Than to be Poor and Sick
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
37,734 Pageviews..7,886 for month..452 today!
We are cooking with gas as we ease into December. You get out of life what you put into life. Success in everything and anything does not grow on trees .. you must climb the trees..LoL.
I once asked Mr. Cooke his secret to his successes "UP AT 4:00 A.M."
I once asked Mr. Cooke his secret to his successes "UP AT 4:00 A.M."
HOW I WAS INTRODUCED TO THE ROLLS ROYCE 1961
It was a cold Saturday.. December 2, 1961, to be exact, when Mr. Frank Cooke introduced me to what a Springfield Rolls Royce really was. Mr. Cooke invited me to travel with him and his 2 younger kids to Mt. Vernon, New York. Here in Westchester County lived a man names Sam Adelman who specialized in owning a junkyard for classics.Somehow, Cooke learned of a Playboy Roadster for sale! An original 1924 (?) ROLLS ready for restoration.
Frank belonged to the Rolls Royce Owners Club( of which I later joined.)
Frank Cooke bought the classic for (about $8.00 a pound.) He never told me just how much it cost him!
Rolls Royce owner and enthusiast, the Late Ed Lake returned with Frank and drove the car back to North Brookfield. It was the beginning of a 'Tale of Two Rolls '. Cooke already owned a green RR Newmarket Touring Car of which I later drove.
1962 saw Bob Potvin in love with Springfield Rolls Royces and daughter Diana. I served as Frank's "Grease Monkey" working evenings wire-brushing the car's frame. The aluminum body had been removed and restoration was full speed ahead. I loved what I was doing... and learning all about the car. 'Dual-Cowal'..Bijur lubricating system and two cast iron motor blocks.
THE FLYING LADY - OR THE SPIRIT OF ECSTACY
Eventually the car was totally restored and won First Prize in 1963 competition of the Rolls Royce Owners Club! It was painted a sexy blue with black fenders. By today's standards this car is stodgy. Cars of this ilk can be seen in the Great Gatsby movie.
I was so inspired by my Rolls Royce experience I vowed to own a RR by the time I was age 50. Never happened. Today, I aim high someday wanting to own a TESLA!
The total FRANK COOKE EXPERIENCE in my life catapulted me like no other.
Thank you Mr. Mrs. Frank Cooke....you made it all possible with a job and inspiration.
Frank belonged to the Rolls Royce Owners Club( of which I later joined.)
Frank Cooke bought the classic for (about $8.00 a pound.) He never told me just how much it cost him!
Rolls Royce owner and enthusiast, the Late Ed Lake returned with Frank and drove the car back to North Brookfield. It was the beginning of a 'Tale of Two Rolls '. Cooke already owned a green RR Newmarket Touring Car of which I later drove.
1962 saw Bob Potvin in love with Springfield Rolls Royces and daughter Diana. I served as Frank's "Grease Monkey" working evenings wire-brushing the car's frame. The aluminum body had been removed and restoration was full speed ahead. I loved what I was doing... and learning all about the car. 'Dual-Cowal'..Bijur lubricating system and two cast iron motor blocks.
THE FLYING LADY - OR THE SPIRIT OF ECSTACY
A SILVER GHOST
Eventually the car was totally restored and won First Prize in 1963 competition of the Rolls Royce Owners Club! It was painted a sexy blue with black fenders. By today's standards this car is stodgy. Cars of this ilk can be seen in the Great Gatsby movie.
I was so inspired by my Rolls Royce experience I vowed to own a RR by the time I was age 50. Never happened. Today, I aim high someday wanting to own a TESLA!
The total FRANK COOKE EXPERIENCE in my life catapulted me like no other.
Thank you Mr. Mrs. Frank Cooke....you made it all possible with a job and inspiration.
TIME TO PURCHASE A 70" HDTV FOR CHRISTMAS!
My first HDTV cost me $1700. It was a 40" job and I knew no differently! Then I jumped into a 50" HDTV and I thought I was the Cat's Meow. Presently I own a 65" Toshiba which fills my room with YouTube pleasures and digital images on Bedroom Television. But now Walmart is touting a 70" VIZIO for about $1,000!
I have gone from Kukla Fran and Ollie and Howdy Doody "TO THE PRESENT MOMENT." The reality is television offers us so many options!
Home from Vietnam in March of 1968 I bought my folks a new Zenith Color TV from Lyman G. (Mac) McKenzie! I recall paying him with a $500 Bill and 2 hundreds. It was a quantum leap for us at 18 South Main. In marriage I bought a portable Zenith Color job with a Remote Control. The next big step came in 1986 when I saw Jimmy Cadman's SONY TRINITRON! I wanted a flat-screen TV and I got one!
We live by the Tube more than ever today. If so, why not shed your Cathode Ray antique television and surge into 2017 in Style!? These VIZIOS are crafted in Mexico and you will need a Whooping Crane and a truck to move it...100lbs, maybe! You will need to be at least 9 feet from the screen and it is worth it!
"You deserve a break today!" HO..Ho..HO
ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN
Chief Blogger-in-Charge
West Brookfield, Massachusetts
November 30, 2016
I have gone from Kukla Fran and Ollie and Howdy Doody "TO THE PRESENT MOMENT." The reality is television offers us so many options!
Home from Vietnam in March of 1968 I bought my folks a new Zenith Color TV from Lyman G. (Mac) McKenzie! I recall paying him with a $500 Bill and 2 hundreds. It was a quantum leap for us at 18 South Main. In marriage I bought a portable Zenith Color job with a Remote Control. The next big step came in 1986 when I saw Jimmy Cadman's SONY TRINITRON! I wanted a flat-screen TV and I got one!
We live by the Tube more than ever today. If so, why not shed your Cathode Ray antique television and surge into 2017 in Style!? These VIZIOS are crafted in Mexico and you will need a Whooping Crane and a truck to move it...100lbs, maybe! You will need to be at least 9 feet from the screen and it is worth it!
"You deserve a break today!" HO..Ho..HO
ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN
Chief Blogger-in-Charge
West Brookfield, Massachusetts
November 30, 2016
ARE YOU TOO SHY TO ASK?
If you have a legitimate reason and "look 'em straight in the eye your wishes may be granted! Man is a curious animal so I say... go for it! Propositions can run from "Will you marry me" to "May I please have your autograph! I have tried both successfully.
In a daring move, twice, I petitioned my teachers to receiving a higher grade, twice. It worked. What could I lose? ASK!
As I see it, all of life is negotiating... give or take...yes or no. Failure in getting your wishes will give you a chance to begin again. "If you quit now, Bobby, don't come back!" Sure you can call me a Hound. So what! Perseverance and determination will get you what you bargained. Behind every "No" lies a "Yes!"
Get some Self-Confidence..plan your attack and GO FOR THE GOLD!
Robert Louis Potvin
Blogger-in-Charge
West Brookfield, MA
In a daring move, twice, I petitioned my teachers to receiving a higher grade, twice. It worked. What could I lose? ASK!
As I see it, all of life is negotiating... give or take...yes or no. Failure in getting your wishes will give you a chance to begin again. "If you quit now, Bobby, don't come back!" Sure you can call me a Hound. So what! Perseverance and determination will get you what you bargained. Behind every "No" lies a "Yes!"
Get some Self-Confidence..plan your attack and GO FOR THE GOLD!
Robert Louis Potvin
Blogger-in-Charge
West Brookfield, MA
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
THE DOC WIGHT I ONCE KNEW
A good story is worth repeating and Clarence W. "DOC" Wight's story is just that!
Dentistry in 1914 was truly primitive. Tuft's Dental School saw this young man travel from Washburn, Maine, to earn a DDS Degree and begin his practice. "Down Maine" might be his middle name s he was truly a Maniac. He was humble and an intellect. In the depth of the Great Depression Doc Wight had to find a new place to practice. He was about age 57.
Somehow he plugged into the North Brookfield Community. The Wight family rented from F.Arthur Fullam on South Main Street. Doc Wight walked to work. His office was in the Adams Block - 2nd floor. The negotiating of the flight of stairs was the warning to impatient patients.Clarence Wight was staid in his mannerisms. He always called me "boy!"
The antiseptic-smelling office hosted two large framed prints of a lion and a tiger. I wonder why? The privacy curtain afforded little privacy to those who waited. The Steeple Clock ticked away as he drilled. No high-speed equipment back then! His mortar and pestle I owned at one point in my life! He's shook mercury into the mix and come up with a wad of silver filling. He would shake it to get rid of the residual quick-silver.
In his back room was an antique Morris Chair. It was here this arm-chair traveler allowed his mind to wander all over the Globe. It was at Benvenuti's Fruit Store Doc Wight would socialize. The Good Doctor enjoyed a 7-20-4 Cigar and maybe a nip.Old Bob Quigley and Clarence Wight were also close friends as was old Matthew Benvenuti.
In the wintertime you would see Doc walking and enduring the NorthEast storms in his mackinaw .. collar up high.
In later years, after 50 years of marriage, the Wight's purchased a home on Elm Street. He dubbed it "BIRCH TREE FARM!" You could tell he was content.
Doc kept an oar in the dental waters past age 90. We were friends 'til the end. He and his wife Mae are buried down at the Walnut Grove Cemetery on Elm street, NB. His memory and stories persist as Doc Wight was the real deal .. a painless dentist. LOL
Dentistry in 1914 was truly primitive. Tuft's Dental School saw this young man travel from Washburn, Maine, to earn a DDS Degree and begin his practice. "Down Maine" might be his middle name s he was truly a Maniac. He was humble and an intellect. In the depth of the Great Depression Doc Wight had to find a new place to practice. He was about age 57.
Somehow he plugged into the North Brookfield Community. The Wight family rented from F.Arthur Fullam on South Main Street. Doc Wight walked to work. His office was in the Adams Block - 2nd floor. The negotiating of the flight of stairs was the warning to impatient patients.Clarence Wight was staid in his mannerisms. He always called me "boy!"
The antiseptic-smelling office hosted two large framed prints of a lion and a tiger. I wonder why? The privacy curtain afforded little privacy to those who waited. The Steeple Clock ticked away as he drilled. No high-speed equipment back then! His mortar and pestle I owned at one point in my life! He's shook mercury into the mix and come up with a wad of silver filling. He would shake it to get rid of the residual quick-silver.
In his back room was an antique Morris Chair. It was here this arm-chair traveler allowed his mind to wander all over the Globe. It was at Benvenuti's Fruit Store Doc Wight would socialize. The Good Doctor enjoyed a 7-20-4 Cigar and maybe a nip.Old Bob Quigley and Clarence Wight were also close friends as was old Matthew Benvenuti.
In the wintertime you would see Doc walking and enduring the NorthEast storms in his mackinaw .. collar up high.
In later years, after 50 years of marriage, the Wight's purchased a home on Elm Street. He dubbed it "BIRCH TREE FARM!" You could tell he was content.
Doc kept an oar in the dental waters past age 90. We were friends 'til the end. He and his wife Mae are buried down at the Walnut Grove Cemetery on Elm street, NB. His memory and stories persist as Doc Wight was the real deal .. a painless dentist. LOL
THE NEW NORTH BROOKFIELD HIGH SCHOOL (1956)
Attending a public school in a new school was special for me. I was a freshman and not too fresh in my new attire of Wranglers. And, yes, I rebelled a bit having been "let go by the Sisters of Saint Joseph.We now had metal lockers and I "lobbied" to get #1. I can still hear the banging of the metal doors.
Our Principal, Martin D. Leach, was my kind of principal. He would snap his hands commanding attention and was a story teller in his Problems of Democracy class.The new PA system allowed him a commanding role as our leader.George Dahlquist taught science and Mr. Sawicki U.S. History. "Home Ec' was new for the girls dn FFA was limited to farmers. I felt left out not being able to take "Shop" as Dad built houses. Instead I took Latin and French. Stanley H. Kuniholm seemed a bit strange.Stanley Porter was Coach until Mr. Leach relieved him of his post. Larry Boyd came in as a professional and used the term Meatball to bring his point home.
Connie Richardson.."Madame" was the best. brilliant in every regard, I got to be Connie's student later in life in my antiques. Connie worked at the OSV Clock Museum. Back then we walked to school. Sister Jan would drive my 1933 Chevrolet to school until I was of age.
Robert Couture was music teacher. I would transport kids from St. Joseph's for music on stage. Stackow and I attempted to play the Tuba and Snare Drums to no avail.I even took violin lessons from Mr. C. All I ememver is EADG!
Eugene Wyman was a character as custodian. He had perfected the vocal sound of a train! Remember? How about Mrs. Muppet? Johnny Ryback named Anne Carey Murphy.. the lady who said to me years later "I never gave out many 'A's.! Emile Boucher seemed to be a pushover compared to Murphy.
The North Brookfield High School of 1956 cost the whopping amount of $600,000! It was the McNulty Farm that gave the Town all of the land for multiple use.
Today, a new school sits where he old one was. The new school gives the appearance of an Academy! Growing up in a small town was fun and to see my grandchildren follow suit rings my chimes. And yes, I was he scorekeeper for Mr. Leach and Mr. Boyd as I could never hit the broad side of a barn door. I did, however obtain civic honors as a Boys State Delegate and the American Legion Good Citizen Award!
So many years have passed.. like 60. Thank God I'm A Country Boy!
Our Principal, Martin D. Leach, was my kind of principal. He would snap his hands commanding attention and was a story teller in his Problems of Democracy class.The new PA system allowed him a commanding role as our leader.George Dahlquist taught science and Mr. Sawicki U.S. History. "Home Ec' was new for the girls dn FFA was limited to farmers. I felt left out not being able to take "Shop" as Dad built houses. Instead I took Latin and French. Stanley H. Kuniholm seemed a bit strange.Stanley Porter was Coach until Mr. Leach relieved him of his post. Larry Boyd came in as a professional and used the term Meatball to bring his point home.
Connie Richardson.."Madame" was the best. brilliant in every regard, I got to be Connie's student later in life in my antiques. Connie worked at the OSV Clock Museum. Back then we walked to school. Sister Jan would drive my 1933 Chevrolet to school until I was of age.
Robert Couture was music teacher. I would transport kids from St. Joseph's for music on stage. Stackow and I attempted to play the Tuba and Snare Drums to no avail.I even took violin lessons from Mr. C. All I ememver is EADG!
Eugene Wyman was a character as custodian. He had perfected the vocal sound of a train! Remember? How about Mrs. Muppet? Johnny Ryback named Anne Carey Murphy.. the lady who said to me years later "I never gave out many 'A's.! Emile Boucher seemed to be a pushover compared to Murphy.
The North Brookfield High School of 1956 cost the whopping amount of $600,000! It was the McNulty Farm that gave the Town all of the land for multiple use.
Today, a new school sits where he old one was. The new school gives the appearance of an Academy! Growing up in a small town was fun and to see my grandchildren follow suit rings my chimes. And yes, I was he scorekeeper for Mr. Leach and Mr. Boyd as I could never hit the broad side of a barn door. I did, however obtain civic honors as a Boys State Delegate and the American Legion Good Citizen Award!
So many years have passed.. like 60. Thank God I'm A Country Boy!
IT IS TIME TO JOIN THE AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY!
For being in our own backyard, the AAS is a "gem of gems." American history abounds in so many ways and today you can entertain the AAS in the confines of your home or office.
"The American Antiquarian Society is funded part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency that supports public programs in the arts, humanities and sciences."
The ambience inside is like a visit to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.State-of-the- Everything affords the "latest and greatest." There is really nothing in existence save for the Smithsonian that equals what we have at hand: Mecca! And all of the librarians are so helpful Lauren, Elizabeth, Andrew and others make me always feel at home... always.
The facilities are spacious; research is in-depth. New books versus priceless documents abound at the AAS.
Tomorrow's plans are for a 3:00 PM visit to recharge my historical batteries! Located on Park Avenue at Salisbury Street, parking is free.. actually everything is free. It is your library!
"The American Antiquarian Society is funded part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency that supports public programs in the arts, humanities and sciences."
The facilities are spacious; research is in-depth. New books versus priceless documents abound at the AAS.
Tomorrow's plans are for a 3:00 PM visit to recharge my historical batteries! Located on Park Avenue at Salisbury Street, parking is free.. actually everything is free. It is your library!
TODAY'S PAGEVIEWS 454 Higher and higher and higher!
Your loyalty and readership spells success for yours truly. Thanks and be sure to pass the word on.
ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN
Chief Blogger-at-Large
The Brookfields
ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN
Chief Blogger-at-Large
The Brookfields
ANTIQUE VIEWSOF NORTH BROOKFIELD
The way it was.. North Brookfield.. my hometown! Courtesy of the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester.
BROOKFIELD, MASS 1903
This is how it was in Brookfield 113 years ago! Photos courtesy of American Antiquarian Society, Theo Wohlbruck, Photographer
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