Biography of Frederick McIntosh Atkinson (Uncle Fred). Written by his son, Rick Atkinson in June 2002

Dad weighed over 13 pounds at birth, one of the largest babies born in NS, Canada. He was an only child and son and Nana who doted on him -Dad could do nothing wrong! In his youth, Dad told me that he had "some troubled times" in Belmont High School. He was "a handful" according Nana. Dad attended but did not graduate from Belmont High - he was asked to leave! For someone without a high school diploma, he was exceptionally bright and industries. In the 1930's, my grandfather Ed Atkinson played the banjo with my Dad on the fiddle playing Down East music at local dance halls and the French Club in Waltham. Dad was still a Canadian citizen when he was drafted in 1939 into the US Army. His discharge date was supposed to be Dec. 11, 1941. A little incident at Pearl Harbor got in the way of this discharge date. Dad said he had been just been busted to buck private in Dec 1941 but by Jan 1942he had been promoted to sergeant! Dad finally got out of the Army in1946 and always hated the color Olive drab or green. During the war he worked in the secret service in a branch of the OSS with "Wild Bill" Donavan (Pre CIA) and was fortunate enough to never leave the US during the War (one of few men in the 26 th Yankee Division to stay state side). He told stories about coast watching from Ipswich to Cape Cod, the capture of the German U boat saboteurs that landed on Cape but didn't talk much about the secret service work. Among other places, he was stationed at Camp Devans in MA, Camp Edwards on Cape Cod, and other New England Bases and in Washington DC at the Pentagon. During the coast watch he discovered Brant Rock (he was stationed there at the tower). His permanent rank was master sergeant but at times Mom said that he wore Officers uniforms and other service uniforms doing secret service work. Dad, Mom and my 3 brothers lived with his parents Ed and Frances Atkinson at 7 Maple Terrace, Belmont until 1951 when Mom and Dad bought our 24 Pine Street, Belmont home and the Brant Rock house and barn in 1952. Dad was always working on all houses , turning the basement at Pine Street into a great family room and Brant Rock from an open cottage and barn to their retirement home. He had master plumbers, master gas fitters, and electrician licenses and could do carpentry and masonry work. Dad started and failed in several businesses after the war (Suburban Shade and Suburban Sanitary are a few of the business cards I remember) before finally succeeding in Suburban Tank Company. He eventually had 5-6 trucks (always yellow and black his favorite colors) and 10 +employees installing, repairing and removing oil tanks. My grandfather Ed Atkinson always worked for Dad in these business. Dad was very handsome, muscular and strong on a just right 6-foot frame with gray hair (he always had a crew cut) and blue eyes. Mom and Dad cut quite a swath walking Brant Rock beach - they were beautiful and looked like models! Dad sold the business and some property and at age 50 in 1967 he retired with Mom to Brant Rock. Dad went back to work a few years later at Raytheon where he was badly injured tearing his kneecap off. As a result he walked with a limp for the rest of his life. Dad always seemed to have some kind of a boat and lobster traps at Brant Rock, anything from 16 ft speedboat to a 44-foot lobster boat. At about 55 years of age, he started "working full time as a lobster man" out of Green Harbor, hauling several hundred lobster traps. All of his lobster boats (he had at least 3 from 36-44 ft) were named the "Four Sons". He often said that he was the luckiest man at the marina having my Mom to support him as a lobster man. Mom once asked him what he loved most his boat or her and Dad had to pause to answer! For about 5 winters, Mom and Dad wintered in the Ft Lauderdale, Florida area, filling the Econoline Van with "treasures" from Elaine's Consignment Shop, setting up and selling at Florida flea markets. As surprise on their wedding anniversary Sept 2, 1986, Dad arranged for his 4 sons to get a priest to the house and remarried my mother Elaine as a surprise (they had never married in a church). His best friend was Ronald McKinnon, his brother in law. It was well known that his drink of choice was Old Thompson. Fred was diagnosed with a terminal lung disease in 1985 and spent the last 2 years house bound on oxygen. He never complained about his illness. I took him on his last ride on his boat in the spring of 1986. Dad insisted on going into a nursing home right after Thanksgiving in1946 and died Jan 09, 1987.