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- New Haven Register, Connecticut
May 6, 1994
Harry Bassett
Bassett remembered as a businessman, friend
Representatives of a wide variety of Valley area organizations recalled businessman Harry Bassett Thursday as a community leader with a personal touch, whether it be in advocating Junior Achievement or in keeping his product's price reasonable.
Bassett died Tuesday at age 84.
He was chairman of the board at the W.E. Bassett Company and founder, charter member of the Board of Directors of the Valley Chamber of Commerce, from whom he once received the group's Gold Seal Award.
Ed Strang, a veteran Scout leader in the Valley and a childhood friend of Bassett's, recalled him as a star basketball player at Derby High School as well as a supporter of Scouting in the Valley. Strang said just last year Bassett pitched in with funding to help refurbish a shower house at the Strang Scout Reservation in Goshen, which served Scouts from the Valley area.
"Harry was a nice guy to know, always willing to help," said Strang. "He had a very pleasing personality - the type that nobody would get mad at."
Strang noted that Bassett was also an avid supporter of Junior Achievement in the area, helping to raise funds for the program for many years. That organization once named him Man of the Year.
Romolo Tedeshi, the first president of the Valley Chamber of Commerce, said Bassett stood out from other businessmen in the personal approach he took with employees. "He was president of the W.E. Bassett Company, but he was always out there in the workplace talking with the people making these implements," Tedeshi said. "He knew almost everybody in the plant by name."
The W.E. Bassett Company with plants in Shelton and Derby is the largest United States producer of metal nail clippers. The company was founded in 1937 in Derby. In 1947, the W.E. Bassett Company began producing the TRIM line of manicure implements and was the first company in the world to bubble-pack nail clippers so they could be sold in supermarkets and drug stores, opening the gates for added exposure and sales. In 1937, the Derby plant was bought by a New Hampshire company, but Bassett stayed on as president.
Bassett was also a trustee for Griffin Hospital and at one time was chairman of the hospital's building and grounds committee, and Bill Powanda, vice president of support services at Griffin Hospital.
"He was the quintessential industrialist, community leader and corporate citizen, concerned and commited to making life better for his employees and the community," Powanda said.
Valley United Way Executive Director Jack Walsh said Bassett also gave much of his time to the United Way, serving as a corporator and "very active campaigner" for the agency's annual campaign.
Bassett was a 1939 graduate of Derby High School and a graduate of the Pratt Institute School of Architecture in 1933.
A memorial service is planned Sunday at the South Britain Congregational Church.
Dictated by Henry (Harry) Bassett
February 19, 1986
The W.E. Bassett Company Manicure Implements
The W.E. Bassett Company is an excellent example of what can be accomplished in our country by imagination, dreams and ambition. My brother, William, age 25, was ambitious and he had a dream of going into business for himself where he could be his own boss and take the chance of succeeding or failing. He attempted this under the most wonderful system that has ever existed in this world; the Free Enterprise system that we have in the United States.
Having started in a small wooden structure on Francis Street in Derby, Connecticut as a contract machine shop in 1939, he later progessed to rubber heel washers for the largest rubber heel manufacturer in the world, known as "Catspaw" Rubber Heels. During World War II the company manufactured various small munition parts as a sub-contractor. Shortly after the war, he took a step that developed into the present successful Manicure manufacturing business. He developed a fingernail clipper, the likes of which had never been known. The design and manufacturing methods were new, but most importantly, this clipper was of an exceptional quality, and as such the "TRIM" Nail Clipper captured a worldwide market.
In 1952 the company moved into a new plant on Roosevelt Drive in Derby, Connecticut. During the next twenty years, there were five plant expansions totaling 40M square feet. In 1978 a new plant was built in Shelton, Connecticut, totaling 40M square feet.
For many years we had one Manicure item, mainly a TRIM Fingernail Clipper. This one item has been added to many times so that today there are more than sixteen items and all are packaged in different ways and sold throughout the United States and many of the free countries of the world.
My brother, William, had the ability to gather people around him that were capable and who loved to work. It was possible to build a quality TRIM Nail Clipper because the most modern methods were used and the most dedicated people worked at the Bassett Company. That Fingernail Clipper sold for 25 cents from the year 1947 to the year 1970. Although our methods improved constantly, inflation out-distanced our modern machinery so that today that Trim Fingernail Clipper sells for 80 cents.
As mentioned before, the Trim Nail Clipper was the best nail clipper that was manufactured any place in the world, at a price that people could afford. Today we do have much competition, both domestic and foreign, however, it is safe to say that the TRIM Nail Clipper is the leader in its field. We have not sacrificed our quality. We know this because we receive many unsolicited letters praising our constant attention to the quality of our products.
The second generation is now operating the company and many of our people in the plant are second generation. Henry W. Bassett, Chairman of the Board, started with the company in 1943. William C. Bassett, son of William E. Bassett, founder, is now President, having started work in 1968. David J. Bassett, the founder's youngest son, is the Manager of the Shelton, Connecticut plant. He started working for the company in 1973. John J. Kronen, our Controller and Vice President of Finance, started in 1965. V. Craig Finney, Sales Manager of Advertising Specialty and Special Markets, joined the company in 1978. Ronald J. Cappellieri, Sales Manager of Domestic, Export and Heirloom, started work in 1981.
1950 Federal Census of Southbury, New Haven County, Connecticut (1 Apr 1950)
Henry Bassett 40 M Head CT Production Manager Metal Products
Dorothy 38 F Wife NY
Susan 9 F Daughter CT
Sally 5 F Daughter CT
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Bassett Family Association Database
1909 - 1994 (84 years)