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Any photos not otherwise credited are from the personal collection of Frank Passic, Albion Historian.
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Morning Star, October 17, 2004, pg. 3 Our story two weeks ago about the flower urn made out of bomb parts manufactured during World War II at the Lonergan Manufacturing Company on N. Clark St. was a reminder of one of several vibrant industries that were once located on the Lonergan site beginning with the 1890s. The latest of course is the Patriot Satellite factory where a lot of activity appears to be happening as you drive by. They’ve even transformed the old McGraw-Edison water tower into their own Patriot-painted tower. It’s good to see a successful business operating on this site and employing area residents. We’ve got plenty of other sites, too in the Albion area where successful businesses could be also built under the leadership of the right entrepreneur. The McGraw-Edison Air Comfort Division, the successor of Lonergan Manufacturing, was one of Albion’s prominent factories from the late 1950s into the 1980s. It produced air conditioning and heating equipment. How many people remember owning a humidifier in their home for use in the winter that was manufactured at McGraw? We had one at our house and remember pouring gallons of Albion’s then iron -infested water in it throughout the wintertime, and watching the foam wheel that turned “crust up” with white calcium/lime as the weeks turned into months. Sort of what cholesterol does to the blood vessels. Anyway, many area residents had long years of service there at McGraw. From our Historical Notebook this week we present a 1960 photograph featuring their “Coolerator Division” workers that had from ten to fifteen years of service. How many of our readers can remember these faces? Front row, left to right: Albert Troop, Ernest Farr, Jerry Cvitkovic, Bruce Jacobs, Loren Willey, William Phelps, Richard Murray, and Harold Martin. Second row: Clifford Measel, John Brankovich, Emil Dziurkiewicz, Margery Beardslee, Ana Weidner, Wilson Chamberlain, Marvin Cypret, Durwood Woodward, and Ivan Zeller. Third row: George Olsen, Claude Cooper, Nicholas Tymkew, Benjamin Huitt, George Calhoun, James Collins, Joe Combs, Donald Marshall, Junior Hickerson, Rollo Chamberlain, Wendell Webster, Weldon Barkley, and Arthur Kline. Top row: Cecile Drennan, Emma Risner, Milton Smith, Paul Cypret, Earl DeWitt, Elmer Jones, Aaron Munn, Kennie Wireman, Burdette Stancroff, Leonard Murray, Edward Wireman, Guy Young, Blynn Dodge, Elick Patrick, Kenneth Renfro, Harlen Wireman, Leonard Cousino, Lloyd Kroul, Walter Crissinger, Neil Heminger, Richard Holmes, and John Wireman. 
1960 Photograph of “Coolerator Division” Workers All text copyright, 2026 © all rights reserved Frank Passic | Artwork copyright Maggie LaNoue © 2026
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