[Dolby--home movies] Reels 2,5,6

Date1939

Can DescriptionsNHF viewing notes: Reel 2: [Logging on Saco River] Pile of logs, caterpillar tractor. Men push logs into stream. Horse twitches log. Man takes still photo of log ends. [In Lawrence Dolby's audio annotation he relates that Virgil Burnham and Joseph Deering appear. Donor narration 1995 on VHS copy of the 16 mm. films.] Car, town and dog, poor exposures. Wedding party outdoors, blue stock. Woman plays baseball, men in rowboat, other recreation. Pan of waterfront, large dismasted ship. Reel 5: (Poor exposures, scratched, shrunken, torn perfs) Haying, people in rowboat probably seine fishing. Horse by boat. Horse and colt. Man and woman wrestle. Family scenes outside house. People in jalopy drive in field. Sign at farm, 'Mack's Evergreens.' Very nice views of salt water farm; starts with person carrying a large fish on a bicycle. Also two people, each carrying a large fish (salmon?). Reel 6: Views of downtown. Parade (breaks, perf damage, blue.) Woman at house, man emerges, child. Firefighters, City of Saco fire engine, child in snow. Car radiator boils over. Lots of people skating outdoors. Hand-lettered title: 'Thanksgiving 1939. Photographed in Biddeford by Dolby's Camera Shop. Why don't you have your own movies at next years's football games?' Football, cheerleaders. Elderly people around table. Shoveling snow. Snowplow. Beach. More parade.

OtherLawrence Towne Dolby, 92 OBITUARY, Sun Chronicle, Friday, July 28, 2006 Lawrence Towne Dolby, a longtime resident of Saco, passed away on July 18, 2006. He was born in Saco on Nov. 14, 1913, a son of Byron and Mabel (Towne) Dolby. He attended Saco schools, and was a 1933 graduate of Thornton Academy. He married Esther Smith on June 10, 1942. Mr. Dolby spent the first ten years of his career working on real estate maintenance, including carpentry, masonry, electrical wiring and painting. He founded the Dolby Camera Shop, which he operated for several years in Biddeford. He also worked as a photographer for the Biddeford Daily Journal, and the Saco Lowell Shops. In 1943, he was hired as a fire inspector for the State of Maine Department of Insurance. He worked for the State of Maine for 40 years, retiring from the State Fire Marshal's Office in 1983. From the first fire scene he investigated in Old Orchard Beach, in 1943, to the last fire scene in Kittery in 1983, Mr. Dolby inspected tens of thousands of fires for the State of Maine. He believed his greatest professional accomplishment was the development and implementation of the first radio communication for the Saco police and fire departments. Mr. Dolby was a lifelong member of the United Baptist Church in Saco, where he served as a Sunday school teacher, Moderator, Trustee and Deacon. He also served two terms as Mayor of Saco, and two terms as an Alderman in Saco. He belonged to the Fire Investigators of York County, which he was instrumental in founding and the Saco Veteran Fireman's Association. He also served as a member of the Civil Air Patrol during World War II. He participated in Roy Fairfield's Writer Group in Saco for several years. He was also a ham radio operator for many years. During retirement in 1983, Lawrence and his wife Esther purchased a condominium in St. Petersburg, Fla., where they enjoyed many winters. They made many new friends in Florida, and also enjoyed visits from family members. They especially enjoyed bringing visiting family to Disney World and Busch Gardens. Mr. Dolby continued consulting in the fire science and investigation field for ten years following his retirement. In 1997, he published a book, The Language of Fire. He also spent several years documenting the history of Saco through written stories and videotaped interviews. Mr. Dolby was predeceased by his parents; a brother Byron F. Dolby; and a son-in-law Bruce C. Taylor. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Esther of the Monarch Center of Saco; two sons, Lawrence S. Dolby and his wife Sandra of Saco; and Richard A. Dolby and his wife Billiann of Hallowell; two daughters , Sandra Dolby Taylor and her companion Gerald Riddle of Saco; and Hannah Dolby Whittaker and her husband Paul of Fishers, Ind.; ten grandchildren: Amy Taylor Whitaker, (cq); ) Hannah Taylor Conklin; Christina Dolby O'Brien; Christine Whittaker Kurucz; Sara Whittaker Robinson; Paige Whittaker Meltzer; Joshua Dolby; Paul Whittaker Jr.; Andrew Dolby and Molly Dolby; seven great-grandchildren: Shelby; Matthew; Courtney; Chase; Christopher; Sarah; and Alexander; a sister Doris Dolby Fluent of Greenville, S.C.; and many nephews and nieces.

Anecdotal Comments & ReflectionsRegarding Saco logging footage, "... Joseph G. [Deering] was born September 13, 1894, in Saco. After graduating from Yale in 1917, he returned in the early 1920’s to join the business and began a long, successful career in business and community affairs. The business prospered and included the annual river log drive; one of the finest sawmills in New England; and finished lumber of all grades & sizes to Maine customers as well as to wholesalers throughout the Northeast. Additional building materials were added to serve local contractors: doors, windows, roofing, hardware, etc. The close succession of three major events: the 1938 hurricane, World War II, and the Forest Fires of 1947, forced the discontinuance of sawmilling on Spring’s Island. The last Saco River log drive to the Biddeford sawmill took place in 1943. The last log was sawn on the island in 1948." http://deeringlumber.com/history/