 1930 - 2016 (85 years)
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| Name |
Robert Delvey Wetmore |
|
|
| Birth |
24 Jul 1930 |
Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts  [4, 5, 7] |
 Census |
1940 |
Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts [1] |
| Age: 9 |
Address:
111 Maple Street |
- He was recorded while living with his parents.
|
| Military |
27 Mar 1952 (Age 22) [2, 6, 7] |
| He joined the Army. |
| Residence |
1954 (Age 24) |
Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts [9] |
Address:
111 Maple Street |
| Office Held |
1964 to 1976 (Age 34) [7] |
| Massachusetts House of Representatives |
| Office Held |
1976 to 1996 (Age 46) [7] |
| Massachusetts Senate |
| Residence |
2016 (Age 86) |
Barre, Worcester County, Massachusetts [7] |
| Death |
15 Jan 2016 [7] |
| Cause: complications of Parkinson's Syndrome |
| Obituary |
20 Jan 2016 [7] |
- His obituary reads, " BARRE - Former state senator Robert D. Wetmore, 85, of Barre, passed away peacefully on Friday, Jan. 15, 2016, due to complications of Parkinson?s Syndrome.
Bob Wetmore was born in Gardner, the son of Marion (Parmenter) and Elmer Wetmore, graduated from Gardner High School and attended Worcester Jr. College, Clark Evening College and Holy Cross Institute of Industrial Relations. A veteran of the Korean War, he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1964 and ran for the Massachusetts Senate in 1976. Wetmore served as senator for the Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin district through 1996.
While in the House, Bob co-chaired the ?Wetmore/McKinnon Commission? charged with implementing the 1975 Massachusetts Growth Policy Development Act to identify the effects of growth patterns on the quality of life in the Commonwealth. This resulted in local, regional and state-wide land use planning initiatives, including the Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) Program.
A tireless crusader for the environment, Wetmore was named ?Conservator of the Region 2014? by the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust for his role as executor in conserving most of his aunt and uncle Roy and Marjorie Wetmore?s 1,000 acres following their death in the late 1990s, including 330 acres on and around Tully Mountain, as well as for his sponsorship of Article 97. Also known as the Environmental Bill of Rights, the initiative was approved by voters in November 1972 as the 97th Amendment to the State Constitution and became the foundation for a myriad of environmental laws that followed. Wetmore served on the Mount Grace board from 2001 to 2004. In addition, the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC) presented him with the Legislative Advocacy Award. He also served on the Special Commission on Bike Paths which resulted in a network of existing and proposed bike paths and trails throughout the Commonwealth.
While serving in the Senate, Wetmore sponsored the Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) initiative ? first ratified in 1984 ? to Quabbin Reservoir, Ware River, Wachusett Reservoir, and Sudbury Reservoir Watershed communities. He co-chaired the Joint Committee on Commerce and Labor and also served as vice-chairman of the powerful Senate Ways and Means Committee.
A lifelong champion of sportsmen and women, Bob Wetmore received legislator of the year awards from the Massachusetts Sportsmen?s Council, Worcester County League of Sportsmen and the Mahar Fish ?N Game Club. The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) named Quabbin Reservoir Gate 31 the Robert D. Wetmore Fishing Area. He was also influential in the passage of the Wildlands Stamp, which pays for the cost of wildlife habitat, as well as legislation that established the Quabbin Watershed Advisory Committee (QWAC).
Wetmore chaired the committee to study the contribution of women in leadership in the government of the Commonwealth and the gender equity committee on comparable worth in employment and segregation at work based on gender. He sponsored the Displaced Homemakers and the Older Worker Opportunity Program and was responsible for the Massachusetts Whistleblower Protection law and the overhaul of the outdated Workman?s Compensation Law.
Along with sponsoring legislation to fund roads, bridges, schools, a courthouse and other infrastructure projects, Bob Wetmore championed the ?Hear Us? mural at the State House, recognizing women in Massachusetts history, and the Massachusetts Korean War Veterans Memorial in Charlestown.
Wetmore established the Special Commission on Forest Management Practices and sponsored the creation of the Mount Wachusett Community College Forest and Wood Products Institute and served as its chair. The college honored him in 2004 by creating the Robert D. Wetmore Center for Innovation in Design, Technology and Resource Development.
Bob Wetmore was a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Utilities Workers of New England and the Shriners, Springfield. He was awarded the Joseph Warren Medal for his many years of service to the William Sewall Gardner Masonic Lodge. Prior to his 32 years in elected office, he worked as a head lineman for the Massachusetts Electric Company, presiding over the local union.
Bob spent much of his retirement traveling the world and exploring the outdoors. He enjoyed spending time with his family and friends and also focused more on his lifelong hobbies of photography and creative writing. He is survived by his wife, Andrea; his brother Elmer; sons Robert and Asa; and daughter, Susan Fargnoli and her husband, Peter; as well as seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews."
|
| Wikipedia: |
2019 (Age 89) |
| |
| Siblings |
1 Sibling |
| + | 1. Elmer Marshall Wetmore, Jr., b. 3 Mar 1927, Buffalo, Erie County, New York d. 22 Sep 2023 (Age 96 years)
▻ Delores Lore, m. 28 Nov 1953 | | + | 2. Sen. Robert Delvey "Bob" Wetmore, b. 24 Jul 1930, Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts d. 15 Jan 2016 (Age 85 years)
▻ Jean Valley, m. 23 Aug 1957 ; Andrea Flajole; Dorothy Ann "Dottie" Wetmore (nee French) |
|
| Person ID |
I162 |
| Clan of Jonathan, Tribe of Samuel |
| Last Modified |
20 Sep 2020 |
| Father |
Elmer Marshall Wetmore, b. 20 Feb 1907, Warwick, Franklin County, Massachusetts d. 6 Jan 1996, Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts (Age 88 years) |
| Mother |
Marion Ray Parmenter, b. 10 Feb 1901, Orange, Franklin County, Massachusetts d. 18 May 1980, Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts (Age 79 years) |
| Marriage |
5 Oct 1926 |
Winchester, Cheshire County, New Hampshire |
| Age at Marriage |
He : 19 years and 8 months - She : 25 years and 8 months. |
| Family ID |
F83 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family 1 |
Jean Valley |
| Marriage |
23 Aug 1957 |
New Hampshire [4] |
| Age at Marriage |
He : 27 years and 1 month - She : ??. |
| Children |
|
| Family ID |
F117 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified |
20 Sep 2020 |
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| Event Map |
|
 | Birth - 24 Jul 1930 - Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts |
 |
 | Census - 1940 - Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts |
|
 | Residence - 1954 - Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts |
|
 | Marriage - 23 Aug 1957 - New Hampshire |
|
 | Residence - 2016 - Barre, Worcester County, Massachusetts |
|
|
| Pin Legend |
 : Address
 : Location
 : City/Town
 : County/Shire
 : State/Province
 : Country
 : Not Set |
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-
| Sources |
- [S806] 1940 U.S. Federal Census, (Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012).
Year: 1940; Census Place: Gardner, Worcester, Massachusetts; Roll: m-t0627-01649; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 14-123
- [S272] Anonymous , Abstracts of Delvees Serving in World War II, (unknown publishing place: manuscript, 1952).
- [S26] Birth Notice - Asa Charles Wetmore, (Athol, Massachusetts: Athol Daily News, 16 September 1991).
- [S388] Delvee Historian. Delvee Family Records 1887 - 1988, (Warwick, Massachusetts: manuscript, 1988).
- [S825] Massachusetts, U.S., Birth Index, 1860-1970, (Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013).
- [S106] News Article: Quabbin Honor goes to Wetmore , (Worcester, Massachusetts: Worcester Telegram & Gazette, 7 April 1998).
- [S685] Obituary of Robert D. Wetmore, (Athol, Massachusetts: Athol Daily News, 20 January 2016), Primary Source.
- [S1259] Saindon, Mary Ann. email: 2018-08-30 " Proposed Change: Robert Delvey Wetmore (I162), (Email from maryannsaindon (at) gmail.com, 30 August 2018), Primary Source.
- [S846] U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995, (Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011).
Gardner, Massachusetts, City Directory, 1954
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