Rene P. Chambellan

References:   MACo 1933-024, Marqusee 53

The obverse bears art deco city scape with factories and skyscrapers surrounding a giant generator building; clouds and sun rays above; house and train engines below. In exergue, * ORDER OF * / MERIT

The reverse bears large silver letter W over palm frond. Around, WESTINGHOUSE AWARD; in lower half, TO / (blank) / WHOM HIS FELLOW / MEN DELIGHT TO / HONOR

The Westinghouse Order of Merit was awarded by Westinghouse Electric Corporation as its highest form of employee recognition. Both management and technical employees were eligible to receive the award.

The cicular medallion has a diameter of 101mm. It was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. The mintage is not reported.

References:   MACo 1935-035, Marqusee 110

The medal's obverse bears view of Honeywell Regulator Company's building with central tower. Around, >>> MINNEAPOLIS · HONEYWELL · REGULATOR · COMPANY >; at lower right, 1885 / 1935

The reverse bears Butz damper flapper at left and gas burner with flame at right. Across, PRESENTED TO / JULICE M. WHEALIN / IN RECOGNITION / OF OVER FIFTEEN / YEARS OF FAITHFUL / SERVICE

Honeywell's roots go back to 1885, when an inventor named Albert Butz patented the furnace regulator and alarm. He formed the Butz Thermo-Electric Regulator Co., Minneapolis, in April, 1886, and soon invented a device he called the "damper flapper," an ingenious predecessor to the modern thermostat.

The damper flapper was a relatively simple device. When a room cooled below a predetermined temperature, a thermostat closed the circuit and energized an armature. This pulled the stop from the motor gears, allowing a crank attached to the main motor shaft to turn one-half revolution. A chain connected to the crank opened the furnace's air damper to let in air. This made the fire burn hotter. When the temperature rose to the preset level, the thermostat signaled the motor to turn another half revolution, closing the damper and damping the fire. The temperature correction was automatic.

In 1927 the company merged with with the company Mark Honeywell had founded in 1904 to form the Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company.

The circular medal measures 75.8mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company.  No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1935-025

The obverse bears male figure standing at right, wearing chain and plate armor and holding a jousting lance in one hand while resting the other on pommel of sword. Around, ADDRESSOGRAPH MULTIGRAPH TWENTY-FIVE YEAR SERVICE MEDAL; octagonal AM logo at right; inscribed with AWARDED / TO / C. P. RODHOLM / 1946

The reverse bears logo-crested shield with legend IN GRATEFUL / RECOGNITION OF / ABILITY AND LOYALTY / DURING A QUARTER / CENTURY OF / FAITHFUL SERVICE / (signature).

The edge is marked MEDALLIC ART CO. N.Y. - BRONZE.

Joseph Smith Duncan developed the first Addressograph in 1892. That model consisted of a hexagonal wood block onto which he glued rubber type which had been torn from rubber stamps. While revolving, the block simultaneously inked the next name and address ready for the next impression.

In 1932 the company merged with American Multigraph of Cleveland, Ohio, to form the Addressograph-Multigraph Corporation manufacturing highly efficient addressograph and duplicating machines. In 1982 the company declared bancruptcy, probably because it just could not compete with the electronic publishing and copying industry.

The circular medallion measures 100.3mm and is struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1936-011

The plaquette's obverse bears lovingly detailed, massive turbo generator before city skyline. Around cupola top, WORLD POWER CONFERENCE / 1936; across exergue, TURBO-GENERATOR-CAPACITY 160.000 K·W· 1936 / CONSOLIDATED EDISON COMPANY OF NEW YORK, INC·; signed above exergue at right, R. P. Chambellan Sc.

The reverse bears street view of Edison's first generator central station with laurel wreath at top left and tree at right. Across bottom, FIRST EDISON CENTRAL STATION - 1882 / 6 GENERATORS-TOTAL CAPACITY 1200 H·P·

The World Power Conference was conceived by the Scotsman Daniel Dunlop in 1923.  He organized the first meeting which took place in London in 1924 and attracted 1,700 attendees from 40 nations. It was deemed so successful that the conference was established as a recurring event.

In the beginning, the World Power Conference convened on a regular schedule every six years. The Third World Power Conference of 1936 met from September 7th to 12th in Washington, DC.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the conference on September 11th and used a golden key to activate a small generator at the Builder Dam in Colorado.

In 1968 the name was changed to World Energy Conference and the conferences were scheduled every three years. In 1992 the group changed its name again and became known as the World Energy Council.

The year of 1936 also marked the rebranding of the New York Edison Company to Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. This is probably the reason that this handsome plaquette was issued on the occasion of the conference. From the humble beginnings of the first power plant on Pearl Street in 1882, the company would eventually grow into a behemoth with approximately $13 billion in annual revenue and $47 billion in assets by 2016.

This is a beautiful Machine Age gem by Chambellan. I admit that I am partial to detailed renditions of technology, but Chambellan masterfully combined the machinery in the foreground with a city skyline and subtle sun rays in the background.  The overall effect is pleasing and powerful at the same time.

The plaquette measures 114.4mm x 84.2mm and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1936-042

The medal's obverse bears Berghoff's logo in center. Across, Berghoff / 18 - 87 / BEER

The reverse bears view of brewery. In exergue, BERGHOFF BREWING CORPORATION / 1025 GRANT AVENUE / FORT WAYNE, INDIANA

The Berghoff Brewing Corporation was founded in 1887 by Hermann Berghoff and his three brothers, Henry, Hubert, and Gustav. Within just three years they ramped up production from 12,000 barrels to 90,000 barrels per year. Their lager beer was known by its slogan "A Real German Brew" and received high acclaim at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. With World War I and the accompanying wide-spread anti-German sentiment, the company changed its slogan to "A Real Honest Brew."  By the 1950s the company's sales were flat and the brewery was in desperate need of modernization to stay competitive. In 1954 the family decided to sell everything but the brand name to the Falstaff Brewing Company of St. Louis. The brand name was sold separately to the Walter Brewing Company of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.  Walter still brews and sells beer under the Berghoff name today.

Rene Chambellan seems to have had a very good working relationship with brewing companies.  In addition to this medal, he designed commemorative medals for the Schaefer and Pabst companies.

The medal measures 69.6mm in diameter and was struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of New York. No mintage is reported.

References:   MACo 1937-001

The medallion's obverse bears a tall ship under full sail, half left, followed by other ship on horizon.  Below, FROM / W. R. GRACE & CO. / WILLIAM J. CASHiN / 1965 / IN RECOGNITION OF / 20 YEARS OF LOYAL SERVICE

The medallion's reverse bears the American double continent with shipping lines, surrounded by modern images including skyscrapers, freighter, industrial installations, plantations, and an airplane.

W.R. Grace and Company was founded in 1854, in Peru, by William Russell Grace, who left Ireland due to the potato famine, and traveled to South America with his father and family. He went first to Peru to work as a ship's chandler for the firm of Bryce and Company, to the merchantmen harvesting guano, used as a fertilizer and gunpowder ingredient.

His brother Michael joined the business and in 1865 the company name was changed to Grace Brothers & Co. The company set up head office operations in New York City in 1865. Working in fertilizer and machinery, the company was formally chartered in 1872, and incorporated in 1895.

The circular medallion measures 88.6mm in diameter and was struck in bronze and silver by the Medallic Art Company of New York.

References:   MACo 1937-019

References:   MACo 1937-008