Profile: A. Franklin Swift Jr. Orchestrates Over 100 Events for Norwood’s Centennial Celebration-October 28, 1972

Centennial Committee Chairman A. Franklin Swift Jr. Logs Full Days for Town’s 100th Anniversary

As Norwood’s ambitious 100th-anniversary celebration draws to a close, local residents and town leaders could easily subtitle the year “The Year of Swift.” Profiled by Patriot Ledger staff reporter Douglas Curran, Centennial Committee Chairman A. Franklin Swift Jr.—who retired from his family laundry business nearly two years prior—consistently logged full eight-hour days throughout 1972 to organize and administer over 100 distinct events for the milestone fete.

While neighboring communities restricted their centennial festivities to a single weekend, Norwood undertook an extensive, complex slate of activities. Swift credited the success of the year to the cooperative efforts of more than 500 volunteers, noting that working alongside them made the grueling schedule deeply rewarding.

Though he admitted looking forward to the end of the hectic anniversary year, Swift expressed immense pride in Norwood’s precedent-setting celebration. Captured in the lobby of Town Hall alongside a display highlighting the town seal (in a photograph by Kenneth F. McLean), Swift reflected on a lifetime of civic dedication to his adopted hometown.

A Lifelong Record of Municipal Service and Business Roots in Norwood

Long hours on behalf of the town were nothing new to the 63-year-old Swift, who held a myriad of municipal offices after moving to Norwood in 1926. His extensive resume of public service includes:

• A four-year stint on the Board of Selectmen (1952–1956)
• Serving as Registrar of Voters
• Memberships on the Airport Commission and Capital Outlay Committee
• Acting as Civil Defense Director and serving on the commission to promote local business

Swift explained his municipal zeal simply: he had no major outside interests other than his house on a Cape Cod island, which he sorely missed during his busy centennial schedule.

Originally a native of Bourne—where he grew up with his parents and two teacher sisters—Swift arrived in Norwood in 1926 and quickly made friends with Chamber of Commerce member Lottis Orent, whose family clothing store operated as Norwood’s oldest retail business under continuous management. Swift joined his father in running Swift’s Laundry, originally established in 1926. Though he joked that he entered the business only because his father started it and that “it wasn’t tremendously successful,” Swift successfully built the firm into the largest laundry business in town, proudly noting, “44 years in business speaks for itself.”

Political Rivalries, Town Government Philosophy, and Centennial Reflections

Swift’s personal life also intersected with local politics through his marriage to Clara A. Riley, which sparked a friendly political rivalry with her brother, former selectman and Massachusetts Registrar of Motor Vehicles Clement A. Riley. During the 1950s, Swift served as Republican Town Committee chairman while his brother-in-law led the Democratic Town Committee, frequently finding themselves on opposing sides of town issues—including a memorable period when both men were summoned for jury duty simultaneously.

Reflecting on his four years as a selectman, Swift considered it the most satisfying political job he held because it offered direct involvement in municipal administration. However, he stepped down “rather than being kicked out” to escape the endless drain of answering petty complaints from residents. From his extensive experience in public office, Swift developed a strong philosophy valuing political controversy and aggressiveness: “If you’re not aggressive, you’re dead. If you don’t accept new ideas, you’re just moving backwards.” He argued that vigorous debate in government prevents corruption and helps citizens understand critical issues.

Throughout the centennial year, Swift discovered new facets of the community he had called home for 44 years. Visitors constantly praised the “sparkling cleanliness” of Norwood—contrasting with residents’ usual complaints of minor litter—and marveled at the town’s architectural heritage, including the Gothic Town Hall tower, which was uniquely designed in 1926 to house the Belgian carillon bells. Most notably, Swift helped organize a youth training initiative that enlisted 17 high school students to learn how to play the historic carillon.

While he expressed regret over minor missteps—such as a family picnic that lost $1,000 due to loose planning—Swift celebrated major highlights, including the opening birthday banquet, the beauty pageant, and the international ball. As the centennial year concludes, Swift eagerly anticipates the publication of Norwood’s official history book authored by Dr. Bryant F. Tolles and the final dedication of a centennial boulder on the Town Common.

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