He’s Electrifying!
By James Van Bever
Shortly after Norman E. Day’s death on October 29, 1979, Westford Selectmen Chair, Jack Flavell, stated that “Norman E. Day did a lot for the town”. Selectman Flavell’s tribute to Norman may have been short, but it best summed up the life of this Westford resident who contributed so much to the town. For a good portion of his adult life, Day was always on a committee or board that tried to benefit the town of Westford.
Norman Edward Day was born in Westford on June 8, 1908, he was the son of Arthur Edward Day and Margaret Louisa Gunter. Norman attended Westford Academy and would later receive a degree from the Wentworth Institute in Boston. In later years, he would become an instructor at that institution. Norman lived in the town of Westford for his entire life, and for over 40 years would own and operate Norman E. Day Inc. Electrical Contractors on Main Street.
Mr. Day’s public service to the town began in 1955 when he was elected to the Westford School Committee, a position he held for six years, three as chairman. He then put his training as an electrician to work and became the town’s first wire inspector, a position he held from 1958 to 1965. Norman would also serve on the Regional School Planning Committee, Nashoba Technical High School Planning Committee, a special police officer, and as a member of the Westford Academy Trustees.
As an original member and one of the founders of the Westford Business Association, Norman helped raise funds for such projects as purchasing a color television for the elderly housing project that was under construction on Tadmuck Road. Day and the Association also provided trucks and personnel to move 1.500 yards of loam from the Town Farm to the new (Patten Road) Westford Academy site without cost to the town.
Yet, despite these important contributions to the Town of Westford, Norman’s most significant contribution to the town may have been his work on the House Numbering Committee. In 1961, Day became one of the original members of the committee along with John W. Loney, Walter Nyder and Wallace MacQuarrie. Prior to the formation of the House Numbering Committee, houses in town did not have numbers. Incredibly, there were small roads and streets in Westford that did not even have names. Thus, it made it difficult to find houses when people did not know what street they lived on.
Norman and the committee identified a long list of problems they encountered when numbering the homes in Westford. In addition to the streets and small roads that did not have names, there were several streets that had duplicate names such as Main Street in Graniteville and Main Street in Westford Center. To address this problem, Main Street in Graniteville became North Main Street. Another important change was renaming Rte. 110 to Littleton Road.
In 1976, Westford historian and lifetime resident Gordon B. Seavey gave great credit to Norman for his work on the House Numbering Committee. Seavey stated that:
“When Westford had about 3,000 people, everyone just about knew everyone else, and people found no difficulty in
locating residences. Now with a population nearing 14,000 and 250 streets crisscrossing all over the map, it is good to have street signs and the houses numbered. Great credit for this clarification must go to Norman E. Day who has worked on this project for many months.”
In May 1979, just five months prior to his death, Norman was named Kiwanis “Person of the Year” for his service to the town of Westford. Norman E. Day was “one of a very few members of the Kiwanis to receive the Honor of Life Membership. As part of the honor, he was also chosen by the Kiwanis to serve as the grand Marshall for the annual Apple Blossom Parade.
Shortly after Norman’s death, a committee led by Eileen Anderson proposed that the North Middle School be renamed the Norman E. Day School in honor of Mr. Day. The Westford School Committee and the Board of Selectman had both endorsed this proposal and on May 10, 1980 Westford Town Meeting voted unanimously that the North Middle School be renamed the Norman E. Day School.
Norman Edward Day is buried at the Fairview Cemetery in Westford.
Sources:
Oliphant, Robert W, “The Westford Gazetteer: A history of Westford,
“Westford history marked by doeers”, Lowell Sun, July 29, 1973, C 4.
“Norman E. Day, Lowell Sun, October 29, 1979.
“Norman E. Day Named Kiwanis Person of the Year”, Westford Eagle, May 17, 1970.
“Selectman Notes”, Westford Eagle, May 28, 1970, p. 2.
“Westord Wandering”, by Gordon B. Seavey, Westford Eagle, November 11, 1976, p. 2.
“Town mourns loss of Norman Day”, Westford Eagle, November 1, 1979, p. 1.
“Renaming of North Middle Proposal”. Westford Eagle, December 6,1979.