History of Westminster 2008
This page will contain excerpts from the newly published book History of Westminster, Massachusetts 2008, written by a group of dedicated volunteers from the Westminster Historical Society, and led by Historical Society President, Betsy Hannula. Excerpts are printed with permission.
Westminster Square and Compass Club
On June 15, 1955, Walker Brown, Leo Kemp, Elmer Luoma, Walter Marble, Adelbert Miller, Eino Winter, Edwin Kaarela and Eric Westerfors came together to discuss the possibility of forming a social in fraternal club. They were all members of the Masonic organization in Gardner, but wanted a local organization of Masonic Brothers.
They invited all Westminster Masons to a meeting at the First Congregational Church. There was unanimous sentiment to move forward and Harry Howard was appointed clerk. The following committees were formed: Nominating, Constitution and Bylaws, and Program. Initially, there was talk of forming a Westminster blue lodge, and even acquiring a building for Masonic activities. Annual dues were one dollar.
The sole purpose of the club was “to improve Masonic and social relations of members” according to the Constitution and Bylaws written on September 6, 1955. Activities included annual meetings, ladies nights, cookouts, breakfasts, holiday parties, dances, and special programs of interest to the Masons, as well as working together to learn various degrees involved with the Masonic organization.
Many meetings of the Square and Compass Club boasted speakers of considerable note, including Masonic past master of a lodge in the Philippine Islands, Judge Franklin Miles: Otis Whitney, Commissioner of public safety; and Rudolph King, past Speaker of the House of Representatives and registrar of motor vehicles.
The club held an annual breakfast at various locations and featured guest speakers. During the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Westminster, the Square and Compass Club participated with a float and a banner. The banner is now in the possession of the Westminster historical society.
The club thrived for many years with well attended interesting programs and a full slate of officers with the exception of a period of time between October 1978 and October 1991. When the club met in 1991 again, it was decided to ‘rejuvenate’ it. A full slate of officers was elected, the bylaws were reviewed, and a schedule of meetings and activities were planned.
Meetings and activities continued through 1995. However very few of the charter members was still living and few new members had come into the club. The records show that attendance declined in a 1999 President Phil Burgess called a meeting to determine the members’ interest in continuing. Only four members attended and therefore in 2000, the Westminster Square and Compass Club was disbanded. All records, artifacts and treasury ballots were donated to the Westminster Historical Society.
Selectmen
page 51 - 52
The Selectmen in Westminster have their responsibilities as spelled out in the Town Bylaws. They “shall have the general direction and management of the property and affairs of the town in matters not otherwise provided by law or these bylaws.” They shall have the authority to ”prosecute, defend or compromise all claims, actions, suits, and controversies to which the town shall be a party and to employ counsel therefore, unless otherwise specifically ordered by vote of the town.”
The Selectmen in the past 50 years were:
Richard (Jiggs) Ahlin 1997 to 1999
Victor Arcangeli 1963 to 1968
Preston A. Baker, 1958 to 1962
Preston D. Baker 1976 to 1985, 1988 to 1990, 1996 to 2004
Cathleen Davilli 1998 to 2000
Lorraine Emerson 2001 to 2006
John Fairbanks 2002 to 2002, 2005 to present
Nicholas Hay 2007 to present
George Henstridge 1972 to 1983
Jack Hobbs 1970 to 1971, 1974 to 1975
Ahti Lahtinen 1962 to 1973
George Lane 1994 to 1996
Jessica Leger 1992 to 1997
Daniel O'Hearn 1958 to 1961
John O'Neill 1961 to 1963
Thomas O'Toole 2003 to 2008
Alexander Pisaruk 1964 to 1966, 1970 to 1974
Roland Rocheleau 1984 to 1989
Leonard Salo 1958 to 1960
Byron C. Smith 1967 to 1969
Robert Straitt 1986 to 1987
James Tamulen 1990 to 1995
Mary Vedoe 1977 to 1991
Gregory Vine 1974 to 1976
Ronald Zeiner 1991 to 1993
Lions Club
(pages 152-153)
Bill Wyman and Mike Robichaud
The Westminster Lions Club, founded in 1959, is a local chapter of Lions Club International, which was founded in 1917 with the idea of improving local communities and the world. There are Lions Clubs in 180 countries and all are committed to providing services for youth, improving the environment, building homes for the disabled, supporting diabetes education, conducting hearing programs, and providing disaster relief around the world.
Ever since Helen Keller addressed the Lions international convention in 1925 and challenged Lions to be “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness”, The Lions have been actively involved in service to the blind and visually impaired. They are well known for their international program that aims to eliminate preventable and reversible blindness worldwide.
However, the Lions Club also supports many local causes. They host an annual banquet for the National Honor Society students at Oakmont Regional High School and an annual banquet for the co-captains and coaches of the Oakmont and Gardner High School Thanksgiving football game. They also hold speech contests for students at Oakmont and a Peace Poster contest at Overlook Middle School. They award annual scholarships to a Westminster student at Oakmont or Monty Tech and an award to an Oakmont student in honor of their first President Frank Onischuck. It regularly recognizes local persons or groups of people. They have honored persons of iconic stature such as Doctor Beatrice Perkins Shepherd, Police Chief Toivo Tuominen, and Porter Dawley, owner of the Westminster Cracker Factory.
Every year the Westminster Lions raise between $10,000 and $15,000 for charities through many fundraising activities in town. They hold pancake breakfasts on the third Sunday of every month, September through May, benefiting various athletic teams and other organizations. They hold an annual auction in June at the VFW and conduct a Christmas tree sale from late November until all the trees are sold. They sponsor an annual golf tournament, together with the Ashburnham Lions Club. They rent out three sizes of tents to groups and individuals from May through October.
Lions hold monthly meetings. New members are always sought and persons interested in membership may speak with a current member. For many years, the wives of Lions Club members helped in numerous ways, and in recent years women have also become club members. Lions are community-minded and service-oriented in everything they do as it is part of a team effort as they raise money and conduct activities. They also enjoy a lot of good fellowship in the process.
Youth Center
(pages 180-181)
In 1949 parents of teenage boys and girls were concerned about the possibility of an outbreak of juvenile delinquency because teenagers lacked spare-time activities. A group of parents conceived the idea of a Youth Center, which would furnish teenagers with recreational activities. They enlisted the assistance--both financial and leadership--of several organizations in town including the PTA, Grange, Boy and Girl Scouts, 4-H clubs, churches, the American Legion, and the VFW.
On November 11, 1949, the first meeting was held with 40 young people eager to enjoy the evening in a Congregational Church vestry. The Youth Center grew in popularity, and as membership increased it moved its meeting place from the church to the school auditorium in 1950 and then in 1951 to the Town Hall. Police Chief Toivo Tuominen stated that it was more than a coincidence that delinquency has fallen off conspicuously since the center began its operation in 1949. In 1957, the membership was 262.
The management of this active organization needed more than volunteers so a director of the Youth Center was appointed in 1950. The first person to hold the position was Reverend Donald Patterson, pastor of the First Baptist Church. Mr. and Mrs. Max Loescher took the positions of co-directors in 1953 and then Mr. and Mrs. Robert Duncan of the school faculty. They continued in that position for a while even after Mr. Duncan left the school system in 1954. In the fall of 1957 Mr. and Mrs. Everett Hines were elected.
In 1958 a Junior Board of Directors was created to take part in the planning of the Youth Center activities. There were at least eight chaperones at every dance who were nearly always parents of the students, so there was very little trouble at the dances. Occasionally teachers from school would also chaperone the dances.
Youth Center participants at first included children from 12 to 18 years old. Overcrowding was constantly an issue because the capacity of the Town Hall was 250 and the yearly membership was over 300, with an average weekly attendance of 100 to 200. Later, the dances were restricted to students in the eighth grade and above. Several announcements were made in the newspapers during the year that the Youth Center dances were not public dances and therefore out-of-towners could only be admitted as guests of a member. With the opening of Oakmont Regional High School in 1961, Westminster students from grades seven through 12 were given greater opportunities for evening activities and the need for a Youth Center in Westminster was gone, ending a treasured tradition for Westminster teenagers.
If you enjoyed these excerpts, please consider purchasing your own copy of the book, which contains over 400 pages of great photos, fabulous tidbits of information and interesting stories.
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