Centennial Committee Drama Over Chronicle Project Ends in Resignation Reversal-October 22, 1971

Ambrose J. Kelly Withstands Resignation After Clash Over Chronicle Materials

The Norwood Centennial Committee narrowly averted a major organizational crisis last night when Ambrose J. Kelly, chairman of the commemorative chronicle subcommittee, submitted a prepared letter of resignation only to withdraw it later in the meeting.

The turbulence stemmed from friction between the committee, publisher Frank Massey of the Transcript Press in Dedham, and subcommittee member Joseph W. Curran. Kelly cited a lack of communication regarding advertising accounts and expressed frustration with interference in his duties. Prior to the resignation announcement, Massey had urged the committee to submit chronicle materials immediately to meet production deadlines ahead of the busy holiday business season. Kelly balked at the timetable, arguing that securing advertiser approval required up to 15 to 20 calls a day and that Massey’s deadlines were jamming the committee.

“I’m so fed up at this point, I’ve lost all interest,” Kelly remarked, initially suggesting turning the entire project over to Massey. Massey countered that changing course midstream was impractical.

However, after other members rallied to his defense—with Theodore A. Curtin calling Kelly “the one man in the group who knows this business” and co-chairman Franklin Swift praising him as “the shining light of the centennial committee”—Kelly reversed course. Collecting his distributed resignation letters, he quipped, “Keep it—use it for a souvenir. I’ll stay.” The committee subsequently voted to grant Kelly final authority over all chronicle advertising materials.

Hiring of Town Historian Dr. Bryant Tolles

Moving forward with other centennial projects, Curtin presented a proposal for a comprehensive 250-page town history. Curtin recommended hiring Dr. Bryant Tolles, a Tufts University dean and Boston University history PhD, praising his “very readable style” and noting he was ready to begin immediately.

Following budget discussions, the committee unanimously voted to hire Dr. Tolles to research and write the town history for $1,200 per month over a six-month period, with an additional $500 for expenses, bringing total estimated production costs to $12,785 for an anticipated print run of 2,000 volumes to sell at $7.50 each. Funding would be drawn from the centennial’s $30,000 municipal appropriation.

Parade Plans and School Building Updates

In other committee and municipal updates:

• Centennial Parade: Parade Chairman Dr. Max Hershman reported that 20 to 30 musical corps were expected to participate in the grand July 4, 1972 parade, with float entries opening up with an April deadline.
• School Building Needs: Finance Commission Chairman George T. Mahoney stated his agency was awaiting definitive articles from the school committee before recommending cost figures for a new junior high school to a special town meeting. The school board also voted to request town meeting approval to acquire a nine-acre parcel adjacent to the Endean Playground as a site for the new school, and sought preliminary architectural plans to convert the burned-out Junior High South into a new home for the Peabody School.
• Chess Honors: Two Norwood High School students excelled in the annual Greater Boston Schoolboy Chess Tournament in Boston, with Gary Hoffman scoring 3.5 out of 4 points to place fourth among 58 competitors in his class, and Gwen Ratte also placing strongly.
• Arthritis Foundation Drive: More than 160 volunteers mobilized for an upcoming local fund drive for the Arthritis Foundation.

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