Pawtucket History Research Center

Transcription

1 The Elizabeth J. Johnson December 2009, Volume I, Issue I Published Semi-Annually 1 st Annual Betty Award Dinner a Great Success Over eighty guests came to the Pawtucket Country Club on Friday, November 5th to help the Pawtucket History recognize the contributions of Kevin Horan, Esq. to the Center and to the not-for-profit community in Pawtucket. After dinner, Dennis Stark, President, presented the first annual Betty Award to Kevin. It has a picture of Betty in her home and a write-up of Kevin s accomplishments. Mr. Horan is a graduate of St. Raphael Academy, the University of Rhode Island, and Suffolk University Law School. Since l977 he has maintained a law practice in the City of Pawtucket. He served in the General Assembly for ten years and is a member of the State Personnel Appeal Board. He was a charter member of the board of the Mr. Dennis Stark, President of the Elizabeth Johnson, and the PSP Finance Director, presents Mr. Kevin Horan with the "Betty Award" at the first annual public service recognition event. Looking on is Mrs. Kristen McGill. The PSP was a Gold Sponsor for the event, held November 5th at the Pawtucket Country Club. Center through In addition to this award he also has received the Neil Houston award for Continued on page 3 Extensive Local Collection Donated to PHRC Mrs. James McGeough, also known as Terry, recently donated her extensive collection of historical and genealogical materials to the. Included in her donation was 14 linear feet of files, most of which relate to the City of Pawtucket. In addition, the collection includes approximately 40 binders of genealogical research on specific families from throughout the region, numerous copies of cemetery plot maps, city directories and books about the history of local churches, the City of Pawtucket and the State of Rhode Island. She also donated the metal drawers where the information was stored. For many years Terry and Betty worked together uncovering Pawtucket s past. Since that time Terry has moved out of the City and recently decided it was time to return the product of her research to Pawtucket. She contacted the, and with the help of her son and two pickup trucks, the material was transferred to the Spaulding House where the is located. With Terry s permission, duplicates were donated to the Pawtucket Public Library or Slater Mill. On behalf of the City and its citizens, the Board of Directors of the thanks Terry for her generous donation. 1

2 About PHRC: One Woman s Dream The Elizabeth J. Johnson contains an extraordinary and unique collection of material about the people, places, businesses, non-profits, and the government of Pawtucket. The Center is located in the 1828 Joseph Spaulding House at 30 Fruit Street, the first residence in the city to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Spaulding House Mrs. Johnson gave the property and its contents, including the research collection, to the Center in 2005, and a non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation was chartered with a mission To collect, preserve, enhance, and make available materials about Pawtucket. The Board of Directors is charged with managing the organization and attracting the financial support necessary for two purposes: One is to sustain and develop the Center as an independent, comprehensive, and vital resource of materials and services related to the history of Pawtucket. The other is to maintain and preserve the building that houses it and its outstanding collection of period furnishings and decorative arts. The Spaulding House was lived in by three generations of Betty Johnson s family and carefully and authentically restored by Betty and her husband. The collections were started by her grandmother and added to over a lifetime by Betty and her husband. The Research collection includes extensive records of the city s citizens, businesses, mills, civic and cultural organizations, community services, churches, schools, etc. As a rich and useful treasure store of information, the Center s importance to the study of the historical context of municipal life in New England and the nation is significant. Its value, as a result of the scope of its contents, transcends the legitimate need to preserve resources just for local history. For example, such topics as the nature of work in textile mills, the organization of community services in the l9th century, the diversity of cultures in an early 20 th century urban settings, etc., all are well documented at the research center. Pawtucket, as the birthplace of the industrial revolution in America and home of the Slater Mill Museum, was an early magnet for immigrant labor and serves as a microcosm for the study of certain important aspects of our nation s history. Indeed, researchers from the Library of Congress, the National Geographic Society, and other similar organizations from throughout this country and abroad, have examined material held by the Center. The continuing challenge facing the Board of Directors is to identify and to obtain adequate financial support for the Center. Starting in 2009, Ms. Johnson has no longer been able to pay its operating costs. Therefore, the Board has become responsible for raising all of the funds necessary for both operating expenses and capital requirements. Elizabeth Betty Johnson researches and organizes her collection at home on Fruit Street in

3 1 st Annual Betty Award Dinner Continued from cover page The lovely raffle display at the dinner. Distinguished Service to the Criminal Justice System in l995 and the Justice Assistance 25 year Service Award in Before dinner the guests mingled and used the raffle tickets they bought to enter to win from six prizes, including: admission to the JFK Library and Museum plus two tickets to the DeCordova Museum (donated by the NT Group); a Limited Edition Pawtucket Art Festival poster and 20% off framing coupon (The Camera Werks); a wine basket (anonymous donor); a Blackstone Valley Goodie Basket, four tickets to an event of the Tourism Council, and Volumes I and II of books on Historic Pawtucket (Friends of the Pawtucket Public Library); four what-not shelves (anonymous donor); and a large print of a l912 photograph (Slater Mill). Reverend George Peters gave the invocation and Mayor James E. Doyle brought greetings from the City. He indicated how much they appreciate the work of the Center in preserving evidence of the City s history and also indicated that they would be interested in helping the Center gain a grant to add smoke detectors and a fire suppression system to the Spaulding House. Michael Horan delivered remarks about his brother. Mr. John Worsley and his wife provided music for the event. Ms. Polly Stiles and Mr. Robert Amarantes prepared flower arrangements for the raffle area and each dining table. Mr. Aaron Usher was the official photographer and Mr. & Mrs. John Worsley entertain the guests. the Pawtucket Foundation allowed the showing of their film about the life and contributions of Betty Johnson to the Pawtucket community. Including generous Gold Level sponsorships from the Friends of the Pawtucket Public Library and the Preservation Society of Pawtucket, Silver Level sponsorships from the Navigant Credit Union, the Pawtucket Red Sox, and the Rotary Club of Pawtucket, and Bronze Level sponsorships from Goldberg Law Offices, Narragansett Bay Insurance Company, Representative J. Patrick O Neill, Pascale Services, and W. Bruce Tillinghast, the event earned nearly $5,000 toward the $22,000 annual budget of the Center. Coming Soon: Spring Social 2010 Winter is just arriving, but we re gearing up for our spring social. Look for more information in the months to come! Officers - Elizabeth J. Johnson Honorary Director, Executive Director Emerita Ben Mondor Honorary Director Dennis Stark President Frank Lennon Vice President Lewis E. Miller Treasurer Rev. George E. Peters Secretary Board Members - Richard Kazarian Kenneth McGill Paul Mowrey Richard A. Olsen Shawn Parker Albert J. Pereira Miriam R. Plitt Susan Reed Kenneth F. Riley Anthony Walsh 3

4 The Elizabeth J. Johnson 30 Fruit Street Pawtucket, RI First-Class Corner: Jack McGee ( ) Elizabeth Johnson did considerable research on the topic of aviation history in Pawtucket. Photos and biographical data on early flier Jack McGee is one example of the holdings. Collage from a rotogravure newspaper section of the day One of New England's best-known aviation daredevils was Pawtucket's Jack McGee, aircraft pioneer and stunt pilot extraordinaire. McGee was born in 1885 in Central Falls and grew up in Maine before moving to Pawtucket when he was 15. In May of 1911, he entered Harry Atwood s flying school in Cliftondale, MA, and according to some reports was the first native-born Rhode Islander to fly an airplane. He soloed in August 1912, and by the end of the year had made a name for himself as an exhibition stunt pilot. Crowds as large as 50,000 people gathered to watch him perform his dip of death and other stunts. McGee survived 12 crashes of varying severity in his 6-year stunt career. On June 11, 1918, he was asked to test-pilot a new military seaplane. According to witnesses, he had made three successful passes over Greenwich Bay and was skimming low over the surface at 90 mph when a pontoon suddenly caught a swell and the plane plunged forward, slamming its nose into the water. McGee, trapped in the plane, drowned. According to newspaper reports of the day, his funeral was one of the largest ever at St. Mary s Church. In 1980, Pawtucket s City Council named an area of Narragansett Park for McGee, and three years later his name was also inscribed on the monument at the entrance to Slater Park. 4

5 Letter From the President of PHRC Pawtucket may be unique in having its own History. Betty Johnson s grandmother started the collection at the historic l828 Spaulding House on Fruit Street and Betty continued it. At the end of 2005 she created a 501 (3) not-for-profit foundation and gave the house and all its contents to it, including the antiques and decorative arts as well as the research collection. Since that time the Board of Directors has been working to assure its longterm future. Betty paid all of the operating expenses for the first three years; however, she became unable to pay any more bills at the end of last year. The board inaugurated a Charter Membership program and Annual Fund. It attracted fifty members and raised nearly $4,000 to help with this year s expenses. On November 5th at the Pawtucket Country Club, the first annual Betty Award for outstanding community service was given to Kevin Horan, Esq. for his legal work in creating the Center and making the house free from real estate taxes. John Worsley and his wife provided entertainment and Aaron Usher created a photographic record. The Mayor and the honoree s brother helped recognize Kevin s many accomplishments. I had the pleasure of giving him a plaque with a picture of Betty and record of his service to the community and the Center. Over eighty persons attended the event. With primary thanks to the Friends of the Pawtucket Public Library and the Preservation Society of Pawtucket, who were Gold Sponsors at $1,000 each, the event netted the Center approximately $4,600. The Center does not have enough resources to afford any staff of its own; however, with thanks to the Mayor and the City Council, the Public Library does provide approximately fifteen hours of staff time per week to catalog new items, answer questions about the collection, and make the collection available to researchers and other interested persons. This year we increased insurance coverage to the replacement value of the historic house and its contents. Excluding costs of revenue producing events, total expenses are about $1,400 per month, or $17,000 per year. Including the proceeds from this year s Betty Award, the Center expects to finish the year with about $5,000 available toward next year s expenses. We hope the second membership campaign will yield another $5,000 and that our summer garden party will produce a net of $2,000. Our goal is make next fall s Betty Award event twice as successful financially. If all those things come true, we will finish next year with the same $5,000 we start with. Please let us know if you are interested in serving on a committee and/or the board. Committee opportunities include program and events, collections management, newsletter, publicity, house and grounds, and finance. We also could use volunteers to assist in processing new acquisitions for the collection and helping researchers find the materials they are seeking. We do not yet have any endowment. Keeping the History Center at the Spaulding House is directly related to our ability to pay the bills. The board cannot do it alone. We need the help of all Pawtucket citizens who care about its history and this tangible evidence of our wonderful past. Sincerely, Dennis E. Stark, PHRC President

6 The Elizabeth J. Johnson 30 Fruit Street, Pawtucket, RI YES! I/We want to make a fully tax-deductible gift to the Elizabeth J. Johnson to aid in their mission to collect, preserve, enhance, and make available materials about Pawtucket. Check Sponsorship: (includes membership) Lifetime: $5,000 Platinum: $1,000 to $4,999 Gold: $500 to $999 Silver: $250 to $499 Bronze: $100 to $249 Check Membership: Adult (Single): $50 Adults (Couple): $75 Senior Citizen or Student (Single): $25 Senior Citizens or Students (Couple): $35 Other NAME(S) (MR./MRS./MS./MISS) ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP Planned Giving & Securities I am interested in learning more about how I can include the Elizabeth Johnson in my will, or how I might make a gift of appreciated securities PHONE Corporate Matching Gifts My gift will be matched by my company; form enclosed Anonymous Gift. Please do not publish name. Volunteer Please send me information about volunteer programs at the Center. Please make checks payable to: $ Enclosed FOR OFFICE USE ONLY: DATE INITIALS PASS? PAID