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70 | HARTFORD BUSINESS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 2, 2017 and resigned two years later when he turned 55 and became eligible for retirement. Fox served on the boards of directors of Hartford Hospital and the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. He also served on the boards of directors of Dexter Corp., Cigna Corp. and the Edison Electric Institute. He was a member of the Mount Holyoke College board of trustees and the Management Executive Society. Charles Kaman Kaman, who died in 2011 at the age of 91, was a man who made his mark in not one but three disparate fields: aviation, guitars and guide dogs for the blind. Kaman founded the Kaman Aircraft Corp. in 1945 and led the company as CEO for 55 years. He started the company with $2,000 invested from friends to demonstrate a rotor concept to make helicopters easier to fly. Today, Kaman Corp. is a multibillion- dollar company involved in producing aerospace components. In 1997, Charles Kaman received the nation's premier aviation award — the National Aeronautic Association's Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy — joining other recipients such as Charles Lindbergh, Neil Armstrong and Igor Sikorsky. According to his obituary in the Wall Street Journal, "His innovations in propeller designs helped him to create round-backed Ovation guitars, among the most popular instruments made in the U.S." That same obit pointed out an interesting but little-known fact about Kaman. He was so talented with the guitar that he once played with Tommy Dorsey's orchestra. The same obituary also noted the inspiration for Fidelco. "In his spare time, Mr. Kaman and his wife bred German Shepherds, concentrating on eliminating hip dysplasia. On land adjacent to his company's Bloomfield … campus, he created the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation." Richard L. Mahoney Those who enjoy the vibrant retail/restaurant experience that is West Hartford Center today may not recall that about 30 years ago it was a less-than-stellar location with an Army/Navy store in a prime location and nondescript restaurants known more for their happy hours than their cuisine. Mahoney was the man who turned that all around. As noted in a Hartford Courant story on his life, "There's no formal competition, but unofficially, Richard Mahoney was Mr. West Hartford Center." Mahoney, the owner of RLM Co., a commercial real estate management firm he took over from his father, pushed through many of the changes to the Center and worked to create a vibrant West Hartford Center Business Association. As the Courant story pointed out, "[West Hartford Center] was a useful place to shop, but not exciting. As recently as 1991, Mahoney was fond of saying: You could shoot a rifle down Farmington Avenue on Friday night and not hit anything.'" One of the biggest secrets to Mahoney's success with the Center was patience. He would let a storefront remain vacant instead of filling it with just any tenant. He was also a supporter of Blue Back Square, the adjoining mix of retail, residential and office space that some thought would threaten West Hartford Center. He died in 2011 at age 75. John Murtha Murtha was a founding member in 1938 of one of Greater Hartford's largest law firms now known as Murtha Cullina. He became one of its leaders in 1967 when it became known as Murtha, Cullina, Richter and Pinney. He died in 2011. The Webster symbol is a registered trademark in the U.S. Webster Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender ©2017 Webster Financial Corporation. All rights reserved. John McQuillan faced a pivotal moment when his plans for growth hit a sudden snag. See how Webster responded, and watch other leaders' stories at WebsterMoments.com. call: Timothy Bergstrom at 860.692.1601 email: tbergstrom@websterbank.com John McQuillan, CEO, Triumvirate Environmental "Our growth depended on four deals — and a solution in one week." People In Memoriam