Two of Norwood’s most respected civic leaders, Alfred N. “Alec” Ambrose and James E. “Jim” Pendergast, were honored last evening at a farewell dinner hosted by prominent town officials and business leaders at the Harvard Club of Boston.
Ambrose, longtime Globe correspondent and member of the Norwood Town Planning Board, and Pendergast, Norwood’s town clerk and accountant, were praised for their years of dedicated service. The dinner served as a send‑off before the pair departed for a long‑planned vacation in Atlantic City.
Francis J. Foley acted as toastmaster, introducing a series of speeches that blended humor and heartfelt appreciation. Speakers included William T. Whedon, T. B. Mulvehill, Postmaster Joseph F. McManus, Brainard A. Press, Selectman H. B. Rice, Walter F. Tilton, Judge James A. Halloran, John E. Folan, James A. Hartshorne, Harold W. Baker, and Fred Ellis, who read letters of regret from State Senate President Frank G. Allen and others.
Both Ambrose and Pendergast responded with gratitude, promising to return to their civic duties with renewed energy after their time away.
The guest list included a wide array of Norwood’s civic and business leadership, such as Carl Ambrose, Herbert Brady, George K. Bird, P. F. Brennan, G. H. Briggs, James H. Butler, J. E. Gonley, R. E. Costello, Henry Crosby, John P. Crowley, John P. Curran, Dr. J. P. Donovan, F. M. Douglass, Eugene Endicott, T. E. Gavin, H. W. Day, Stephen R. Googins, John Gillooly, William P. Hammersley, Thomas H. Hayden, James G. Hurney, Chief William C. Kendelan, P. J. Lydon, H. H. Miller, James H. Murphy, Dr. James J. Mulvahill, W. P. Nickerson, Richard Northrop, George H. O’Brien, John A. Parker, Herbert M. Hampton, Charles J. Rich, John Shannon, George A. Smith, Charles P. Stone, Joseph W. Sullivan, Frank W. Talbot, William G. Vnham, and R. Russell Williamson.
The evening reflected Norwood’s deep appreciation for two men whose work helped shape the town’s civic identity.
Source: Boston Globe, April 13, 1924
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