Looking for a home: one WWI memorial plaque

Honors 36 employees from Central Oil & Gas Stove Co. who served

By Owen Boss

GARDNER — A local resident is restoring a memorial plaque that honored the 36 employees of the former Central Oil & Gas Stove Co. who served in World War I, and hopes that after it is refurbished he will find a permanent display location somewhere in the city. Ludger “Lujay” Robichaud, a longtime Gardner resident, has now begun the daunting task of restoring the nearly 100-year-old plaque, and said he plans to offer it to various institutions in the city. “I think that this plaque is certainly historical and it really belongs in The Gardner Museum,” said Mr. Robicheaud. “I want to make sure this memorial doesn’t end up in a closet somewhere. If the museum isn’t at all interested in putting it on display, maybe some of the veterans organizations in town would want it.” The stove company that created the plaque employed 550 residents at the time of its closing. The company originally moved to Gardner in 1884 under its founder, William Wilder as the American Oil Stove Co., and the factory was located at the lower end of School Street, and sold top of the line stoves complete with revolutionary wickless kerosene burners. In the early 1890s, Florence Stove was taken over by the Central Oil and Gas Co. and its headquarters were moved to Florence. The plaque was first brought to Mr. Robichaud by its owner following an article that was printed in The Gardner News last week about the former stove company. “After he read the article he noticed that it was the same company name that appeared on the plaque,” said Mr. Robichaud. “We are still unsure as to whether or not these were the employees who left to serve in the war or not, but we think that is what it is.” Mr. Robichaud was also selected to renovate the plaque because of his experience restoring damaged or stolen memorials across the city. “The real reason that this individual got in touch with me specifically is because I was involved in the restoration of the Ulysses Cormier memorial on the city’s bike path,” said Mr. Robichaud. “We had a beautiful bronze memorial up there for Ulysses Cormier and someone stole it to sell for scrap, and because I was involved, he thought I might be interested in this plaque.” Mr. Robichaud said he hopes through the printing of this article, more information can be gained about the names on the plaque, and the residents of Gardner who fought so bravely for their country. The inscription across the top of the plaque reads: “To commemorate the names of the men who answered their country’s call to liberty and democracy in the World War.” The names listed on the plaque are: Fred Allen, Arthur C. Billings, Stanley Borkowski, Clifford Bourgeois, Emilien Bourgeois, Melite Bourgeois, Raymond Charbonneau, Alfred Cormier, Alvay Ducharme, James Edens, Raymond L. Faeder, Arthur Giard, Max Goguen, Raymond I. Holt, Alphonse Houde, George L. Kennedy, Cecil Kliskey, Edwin Knight, Fidele A. LeBlanc, Thaddee LeBlanc, Edgar Leger, Percy Lovewell, Donald P. Osterhout, Wilfred Perrault, Arthur Richards, Chester B. Roche, Walter A. Slade, Harold L. Tandy, Harold A. Taylor, Charles Wetherbee, Max Whitestone, Lawrence P. Wilder, Paul Wilder, Oscar H. Wilson, Joseph Woilaik, and Alex Zalutkwicz. oboss@thegardnernews.com

Appeared on Page 1 on 6/11/2008 (Vol. 206 No. 138)