By Rod Lee

The memory is still fresh for those who were present when the town of Northbridge celebrated its 225th anniversary with a parade in the summer of 1997.

 The late Rosaire J. “Ross” Rajotte served with the famed “Yankee Division” of the Army’s 181st Infantry during World War II and was one of the town of Northbridge’s most dedicated citizens.

The late Rosaire J. “Ross” Rajotte served as grand marshal for the festivities. Wearing a short-sleeved shirt and riding in a convertible with the top down, he waved cheerily to crowds massed along Church St. in downtown Whitinsville. 

A decorated World War II veteran who was wounded in action several times while attached to the Army’s 181st Infantry Division, Mr. Rajotte returned home to become one of the community’s most conspicuous and illustrious citizens.

  He sponsored numerous bills in the Massachusetts State Legislature, wrote hundreds of letters on hot political issues to the editor to local newspapers, attended fifty-five straight town meetings and served on the Northbridge Board of Selectmen for three terms.

 Spaulding R. Aldrich, who compiled a commemorative booklet celebrating Northbridge’s 200th anniversary, “was a friend to many in the Blackstone Valley,” former State Sen. Richard “Dick” Moore has said.

Known by his motto “God is our co-pilot,” Mr. Rajotte died in 2005 at the age of eighty-five. A bridge that spans the Blackstone River in Rockdale is named for him, as is the National Guard Armory in Whitinsville.

Founded in 1772, Northbridge will again pay homage to its past with a 250th anniversary parade and fireworks on Saturday, July 16, according to Selectwoman Alicia Cannon. Ms. Cannon chairs the 250th Anniversary Committee, whose members also include Leonard Smith, Brian Paulhus, Maria Paulhus, David Potty and Anthony Genga.

“We have scheduled a rain date of July 17th,” Ms. Cannon said.

In addition to the parade and fireworks, “we are also working on pulling together a couple of other smaller events,” she said. These are not yet finalized.

Those who would like to donate to the 250th to help the anniversary committee defer expenses are welcome to do so. The committee that can be contacted at [email protected].

Mr. Rajotte and a number of others prominent in the life of Northbridge in 1997 have passed on. These include longtime Town Moderator Harold Gould, Mary Frances Powers of the Northbridge Finance Committee, Selectman Robert Mellor, Fire Chief Cornelius Madigan, Gerald and Barbara Gaudette, and Spaulding Aldrich.

A Korean War-era veteran, Mr. Aldrich served as Northbridge’s town manager and in numerous other capacities including as a member of the School Committee, the Planning Board, the Conservation Commission and Trustee of Soldiers Memorials. In observance of the town’s 200th anniversary, he edited a “Bicentennial Commemorative Journal/1772-1992” that contained historical information and pictures about the town.

The “Spaulding R. Aldrich Memorial Creation Area” at Plummer’s Landing, off Church St. Extension, is named for Mr. Aldrich, who died in May of 2009 at the age of seventy-seven.

Contact Rod Lee at [email protected] or 774-232-2999.