Class 2000

Frank S. Beveridge

Frank S. Beveridge Frank Stanley Beveridge was born in Canada in 1879. In 1900 he arrived at Mount Hermon School in Northfield, Massachusetts with only a quarter, a dime and one Canadian dollar bill to his name. Following graduation, he moved to upstate New York, married, and later joined the famous Fuller Brush Company in Hartford, where he became the Director of Sales. Indeed, thanks to Frank Beveridge’s perseverance and business acumen, the Fuller Brush Man became a welcome figure in thousands of homes across the country, part of America’s marketing legends. Taking a cue from the Fuller Brush sales approach, in 1933, Mr. Beveridge founded Stanley Home Products, Inc. in Westfield, which became highly successful and was well known for its quality products, its home presentations and other unique sales initiatives. In 1947, he established the Frank Stanley Beveridge Foundation which funds non-profit ventures, primarily in Hampden and Hampshire Counties. He also created Stanley Park in Westfield, a magnificent 300-acre site which includes formal gardens, a carillon, trails, a sports field, and a nature area, and ensured its perpetual care and maintenance. Mr. Beveridge also financially assisted literally hundreds of organizations, among them his alma mater Mount Hermon, the YMCA, and the SPCA. He was a foe of prejudice, and the City of Westfield’s Protestants, Catholics, and Jews all profited from his generosity. He received honorary degrees from Springfield College, American International College, and Colgate. Over the past 42 years, the Beveridge Foundation has provided more than $42 million in grants and awards, $18 million of that to Stanley Park. Frank Beveridge died in 1956. Few men live to see their dreams become reality. This giant of business did; this amazing entrepreneur did. It is with great pride and honor that we induct Frank S. Beveridge into the first class of the Western Massachusetts Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame.