The youngest president of an American Legion Auxiliary in Massachusetts and probably the youngest Auxiliary president in the entire United States is attractive Hazel M. Wood of 102 Walpole Street, Norwood, who last week was elected president of the Auxiliary to American Legion Post No. 70 of Norwood — an honor accorded her just after she had celebrated her twentieth birthday on May 14.
The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall H. Wood and the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Victor Blasenak with whom she makes her home. Hazel has recently completed her freshman year at the Massachusetts School of Art Although she will not be installed in her new office until October, she was as serious and attentive as any Auxiliary president when she attended the State Convention held last weekend in Swampscott, where she was sent as a delegate from the local post. While attending the sessions at the Ocean House she met Mrs. Ruth Hutton of Minnesota, national president of the American Legion Auxiliary and the head of 12.000 Auxiliary posts. Mrs. Hutton said that while Hazel was among the youngest presidents in the country, if not the youngest, that she had every confidence in her ability.
Mrs. Hutton’s confidence is justified, if long experience in American Legion Auxiliary work, poise, charm and talent are qualifying factors in handling this important position. For Hazel has all of these. In 1936, at the age of eight, Hazel became a member of the American Legion Junior Auxiliary, the first year it was founded in Norwood and the year after her grandmother, Mrs. Blasenak, had been president of the Auxiliary. For the next ten years, Hazel progressed through all the offices of the Juniors until, when she was 18, she became a full-fledged Auxiliary member.
Her first office in the senior group was as sergeant at arms. During this past year, she has served as junior vice president. In addition to this valuable training she thoroughly enjoys every phase of Legion work and shares her enthusiasm with the members of her family, all of whom are active Legionnaires.
But Legion activities are just one phase of Hazel’s active life. She would “rather paint than eat” — and the living room of her home offers ample testimony of a highly talented artist. Hazel has not yet made the choice between commercial art and the teaching of art for which she will train at the Massachusetts School of Art after she completes her sophomore year. Her specialty is children’s portraiture and the majority of the lovely oils and tapestries decorating her home are studies of beautiful youngsters. She has already sold several of these — two portraits of the children of Bernard Killion, a Boston attorney, and a pair of paintings which she exhibited at Memorial Hall during an American Legion Auxiliary apron sale. Among the children of the neighborhood whom she has used as models are Janice Crowley of Walpole Street and little Nancy Saunders, a next-door neighbor. Although she is proficient in the use of all mediums. Hazel prefers painting in oil. She is currently working on a study of her grandmother and has made copies of old photographs taken of Mrs. Blasenak when she was known as Mabel Ferguson to the audience at the Castle Square Theatre in Boston years ago, where she played with Mary Young in such outstanding musical comedies as “Circus Girl.”
In addition to her artistic talent, which she inherits from her father’s family, Hazel has many other interests. She is resuming her childhood study of the piano and finds it highly enjoyable and rewarding. She sings in St. Catherine’s Choir. She likes bowling and she enjoys boating at Willett Pond in her kayak, which she has had for the past three years. She is an ardent horsewoman, and spends a great deal of time riding. Hazel discovered a few days ago that her admiration and like of horses is returned; during her last ride, she stopped at her home to give her horse a pan of water and after sampling some of the front lawn shrubbery the attentive steed followed her up the steps and across the front porch. During the war, Hazel was the youngest of the volunteers manning the Report Center and started off by being confronted with an air raid the first night she was on duty.
This word picture omitted just one thing — the one dislike that Hazel holds, a dislike of spare time. The rest are qualities that insure an outstanding year ahead for Norwood’s Legion Auxiliary, and a promising career for its youthful new president.
By PATRICIA CHISM
(All articles were originally published in the Norwood Messenger unless otherwise noted)
