After the death of J. Lewis Wyckoff in 1931, George R. Burkhardt was elected the successor President. Mr. Burkhardt resided on a farm in Conway, Massachusetts, and held annual outings for office staff there.
In 1931, the company sought trademark protection from the U.S. Patent Office for the terms Decoratone and Laff-o-Grams for use on certain of its stationery, papers, and envelopes. It was in that year that the Holyoke mill was supplied with power by the Holyoke Water Power Co.
The company was awarded a silver trophy by Modern Packaging Magazine of New York for its creative packaging design of the Autocrat Vellum Stationery.
In August 1935, the company's major shareholders were identified, and roughly 2/3 of the shares were held by corporate officials. Edward. N. White held 31%, George R. Burkhardt held 6%, and Mrs. M. B. Wyckoff held 28%.
Business greatly improved in 1936, and the company raised wages for its 500 workers.
In 1938, Harry C. Dutton was elected the corporate President when George R. Burkhardt left the company to form his own ad agency in New York City. Three years later, Mr. Dutton purchased a home in the Wyckoff Park section of Holyoke.
The company closed its Davenport, Iowa plant in 1938, along with its local tablet and school supplies department. 50 employees were impacted at each facility. The company was focused on its greeting card and stationery departments.
In 1944, workers voted by an overwhelming majority to join the American Federation of Labor union.
The final chapter takes us through the final years the company operated in Holyoke, after its sale to a national concern.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Genealogy Records and Price & Lee, Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
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