Class 2000
 
Rita M. Tremble
Rita M. Tremble began Valley Communications Systems, Inc. (then known as Valley Cinema, Inc) in 1945 as a motion picture company. Early activities included the distribution of War Bond movies to the public. Her husband, Edward C. Tremble, working as a projectionist, received a Presidential Citation for his efforts. Rita soon moved into the projection and camera supply and service businesses, eventually expanding to a full scale audio-visual company covering all of New England. Today, Valley Communications occupies a 40,000 square foot facility in Chicopee.
Early in life, at age seven, Rita made the family’s first radio using an oatmeal box, copper wire and mica as the crystals. After high school, she took several courses in electricity, and participated in the first demonstration of a television set at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City. In the mid-1970s, Valley Communications began engineering large scale sound and intercom systems. Also in the 70s, Mrs. Tremble established herself as a true visionary and risk taker by entering the telephone business and “taking on†AT & T (“Ma Bell.â€) It was not a challenge for the faint of heart. Today there are over 1000 telephone companies; in the 1970s there was only one, Ma Bell, and soon, Rita Tremble. She encountered fierce competition, even to the extent of mysterious accidents happening to Valley’s equipment. And the telephone giant was always bringing little Valley Communications into court. But Rita Tremble survived â€" and prospered.
Today, Valley is nationally recognized as one of the largest telephone interconnects in the industry, and at age 84, Rita is still involved in the company. This outstanding woman, mother of ten, has also given generously of her time and efforts to a wide selection of community volunteer activities, trade groups and political committees. She was the first woman elected to the Hampden County Commission. For these and many, many other accomplishments, Rita Tremble has been selected for the first class to be inducted into the Western Massachusetts Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame