hartford f25 pond historythe pond had seven committees in place in 1956 – 1) program (wally...

HISTORY OF THE HARTFORD POND

The First 25 Years

1954-1980

Chartered 1954

The History of the Hartford Pond Page 2


Dedicated to

Gordon Crowther,

Barry Snyder,

and their love

of Blue Goose history


AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

At the 2009 Grand Nest Convention in Reno, NV, our late Grand Nest Historian Barry Snyder directed the Ponds to preserve their history

in the form of a written record.

The Hartford Pond is grateful to its History Committee, who selflessly dedicated many hours

to collaborate on this project.

Kim Albert, PMLG 2008-09

Jerry Hale, PMLG 1993-94, PMLGG 2004-05

Wendy Hubbard, PMLG 2007-08

Dan Rich, PMLG, 1996-97, 2000

Most of all, we are grateful to the patriarch of the Hartford Pond, Gordon Crowther

(PMLG 1959-60, PMLGG 1975-76).

Thank you Gordon, for saving countless photos, and every single Hartford Pond newsletter

ever printed during your lifetime. You were our mentor, and you knew all along that we would need these materials some day.

This project would not have been possible without your love of Blue Goose,

your foresight to preserve our history, and your dynamic vision for the Hartford Pond.

In every sense of the word, you were also a member of this committee.

- Dan Rich, July 2010-


TABLE OF CONTENTS Most Loyal Ganders of the Hartford Pond Page 8 Wielders of the Hartford Pond Page 9 Keepers of the Hartford Pond Page 9 Newsletter Editors of the Hartford Pond Page 10 Chaplains of the Hartford Pond Page 10 Hartford Pond’s Grand Nest Conventions & MLGGs Page 10 Super Goose Award Winners Page 10 The Hartford Pond in the 1950’s Page 11 Memories from the 50’s Page 22 The Hartford Pond in the 1960’s Page 37 Memories from the 60’s Page 60 The Hartford Pond in the 1970’s Page 67 Memories from the 70’s Page 97


Most Loyal Ganders of the Most Loyal Ganders of the Most Loyal Ganders of the Most Loyal Ganders of the

Hartford PondHartford PondHartford PondHartford Pond

1954-55 C W Chapplear

1955-56 Joseph Sorge 1956-57 Lewis Geis

1957-58 Andrew Carlin

1958-59 William Davis 1959-60 Gordon Crowther

1960-61 C. Wallace Bailey 1961-62 G. S. Tompkins, Jr.

1962-63 Harold Porter 1963-64 John “Jack” Ellen

1964-65 Robert Bordeaux 1965-66 William Coughlin, Jr.

1966-67 Richard Adams 1967-68 Arthur Jacobs

1968-69 Craig Heston 1969-70 John McCoy

1970-71 J. Paul Harris 1971-72 Frederick Peck

. Robert Uricchio

1972-73 Kenneth Lynch 1973-74 Ray Hitchcock

1974-75 Ray Hitchcock 1975-76 Paul Goyette

1976-77 Bradley Barna 1977-78 Robert Gannon

1978-79 John Bartick 1979-80 L. Ray Labbe

1980-81 Ballard May 1981-82 Ronald Pizzano

1982-83 William O’Neill

1983-84 William Dillon

1984-85 Elbert Henderson 1985-86 Daniel Flynn

1986-87 John Fisher

1987-88 John Fisher 1988-89 George Schultz

1989-90 Donald Garrigan 1990-91 Donald Garrigan

1991-92 Robert Harris 1992-93 Ronald Pizzano

1993-94 Gerald Hale 1994-95 Kristine Russo

1995-96 Kim Gleason 1996-97 Daniel Rich

1997-98 Lisa Mullen 1998-99 Robert Partridge

1999-00 Christine Ouellette Daniel Rich

2000-01 Kevin Prast

Robert Partridge 2001-02 Paul Plouffe

2002-03 Leo Bowler 2003-04 Robert Partridge

2004-05 Geoff Graham 2005-06 Lori Kovanda

2006-07 Paula Pelletier 2007-08 Wendy Hubbard

2008-09 Kim Albert 2009-10 Ed Phinney

2010-11 Jim Gustin 2011-12 Jonathan Hale


Wielders of the Hartford PondWielders of the Hartford PondWielders of the Hartford PondWielders of the Hartford Pond

1954 – 1956 H.N. Pierson 1956 - 1958 Gordon Crowther 1959 - 1961 Jack Ellen 1961- 1971 Gordon Crowther 1971 – 1975 Paul Goyette 1975 – 1976 Lew Geis 1976 – 1999 Gordon Crowther 1984-19? Ron Pizzano (Associate Wielder) 1999- Ed Callo

Keepers of the Hartford PondKeepers of the Hartford PondKeepers of the Hartford PondKeepers of the Hartford Pond

1954 - 1956 G.S. Tompkins 1956 - 1957 Carl Plock 1957 -1958 Wally Bailey 1958 - 1959 Bud Schmidt 1959 - 1960 Bob Davis 1960 - 1961 Harold Porter 1961- 1962 Robert Bordeaux 1962 - 1963 John Henry 1963 - 1964 Arthur Jacobs 1964 - 1965 Craig Heston 1965 - 1966 Carl Nelson 1966 – 1967 John McCoy 1967 - 1968 Jim Holtgrieve 1968 – 1970 Bob Uricchio 1970 - 1971 Ray Hitchcock 1971 Paul Goyette 1971- 1972 Lee Sinkwich 1972 – 1975 Bob Gannon 1975 – 1977 Ray Labbe 1977 – 1980 Ron Pizzano 1980 - 2004 John “Jack” Ellen 2004- Bob Partridge (also Assistant Keeper 2002-04)


Newsletter EditorsNewsletter EditorsNewsletter EditorsNewsletter Editors of of of of the the the the Hartford PondHartford PondHartford PondHartford Pond 1956-1957 Maurice E. Guillet - Charter Oak Chatter 1958-1962 Peter Tompkins – Charter Oak Chatter 1962-1990 Gordon Crowther – Charter Oak Chatter 1990-1995 Gordon Crowther – Hartford Ponderings 1995 - Daniel Rich - Hartford Ponderings

Chaplains of the Hartford PondChaplains of the Hartford PondChaplains of the Hartford PondChaplains of the Hartford Pond 1962-1966 Art Jacobs 1966-?? Jack Ellen ??- 1997 Paul Harris 1997-2002 John Cote, Sr. 2002- Laurie Karkos

Super Goose Award WinnersSuper Goose Award WinnersSuper Goose Award WinnersSuper Goose Award Winners 1996 Dan Rich 1997 Ed Callo 1998 Gordon Crowther 1999 Christine Ouellette 2000 Co-winners Lisa Mullen & Bob Partridge 2001 Dan Rich 2002 Co-winners Cathy Finlayson & Ken Wheeler 2003 Dan Rich 2004 Lori Kovanda 2005 Kevin Brady 2006 Dan Rich 2007 Co-winners Kim Albert & Ed Phinney 2008 Ed Phinney 2009 Ed Phinney 2010 Co-winners Debbie Blair & Dan Rich 2011 Ed Callo

Grand Nest Conventions Hosted by the Hartford PondGrand Nest Conventions Hosted by the Hartford PondGrand Nest Conventions Hosted by the Hartford PondGrand Nest Conventions Hosted by the Hartford Pond 1976 MLGG Gordon Crowther, at the Sheraton Hotel, Hartford, CT 2005 MLGG Jerry Hale, at Foxwoods Resort & Casino, Ledyard, CT


The Hartford Pond 1953-54

The Hartford Pond was chartered on July 1, 1954. During his address at the Grand Nest Convention in San Francisco (August 24-26, 1954), MLGG John Henry Martin mentioned the Hartford Pond’s inception in the recap of his year on office. He said that “New Ponds were formed during my reign at Hartford, Memphis, San Diego, and Saskatoon, Canada”.

The Pond’s first meeting was held on September 20, 1954 at the Statler Hotel in Hartford. The Pond officers were Most Loyal Gander C.W. Chappelear, Supervisor of the Flock R.W. Criswell, Custodian of the Goslings Joseph Sorge, Guardian of the Pond R.E. Farrer, Keeper of the Golden Goose Egg G.S. Tompkins, and Wielder of the Goose Quill H.N. Pierson. The Penn Pond Initiation Team, under the direction of PMLGG Joe Knowlan, performed the initiation ceremony for new Hartford Ganders. The evening’s Guest Speaker was Most Loyal Grand Gander Alex B. Young


At the Grand Nest Convention in Kansas City (August 9-11, 1955) the Hartford Pond won the new Membership Cup trophy by adding 96 new members over the previous year – a 74% increase.


1956 marked the Golden Anniversary of Blue Goose. The Grand Nest Historian, Paul E. Rudd, compiled a history of the Order’s first 50 years, and he reported the Hartford Pond’s 1956 membership total at 178 members.

The Pond enjoyed a Summer outing at the Rosewood Restaurant in Simsbury on May 28, 1956. The menu included steak, corn fritters, and clams on the half-shell. Forty-four Ganders attended, and the year’s new officers were installed by Floyd Pickett of the NYC Pond, a DMLGG for the Eastern region.

The Pond’s new officers were:

MLG –Lew Geis SOF – Andy Carlin COG – Bill Davis GOP – Rod Nicholson WGQ – Gordon Crowther KGGE –Carl Plock

The Pond’s delegates to the August 19-22, 1956 Milwaukee Grand Nest Convention were MLG Lew Geis and WGQ Gordon Crowther.



The Hartford Pond’s membership was now at approximately 180 members.

The Pond’s first newsletter (consisting of three single-sided pages) was published in September 1956. The newsletter was unnamed. Its front page was in the form of a birth announcement from “Mr. & Mrs. Hartford Pond” announcing the new arrival of the newsletter. It featured a stork carrying a baby on its cover. A contest to name the publication was announced to the membership, and prospective names were to be sent to Editor Maurice E. Guillet at his Springfield, MA office. Some of the names submitted by Pond members included The Nutmegger, Connecticut Honk, Yankee Pond, Gander Newsletter, Gander Goosip, Pond Reflections, Hartford Honk, Goose Quips, Gander News, and Connecticut Splashes.

The September 24, 1956 meeting drew 62 Ganders, goslings and guests. Twelve Ganders were initiated into the Hartford Pond that evening – Robert Bordeaux (Yorkshire), Fred Brinkmeyer (Home), Hewat Davis (Springfield), Robert Davies (Uniform Printing), John (Jack) Ellen (Yorkshire), Adolph Gingras (Royal Liverpool), James Murphy (New York Underwriters), Walter Schiller (Great American), Reginald Schmidt (Independent Adjuster), Allton E. Spooner (G.A.B.), Millard Thatcher (American Insurance Company), and G.S. Tompkins, Jr. (Boston Insurance).

The Guest Speaker was James Bowman, of the Protective Services division of Macy’s Department Stores. He spoke about the various methods of shoplifting detected by his department.

The Pond had seven committees in place in 1956 – 1) Program (Wally Bailey, Henry Ohliger, Art Jacobs), 2) Membership (John Fennessy, Bob Curtis, Horace Anderson), 3) Publicity (Art Tyrol, Don Dick), 4) Welfare (C.L. Tibbils, Henry Steeneck), 5) Banner (Joe Sorge, C. Chappelear), 6) Dance (Don Parmenter, Bud Schmidt, George Lord, Bob Bordeaux, Bob Taft), and 7) Publication (Editor Maurice Guillet, Bud Schmidt, Pete Tompkins, Roger Connor, Bob Davis, and Gus Herd).

The November 1956 newsletter’s Gander of the Month was “one of our hardest working members – Gordon Crowther”. Born in Somerville, MA on June 15, 1916, he graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1937 and went to work for the Factory Insurance Association. In 1940, he joined the Texas Pond and after moving to Hartford became one of the early pioneers of the Hartford Pond.

The speaker for the Pond’s Nov 26, 1956 meeting was Bob Carnahan of the Travelers Weather Bureau. His topic was weather forecasting and its impact on the insurance industry.

During the evening, a name was chosen for the Pond’s new newsletter. A late entry- Charter Oak Chatter was the winning name. Two newsletter advertisers were announced: Air-Kem, Inc. and John Levitt Cleaning Company.


The January 14, 1957 meeting was held at the Bond Hotel in Hartford. Despite the -10° weather, five new Ganders were initiated, Independent Adjuster Charles Scoville, and a quartet from G.A.B. – John Hesterberg, John Cote, Sr., George Libbey, and Donald Cavanaugh.

The February 1957 newsletter’s Gander of the Month was Lew Geis. Born in Brooklyn, Lew was in his 30th year of service with the Commercial Union Group, as a field-man and State Agent covering Long Island and Connecticut.

A February 16, 1957 Semi-Formal Dinner Dance was held at the Indian Hills Country Club in Newington, CT. The $12 per couple cost provided cocktails and a buffet dinner of turkey, ham, roast beef, potato salad, cole slaw, French fries, cold cuts, meatballs, baked beans, baked macaroni, ice cream and coffee. Music was provided (“Guaranteed……no rock and roll”) by Paul Landerman and his Orchestra.

The Pond’s March meeting was held on March 18, 1957 at the Rockledge Country Club in West Hartford, CT. PMLG Joe Sorge reported on the Banner Committee’s progress toward creating the Pond’s first banner. It was expected to be unveiled in April 1957.

The Pond’s April meeting was held on April 29, 1957 at the Bond Hotel in Hartford. Newly initiated Ganders were Adjuster Fred Monsees, Peerless Insurance’s C.H. Walter, and Hooper Holmes’ W.B. Torphy

The Pond’s Golf Outing and new officer installation was held on May 28, 1957 at the Avon Country Club.

The Pond’s new officers were:

MLG –Andy Carlin SOF – Bill Davis COG – Rod Nicholson GOP – Henry Shipmaker WGQ – Gordon Crowther KGGE – Wally Bailey


MLG Carlin and WGQ Crowther attended the Grand Nest Convention in New Orleans (August 26-28, 1957) as the Hartford Pond’s delegates. The New Orleans Convention marked the debut of the Hartford Pond’s official banner.

The June 1957 newsletter spotlighted Andy Carlin. Andy was born in Boston, and spent his teenage years in Washington D. C. Andy attended Columbia University, and after a minor league stint in the Southern Association, found his way to the big leagues with the Washington Senators. A broken leg ended his baseball career, and Andy started a 30-year career in the insurance industry –the first17 years with the Royal-Liverpool Group, and then 13 years with National Union.


The Pond’s 1957 Christmas Party was held on December 9 at the Waverly Inn in Cromwell. The January 1958 issue of Charter Oak Chatter reported that a crowd of “70 Ganders, their wives, sweethearts, and girlfriends” attended. The dinner menu included a choice of roast beef or broiled lobster. Door prizes distributed that evening included a Hoover Dusterette, an electric grill, a toaster oven, a Detecto scale, a coffee maker, and metal TV tray-tables.

Pond membership in January 1958 was 171 Ganders.

The January 1958 newsletter spotlighted Bill Davis. Born in Manchester, CT in 1911, he started his insurance career in the mailroom of London & Lancashire Insurance Company in 1932. He became a Special Agent for the State of CT in 1950. In 1957, he was promoted to a State Agent.

The January 13, 1958 meeting was held at the Bond Hotel in Hartford with 58 in attendance. Pond Keeper Bailey reported the treasury balance to be $213.74. Pond Wielder Crowther reported that the Hartford Ladies Auxilliary was just about ready to form. January 1958 initiates included John Kane (M.E. Hausser), J. Neale McDonald (Adjuster), Craig Gilbert (Phoenix), Kenneth Lynch (Employer’s Fire), Thomas Talbot (London Group), and a quartet from Frank McGinn (Robert Travis, Alvar Akerblom, Edward Minor, and Frank McGinn.

The March 13, 1958 meeting featured an address by Bob Morrison of Morrison, Mahoney, and Pearlman on “The Atomic Age Comes Closer”.

The April 1958 newsletter’s Gander of the Month was Wally Bailey. Born in Cromwell, CT, Wally has served the insurance industry since 1921. He has been with the Phoenix Insurance Company since 1952 and presently serves as a State Agent for Western Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The Pond’s April 12 Dinner Dance was held at the Rockledge Country Club in West Hartford. Due to some unexpected expenses, and a number of no-shows, the event resulted in a deficit of about $50.00. Musical entertainment was provided by Lew Gagnon’s Orchestra.

The Pond’s April 28th meeting drew 40 Ganders and guests, and was held at the Matarese Circle in Newington, CT. The Guest Speaker was AIRKEM Smoke Odor Services’ Nelson Booth “who gave us an interesting account of some of his ‘smelly’ losses.”

The May 1958 newsletter’s Gander of the Month was Rod Nicholson. Born in Boston, Rod graduated from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine and served in the Air Force for two years. He started his insurance career in 1952 and currently serves as a Special Agent for Aetna Casualty & Surety’s Fire Division.

On May 28th, The Pond held its Golf Outing and Annual Meeting at the Avon Country Club. There were 29 golfers and a total of 53 Ganders and guests for dinner. Special Guest Bob Stumpf (Grand Guardian of the Grand Nest) installed the slate of officers for the upcoming 1958-59 year.


The Pond’s new officers 1958-59 were:

MLG –Bill Davis SOF – Rod Nicholson COG – Wally Bailey GOP – Pete Tompkins WGQ – Gordon Crowther KGGE – Bud Schmidt


As of July 1, 1958, the Hartford Pond had 172 members.

The August 1958 newsletter’s Gander of the Month was Reginald “Bud” L. Schmidt. Born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1924, Bud served in the Pacific with the 5th Fleet Amphibious Force in World War II, and was involved in 8 invasion campaigns. Returning ti the States, he advanced his education to become a naval officer, and studied at Princeton University, Trinity College, and Yale University. After his discharge, Bud returned to Trinity for additional classes and he took a part-time job with the Aetna Insurance Company. He moved into the loss adjustment field, and became a staff adjuster and catastrophe adjuster. He became an independent adjuster in 1954.

MLG Davis and WGQ Crowther attended the Grand Nest Convention in Banff as the Hartford Pond’s delegates. During the Eastern Region’s breakout meeting, the Hartford Pond volunteered to perform the Model Initiation at the 1961 Grand Nest Convention in New York City. The Pond newsletter Charter Oak Chatter received an Honorable Mention for the Grand Nest’s Publication Award.

The Pond’s first meeting of the year was held at the Matarese Circle Restaurant in Newington on September 29, 1958. There were 52 Ganders and guests in attendance. Ten membership applications were submitted and approved. The guest speaker was Joe Cassano, a sportswriter for the Hartford Times. The meeting ended with the showing of a movie on sports highlights of 1957.

The October 1958 newsletter’s Gander of the Month was Robert Donald “Bob” Davis. Born in Hartford, Bob went to high school in Windsor, CT and started his career with Connecticut Mutual Insurance before moving on to Uarco, Inc. Bob is now with Uniform Printing and Supply, and has been very active in the Pond’s Publication Committee, and does a lion’s ahre of the layout work on the newsletter.

The November 10, 1958 meeting was held at Reilly’s in Hamden with a turnout of 32 Ganders and guests. SOF Nicholson had resigned from the Pond’s Executive Board, and the Pond vote for Gordon Crowther to fill the remainder of Nicholson’s SOF term, in addition to serving as the Pond’s Wielder. Ganders initiated that evening were Robert Perry (Citizen’s Casualty), Tom Parker (Morley, Watson & Baldwin), Joseph Kudes (Goodwill & Burr), William Gorman (Reliance), John Lonergan (Boston), John Mooney (Fred Monsees, Inc.), Clifton Austin (Aetna), and Harry Brier (Phoenix).


The December 1958 newsletter’s Gander of the Month was John H. “Jack” Ellen. Born in London, England, Jack started his insurance career in NYC as an endorsement clerk with Yorkshire Insurance in 1937. He eventually became manager of the Facultative Reinsurance Department and became Yorkshire’s local Branch Manager in 1956.

The Pond’s Christmas Party was held on December 12, 1958 at the Waverly Inn in Cheshire. The cost was $6 per person for a dinner choice of roast beef, sautéed or broiled lobster, or chicken. There were 45 couples in attendance. Special Guest Frank Wagner of the Insurance Department “entertained with some amusing stories.” The evening was planned by the Pond’s Entertainment Committee, chaired by John “Jack” Ellen. Seven major door prizes were awarded – a blanket, a tray set, an electric toaster, a towel set, a travel clock, a lazy susan, and a set of glasses.

The first meeting of 1959 was held on January 12th at the Bond Hotel with 39 Ganders and guests. The Pond welcomed several special guests. On hand were two of the Pond’s original 1954 Officers –PMLG Sorge and Past Wielder H. N. Pierson. Also on hand was MLG Clune of the Empire State Pond. The Guest Speaker was Arnold McClure of the Hartford Chamber of Commerce. He showed a film about housing challenges in Hartford and spoke about redevelopment plans.

The February 1959 newsletter’s Gander of the Month was Joseph Sorge – “the father of the banner.” Born on Long Island in 1905, he started his insurance career at the age of 13 as a “junior underwriter” at the Queen Insurance Company in New York City. In his mid-20’s he became a State Agent with the Loyalty Group for Florida and South Georgia. In 1930 he transferred to New Jersey and after stints with Virginia Fire & Marine, and Caledonia Insurance, moved to Hartford in 1952. In 1957, Caledonia Insurance became Peerless Insurance, and Joe is now with Peerless serving as national manager of their fire and inland-marine departments.

During the business meeting, the Pond’s bank balance was reported at $142.02. The Pond advised the membership that the NYC Pond’s Convention Committee was expecting a $350 donation from Hartford for their upcoming 1961 Convention. Door prizes for the evening included an indoor/outdoor thermometer and a free lubrication at an automobile service provider.

In an effort to try and boost attendance, the March 9th meeting at the Bond Hotel was held on a “dinner cost” basis instead of a “package dinner and drinks” basis. Charter Oak Chatter reported that “it was with considerable surprise and disappointment to all that only 31 members and guests made their appearance”. The Guest Speaker was A.J. Lotana speaking as a volunteer worker on behalf of the Red Cross. Two new members were initiated that evening – John F. Henry and Raymond Eldred. Door prizes included a bottle of Scotch and a Blue Goose calendar.

The April 1959 newsletter’s Gander of the Month was George Lord. Born in Ballston Spa, NY in 1922 he attended Union College and CCNY before serving in the Air Force as a flying instructor and Second Lieutenant during World War II. He entered the insurance industry in 1946 with the Insurance Company of North America. He became a Special Agent with American Home Insurance, and then moved to Peerless Insurance where he is responsible for fire production in CT and RI. He helped organize the Pond’s first Ritual Team in preparation for the 1961 NYC Grand Nest Convention.


Thirty-three couples attended the Pond’s Dinner Dance on April 11, 1959 at the Manchester Country Club. Music was provided by the Ray Heines Orchestra.

The Pond’s April 27 meeting was held on a very rainy night at the Matarese Circle in Newington. A crowd of 31 “stalwart Blue Goosers” attended. After the Wielder’s report, additional reports were given by representatives of the Entertainment, Publicity Membership, Publication, and Ways and Means Committees. The Chairman of the Ladies Auxilliary Committee had nothing to report, and the Welfare and Ritual committees were not represented. A suggestion was made that the Hartford Pond should try to develop a closer relationship with the Insurance Men’s Field Club. There was also a discussion about Blue Goose‘s membership criteria that limited membership to “Fire Insurance men as defined in the eligibility rule of it’s constitution.” The issue was whether or not membership criteria should be expanded to also include “men in the casualty business.” The topic was summarized in Charter Oak Chatter as follows: “There has never been any perceptible desire on the part of casualty men to be admitted to membership. Had they wanted to, they could long ago have formed a similar organization of their own….Our membership, through elected delegates, has always shown it’s wisdom by declining to take a chance on surrendering its tranquility and identity by admitting casualty men. The Grand Nest and many Ponds are incorporated as organizations of Fire Insurance men”

The Pond’s Golf Outing was held at the Avon Country Club on May 26, with “some 20 odd members participating in the golf matches and a total of 45 Ganders and guests (for) dinner.” Grand Custodian Bob Stumpf (as he had done the previous year) installed the Pond’s new slate of officers for the upcoming year.

The Pond’s new officers for 1959-60 were: MLG – Gordon Crowther SOF – Wally Bailey COG – Pete Tompkins GOP – Bud Schmidt WGQ – Jack Ellen KGGE – Bob Davis

Gordon Crowther, as MLG, was nominated to be a Convention delegate for the upcoming 1959 Los Angeles Grand Nest, but inasmuch as the Pond was only sending one delegate, he withdrew his name in favor of someone that had not previously been to a Convention. Wally Bailey was then selected to be Hartford’s delegate, with Gordon as the alternate.


Hartford’s lone delegate to the 1959 Los Angeles Convention turned out to be neither SOF Bailey nor MLG Crowther. Both of them became ill the week before the convention, and MLG Crowther asked PMLG Joseph Sorge if he could attend as Hartford’s delegate. Sorge later wrote “I was able to arrange my affairs and arrive at Los Angeles early Monday morning August 3, 1959 after a rather hectic all night air trip.”

The October 1959 newsletter’s Gander of the Month was Frederick L. A. Brinkmeyer. Born in St. Louis, MO in 1909, Fred graduated from the City College of Law and Finance in St. Louis.


In 1929, he started his insurance career as a travelling auditor for the Southern Surety Company, travelling in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. In 1932, the company moved to New York but was soon liquidated by the Insurance Department. Fred decided to hitch-hike from St. Louis to New York, and resumed his insurance career with the Standard Accident Insurance Company’s accounting department. He went to New York Law School at night, and accepted a position with the Massachusetts Bonding Company in 1935. Fred served his country with the National Guard and the US Coast Guard and served in the Pacific during World War II. After the war, Fred worked for the Home Indemnity Company and transferred from St Louis to Connecticut in 1955.

A Pond roster was distributed to the membership at the close of 1959. Ganders were asked to examine the roster, and report any errors, misspellings, improper employment information, or incorrect mailing addresses to Wielder Jack Ellen.

In 1959-60, the Pond had eight committees:

Publications: Chairman, Pete Thompkins; Advertising Manager, Robert Davis; and

News Hawks, Fred Brinkmeyer and Andrew Carlin

Entertainment: Harold Porter

Ways & Means: Neale McDonald

Welfare: Robert Bordeaux

Ritual: George Lord

Publicity: Horace Andersen

Membership: Fred Brinkmeyer

Ladies Auxiliary: Ed Whitmore

The Pond’s September 28, 1959 meeting was held at the Matarese Circle in Newington with a

total of 36 Ganders in attendance. The Keeper reported a balance of $327.08 in the treasury. The

Membership Committee reported that there were 146 active members, with four new

applications approved. Gander Chappelear was presented with his 25 year pin and life

membership certificate. Wielder Ellen was not at the meeting (Charter Oak Chatter reported

“he was still invalided at home”) and SOF Wally Bailey acted as Wielder Pro Tem. One new

Gosling (Burr) took his first “swim” and was initiated following the meeting.

The second meeting of the year was held on November 9th at Reilly’s Restaurant in Hamden , CT

with a total 31 members and guests present. Two membership applications were received and

approved –one of the applicants, Kenneth G. Critten was present at the meeting. Gander Horace

Andersen of the Publicity Committee reported that he has forwarded a copy of the “Charter

Oak Chatter” to several insurance publications such as the Standard, Eastern Underwriter,

and National Underwriter. Edward Whitmore was appointed Chairman of the Ladies Auxiliary

Committee. The guest speaker was Mr. James Galligan, supervisor of fisheries for the State of

Connecticut.


The December 1959 newsletter’s Gander of the Month was Harold Porter. Born in Hartford in

1928, and after high school served for three years in the U. S. Navy. After the war, Harold

studied at the University of CT, started his insurance career in 1948 with the Phoenix Insurance

Company, and received his B. A. degree in 1952. He served as a Special Agent for Phoenix in

Wilkes Barre, Syracuse, and now, New Haven.

December’s Christmas Dinner was held on December 11, 1959 at Gallo’s Restaurant in

Newington, CT at a charge of $12 per couple. There were 26 couples in attendance for a

wonderful evening that included a cocktail party, dinner and dancing to the music of Joseph

Bianchi and his Orchestra. One door prize, a chafing dish, was won by Mrs. Craig Gilbert.

MLG Gordon Crowther was appointed Deputy Most Loyal Grand Gander at Large for the

Eastern District.

The Gander of the month for February 1960 was the Custodian of the Goslings & Charter Oak

Chatter Editor Grenville Stainsby “Pete” Tompkins, Jr. Harold Porter wrote a nice article

outlining Pete’s life story starting with his birth on February 16, 1938. Details went on to outline

his enlistment with the United States Army in 1946. Pete was active in the industry spending

time at the University of CT College of Insurance, Property Insurance Forum, and the CT Fire

Insurance Field Club. He took his first swim with the Minnesota Pond back in February 1953

and also served in the Dakota Pond. His insurance career started back in 1948 at the Phoenix of

Hartford and was with the Boston Insurance Group in 1960.

The first meeting of 1960 drew 37 Ganders and guests to the Bond Hotel in Hartford on February

1, 1960. MLG Gordon Crowther called the meeting to order, and three Ganders (William R.

Kerns, Kenneth G. Critton, and Frank A. Pearson) were initiated. Members that were not

wearing their Blue Goose pins were fined 10¢ and it was announced that a similar offense at the

next meeting would merit a 25¢ fine. The evening’s Guest Speaker was Ron Hattin of Kaman

Aircraft who spoke about helicopters.

The Pond’s March 14, 1960 meeting drew a total of 25 Ganders and guests to the Matarese

Circle Restaurant in Newington. Keeper Davis reported on the Pond’s finances; there was

$262.06 in the regular treasury and $56.15 in the welfare fund. Additional Committee reports

were made by Hal Porter (Entertainment) and Pete Tompkins (Publication). Joseph Sorge was

appointed to be the Pond’s Historian. The guest speaker was James E. Bent of the Hartford

Federal Savings & Loan Association who spoke on the financial climate of the day and the

national debt.

Charter Oak Chatter’s Gander of the month for April 1960 was the new Most Loyal Grand

Gander E. G. “Gene” Saulcy of the Michigan Pond. He was installed as MLGG at the Statler

Hotel during the Los Angeles Convention on August 2-6, 1959. He was born in Indianapolis in

1900 and started his insurance career with the Indianapolis Inspection Bureau, and in 1923

accepted a position with the Great American Insurance Company. Gene was still with Great


American in 1960 –having traveled through Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, before spending

the past 32 years in Michigan.

On April 2, 1960, the Pond held it’s Spring Dinner Dance at the Waverly Inn in Cheshire, CT.

“A total of 65 Ganders, their wives or sweethearts and guests attended this gala event.”

Honored guests included Grand Supervisor of the Flock Robert F. Stumpf, Hartford PMLG Joe

Sorge, and George Smith, PMLG of the Penn Pond. The dinner choices were Lobster Saute or

Prime Ribs of Beef. The cost was $6 per person, and music was provided by Joe Bianchi and

his Quartet.

The Pond’s Annual Meeting was held on May 9, 1960 at the Bond Hotel in Hartford. There

were 18 members and guests present. Keeper Davis reported that there was $255.00 in the

regular treasury and $56.15 in the welfare fund. Because of the lack of attendance at this

meeting, the Pond had a $40 obligation to the Bond because we did not meet out minimum

guarantee.

PMLG Lew Geis delivered the report of the Nominating Committee. The Convention delegates

for the Detroit Grand Nest Convention were Wally Bailey and Jack Ellen, with Pete Tompkins

and Hal Porter as alternates. The officers for 1960-61 would be installed at the May 23rd Annual

Outing, but the slate was announced at tonight’s meeting.

The Pond’s new officers for 1960-61 were:

MLG – Wally Bailey

SOF - Pete Tompkins

COG - Bud Schmidt

GOP - Bob Davis

WGQ- Jack Ellen

KGGE – Hal Porter

The Pond’s Annual Meeting took the form as a clambake on May 23, 1960 at Rosemont-

Pagani’s Grove in Bolton.

HARTFORD POND CHARTER CANCELLED BY GRAND NEST – that was the headline of

the June 1, 1960 issue of Charter Oak Chatter. It was Editor Pete Tompkins subtle way of

decrying the falling rates of participation and seeming lack of interest displayed by so many of

the Pond’s 150 members.

Tompkins went on to write “The officers of the Pond are most concerned with the future

prospects of our Pond because of the lack of interest and very poor attendance which has put a

heavy burden on the treasury. Unless the situation improves, our Pond could be forced right

into the drain. Remember, we have the only Pond in the 6 New England states and we should

be proud of this fact being from the Insurance Capital of the world.”


September 20, 1954 -Official Program for the Hartford Pond’s First Meeting. Hotel Statler – Hartford, CT - Special Guest was Most Loyal Grand Gander Alex B. Young


The first Hartford Pond Newsletter, published in September 1956.

The unnamed publication consisted of three single sided pages. The editor was Maurice E.

Guillet, who served on the Pond’s Publication Committee with R. W. Connor, A. J. Herd, Bud

Schmidt, Pete Tompkins, and Bob Davis.

Tompkins would shortly succeed Guillet as editor.


“At long last, Joe Sorge’s big dream has come true –our banner is a reality and this sketch

by Pete Tompkins will give you some idea of what it looks like. Our banner will be

prominently displayed at the Grand Nest Convention in New Orleans Aug 26, 27 and 28.

We are slowly but surely coming into our own and from now on, there’ll be no holding the

Hartford Pond.” --- Charter Oak Chatter July, 1957


First Appearance of Charter Oak Chatter Masthead April 1957


C. Wallace (Wally) Bailey

Hartford Pond Keeper in 1957

Pond’s 7th MLG 1960-61

Bob Davis

Hartford Pond’s Keeper

1959

Joseph Sorge – the Pond’s 2nd

MLG, serving in 1955-56

“The father of the Hartford

Pond’s banner”

Harold Porter

The Pond’s 9th MLG,

serving in 1962-63


April 12, 1958

Rockledge Country Club


Annual Meeting –May 28, 1958 – Avon Country Club.

(L to R) Grand Guardian of the Nest Bob Stumpf (Garden State Pond) installing new officers for 1958-59.

Gordon Crowther-Wielder, Bud Schmidt-Keeper, Pete Tompkins –Guardian, Bill Davis-MLG, Rod

Nicholson, Supervisor, Wally Bailey –Custodian.

Seated at bottom left is C.W. Chappelear, PMLG . In 1954, he became the first MLG of the newly

chartered Hartford Pond.


Pond Christmas Greeting.

From Charter Oak Chatter December 8, 1958


May 28, 1958, Pond Golf Outing and Annual Meeting at the Avon Country Club


Pond Christmas Party - Dec 12, 1958 - Waverly Inn Cheshire


April 11, 1959 -- Annual Dinner Dance -- Manchester Country Club


Pond Golf Outing - Avon Country Club - May 26, 1959

Pond Meeting - Reilly’s Restaurant in Hamden - November 1958


Pond Christmas Party

December 11, 1959

Gallo’s Restaurant in Newington



The Pond’s February 20, 1961 meeting was held at the Matarese Circle Restaurant in Newington

with 24 present. Wielder Jack Ellen announced the approval of a membership application from

James M. Meunier, a resident engineer for Commercial Union – North British Group. KGGE

Porter reported a $24 profit on the Pond’s recent dinner-dance, and this increased the Pond’s

treasury to $280.00. Wielder Ellen reported there were 53 Ganders that were still delinquent on

their dues payment, and reminded them that their memberships would be suspended on June 30th

if they were still in arrears.

The Gander of the month for March 1961 was the newest Most Loyal Grand Gander, Robert F. Stumpf of the Garden State Pond. Robert was one of the organizers of the Garden State Pond (of which he was a charter member), and was the Pond’s second MLG. He was elected to the Grand Nest in 1955 and became the MLGG at the Detroit Convention in August 1960. Bob was in his 19th year with the General Adjustment Bureau, and was serving as their Regional Manager for Northern New Jersey at the time.

The Pond’s April 17, 1961 meeting drew 20 Ganders and guests. The evening’s guest speaker

was Colonel Warren J. Kennedy who described his experiences of being in charge of POWs

during World War II.

The Nominating Committee reported that the Convention delegates for the New York City

Grand Nest Convention were Pete Tompkins and Jack Ellen. PMLG Carlin presented outgoing

PMLG Bailey with a PMLG pin. The evening culminated with PMLG Lew Geis’ installation of

the Pond’s new slate of officers for the upcoming year.


MLG – Pete Tompkins

SOF – Bud Schmidt

COG – Harold Porter

GOP –Jack Ellen

WGQ- Gordon Crowther

KGGE – Bob Bordeaux

In his Annual Pond report for the upcoming Grand Nest Convention, Jack Ellen summarized the

Harford Pond’s 1960-61 year as follows: “Four regular meetings, a Winter Dinner-Dance, and

our Spring Outing comprised our general activity for the year. Once more our attendance and

membership declined, causing much concern about this continuing problem.”



On June 14, 1961, the Pond held it’s annual Golf Outing at the Manchester Country Club. The

announcements for the outing were “sent out very late and therefore the attendance was held

down to 13.”

Newsletter Editor /MLG Tompkins reported that the scheduled June 1961 issue of Charter Oak

Chatter was not published “due to a lack of news items”.

The NYC Convention was held at the Statler Hilton Hotel. On Monday night August 7, 1961, the

Convention held Eastern Ponds Night at the hotel’s Skytop Room. The Hartford Pond donated

$300 toward funding this activity. Hartford attendees included MLG Tompkins, Jack (delegate)

and Irene Ellen, Gordon and Ivye Crowther, and Joe and Lois Sorge. The Convention’s

Memorial Service remembered Hartford’s William O. Minter and PMLGG (1954-55) Alex

Young – a dual member of the Heart of America and Hartford Ponds. While in New York, MLG

Tompkins went to a Yankee game, and saw Bobby Richardson and Yogi Berra hit home runs, as

Whitey Ford won his 20th game of the season.

In the September 1961 issue of Charter Oak Chatter, MLG/Editor Tompkins wrote a long

article to “endeavor to attempt to put our dying Pond back on the map again.” He listed 22

proposals to do so: 1) Continue the monthly Executive Board meetings at the Seafood

Restaurant, 2) increase dues from $8 to $10 to bring the Pond in line with other Ponds, 3) hold 3

dinner and 2 luncheon meetings during the year, 4) hold a pre-Christmas Dinner Dance in

association with the CT Fire Insurance Field Club, 5) hold a family annual outing on a Saturday,

6) secure top notch speakers (even if they need to be paid), 7) consider holding some meetings in

a central location between Hartford and New Haven, 8) publish the Pond newsletter quarterly

and add two co-chairmen – one each from the Hartford and New Haven areas, 9) start a Hartford

Pond Ladies Auxiliary, 10) open Pond membership “to all mutual fieldmen and others who are

not members of our club who are eligible to join. I intend to bring new blood into the Hartford

Pond….with active solicitation for new members”, 11) control costs by charging Pond lunches

and dinners on a “meal only” basis, with drinks on a cash basis, 12) Solicit publicity by being

more active in trade periodicals and newspapers, 13) consider appointing a Pond chaplain for

pre-meeting invocations, and consider reciting the Pledge of Allegiance after the invocation, 14)

recommend that the Hartford Pond support a constitutional amendment to permit casualty men to

join Blue Goose (this was defeated at the 1960 Grand Nest Convention), 15) Schedule Pond

meetings either two weeks before or after, so as not to compete, 16) reinstitute the Telephone

Committee to get more members out to meetings, 17) get meeting announcements in the hands of

members no less than one week prior to the event – outing or dance notices should be out two

weeks prior, 18) invite the incoming MLGG to a Pond event, 19) start and end meetings

promptly at a pre-determined time, and keep Pond business reports brief, 20) keep meeting costs

at a minimum because “most insurance companies today do not allow Blue Goose as an

allowable item to be charged off on expense accounts”, 21) make an effort to initiate all goslings


in the fall –too many goslings were never formally initiated, and 22) consider changing the name

of the Hartford Pond to the Connecticut Pond.

The Gander of the month for September 1961 was Robert Arthur “Bob” Bordeaux. Born in

Somers, CT in 1926, Bob graduated from Sykes Memorial in Rockville, and attended the

University of CT. Bob’s first job took him to Cleveland, where he learned real estate, appraisals,

and engineering working for the J. M. Cleminshaw Company. He returned to CT in 1953 and

accepted a position with the Yorkshire Insurance Company as a Special Agent trainee, and then

Special Agent, covering Vermont, Western MA, and CT. After Yorkshire merged with the

America Fore-Loyalty Group, Bob became a staff adjuster specializing in fire and inland marine

claims.

The Pond’s first meeting of the 1961-62 season drew 23 Ganders and 5 guests to the Matarese

Circle Restaurant in Newington on October 16, 1961. MLG Pete Tompkins introduced the three

PMLGs in attendance; Wally Bailey, Andy Carlin, and Gordon Crowther. The Guest Speaker

was Francis T. Ahearn –the Director of CT’s Insurance Information Office. MLG Tompkins

reported that the Honorable Order’s Constitution had broadened membership criteria so as to

include those in the casualty and fire fields. He also read a thank you letter from PMLGG Bob

Stumpf acknowledging the Hartford Pond’s $300 contribution to the Grand Nest Convention in

New York City.

Most Loyal Grand Gander William G. Stephens appointed PMLG Gordon Crowther to be a

Deputy Most Loyal Grand Gander for Northern New York and New England.

The Gander of the month for December 1961 was John Newton “Jack” Kane. Born in Hartford in 1924, He studied engineering at the University of CT and started his career as a process engineer with Colt’s Manufacturing. He entered the insurance claims field with Woodhouse & Cornwall (later Cornwall & Kennedy), and then moved over to the Glens Falls Insurance Company and then the M. E. Hausser Insurance Group.

On January 15, 1962, the Pond held a Dinner Meeting at the Matarese Circle Restaurant in

Newington. The Guest speaker A.B. McGinley Hartford Times Sports Editor

Two days later, on January 17, 1962 the Pond’s first Ladies Auxiliary luncheon meeting was

held at the Sea Food Restaurant in Hartford. Door prizes were awarded and the attendees

received a tour of the new WTIC Broadcast House in Constitution Plaza.

Effective February 1, 1962, MLG and Charter Oak Chatter Editor Pete Tompkins announced

his resignation from the Hartford Pond because his employer, Boston Insurance Group, had

transferred him to San Francisco.

On March 19, 1962, the Pond held a luncheon meeting at the Matarese Circle Restaurant in

Newington.


The Pond’s Annual Outing was held on June 19th at the Indian Hill Country Club. Delegates for

the August Grand Nest Convention in Atlanta will be either Lew Geis or Andy Carlin, and

Gordon Crowther. The evening culminated with PMLG Joe Sorge’s installation of the Pond’s

new slate of officers for the upcoming year.


MLG – Hal Porter

SOF – Jack Ellen

COG – Bob Bordeaux

GOP –John Lonergan


KGGE – John Henry


The Pond announced formation of nine committees – Program (Bill Coughlin), Membership

(Paul Harris), Ritual (Jack Kane), Ladies Auxiliary (Craig Carter), Welfare (Art Tyrol), Public

Relations (Don Davis), Advertising & Fundraising (Charlie Scoville), Records & Recognition

(Joe Sorge), and Publications (Andy Carlin). Art Jacobs was named as Pond Chaplain and Lew

Geis was named Liaison Officer between the Executive Committee and Grand Nest.

In an effort to improve attendance, the Executive Board decided in July to schedule the year’s

meetings on a “regular date” and the third Monday of the month was selected.

The Pond held a dinner meeting on September 17, 1962 at the Matarese Circle Restaurant.


Editor Tompkins’ resignation adversely affected production of the Pond’s newsletter Charter

Oak Chatter. He announced his resignation in the Feb 21, 1961 issue. The next newsletter issue

wasn’t released until August 10, 1962, and the subsequent issue wasn’t released until November

1, 1964. Accordingly, there is little information available on Pond history between February

1961 and August 1962. There is also a 27-month information gap between the August 1962 and

November 1964 issues.


As the 1964-65 year commenced, the Pond’s officers were:

MLG – Bob Bordeaux

SOF – John Henry

COG – Bill Coughlin

GOP – Richard Adams



KGGE – Art Jacobs

Hartford’s representatives for the August 1964 Grand Nest Convention in Portland, Oregon were

Gordon and Ivye Crowther, Art Tyrol, and Art Jacobs. Tyrol and Jacobs drove together to

Portland and back.

The Pond’s September 1964 meeting marked the first presentation of the Pond’s Scholarship

Award. Awarded to a student in the University of CT’s Fire Insurance program, the inaugural

winner was Paul Fraleigh who received $25.

The Pond’s October 20, 1964 meeting featured Trooper Haberstrom of the CT State Police who

addressed the group on highway safety.

Charter Oak Chatter resumed publication in November 1964, with Gordon Crowther assuming

the duties of Editor. The December 1964 issue featured a guest column by Charles Gregg of the

Rating Office in Bridgeport

The Pond’s November 19, 1964 meeting, celebrating the Pond’s tenth anniversary, featured a

reunion of four of the Pond’s original officers –C. W. Chappelear, Joe Sorge, G. S. Tompkins,

Sr., and H. N. Pierson. They entertained the group with stories about the formation of the

Hartford Pond. Joe Sorge brought along the Pond charter for all to see.

Five Pond members (Art Jacobs, Art Tyrol, Bill Coughlin, Bob Bordeaux, and Dick Adams)

spoke at a meeting of the Hartford Insurance Women’s Association. The meeting was held at

Emil’s Restaurant in Hartford. Speaker Bordeaux educated the group about the traditions and

origins of Blue Goose, and said “It is one of the few organizations where men from all walks of

property and casualty insurance can meet: stock and mutual fieldmen, underwriters, adjusters,

rating bureau men, and personnel of similar service organizations. Without revealing the

secrets of the Sacred Ritual of the Order, the guiding principle of Blue Goose is the precept of

Fair Play. The insurance industry has always been a highly competitive field; we like to feel that

Blue Goose has been one of the elements that has made it an honorable business. When one gets

to know his fellow men through the comradeship and fellowship of the Blue Goose, he is not apt

to act underhandedly in any business relations they may have.”

The Pond’s Christmas Party drew 28 ganders, wives, and guests to Matarese’s in Newington on

December 11, 1964. The group enjoyed a cocktail hour, and then proceeded to a closed off

section in the dining room for a sit-down dinner of roast beef or lobster. The evening ended with

dancing to the live music of “Flo and her Escorts.”

On January 19, 1965, 19 Ganders and 4 guests attended a Pond meeting at the Shoreham Motor

Hotel in Hartford. The guest speaker was City Manager Eli Freedman, who spoke about future

plans for the city of Hartford. In Pond news, Keeper Jacobs reported that the Pond had just made

a $100 contribution to the Chesapeake Pond for their 1966 Grand Nest Convention, so there was


now a $122 balance in the treasury. MLG Bordeaux reported on plans to spin off a New Haven

Puddle; “there are 12 prospective members in and around New Haven, and plans are being

formulated for a luncheon get-together very soon.” The meeting ended with a drawing for the

“Bottle of the Month” won by Gander Uchneat.

A “very small but select” group met at Carbone’s Restaurant on February 8, 1965. The evening

was billed as “strictly entertainment” and no business was conducted. After dinner, the group

proceeded to Charles Steak House for refreshments.

Seventeen Ganders attended the Pond’s Annual Meeting on May 18, 1965 at Matarese’s in

Newington. Two Ganders were initiated: Jack McCoy (Andover Companies) and James

Holtgrieve (Transamerica Group).

PMLG Jack Ellen delivered the report of the Nominating Committee. The Convention delegate

for the St. Louis Grand Nest Convention was Bill Coughlin. The alternate was Gordon Crowther.

The evening culminated with the installation of the Pond’s new slate of officers for the upcoming

year.


MLG – William Coughlin, Jr.

SOF – Richard “Dick” Adams

COG – Arthur Jacobs

GOP – Thomas O’Neill


KGGE –Craig Heston

During the summer, the Pond was saddened to learn of the Last Long Flight of C. W. “Chappy”

Chappelear – who in 1954 became the very first MLG of the Hartford Pond. He was one of the

pioneers of the Hartford Pond and “took an active part in Pond activities during the early

formative days of the Pond’. Chappy retired from the London and Lancashire Insurance

Company in 1957, and had recently attended the Hartford Pond’s tenth anniversary meeting in

November 1964.

The Pond held a baseball outing to Shea Stadium in New York on June 11, 1965. John Phelan,

Bill Coughlin, Dick Adams, Art Tyrol, Jack Ellen and Tommy Ellen attended. Jack Ellen’s car

was stuck in traffic on the Whitestone Bridge, and made his way to his seats in the sixth inning.

Coughlin, Adams, and Phelan stayed overnight at the International Hotel near Kennedy Airport.

Craig Heston and Paul Harris had hoped to attend the game, but last minute business obligations

forced them to change their plans.

Plans to launch the New Haven Puddle were progressing. Under the guidance of PMLG Lew

Geis, an organizational meeting was held on June 14, and a follow-up meeting was scheduled for

July 12. It was hoped that the Puddle would be launched in September.


The July 1965 issue of Charter Oak Chatter contained a message from new MLG Bill Coughlin

on the state of the Pond. “1965-66 will be a year of decision for all members of the Hartford

Pond, a decision to go forward with and improve our Pond or a decision to sit back and allow

the Pond to stagnate. Those who keep in touch with Blue Goose activities know that attendance

at our monthly meetings has been rather sparse, for numerous reasons, including competition

with other organizations for the individual’s attention, tightening of company expense

allowances, family situations, etc “.

MLG Coughlin set six goals for the upcoming year: 1) Hold “Loyalty Day” for the September

meeting –invite all of the “old members and friends of the Hartford Pond” and expect each

member to attend with a friend or prospective member, 2) share the message of Blue Goose to

prospective members through our meetings and publications. 3) Form spin-off Puddles in local

areas, 4) conduct an aggressive membership campaign with an active Membership Committee, 5)

increase participation in committee assignments, and 6) Create an active Ladies Auxiliary.


Hartford Ganders Art Jacobs, Art Tyrol, and Gordon Crowther attended the Grand Nest

Convention in St. Louis from August 8-13, 1965.

The Pond’s Sept 20, 1965 Loyalty Day meeting saw three new Ganders initiated- Charles J.

Fisher (Charles J. Fisher Company), Richard Abele (Utica Mutual), and Robert Dallesander

(Penn Lumberman’s Mutual). Hartford’s three representatives to the St. Louis Convention filled

in the group - Jacobs reported on the Convention’s educational features, Tyrol reported on the

fellowship activities, Model Initiation and Memorial Service, and delegate Crowther reported on

the business aspect of the convention.

The Pond’s Oct 14, 1965 New Haven Puddle kickoff was held in the form of a luncheon at the

Yankee Silversmith in Wallingford. “Under the guidance of Loyal Gander Geis, a group of

former and present Blue Goosers in the New Haven area have banded together and intend to

meet periodically in and around New Haven inasmuch as they find it difficult to attend many of

the Pond activities in Hartford.”

The Pond’s October 26, 1965 meeting took the form of a luncheon at the Shoreham Motor Hotel

in Hartford. Guest Speaker Ed May spoke about the CT Constitutional Convention

There is no information on Pond activities in November and December 1965. There is very

limited information available for the January and February 1966 meetings. We know that the

guest speakers for the January 1966 meeting were “Leavitt, Moran and Fisher regarding loss

adjustments involving cleaning problems.”

The February 1966 meeting drew “more than 20 members”. Three new Ganders were initiated:

E. S. Cowles of E. S. Cowles and Sons, Joseph Fogarty of Greater N. Y. Mutual, and Daniel


McCarthy of National Insurance. The Guest Speaker was Gerry Wholey of the State Insurance

Department.

On March 14, 1966, the Hartford Pond was involved in “a real milestone in Blue Goosedom

insofar as New England is concerned”. This was the first meeting of Ganders interested in

forming a Blue Goose presence in the Boston area. “On that date, a sizable number of insurance

men interested in the formation of a Puddle in the Boston area gathered at Patten’s Restaurant

for dinner and discussion.” Led by Hartford MLG Bill Coughlin, and six other Hartford

Ganders (Dick Adams, Art Jacobs, Bob Morrison, Andy Carlin, Jim Strong and Art Tyrol), there

was a grand total of 28 in attendance.” A considerable number of application blanks were

distributed, and as soon as these are filled out, returned to us, and voted on at a regular meeting

of the Pond, arrangements will be made for formal initiation ceremonies in Boston, at which

time the Boston Puddle will come into being.”

This year’s winner of the $25 Pond Scholarship award was William H. Shay.

In March, Lew Geis reported that “limited attendance at the regularly scheduled meetings of the

New Haven Puddle has shown the need for a more desirable day for these get-togethers. With

this thought in mind, a questionnaire has been sent out to Puddle members requesting their views

as to meeting dates, programs, etc.”

The Pond held a March 17, 1966 Luncheon Meeting at the Shoreham Motor Hotel.

Representatives of the State Insurance Department were the Pond’s guests, and the discussion

centered on agent licensing and premium payment defaults.

The March 1966 issue of Charter Oak Chatter marked the return of advertisements for the first

time since the December 1961 issue. The March 1966 issue included four business card-sized

ads by Matarese’s Restaurant, Jones-Mulvihill Company, O’Neill & Schultze Adjusters, and

Southern New England Adjustment Bureau (Bliss & Cole).

The Pond held an April 19, 1966 Dinner Meeting at the Clam Box Restaurant. Five new

members were initiated: Charles Gregg (Middlesex Mutual), Donald Hoffman (Lumbermens of

Mansfield), James Murphy, Jr. (American Policyholders Insurance Company), Stuart Kessler

(Greater New York Mutual, and Francis J. Donelan (Phoenix of London Group).

The Mary 1966 issue of Charter Oak Chatter ran a message from retiring MLG William

Coughlin where he revisited the six goals he set for his year in office. He “was happy to report

that all except one was successfully pursued and completed through the active support and help

of Pond officers, Committee Chairmen, and members.” The accomplishments of the year

included the formation of Puddles in New Haven and Boston (“the formation of the Boston

Puddle represents the high point of achievement for the year’s activities”), an aggressive

membership committee that added 25 new members to the Pond, and a successful Loyalty Day

meeting. The only shortcoming was the failure to create an active Ladies Auxiliary.


At last year’s St. Louis Convention, the Grand Nest announced the creation of the “Gander of

The Year” Award for service to the insurance industry and “noteworthy observance of our

precepts – character, charity, and fellowship”. Individual Ponds were to nominate their

candidate, and the individual Pond winners would compete for the Gander of the Year Award.

The Hartford Pond’s Nominee for 1965-66 was Arthur Tyrol. “Although not a Pond Officer, Art

has served at one time or another as Chairman of practically every committee, and has

performed a particularly notable job this year with the handling of our ritual ceremonies. He

has attended the last several Grand Nest Conventions (at his own expense), has been active in

every Pond activity, and has been a true Blue-Gooser in every respect”.

On May 5, 1966 all six Hartford Pond officers journeyed to Boston for another organizational

meeting of the Boston Puddle, held at the Golden Dome There was a total of 25 at the meeting,

including 13 prospective members who were initiated and joined the Boston Puddle of the

Hartford Pond: Anthony Esposito, Morton Shuman, John W. Lewis, Jr., J. Lester Hourigan, Paul

Cameron, C. Joseph Licata, Irving P. Knowles, Ralph Carlo, Walter J. Connelly, John J.

McGuire, John F. Butterworth, Olin Condon, and Charleston S. Palmer. Four additional

memberships were voted on and accepted, but these four were not in attendance to be initiated:

Paul Scanlon, Francis Puopolo, John Roath, C. Richard Dacey, and Robert Myers. Boston

Puddle Officers were elected –Andy Carlin as Loyal Gander, Jim Strong as Puddle Supervisor,

Ted Caulkins as Puddle Guardian, and Walter Connelly as Puddle Wielder..

The Pond held it’s Annual Meeting on May 23, 1966 at the Clam Box Restaurant for 19

members and 2 guests. A Membership application for Louis Zwick of Underwriters’ Reports,

Inc. was accepted, but Mr. Zwick was not on hand to be initiated.

The Pond ended the year with 87 members. The Convention delegates for the Baltimore Grand

Nest Convention were incoming MLG Richard “Dick” Adams and Wielder Gordon Crowther.

The evening culminated with PMLG Lew Geis’ installation of the Pond’s new slate of officers

for the upcoming year.


MLG – Richard “Dick” Adams

SOF – Arthur Jacobs

COG – Thomas O’Neill, Jr.

GOP – W. Craig Heston


KGGE – Carl Nelson

After the officer installations, PMLG Bob Bordeaux presented retiring MLG Bill Coughlin with

his PMLG pin.



The Pond entered the 1966-67 year with 87 members, a +24 increase from 1965-66.

The Pond’s June 25, 1966 Summer Outing was held at Ted Hilton’s Resort in Moodus, CT at a

cost of $7.50 per person. Ganders started the day with a “do-it-yourself” sandwich lunch

followed by free reign of activities including swimming, boating, canoeing, water-cycling, ping-

pong, horseshoes, volleyball or basketball. Horseback riding or golf were available at a slight

premium. Dinner was an unlimited BBQ followed by dancing and entertainment.

MLG Adams sent a message to the Pond in the July 1966 issue of Charter Oak Chatter. He

announced six initiatives he hoped to accomplish during his year in office: 1) forming a ladies

auxiliary, 2) support the New Haven Puddle and build it’s membership, 3) have each member

spread the word of Blue Goose by acting as Good Will ambassadors, 4) solicit ideas and

opinions “as the membership sees fit” about meeting content, 5) build Pond membership to at

least 100 members, and 6) have at least one meeting with both Puddles (New Haven and

Boston).

At the August 21, 1966 Grand Nest Convention in Baltimore, Hartford delegates Dick Adams

and Gordon Crowther accepted the Membership Cup Award from the Grand Nest. Hartford was

also honored by a request to form the Grand Nest Membership Committee for the coming year.

Hartford Ganders named for the committee were Gordon Crowther (Chairman), Bill Coughlin,

Jack Ellen, Dick Adams and Art Tyrol.

It was Dick Adams’ first convention and he remarked “I must admit that the Convention was all

they said it would be and then some. All of the delegates and guests wore name tags. I don’t care

if it was 7 A.M. for breakfast or 3 A.M. coming in, people would walk up and introduce

themselves as they knew you were Blue Goose. I was in the hotel less than 15 minutes and would

dare say that I had met people from Alabama, Texas, Illinois, New Jersey, besides the local folks,

and believe me, they really made you feel welcome.”

Twenty-one ganders and one guest met at the Clam Box Restaurant in Wethersfield on

September 19, 1966 for the Pond’s first meeting of the season. Louis Zwick of Underwriters’

Reports, Inc. was initiated as a new member, and membership applications from Robert Maguire

(Employers Group of Woburn, MA) and Gerald Couture (Alliance Adjustment Bureau of

Boston, MA) were approved. Gander George Reif, a former member of the Nebraska and Iowa

Ponds was reinstated as a member of the Hartford Pond and Boston Puddle.

The Pond announced the following Committees for the year: Program (Art Jacobs and Paul

Harris), Ritual (Art Tyrol and Gordon Brown), Publication (Bill Coughlin and Gordon

Crowther), Welfare (Tom O’Neill), Publicity (Stu Kessler), Puddle Liasion (Lew Geis and

Walter Connelly), Nominating (Bob Bordeaux, Jack Ellen, and Lew Geis), Historians (Craig

Heston and Joe Sorge), and Chaplain (Jack Ellen).


Sixteen Ganders and one guest attended the Pond’s Oct 17, 1966 luncheon meeting at the

Shoreham Motor Hotel. PMLG Jack Ellen led the group in saying grace, and a moment of

silence was observed for Gander Leo Bronson. The guest speaker was Mickey Caruso, a

linebacker with the Hartford Charter Oaks of the Continental Football League.

On November 9, 1966 the Boston Puddle of the Hartford Pond held a dinner meeting at Patten’s

Restaurant in Boston. Seventeen were in attendance, including MLG Dick Adams, PMLG Bill

Coughlin, Wielder Gordon Crowther and Gander Art Jacobs. Four new members were initiated

into the Boston Puddle – Francis Puopolo (National Union Fire Insurance), John Sawyer (U.S.

Fidelity Guaranty), Robert Maguire (The Employers Group), and Philip J. Burnham (Norman V.

Crane & Company). “These new members increased the roster of the Boston Puddle to 23.”

The Pond held a Ladies Night on November 22, 1966 at the Matarese Restaurant in Newington.

Eleven wives accompanied their husbands to the meeting, where they had a chance to “chit-chat

and get to know each other a little better.” This was seen as a good step toward creating a Ladies

Auxiliary. The evening’s guest speaker was Mr. Boardman from the American Automobile

Association. He gave a presentation on auto safety, showed a film on Miami (location of next

year’s Grand Nest Convention), and talked about the benefits of belonging to the AAA.

The November issue of Charter Oak Chatter profiled MLG Dick Adams. Born in Hartford on

October 5, 1936, he was educated in the Hartford school system and graduated from the

University of Connecticut’s School of Insurance. He served with the 118th Fighter Interception

Squadron and was a member of the CT Air National Guard. Dick worked as a claims adjuster for

the New England Adjustment Bureau.

On December 10, 1966, the Pond held its Christmas Party at the Clam Box Restaurant in

Wethersfield, CT. There were 28 in attendance and they feasted on a dinner of roast beef,

shrimp, and Alaskan King crab. Music was provided by the “Penthouse Four” who “still

remembered the good old danceable music.”

The Pond held a dinner meeting on January 16, 1967 at the Clam Box Restaurant in

Wethersfield. The guest speaker was Robert Pryor of the Royal Liverpool Group and his topic

was “the relatively new General Liability policy.” A membership application from Francis

Champeau voted on and accepted, and the Pond was introduced to jack Dunne of the Reliable

Reporting Service. Mr. Dunne is the Guardian of the Pond for the Garden State Pond, and he was

expected to either transfer to the Hartford Pond or become a Dual Member. Grand Nest Bulletins

were given to those in attendance, and MLG Adams promoted the upcoming Miami Convention.

On January 27, 1967 The Boston Puddle met at Polcari’s Restaurant for dinner at 6:30, and then

attended an NBA game between the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons.

January’s Gander of the Month was Supervisor of the Flock Arthur “Art” Jacobs. Born in

Glastonbury, CT on December 26, 1898, Art attended the Glastonbury Public School system and

went on to the Insurance Institute and sprinklered risk training with the Eastern Inspection


Bureau. He also spent time with the Scottish Union and National Insurance Company and the

Springfield Fire & Marine Insurance Company. Art retired in 1963, and this grandfather of

eleven grand-children was described as “one of the nicest guys any of us have ever met.”.

On February 20, 1967, the Pond welcomed a distinguished guest to the Clam Box Restaurant in

Wethersfield, CT. The occasion was a Grand Nest visitation by Grand Keeper Jay Knowlan of

the Penn Pond. Three employees of the General Adjustment Bureau (Bernard Ladden, Donald

Roberts, and Bob Uricchio) were initiated into the Pond. MLG Adams handled the ritual and the

Charge was conducted by Grand Keeper Knowlan. The Pond was entertained by listening to a

tape recording of Lloyd Wallace recount the first Blue Goose meeting in 1906 and tell stories

about the early days of the Honorable Order.

Trying to kick-start the rather dormant New Haven Puddle, a luncheon meeting was scheduled at

the Carriage Drive in Hamden on March 15, 1967. A surprise snowstorm resulted in only 19

attending.

On Monday March 20, 1967, the Pond gathered at the Shoreham Motor Hotel in Hartford “for

our annual get-together with representatives of the State Insurance Department. Gerry Wholley

was the guest speaker…and he had an interesting message (on) the workings of the Insurance

Department and pending legislative action affecting the insurance industry.”

The March 1967 Gander of the Month was Custodian of the Goslings Tom O’Neill. Tom was

born in Hartford on January 8, 1927, was educated in the West Hartford school system, and went

off into the Air Force. After his 1946 discharge, he attended Trinity College and joined the

National Fire Insurance Company in 1948 and atte

hartford f25 pond historythe pond had seven committees in place in 1956 – 1) program (wally...

Documents