| APRIL 13, 2012 -- Ira Wilcox was Master of the Connecticut State Grange from 1949 through 1953. In a recent “Do You Remember” we told how he was the State Master approached by the Juvenile Deputies who had the idea to organize a Grange camp which led to our present Camp Berger. We used the 4H Camp in Warren - but how we obtained our own facility is material for a future article.
Brother Wilcox and his wife, Helen, were very active in Grange work with Ira being Master of Tolland Grange at three different times and going on to be Secretary. He served East Central Pomona and was Priest Annalist for the National Grange in the 1950s.
He was born in Coventry, Connecticut and operated a grocery store and gas station in Eagleville for years. At one time he had a contract with Colt Firearms in Hartford to make the handles for the Colt 45 gun.
Along with his brother-in-law, he ran a large insurance business and maintained a thirty-six unit mobile home park and operated school buses in the town of mansfield. He was chairman of the Connecticut Highway User’s Conference and of the School Bus Division of the Motor Transport Association, and served on many town boards.
At the time the Blue Cross and C.M.S. plan was offered to the Grange in Connecticut, he was appointed State Agent, a position he held for many years.
Anyone who has visited the Connecticut Room in the Grange Building at the Big E knows of the famous map of our state which is on one wall. It was a project of State Lecturer Alma Brooks of Winchester Grange. If memory serves correctly, Ira played a big part in that endeavor making the cut out pieces of the Pomona areas. As part of a traveling program every Grange afixed a symbol representing each town to their part of the map. The sections were brought to the State Session, the map assembled as part of the Lecturer’s Program. When it was completed it was very impressive, but what could be done with it? The suggestion was made to take it to the New England Grange Building, where it has been ever since.
Ira was known throughout the State as a hard-working energetic man accomplishing much to help make our Grange what it is!!
Do remember Ira. |
