8,000 Turn Out for 3-Day Centennial Exposition at Norwood Armory Highlighting Town’s Industrial Progress-October 9, 1972

In a magnificent three-day display of centennial pride that concluded Saturday night, an estimated 8,000 citizens turned out at the Norwood Armory for the town’s sprawling centennial exposition.

Neither a special town meeting scheduled on Thursday (opening night) nor Saturday’s wet weather could deter the steady, enthusiastic stream of spectators who packed the hall to celebrate Norwood’s rich industrial and civic progress.

Presented by the Lions Club in conjunction with the Town Centennial Committee, the exhibition featured roughly 80 booths representing everything from mammoth industrial corporations to small local merchants and civic organizations.

Expo Chairman Frederick R. Valentine, a past president of the Lions Club, noted that while his organization had sponsored three similar shows in the past, he unhesitatingly termed this one “unquestionably the finest.” Valentine estimated that approximately $4,000 worth of merchandise and prizes were awarded throughout the event by the Lions Club, the centennial committee, and participating exhibitors.

Anticipation was evident early; prior to Saturday’s 1:00 p.m. opening, about 50 residents had already formed a line outside the armory doors. Once inside, visitors immersed themselves in exhibits displaying everything from brand-new 1973 model automobiles to professional hockey sticks, walking away with arms full of informative pamphlets and commemorative souvenirs.

Showcasing Norwood’s Industrial Might

Major local industries and manufacturing leaders put their best foot forward with high-tech and historical displays:

• Masoneilan International: Visitors queued up to ponder two complicated animated slides as Frederick A. Bryant answered the recurring question, “What’s a Masoneilan?” Fact sheets highlighted the firm’s sprawling Norwood plant, which at the time employed 900 workers and projected that figure to climb to 1,600 by the end of 1973. The company, founded in 1882, traced a proud history of manufacturing everything from regulators for the vintage Stanley Streamer to critical control valves for the Apollo space program.
• Northrop Corp.: Celebrating Norwood’s centennial, the aerospace firm used its booth to recruit workers for its Morse Street facility, proudly noting that its precision products department played a vital role in the guidance technology that helped land American astronauts on the moon.
• Raytheon Corp.: Exhibited advanced computers and communications technology. Art Vanderspek highlighted the reliability of a displayed radio transmission system, noting that only one ten-millionth of transmitted information ever encountered an error—prompting one spectator to wonder aloud about the corresponding error ratio for human communication. Raytheon’s local operations employed roughly 400 area residents.
• Factory Mutual: Staffed by June Barrier, the booth distributed pamphlets explaining the function of the Route 1 complex—a powerful federation of four of the world’s largest mutual property insurance companies underwrite more than $200 billion in annual insurance. The Norwood location also housed the firm’s central engineering and research division.
• Norfolk County Trust Company: Branch manager Frank Horgan and teller Mary Curran stayed exceptionally busy handing out live philodendron plants to passing visitors.
• Bird & Son Inc.: Displayed its durable roofing and flooring products, highlighting a corporate heritage in the Norwood-Walpole area dating all the way back to 1795.
• Norwood Hospital: Detailed its remarkable local medical history, tracing its evolution from humble origins in a private residence in 1919 to major modern expansions, including the 1962 east wing and 1969 maximum care unit. An architectural model also previewed the planned multi-million-dollar Walwood Medical Center.

A Sports-Minded Town

Norwood’s reputation as a fiercely sports-minded community was heavily on display through numerous local athletic outfitters and exhibits:

• All-Pro Sports Shop (Dedham): Featured the familiar face of Orlando Scafati, who had just concluded his duties as athletic director at Norwood High School. Spectators were treated to the amusing sight of Stan Berson pedaling a bicycle at the booth while wired up to an electrocardiogram machine, accompanied by exercise slides promoting physical fitness. Attention-grabbing memorabilia included a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform belonging to native son Richie Hebner.
• Ortons Sporting Goods: Dick Kinder embraced the changing seasons, remarking, “Our shop sold 40 pairs of skates on Friday.”
• Ernie Higgins: A local resident who showcased professional-grade hockey helmets and face masks designed specifically for hockey stars.
• Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical School: Placement counselor Joan Godfrey reported that most visitors passing by the booth enthusiastically favored the school’s expansion plans. This included support for Norwood’s share of construction costs—an item slated to come before town meeting. Staff also demonstrated blood typing on volunteers (who were heavily outnumbered by curious onlookers).

Additional booths were staffed by prominent local civic groups, including the Jaycees, the 747 Club, and military recruiting stations for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and National Guard. Army Sgt. Donna Turner noted with amusement that most interested young inquirers were still “too young to sign up.”

Major Prize Winners

The expo’s grand prize drawings generated immense excitement. Among the lucky winners taking home major prizes provided by the Lions Club and Centennial Committee were:

• Mrs. Clara Barry: Won a brand-new 10-speed bicycle.
• Martin Folan: Won a complete stereo system.
• Michele Thomas: Awarded a $100 gift certificate.
• Frank Gilbert and Joseph Abgrab: Won introductory flight lessons courtesy of Wiggins Airways.
• John Pourboix and Chris Leone: Awarded scenic flights by Wiggins Airways for being enthusiastic young aviation fans.

As visitors tried out giant-size Polaroid sunglasses at the Polaroid booth, got their blood typed by attending nurses, or watched local youngsters ask Poirier’s Service Corp. if they could sign up multiple times to win a television set, the centennial exposition proved to be an unforgettable milestone in Norwood’s history.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger