Memorial Service for Franklin Chamberlain Wells, Jr. (1969)

An audio recording of F. C. Wells' memorial service was made after his death on December 1, 1969. I found a reel-to-reel tape of it in a box labeled "Mrs. Howard Hopkins" that was in my mother, Penny Butler's effects. I had no idea what was on the tape until I digitized it in September 2016.

It's quite possible that tape wasn't played for 47 years

The memorial service was held at the Central Presbyterian Church (pictured above), Park St. at Claremont Ave., Montclair, NJ, December 6, 1969, at 3:00. A full transcript is available.

The Order of Service (see program above) was:

  1. Prelude
  2. Early Days: Cleveland S. White, FCW's brother-in-law
  3. Sociological Interests: Willard L. Kauth, Direator Boys Athletia League, N.Y.C.; a social worker at Union Settlement
  4. Architectural Practice: Arthur C. Holden, A I A; FCW's friend and a well-known NYC architect. He hired FCW and turned him into an architect.
  5. Prince ton Life: Hans A. Widenmann, Princeton 1918
  6. Painting and Scene Design: E. Woodward Allen, Past President Montclair Art Museum
  7. Overseas Neighbors: Prof. James P. Pettegrove; describes FCW's activities in Graz, Austria, and for the Montclair Cosmopolitan Club.
  8. Christmas Card Quotations: Dr. Howard M. Wells; FCW's younger brother (from Cleveland, OH).
  9. Prayer and Benediction: Dr. Roger A. Huber
  10. Postlude
  11. Followed by the ringing of the belts.

Click to hear an MP3 of the 50-minute recording.