows.  These exhibits and awards proved to be great advertising, drawing many visitors to their Garden in the Woods.  

The Garden in the Woods was a sanctuary to protect native plant species. Over the years, Will took many expeditions to rescue plants, including one to the top of Mount Washington.  Will and Dick amassed a vast amount of information on wildflowers and native American flowers. They kept accurate records, and maintained seed and information exchanges with many botanical gardens worldwide.

By the 1960s, Will was feeling his age. He had to cut back on his landscape design business which had supported the two men and the Garden in the Woods.  Also, developers had discovered the northside of Framingham.  New neighborhoods were springing up where farms and woods once were.  When Will purchased the land, the closest neighbor was over a mile away.  Now, there were houses across the street.  With no direct heirs to take over the Garden in the Woods and ensure its survival, Will decided to turn it over to the New England Wildflower Preservation Society.  In May of 1965, with all the details worked out and a successful endowment campaign completed, the agreement was signed. Will stayed on as Garden Director and Dick as Curator.  

Will’s health began to fail.  In 1967 he endured three operations which left him bed or wheelchair bound. Will died on October 26, 1969 at his home at Garden in the Woods.  His ashes were scattered in his beloved garden.

Facts

• Curtis’ home at 180 Hemenway Rd. was demolished in 2017.
• $250,000 was raised for the Garden in the Woods endowment fund in 1965.
• Esker –  A long ridge of post-glacial gravel in river valleys.
• The Garden in the Woods contains approximately 1,000 native plant species.
• Today the Garden in the Woods encompasses 45 acres; 15 additional acres were added by the NEWPS.
• Curtis won many awards for exhibits at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society Spring Show; The Garden Club of America Bulkley Medal at shows in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia; in 1935, a gold medal at the New York Horticultural Society Show.   
• For 5 years in the 1960s, Curtis was an advisor to the Hubbard Trail in Weston, Massachusetts

Bibliography

Ayres, James. “40 Years of Botany Saved from Bulldozer.” Boston Globe (1960-1988), May 08, 1965, pp. 14. ProQuest, https://ezproxy.bpl.org/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.bpl.org/docview/276135199?accountid=9675.  Accessed 12 July 2020.

Birnbaum, Charles A, and Julie K. Fix, editors.  Pioneers of American Landscape Design II: an Annotated Bibliography.  U.S. Dept. of Interior, National Park  Service, Cultural Resources, Heritage Preservation Service, Historic Landscape Initiative.  1995.  Google Books.  https://www.google.com/books/edition/Pioneers_of_American_Landscape_Design_II/iwFrlWNr6QkChl=en&gbpv=1&dq=warren+h.+manning+billerica+ma+obituary&pg=PA38&printsec=frontcover  Accessed 8 Aug. 2020.

“Byron C. Curtis.”  Memorial no. 98224306. Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/98224306/byron-c_-curtis#source   Accessed 14 July 2020.

Cornell University.  Cornell Alumni Directory.  Vol. 13, no. 12.  Ithaca, N.Y. : Cornell University, May 15, 1922.  Google Books. https://books.google.com/booksid=Zn1y36bBlngC&pg=PP9&lpg=PP9&dq=cornell+alumni+directory&source=bl&ots=BeHSpdfWaq&sig=ACfU3U0cIUrBRd6I1gj5xrnnFFqz6HvXtg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizv4aT88fqAhUmlXIEHTn4BaIQ6AEwEnoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=cornell%20alumni%20directory&f=false Accessed 12 July 2020.

“Dream Comes True.” Boston Globe (1960-1988), Oct 30, 1966, pp. 1. ProQuest,  https://ezproxy.bpl.org/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.bpl.org/docview/367033490?accountid=9675.  Accessed 12 July 2020.

“Emogene A. Doughty Curtis.” Memorial no. 98224351.  Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/98224351/emogene-a_-curtis Accessed  14 July 2020.

Hotton, Peter. “Genius of Two Men Fashions Garden Gem: A Walk in Framingham 

Eden.” Boston Globe (1960-1988), Jul 07, 1968, pp. 1. ProQuest,  https://ezproxy.bpl.org/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.bpl.org/docview/365815076?accountid=9675.  Accessed 12 July 2020.

Richardson, Mark.  “A Master Plan for Garden in the Woods.”  Ecological Landscape Alliance.  Oct.13, 2013. https://www.ecolandscaping.org/10/designing-ecological-landscapes/native-plant           s/a-master-plan-for-garden-in-the-woods/     Accessed 13 July 2020.

Stiles, Howard O. “Will C. Curtis – His Life.”  American Rock Garden Society Bulletin, Vol. 28, no. 2, Apr. 1970. pp 63-64.  https://nargs.org/sites/default/files/free-rgq downloads/VOL_28_NO_2.pdf Accessed 12 July, 2020.

Thayer, Lucien. “$250,000 Needed to Save Garden in Woods.” Boston Globe (1960-1988), Jun 21, 1964, pp. 1. ProQuest, https://ezproxy.bpl.org/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.bpl.org/docview/276425927?accountid=9675.  Accessed 12 July 2020.

“Will C. Curtis, Framingham Landscaper.” “OBITUARIES.” Boston Globe (1960-1988), Oct 27, 1969, pp. 26. ProQuest, https://ezproxy.bpl.org/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.bpl.org/docview/375411820?accountid=9675.  Accessed 12 July 2020.

Patrolman William H. Welch (1870-1923) was the only Framingham Police Officer ever murdered in the line of duty. His story began and ended in Saxonville.  His parents were Irish immigrants who settled in the Saxonville section of Framingham in the 1800s.  William was the oldest of Michael and Bridget (Corcoran) Welch’s three children.

Bill, as he was known, was appointed to the Framingham Police Department on March 23, 1908. He held this position for the next fifteen years.  As was the custom of the day, Bill lived in the area he patrolled, Saxonville.   He worked twelve hour shifts, seven days a week with only two weeks off a year for vacation.  Bill was an old fashion, hard-nosed, strict cop who would administered corporal punishment to misbehaving youth when necessary.  He made a point of knowing everyone who lived in his beat.  Bill kept close watch for any suspicious characters among the many outsiders who came to Saxonville on the trolley to work in the mills, one of the town’s largest employers.

On October 11, 1916, Bill married Jennie Neylon.  The couple made their home at 60 Elm Street where they raised their three children, William, Jr., Charles, and Agnes. 

February 2, 1923 started out as just another day in his life.  It was Friday, which was payday for the mill workers who gathered for their weekly card game at the Mill Boarding House.  Bill was extra vigilant because the card game‘s pot had grown quite large.  It began to rain around 11:00 p.m., so Bill stopped by his home to grab a rain coat.  Around 3:30 a.m., February 3, while patrolling McGrath Square, Bill noticed a stranger acting suspiciously.  He brought the subject to the Roxbury House, a company owned boarding house for male workers. At the boarding house Bill telephoned Police Headquarters for assistance.  Suddenly the suspect tried to escape. The two scuffled. The suspect pulled out a concealed revolver and shot Officer Welch three times at point blank range, killing him.   John McGrath, a night fireman in the Roxbury House, saw the scuffle.  He went to the door to call the night watchman at the Roxbury Carpet Company who was approximately 100 yards away when he heard the gunshots and saw the suspect escape and flee up Elm Street.  The residents of the Roxbury House had also heard the gunshots and rushed to the scene. Within the hour, the Framingham Police with the help of the State Police began their investigation.  The residents of the Roxbury House described the assailant as a white male, approximately 25 years old, 5’ 6” tall, clean shaven, wearing a dark suit.  Area police departments were alerted to be on the lookout for a man who fit this description.   Because the night’s rain and sleet made the roads icy and dangerous, the police effort to find and follow the suspect’s footsteps was unsuccessful.   

Patrolman Welch’s funeral Mass was celebrated on February 6, 1923 at St. George’s Church in Saxonville. Following the requiem Mass, his body was placed in a tomb in Edgell Grove Cemetery.  Eventually, his remains were buried on the top of the hill in St. George’s Cemetery. 

While sitting on a bench alongside the Charles River basin in Cambridge in late April 1923, Salvatore Letteri was arrested and charged with Welch’s murder.  He went on trial in the Superior Criminal Court, East Cambridge in October of that same year.  The prosecution’s case was weak, consisting of mainly circumstantial evidence. To make matters worse for the prosecution, the murder weapon had not been found.  After two hours of deliberation, the jury found the defendant not guilty. Letteri was released, but did not stay free for long.  On December 19, 1924, Letteri was sentenced to 7 to 10 years in prison for shooting another man during a robbery.  While on his death bed in prison, Letteri confessed to the murder of Patrolman Welch.

The Framingham Police Department has never forgotten Patrolman Welch.  They honored his service and ultimate sacrifice by naming their Medal of Honor after him, The William H. Welch Medal of Honor.  This medal is awarded to an officer who has performed acts of extraordinary heroism, involving imminent and extreme personal risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty.  In the mid-1990s, the Police station on Union Avenue was renovated.  Ordway Street, which runs alongside the building was renamed William H. Welch Way.

Facts

Born: December 30, 1870

Framingham Police Department was founded in 1871. There was no formal police training and officers supplied their own equipment and uniforms. There was no roll call or backup for the officers. 

Wife: Jennie Neylon Welch, 1887-1951(2)

Children: Pfc William H., 1919-1944, died in the battle of Anzio during WWII and is buried in Military Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy; Charles J., 1921-1959; Agnes, 1917-2000, married Waldo Anderson, raised two sons in Framingham, and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery in Wayland.

Bibliography

“EMPTY SHELLS AT SCENE OF MURDER.” Boston Daily Globe (1923-1927), 04 Oct 1923, p. 17. ProQuest. ; Accessed 05 Sept. 2018.

“FIND NO CLEW TO POLICEMAN’S SLAYER.” Boston Daily Globe (1923-1927), 04 Feb 1923, p. 1. ProQuest. https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.bpl.org/hnpnewyorkbostonglobe/docview/497187589/52241E00B4344810PQ/1?accountid=9675 Accessed 5 Sep. 2018.

“FINDS LETTERI IS NOT GUILTY.” Boston Daily Globe (1923-1927), 12 Oct. 1923, p. 1. ProQuest. ; Accessed 05 Sept. 2018

Framingham Police Dept. Framingham Police Department, 1871-1994: Commemorative History Book. Taylor Pub., 1994.

Herring, Stephen. Framingham: An American Town. Framingham Historical Society, The Framingham Tercentennial Commission, 2000.

“Jennie Neylon Welch, Memorial Page.” Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/184226792/jennie-welch/photo Accessed 05 2018.

“LAUGHTER CAUSED BY “MAN FROM AUBURN”.” Boston Daily Globe (1923-1927), 11 Oct 1923, p. 4. ProQuest. ; Accessed 05 Sept. 2018.

“Patrolman William H. Welch.” Officer Down Memorial Page. https://www.odmp.org/officer/13968-patrolman-william-h-welch Accessed 05 Sept. 2018.

“STILL SEEK SLAYER OF OFFICER WELSH.” Boston Daily Globe (1923-1927), 06 Feb 1923, p. 3. ProQuest. https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.bpl.org/hnpnewyorkbostonglobe/docview/497135758/fulltextPDF/2168128A71D74553PQ/1?accountid=9675 Accessed 5 Sep. 2018.

Miriam Van Waters (1887-1974) was a noted progressive American social worker, penal reformer, and prison director.  She grew up in Portland Oregon, the eldest daughter of a liberal Episcopal minister. Van Waters graduated from the University of Oregon in 1910 with an M.A. in psychology. She then went on to earn a Ph.D. in anthropology from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.  During the summer of 1912, she worked on a project where she collected and studies data on delinquent girls at the Portland Municipal Court in Oregon. This experience not only helped Miriam prepare her doctoral thesis, but became an inspiration for her life’s work.

Upon graduation from Clark in the spring of 1913, Miriam was hired as a special agent for the Boston Children’s Aid Society.  She was in charge of young girls brought before Judge Harvey H. Baker, 1st Judge of the Boston Juvenile Court. While attending hearings, she saw that Judge Baker made every effort to save children and keep them out of jail.  This approach deeply touched, and influenced Miriam. In April of 1914, she accepted the job of Superintendent of the Frazier Detention Home in Portland, Oregon. Miriam found the conditions at Frazier deplorable. She immediately began to make the following improvements: (1)  she segregated the sick children from the healthy ones; (2) hospitalized the seriously ill; (3) cleaned the facility; (4) established a library; (5) hired a visiting doctor, resident nurse, recreation director, and a dietitian. Miriam gradually eliminated corporal punishment, and organized work, play, and schooling for every child.  All the children were tested. Those who required specialized care were transferred to appropriate institutions. These reforms favoring education and rehabilitation over punishment were to be the hallmark of her approach to prison management.

In the winter of 1915, Miriam was diagnosed with tuberculosis.  This forced her to give up social work while she recuperated.  In 1917, her health was sufficiently restored, she move to California where she accepted the position of superintendent of Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles.  Miriam found Juvenile Hall to be grossly mismanaged. Within four months, she replaced the majority of the staff, hired a resident nurse, and established a dental clinic and a psychological lab.  In 1919, she founded El Retiro, a new residential high school for delinquent girls aged fourteen to nineteen years. Miriam envisioned her school with a homelike, nourishing atmosphere; a positive place for growth, where girls could be successfully returned to society.

Throughout her career, Miriam had the financial and political support of many wealthy, influential people including Eleanor Roosevelt, a first lady,  Felix Frankfurter, a Harvard Law professor, Ethel Sturges Dummer, a Chicago philanthropist, and Geraldine Morgan Thompson, a feminist social reform pioneer from New Jersey among others.  Geraldine and Miriam maintained a close personal relationship for forty years.

In the early 1920s, Miriam obtained a grant from Ethel Sturges Dummer to conduct a survey of industrial training schools and reformatories for girls across the United States.  This study, published in 1922, included programs that Miriam felt would point a young girl in the right direction as well as her observations of the institutional facilities she visited.  While in Los Angeles, Miriam also wrote two books on juvenile delinquency: Youth in Conflict (1925) and Parents on Probation (1928).  In 1926, Miriam was drawn into national service. While maintaining her positions in Los Angeles, she was appointed to manage the juvenile delinquency segment of the Harvard Law School Crime Survey.  This survey sought to discover the causes of crime and the best ways to prevent it. She also began working as a consultant on juvenile delinquency for the Wickersham Commission established by President Herbert Hoover from 1928-1931.

In the early 1930s, Miriam’s reputation was growing nationally, while in Los Angeles it was declining.  Many there thought her methods too liberal. She left El Retiro in 1927 and resigned from the Los Angeles Juvenile Court on November 11, 1930.  The next year, she relocated permanently to the East coast. In 1932, she accepted the job as superintendent of the Massachusetts Reformatory for Women at Framingham.  A position she would hold for the next twenty-five years.

At Framingham, Van Waters continued to build on the progressive agenda of Jessie Donaldson Hodder, the previous superintendent.  Miriam’s goal was to make each student, as she called those sentenced to Framingham, feel as if the entire staff worked on their behalf to better them and to prepare them for their eventual release back into society.  She immediately began changing the environment of the Reformatory. Within a year, she replaced the bars on the windows with curtains, and instituted a cottage system of housing for select groups of women. The Hodder Hall, for girls age seventeen to twenty-one years, was an effort to keep them away from the more hardened and older women.  The Wilson Cottage was for mothers and babies. Here, the women learned to care for their babies with the help of nurses, doctors, and psychiatrists. Each new baby born to one of Miriam’s students received an engraved silver cup from “Aunt Miriam.”

Miriam encouraged members of the community to volunteer at the prison, including local students, college professors, clergy, and a variety women’s groups. Many of these volunteers taught classes on current events, psychology and the arts.  She also brought in counselors and therapists. Miriam went on to form many clubs at the reformatory, sixteen of them at one point. The purpose of the clubs was to offer more constructive outlets for her students.  She also, expanded the opportunities for students to learn job skills by working outside the Reformatory. These included not only domestic work, kitchen helpers, and hospital maids, but also jobs at some local businesses and industries as well.

Following the end of World War II, the political winds changed.  The liberalism of Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal was replaced with conservatism.  Liberals such as Van Waters came under close scrutiny. In 1948, the new Commissioner of Corrections, Elliot McDowell and his deputy, Frank Dwyer, launched an investigation into reports of homosexuality at Framingham Reformatory for Women following the suicide of a student.  McDowell also challenged her expanded indenture program and excursions outside the Reformatory by inmates to medical appointments and movies. In January 1949, McDowell fired Van Waters.

Van Waters appealed her firing.  Her appeal hearing began on January 13, 1949 with McDowell presiding.  After eighteen days of examination and cross-examination, McDowell stayed with his original decision to fire her.  Van Waters appealed to Governor Paul Dever for a re-hearing which he granted. The re-hearing began on March 4 and ended on March 11 with a reversal of McDowell’s decision. Van Waters was reinstated as Superintendent. However, for the rest of her career, her reforms were closely monitored by the state, and most did not survive for future generations of inmates sent to the Framingham Reformatory.

Miriam Van Waters retired in 1957 after a period of declining health.  She moved into a home in Framingham with two former inmates. Through correspondence and letters to editors, she continued to support prison reform and social justice issues. Van Waters died of a stroke at her home in 1974. She was buried in Sherborn at the Pine Hill Cemetery overlooking the Framingham Reformatory for Women.

Miriam Van Waters never married.  She did however adopt Betty Jean Martin, a seven year old girl, in 1932.  Van Waters renamed the girl Sarah Ann Van Waters. Sarah Ann was educated at the Putney School in Vermont, 1936-1939, Swarthmore, 1939-1941, University of New Hampshire, 1941-1943. While at New Hampshire, she met and fell in love with Richard Hildebrandt. The couple soon married, settled in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, and had three sons.  After several years, they divorced and Sarah eventually moved to Framingham to live with her mother. On February 6, 1953, Sarah died following a car accident on an icy road. She was only 30 years old. Sarah Ann is buried in the Pine Hill Cemetery near her mother.

Facts

Mother: Maude Ophelia Vosburg Van Waters, 1866-1948

Siblings: Rachel Van Waters, 1885-1887; Ruth Van Waters Burton, 1893-1967; George Vosburg Van Waters, 1899-1981; Ralph Orin Van Waters, 1904-1989

Children: Sarah Ann Van Waters Hildebrandt, December. 22,1922-February 6,1953, adopted

Clubs formed by Van Waters at the Framingham Reformatory:
Harmony News: in-house newspaper
Two-Side Club: to teach the democratic process of government
Merry Makers: all black group for music and drama
Social Club: games and cards
Dorothy Dix Club: to study the democratic process
Audubon Club: conservation of natural resources
Camp Fire Girls
A.A.
Sports Club: sponsored softball, archery and basketball teams
Glee Club: musical performances
Birthday Club: met monthly at the Superintendent’s home to celebrate student birthdays
Drama Club: staged plays
Maud Ophelia Club: for the elderly students
Rangers Club: nature club
Parole Club: to prepare women for life on the outside
Poetry Club: to read and write poetry
Tumblers Club

Bibliography

Bosworth, Mary, ed. Encyclopedia of Prisons and Correctional Facilities. Sage Publications, 2005.

“Celebrating the Quasquicentennial of Miriam Van Waters (October 4, 1887-January 17, 1974).” Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study Harvard University. Posted October 4, 2012. https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library/blog/celebrating-quasquicentennial-miriam-van-waters-october-4-1887january-17 Accessed 22 Jan. 2019.

Freedman, Estelle B. “Miriam Van Waters.” Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered History in America, edited by Marc Stein, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2004. Biography In Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K3403600520/BICu=fpl&sid=BIC&xid=50576d17. Accessed 28 Jan. 2019.

Freedman, Estelle B. “ Separatism Revisited: Women’s Institutions, Social Reform, and the Career of Miriam Van Waters.” Kerber, Linda K., ed. U. S. History as Women’s History: New Feminist Essays. University of North Carolina Press, 1995.

“Miriam Van Waters.” Find A Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/145138388/miriam-van_waters Accessed 27 Jan. 2018.

“Motor Crash Kills Adopted Daughter of Dr. Van Waters.” Daily Boston Globe (1928-1960), Feb 07, 1953, pp. 21. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.bpl.org/docview/839982423?accountid=9675. Accessed 27 Jan. 2019.

Rowles, Burton J. The Lady at Box 99, the Story of Miriam Van Waters. Seabury Press, 1962.

Photo of Miriam Van Waters. Framingham History Center Collections.

John Joseph Prindiville, Sr. (1870 – 1946) was a business and civic leader in early twentieth century Framingham and New England.  He was the first of five children born to Maurice J. Prindiville, Jr. and Mary (Leary) Prindiville of Palmer, Massachusetts.  At the age of twelve, Prindiville began working as a water boy on a construction site in Palmer, Massachusetts.  He subsequently began a seven year apprenticeship under Michael J. Dillon, a Palmer brick mason and builder.  In 1895, he established his own construction company, the J. J. Prindiville Company, in Athol, Massachusetts.  

Around 1898, Prindiville was hired to do masonry work on the Twombly Building in Framingham’s Irving Square.  Soon after, he relocated his business to downtown Framingham.  The J. J. Prindiville Company was contracted to construct numerous buildings throughout the town. During the 1920s, downtown Framingham experienced a building boom.  Because of its reputation for fine and creative work, the J. J. Prindiville Company played a major part in the downtown’s transformation.  The Memorial Building, the Kendall Hotel, the stone building for Grace Congregational Church, St. Bridget Church, the brick Framingham Union Hospital, Framingham High School on Union Avenue, the armory for Company E on Union Avenue, The Arcade and the Hemenway, Wilsonia, Crouch, Mullaney, Prindiville, Fitts buildings are just a few of the innovative building completed by J. J. Prindiville Company.

The year 1928 was a high point for the J. J. Prindiville Company.  The company was selected to build the Memorial Building on land purchased from the Merriam Family at the intersection of Union Avenue and Concord Street.  The building, the new town hall, was completed in only sixteen months and came in under budget!   On February 22, 1928, the Memorial building was dedicated in memory of the Framingham’s soldiers, sailors, marines, and nurses.  To top off this success, in that same year, downtown shoppers were introduced to another construction jewel, the Arcade.  Located inside the Mullaney Building, the space offered an indoor walkway with shops on both sides and skylights overhead, a predecessor to the modern mall!

Construction was not Prindiville’s only business.  He was the owner and president of the LaPointe Machine Tool Company of Hudson, Massachusetts and Edgewater, England.  This company under Prindiville’s leadership grew from a small concern to one of the largest broaching machine companies of the time.  He also served as president of the International Engineering Works in Framingham.    Prindiville was one of a group of local men who founded the Framingham Trust Company.  For years, he served on the Trust Company’s Board of Directors.

Prindiville was also very involved in many civic activities.  He was President of Framingham’s Chamber of Commerce, served as a sewer commissioner, and helped form the Public Works Commission, which was the predecessor of the Department of Public Works. Prindiville was selected by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to serve on the Public Works Administrations’ advisory board of Massachusetts.

Prindiville married Anna A. Mullaney on June 20, 1900 in Athol, Massachusetts.  The couple settle in Framingham living for years in a house located at 78 Union Avenue (corner of DeLoss Street).  Around 1919, the family purchased a home set on twenty of acres of land at 863 Central Street.  The Prindivilles had six children, only four of whom survived to adulthood.  Four years after Anna’s death of stomach cancer in 1923, Prindiville married Hazel Dillon. 

John J. Prindiville, Sr. died on April 30, 1946 in Framingham.  He is buried in St. Stephen’s cemetery.

Facts

• Born on December 8, 1870
• His second wife, Hazel Dillon Prindiville was the daughter of Michael J. Dillon, the man who had employed Prindiville as a water boy when he was twelve years old.
• The Prindiville estate on Central Street, sold to the Marist Foreign Missionary Sisters who then turned it over to the Order of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm in 1967, is the current day location of St. Patrick’s Manor.
• Broaching: a machine process that uses a toothed tool (called a broach) to remove metal quickly and consistently.

Bibliography

Herring, Stephen.  Framingham: An American Town.  Framingham Historical Society, The Framingham Tercentennial Commission, 2000.

“Leader in Building Industry [Obituary].  Framingham News 30 Apr. 1946.

Mullaney, Anna. “A Brief History in Pictures of John J. Prindiville, Sr.”   Prindiville Family Reunion.  20 Sept. 2014, Wayside Inn, Sudbury Ma. Transcript.

“Plan 280-Bed Nursing Home on Central Street.” Framingham News 07 Dec. 1967.

Bonfiglio Perini (1863(?)-1924), an Italian immigrant, through hard work and sharp business sense became an American success story.  He was born in 1863(?) in Gotolengo, Italy. When he was a young boy, he began working as a gardener for the Rothschild family in Switzerland.  In 1882 at the age of nineteen, he returned to Italy to serve in the military.  It was during this time that he dreamt of coming to America.  After completing his military service, Bonfiglio began his journey to America.  He went first to France where he had to work for a year and a half to earn enough money to pay for the rest of his passage.  He arrived in New York in 1885.

By 1887, Bonfiglio had made his way from New York to Massachusetts where there was plenty of work building dams.  In 1890, he met and married Clementina Marchesi in Boston.  The couple settled in Ashland, Massachusetts to raise their large family.  Around 1894, Bonfiglio established his own general contracting company in a storefront in Ashland.  In the early years, the company built waterworks projects, such as dams and culverts, and sections of the Boston and Worcester Railway in Eastern Massachusetts.  During these years, he had a following of Italian craftsmen who worked with him on his projects.  Bonfiglio was an innovator who looked beyond the excavation equipment of the day (horses and tipcarts) to mechanized equipment (steam shovels, etc.).  His company soon earned a reputation for high quality work and was offered jobs throughout New England and New York.   In 1917, Bonfiglio incorporated the company and renamed it B. Perini & Sons, Inc. 

In 1917, they built one of the first hot-mix asphalt roads in Rhode Island.  During the 1920s, B. Perini & Sons worked mostly on highway projects, including relocating a section of the Boston Post Road (Route 20) in Sudbury paid for by Henry Ford and the Wayside Inn.

When Bonfiglio died in 1924, four of his children took over running the company: Louis (age 21) became President, Joseph (age 24) became Treasurer, Ida (age 28) became Secretary, and Charlie (age 14) became Vice-President of Equipment.   Under their leadership, the company continued to grow.  In 1931, they moved their offices from the Ashland storefront to a new building on Mount Wayte Avenue in Framingham (across from Bowditch Field).

Over the years, the Perinis have been involved in many different business ventures.  During World War II with the demand for coal great, they went into the coal strip-mining business while working in several coal belt states.  For a time, this proved to be a very profitable business.  By 1948 with the war over, demand for coal dropped off and the Perinis shut down this part of their enterprise.  In 1945, Louis Perini and two other investors purchased the Boston Braves Major League Baseball Team.  The Perini Corporation eventually bought out the other investors and moved the team in Milwaukee in 1953.  The Perinis owned the team until 1961.

The 1950s saw many changes.  The company was renamed the Perini Corporation, they started a building division, and they took on projects worldwide.   Locally, they built three middle schools in Framingham (Barbieri, Cameron, and Farley), Framingham Industrial Park, as well as a sewer treatment plant in Marlborough. They worked on pipelines in Alaska and Saudi Arabia, built a hospital in Kuwait, and worked on subway systems in San Francisco and Toronto.  In Massachusetts, they worked on the Callahan Tunnel, Copley Place, the Big Dig, Massachusetts Turnpike, Cape Cod Canal, and runways and buildings at Logan Airport.

Perini Corporation merged with Tutor-Saliba Corporation of California in 1997 and today is known as the Tutor-Perini Corporation.  In October 2001, Tutor-Perini moved its world headquarters out of Framingham to southern California.

Bibliography

Bisha, Pat A. “Perini Corporation: A Family Affair.” The MetroWest Business Review, Sept. 1986, p.8+

Brauer, Steve. “The Perini’s.” South Middlesex News, 01 June 1975, p. 81H.

Field, Charles Jr. “Perini History Part 1 (1885-1997).” Youtube. 18 Dec. 2014. https://youtu.be/jfRw50CVhTg Accessed 27 June 2017.

Patterson, Charles J. “The Perini Story.” America’s Builders 2­4, 1954:1­8.

“Perini Corporation History.” Funding Universe. 11 Apr. 2017.

Tremblay, Bob. “Framingham’s Perini Corp. builds on history.” Metro West Daily News, 13 July 2009. http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/x737770421/Framinghams-Perini-Corp-builds-on-history. Accessed 27 June 2017.

Tutor Perini Construction to leave Framingham Following Merger.” Boston.com, 21 Oct. 2009. http://archive.boston.com/yourtown/news/framingham/2009/10/tutor_perini_construction_to_l.html Accessed 11 Apr. 2017.

Dorothy “Rusty” McLean (1914 – 1989) was not afraid to reach for the stars! Born in Florenceville, New Brunswick (Canada) on Sept. 6, 1914, she was educated in Framingham and went on to attend the University of Denver. She was a graduate of Framingham’s civilian pilot training program, and underwent instrument training in Michigan as well as officers training in Orlando, Florida. She was eventually assigned to Weather Wing Headquarters in Ashville, N.C. where she flew weather reconnaissance using B25’s, C 45’s, and UC 78’s.

Framingham had two airports in earlier years. One was at the Musterfield and the other, Gould Field, was at the Adesa Auction site. As  the United States entered World War II , the need for people experienced in aviation was evident and many in Framingham would answer that call.  As more men were needed over seas for combat duty, some female pilots advocated for the U.S. to find and recruit women ferry pilots to take over their positions. Finally, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor these proposals were adopted and  over 25,000 women applied with 1,074 being chosen for the  Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, (WAFS)-Dorothy among those chosen. Their main job was to fly supplies from factories to various military bases. The future of military aviation depended on how these women performed in all aspects of their lives. In August of 1943, the WAFS would join forces with a similar band of female pilots called the Women’s Flying Training Detachment (WFTD) and would come to be known as the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASP).   

After leaving the service, according to Betty Stagg Turner in the book Out of the Blue and Into History, Dorothy continued as an instructor, a corporate pilot for a mining corporation and a pilot for a feeder airline. She retired from Martin Marietta Aerospace and enjoyed traveling through Europe. Although they had not been given military status and instead were classified as civilian pilots, Dorothy and the other WASPs showed that women were capable of directly participating in the war effort and were ready and willing to take on some of the most challenging tasks to ensure victory.  The WASP were finally awarded veteran status in 1977, and her family received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009. Rusty passed away August 29, 1989 and is buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Colorado.

Special thanks: Doug McLean for genealogy research.

Bibliography

Dewar, Martha E. and M. Joan Gibert, Framingham Historical Reflections The Town of Framingham Massachusetts, 1974.

Herring, Stephen, Framingham: An American Town, The Framingham Historical Society, The Framingham Tercentennial Commission, 2000.

Rickman, Sarah Byrn. “The WAFS…and How They Began, ”Wasp News, Special Issue, vol. LIV, no. 2, Texas Woman’s University, Fall 2016, p. cover.

Turner, Betty Stagg, Out of the Blue and Into History, Aviatrix Publishing, 2001. “Wasp Last Flight.”  Texas Woman’s University Class News,  vol. 111, no.1, Winter 2016, p. 19.

“Wasp Last Flight.”  Texas Woman’s University Class News,  vol. 111, no.1, Winter 2016, p. 19.

Sharon Christa Corrigan (1948 – 1986), born on September 2, 1948, was always interested in space. Christa, who would go by her middle name from an early age, was inspired by the Apollo moon landing program and by Project Mercury, and would eventually write on her NASA application “I watched the Space Age being born, and I would like to participate.” Born in Boston, her family moved to Framingham when she was a child. The Coorigan family lived on Joseph Road and Christa graduated from Marian High School in 1966.  She would eventually receive her bachelor’s degree in history and education from Framingham State College. Though she never stopped being interested in space, McAuliffe began a career as a middle school civics teacher after marrying Steven J. McAuliffe in 1970 and was known for using field trips and speakers to actively engage her American history students. 

Christa found the perfect opportunity to rekindle her passion for science and space exploration in 1984 when President Ronald Reagan announced the Teachers in Space Project. The program was used by NASA to send an “ordinary person”, the first civilian and teacher, into space. She became one of 11,000 applicants, and was ultimately chosen due to what a NASA official called her “infectious enthusiasm”. Taking a year off of teaching, Christa began her training and was set to perform various science experiments and even teach lessons in space, which would broadcast to millions of schoolchildren around the U.S.

In January of 1986, Christa, along with six other crew members, boarded the Challenger space shuttle. The shuttle took flight but broke apart 73 seconds after launching, resulting in the deaths of all the crew members. A commission organized to investigate the accident found that the shuttle had broken apart due to the poor design of the O-Rings, which were used to act as a pressure seal for the shuttle. Despite her untimely death, Christa’s legacy remains strong as she showed the value and importance of educators as well as the worth of following dreams and passions, no matter how unattainable they may seem. Many scholarships and buildings, including Framingham State’s McAuliffe Center, are named after Christa to honor her memory and courageous spirit, while furthering research of space. The Framingham History Center has one of Christa’s NASA uniforms on display, on loan from NASA.

Bibliography

“Christa McAuliffe.” Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 28 Apr. 2017. Web. 07 July 2017.

The women’s suffrage movement (to give women the right to vote) was spearheaded by now famous suffragettes such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. However, they weren’t the only ones who fought for women’s equal rights-a local woman who stood out was Louise Parker Mayo (1868 – 1952). Louise was a former teacher, farmer’s wife and mother of seven children- two daughters and five sons. She also drove “the barge” a horse-drawn wagon that took children to school.

Many women in Framingham joined the Framingham Equal Suffrage League but Louise was very active. In 1916, she went to Washington with a group of women to picket the White House, carrying signs that read “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity”. They were quickly arrested and sentenced to 60 days in jail.

The suffragettes traveled by train and arrived at the prison’s work house by 6 o’clock in time for a shower and to dress for dinner. After their shower the prison suits were donned. A gray-colored, one piece dress cut to fit the average female figure. Plain blue cotton  stockings were also worn. No jewelry of any kind was allowed.

The women worked alongside the other prisoners with the matron supervising. More than likely they were assigned to the sewing room where they sewed clothes for the prisoners. They may have had to work in the garden and do similar tasks.

Sundays there was no work and the prisoners could gather around a piano in the common room and sing. The ladies couldn’t receive visitors but could write letters subject to jail censorship.

The women served two days before a pardon came from President Wilson. This incident caused national attention and moved us closer to gaining voting rights for women and the creation of the 19^th amendment, which was added to the constitution in 1920.

The National Woman’s Party recognized Louise Mayo’s sacrifice and awarded her and others with a pin in the shape of a jailhouse door. Louise’s pin can be seen at the Framingham History Center. 

Further Reading

Carson, Mary Kay, Why couldn’t Susan B. Anthony vote? and other questions about…women’s    suffrage, Sterling Children’s Books, 2015.

Colman, Penny, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, Henry Holt and Company, LLC, :Dumbeck, Kristina, Leaders of women’s suffrage, Lucent Books, 2001.

Halmer, Diana Star, Women’s Suffrage, Facts On File, Inc., 1998.

Hill, Jeff, Defining Moments Women’s Suffrage, Omnigraphics, Inc., 2006.

Sagan, Miriam, Women’s Suffrage, Lucent Books, Inc., 1954.

Framingham Tercentennial Commission, 2000.

Herring, Stephen, Top Ten Remarkable Women From Framingham History,” Framingham Historical Society, 2000.

“Sixteen Militants Begin 60-day Term.” Washington Post, 18 July 1917.

Bibliography

Danker, Anita C. “Grassroots Suffragists: Josephine Collins and Louise Mayo, a study in contrasts.” New England Journal of History, vol. 67, no. 2, Spring 2011, pp.54-72.

Dewar, Martha E., and M. Joan Gilbert, Framingham Historical Reflections, Town of  Framingham Massachusetts, 1974.

Herring, Stephen, Framingham: An American Town, Framingham Historical Society. http://suffragistmrsrobertwalker.org/sample-page/sixteen-militants-begin-60-day-term

“Suffrage in Framingham.” Framingham History Center.  http://www.framinghamhistory.org/resources .  Accessed 06 June 2017.