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October 2007 - Fifty years ago National Life made the decision to stay in Montpelier
– and not move to the Burlington area or out of state. Actually the decision to stay was made
51 years ago, and the groundbreaking ceremony for our new office, the one we occupy today,
was held 50 years ago this month, on October 3, 1957.
Deane Davis was the president of National Life at the time, and the
organizers persuaded Davis to “break ground” not with the usual gold-plated shovel but by
driving a 30-ton bulldozer.
For a week before the ceremony Davis went out secretly to practice
driving the big bulldozer. Then came the ceremony. All of the guests were seated in bleachers
built for the occasion. Davis climbed up into the bulldozer and after making a couple of
passes, he turned the bulldozer directly toward the crowd and started to drive it to the
spot where he was to drop the blade.
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Just about everyone in the bleachers – unaware of his practice and training
– jumped up and ran. As Davis would later write, “Their lack of faith in the bulldozing ability of
the president was altogether too apparent.”
National Life’s decision a half century ago to stay in Montpelier was
a big one, both for National Life and for the city and the region.
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Davis made the announcement on April 30, 1956 that the company would stay.
Nearly 1,000 people, many of whom were home office employees, jammed into the capital’s small
theater on State Street.
The headline in the
Montpelier Evening Argus that day read: “National Life Will Stay.” An editorial in the newspaper that day said: “It was probably the most
momentous decision ever made concerning the city of Montpelier.”
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Davis once again addressed a large
audience, including city officials, associates, and town residents, to announce that National
Life would erect a five-story building on what is now called National Life Drive. “When
completed,” Davis said, “it will be large enough to accommodate more than 1,000 employees
and will stand as a symbol of service to more than a million Americans who are protected
by National Life insurance.”
The move into the building - which was then the largest office building
in northern New England – came July 11, 1960. The dedication on October 11, 1960 featured Dr.
Wernher von Braun, America's foremost rocket expert, as the speaker.
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