Holyoke, Mass

[Adapted from the Berkshire County Eagle, 13 February 1945.]

Holyoke.—A note pinned on the front door of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Potvin’s home led today to the discovery of their bodies in easy chairs close to the kitchen stove from which gas was flowing from four burners.

The couple, both 67 had committed suicide, Medical Examiner Arthur Lyman Kinne reported.  He said they died of illuminating gas poisoning and had been dead several hours when the bodies were found.

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[Adapted from the Berkshire Eagle, 15 February 1946.]

Holyoke.—Francis E. Herlihy, 58, of Fairview, a watchman, was killed instantly last night when his head was crushed by an elevator at the Crocker division of the American Writing Paper Corporation, where he was employed.  He was missed by workers in the machine room, but it was not until after 10 o’clock that the fatal accident was discovered.

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[adapted from the Berkshire Evening Eagle, 12 Feb 1947.]

Above: Doris Schubach (center) and Walter Noffke (right), featured on the cover of Skating, (Official Publication of the United States Figure Skating Association) 1943. From the personal collection of Laurel O’Donnell.

Stockholm—A hard-working group of American figure skaters are getting in their practice licks at Stockholm Stadium in preparation for the world championships starting tomorrow and continuing through Sunday.

The U.S. competitors, first to arrive, find that the present wave of extreme cold makes training on the outdoor rink a hardship, as many of them are accustomed to the comparative comfort of indoor arenas.

Swedish spectators watched with grave interest today as Mr. and Mrs. Walter Noffke of Holyoke, Mass., and Karol and Mrs. Michael Kennedy of Seattle, Washington went through their routines in the chill wind. The Noffkes have won the American pairskating title three times.

Note: The Schubach family is connected to my own family genealogy via marriage.  Contact by anyone with connections to this family group would be welcome.

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[Adapted from the Berkshire Eagle, 11 Feb 1940, from an article by Roger B. Linscott. This story is rather amusing, well worth a read.]

While Pittsfield’s firemen were whipping up their petition for a 56 hour week the other day, a somewhat similar move was causing raised eye-brows and reddened faces across the hills in Holyoke.  For some time now, the constabulary of that city has been on the war-path for an eight-hour day, despite anguished protests from the Holyoke Taxpayers Association.  Confident that the public prefers lower taxes to contented cops, the association recently went to the trouble of sending out 2800 stamped postcards asking for an opinion from local citizens.  The voting, as it turned out, was a bit heavier than expected.  Some 5000 cards were returned.

Naturally enough, the surplus ballots were scrutinized with considerable care—and with embarrassing results.  Where the taxpayers’ cards had inadvertently misspelled “necessary,” the ballot-stuffers had crossed that orthographic hurdle correctly.  What’s more, the fraudulent cards spelled out “Massachusetts,” while the Taxpayer’s Association had saved a few pennies by abbreviating.  And it didn’t take much checking to discover that approximately 100 per cent of the 3000-odd bogus ballots were enthusiastic in praise of the 40-hour week.

At last report, the Holyoke Taxpayers’ Association had lodged a formal protest with postal authorities, the Board of Aldermen had gone right ahead and given the 40-hour ordinance its first reading by unanimous vote, and Mayor Toepfert, who filed the biggest budget in Holyoke history last week, was telling one and all that he intends to slap a very firm veto on the measure the moment it reaches his desk.

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[Adapted from the Springfield Republican, 11 Feb 1922]

Holyoke, February 10.—Henry L. Dragon of 154 Oak street, manager of the shoe department of the McAuslan & Wakelin store of this city, died this afternoon at the House of Providence, following an operation.  Mr. Dragon had been in ill health for some time.  Mr. Dragon came to this city last June from Northampton, where he was the manager of Mandel’s shoe shore.  He was born in Canada and his parents came to the United States when he was a boy.  He lived in Holyoke during the early part of his life but in recent years had lived in Northampton.  He was a member of numerous fraternal organizations, among them the Northampton Lodge of Elks, the Moose, Circle Rochambeau and St. John the Baptist society.  He leaves his widow, a daughter Cecile and a son, eo.  The funeral will be held from the home, Monday morning to be followed by a requiem high mass in Perpetual Help church.

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