Vernon W. Evans

Vernon Wynne Evans (January 5, 1895 – 1975) was an American politician and educator from Saugus, Massachusetts who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Superintendent of the Saugus Public Schools, and as a member of the Saugus Board of Selectmen.

Vernon W. Evans
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 13th Essex District
In office 1920–1924
Preceded by	^1
Succeeded by	^2
Saugus, Massachusetts Superintendent of Public Schools
In office 1934–1951
Preceded by	Jesse Lambert
Succeeded by	Jesse J. Morgan
Chairman of the Saugus, Massachusetts Board of Selectmen
In office 1925–1925
Preceded by	Walter Sprague
Succeeded by	C. F. Nelson Pratt
In office 1955–1957
Preceded by	John J. Bucchiere
Succeeded by	David R. Nagle
In office 1959–1965
Preceded by	David R. Nagle
Succeeded by	Norman Hansen
Personal details
Born	January 5, 1895 Saugus, Massachusetts
Died	1975
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Boston University
Occupation	Journalist Politician Educator School Superintendent

Early life

Evans was born on January 5, 1895 in Saugus. He attended Boston University and worked as a journalist before entering politics.[1] He served as a field artillery officer in France during World War I.[1][2]

Massachusetts House of Representatives

From 1920 to 1924, Evans represented the 13th Essex District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.[1] First elected at the age of 21, he was the youngest person ever elected to the Massachusetts General Court.[3] In 1924, he was a candidate for State Senate in the Seventh Middlesex District, but lost in the Republican primary to Charles P. Howard.[4]

In 1925, he was elected to the Saugus Board of Selectmen. During his tenure on the board, Evans and fellow selectman C. F. Nelson Pratt paid out of pocket for repairs to a bridge frequently used by Saugus residents that the town could not pay to fix because it was on private property.[5] He also led an effort to make the Board of Selectmen an unpaid board.[6]

Saugus public schools

Principal

From 1922 to 1930, Evans was submaster of Saugus High School. On August 29, 1930 he was promoted to principal following the departure of Robert R. Webber.[2] As principal, Evans pushed for the overcrowded High School to be expanded.[7]

Superintendent

In 1934, he was appointed School Superintendent.

In October 1935, Evans expelled six Jehovah's Witness students who refused to salute the flag.[8]

In 1937, the Saugus Public School System became embroiled in a controversy after English teacher and dramatic coach Isabelle Hallin was not reappointed by the school committee amid rumors that she had served cocktails to students during a drama club rehearsal at her home.[9] The three members of the School Committee who voted against keeping Hallin insisted that their actions were based on reports from Evans on her abilities as a teacher and not the unproven rumors. Evans publicly recommend giving her tenure, but the school committee refuse to reinstate her.[10][11] Evans would testify in Hallin's slander case against Minnie McDuffee that he had investigated the rumors surrounding Hallin and was unable to substantiate them.[12]

In 1938, he traveled to Amherst, New Hampshire and helped convince Saugus High School graduate and college football star Harrington Gates to leave The Holy Ghost and Us Society, a cult led by Frank Sandford, and return to Dartmouth College.[13]

In 1940, he expelled two more Jehovah's Witnesses for refusing to salute the flag.[14]

Evans retired from the Saugus School System in 1951.

Board of Selectmen

In 1955, Evans was elected to the Saugus Board of Selectmen.[15]

In 1958, the Board selected John B. Kennedy to serve as Town Manager. Evans, who voted for temporary Town Manager Arthur Gustafson instead of Kennedy, chose not to swear him in and Town Clerk Ruth E. Stevens administered the oath instead.[16]

In 1961, the Board voted to ban dancing and other entertainment on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.[17]

On February 20, 1962 the Board of Selectmen voted 3 to 2 to appoint John O. Stinson Town Manager with Evans voting for Clarence Wilkinson.[18] Evans would later become a supporter of Stinson and was the only Selectmen who opposed his firing in 1967, although he was unable to attend the meeting due to illness.[19] Evans would vote to appoint temporary manager Stanley Day to permanently succeed Stinson, however Paul H. Boucher was chosen by a 3 to 2 vote.[20] The Board would unanimously vote to fire Boucher six months later and Clarence Wilkinson was appointed to succeed him on a 3 to 2 vote, with Evans once again supporting him.[21][22]

Personal life

Evans was married to Gladys Wyatt of Prince Edward Island. The couple had one son, Vernon W. Evans, Jr., who would serve as a Florida Circuit Court judge. The two divorced and Evans, Jr. grew up with his mother's family.[23]

On September 16, 1931, Evans married his second wife, Annie M. Emrick, at the Center Congregational Church in Lynn, Massachusetts.[24]

Notes

1.^ The 13th Essex District sent three representatives to the Massachusetts House of Representatives during Evans' tenure. In 1920, Evans and Tony Garofano succeeded Ernest W. Allen and Thomas W. Baxter. The third member, Daniel J. Hayden, was reelected.

2.^ In 1925, Harriet Russell Hart and Fred A. Hutchinson succeeded Evans and Ralph H. Burckes. The third member, Tony Garofano, was reelected.

References

1. Public Officials of Massachusetts 1923-1924.
2. "Evans Appointed Head of Saugus High School". The Boston Daily Globe. August 30, 1930.
3. Wyman, Anne (March 31, 1963). "Saugus Ponders Change". The Boston Globe.
4. Massachusetts Election Statistics 1924.
5. "Saugus Officials Pay for Bridge Repairs". The Boston Daily Globe. December 3, 1925.
6. "Saugus May Have Unpaid Selectmen". The Boston Daily Globe. December 31, 2012.
7. "Saugus School Head Says Building A Disgrace". The Boston Daily Globe. March 25, 1932.
8. "Notices of Expulsion Mailed to 6 Pupils". The Boston Daily Globe. October 25, 1935.
9. "Saugus Teacher Refuses to Tender her Resignation". The Lewiston Daily Sun. July 7, 1937. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
10. "Minister's Wife in Slander Action Denies Ever Knowing Miss Hallin". The Boston Daily Globe. July 24, 1937.
11. "Again Refuse To Reinstate Teacher". The Boston Daily Globe. July 22, 1937.
12. "Miss Hallin on Stand in Slander Case". The Boston Daily Globe. September 15, 1939.
13. "Team-mates' Spirit Hit by Gates". The Boston Daily Globe. November 3, 1938.
14. "Saugus Pupils Expelled for Flag Salute Refusal". The Boston Daily Globe. March 12, 1940.
15. "Saugus Unseats 3 Selectmen in Amazing Upset". The Boston Daily Globe. November 9, 1955.
16. "Kennedy Takes Oath as Saugus Town Manager". The Boston Daily Globe. May 20, 1958.
17. "Saugus Board Bans Dancing on New Year's Eve". The Boston Globe. December 12, 1961.
18. "Saugus Gets 12th Manager In 14 Years". The Boston Globe. February 20, 1962.
19. "Selectmen Fire Town Manager in Budget Row". The Boston Globe. March 8, 1967.
20. "Manager Named In Saugus". Boston Globe. August 1, 1967.
21. Corneau, Roland (February 21, 1968). "Saugus Ousts Town Manager". Boston Globe. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
22. "Saugus". The Boston Globe. October 15, 1968.
23. Buck, Morrison. "Vernon W. Evans, Jr: Tenderhearted sage of Saugus (1919-2001)". University of South Florida Scholar Commons. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
24. "Evans-Emrick". The Boston Daily Globe. September 17, 1931.