First, we’ll have to thank Wes Tremere for his memorable photography in this Dennison brochure of 1943. Here’s Wes behind the camera.
And here are a few more of his subjects, the Dennison Girls.
There’s Audrey McConnon on the shore of Lake Waushakum. 
Next, we have Mary Joyce, from Sherborn. 
And finally, there’s Ursula Grimes of the advertising department.
Looks like someone sent back a souvenir.
Here are a few more pinup girls of the Dennison in Framingham from a World War II magazine sent to the boys in the War.
Ada Sheehan from Department 3 .
Next in a classic pose, is Helen Kittredge from the Correspondence Department posed on the lawn of the Framingham Country Club.
And finally, a favorite Saxonville girl who posed twice for this, and this time in a hayloft at the Twin Maple Farms, Jane Suprena, Sales Service, and as it says, this is “Not taken at the New Warehouse” (wink)
I’m sure the GI’s were looking forward to VJ Day and a return to working in the factory.
A Framingham legend passed away today, and here’s a reprint of the short article I wrote about him last winter.
Pictured here as an usher in 1951, standing proudly at the ticket chopper inside the St. George Theatre downtown, John Berry probably didn’t expect that a few years later, he would become the Manager. John would take over the theatre from Jim Collins, eventually seeing the St. George close in 1967. From there he became the Manager of the Natick Drive In, and eventually the Cinema in Shoppers World in 1983, until he retired in 1994.
Those were the years when movie theatres were a gathering spot for hundreds of people every weekend. Ushers wore military style uniforms, and were proud to be working what lots of kids thought were the best jobs in town. Where else could you get free movies, popcorn, and girlfriends too?
Back then, people went to the movies every single week. And there were ushers showing you to your seat, patrolling the aisles, and generally making sure the audience behaved. They even guarded the exit doors, from kids sneaking in.
Downtown Framingham was an exciting destination, with three theatres, and lots of department stores. Most of what it once was, is just a memory, and as the years go by, fewer remember how glamorous it all was back then.
Browsing through some things I’ve saved through the years, I came across this photo from an article in the Middlesex News.
As you can see, there was a Sears store where the Store 24 is now. It was called the Smith Building, and burnt down in 1966. From the age of the cars in the photo, I’d date this view to the early 1950s. Thanks to the Framingham Historical Society, which let the newspaper reprint the view.
Mike Moran was tossed out of downtown Natick like a used dishrag. There were political forces at play there. But he’s coming back strong, as this article explains: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/11/22/is_amazing_downtown_next/
Best wishes for success.
The Hollis Theatre building is still there, without it’s marquee out front. Imagine if it were restored to original? Here’s how it might look at night. 
Here’s a photo of the 20th Century Limited going westbound through Framingham probably in the early 1900’s. It looks to me as though this shot was taken from the Fountain St. bridge, as I can see Farm Pond on the left side. What do the readers think?
I was lucky to find this postcard recently, showing the Dennison building in 1913. It’s a real photo, so the detail is just amazing. This view has been adjusted to improve contrast because the original was a bit faded.
Looking north on Concord St. downtown in the early 1900’s you can see the Kendall Hotel on the right.
It doesn’t look as though the Princess Theatre was built yet.
It looks like a lot of people gathering near the common on the left, probably
after church.
In 1954, the Dairy Queen opened on Union Avenue in Framingham, just across the street from the Plymouth dealership, which is now the Senior Center. It was a great place to go to on a summer evening after supper. 
