Rosaire J. “Ross” Rajotte
(Rajotte Bridge and National Guard Armory)
Rosaire J. “Ross” Rajotte was born in Northbridge on February 11, 1920, a son of the late Omer and Opalma (Baril) Rajotte, and lived in Northbridge for most of his life.
With God as his co-pilot, Ross, a missionary at heart and a lover of democracy, dedicated himself to make life better for his fellow Americans as a public servant and a passionate advocate for veterans.
He attended local schools and joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937, working for 2 years in Pittsfield, MA, Warwick, RI, and the forests of Franklin County in Western Massachusetts.
In 1939, he started work at Whitin Machine Works (“The Shop”) where he would continue working after World War II for a total of 41 years as a painter and in the maintenance department.
A Route 122 bridge over the Blackstone River at the intersection of Providence Road and Tessier Street in Rockdale is named in his honor. Also, the National Guard Armory in Whitinsville is named in his honor.
Private First Class: 141st Infantry
In 1939 he joined the Massachusetts Army National Guards’ 181st Infantry Regiment of the 26th (Yankee) Infantry Division.
His unit was federalized in 1941 and after a brief stint guarding New England beaches, it was transferred to the Mediterranean Theater where it was re-designated as the 141st Infantry Regiment and became a part of the 36th (Texas) Infantry Division.
It was as a Private First Class in this regiment that Ross participated in:
Injuries:
Ross Rajotte was a fighter in every sense of the word:
He caught a piece of shrapnel in the chest in Germany, a piece of a mine in the head in France, and a bullet in the back of the neck in France, but it wasn’t until shrapnel ripped off part of his right foot in Germany that he was forced to end his tour of duty.
Medals and Citation
Wounded three times, he emerged from the war with:
He also emerged with an abiding knowledge that he had shed his blood for the greatest nation with the greatest people in the world.
Local Government
Settling back to work at The Shop, Ross also began to involve himself in what became his lifelong effort to make life better for his fellow citizens of Northbridge. He cared about his neighborhood, his beloved Rockdale, and his town of Northbridge which was so much a part of his being. He wanted to make a difference, and he succeeded.
He became involved in town government and served 3 terms on the Board of Selectmen.
He was instrumental in:
He accumulated an encyclopedic knowledge of town history and politics, and he earned the thanks, respect, and affection of his town.
Town Meeting
For 55 years, he never missed a town meeting, a historic and probably an unprecedented event for the town — and perhaps the state.
Year after year, decade after decade, Ross argued the pros and cons of every Town budget, every zone change and every property purchase.
His enthusiasm was well known. Once he recruited two summer softball teams from nearby ball fields to attend town meeting so as to achieve a quorum.
In 1997 he sponsored a Town Meeting Article that called for the Town to notify Congress that it is opposed to public funding of abortion.
By May 2001, Mr. Rajotte had attended every single town meeting since 1948, and he had sponsored at least one article for every single town meeting warrant since 1948. “Town meeting was and will always be true democracy,” Mr. Rajotte said in his formal farewell to the town that night.
State Legislature Bills
He regularly corresponded with lawmakers.
State Rep. George N. Peterson Jr., R-Grafton, said,
“Ross was a wonderful individual and a truly great American.
If every citizen took the same amount of responsibility as he did, it would be a better country.Ross understood the responsibility, as well as the privilege, of being as American.”
Rajotte filed over 700 bills, covering a vast range of subjects, either by petition or through his local representative and senator in the state legislature and many of these became law.
Annual Town Report Budget
One bill that Rajotte sponsored in 1989 — and which was passed — gave towns the option to print their budgets in the Annual Town Report.
Because of Rajotte, the Town of Northbridge prints its budget and salaries in the Annual Town Report which is made available to residents at Town Hall and on local election day at the Polling Location.
Yankee Magazine – Most Committed Citizen
Yankee Magazine named Rajotte “Massachusetts’ Most Committed Citizen” in 1992.
He was a familiar sight on his bicycle throughout town. An injury from World War II prevented him from driving.
His son Homer Rajotte said his father, a lifelong conservative Democrat, was on a first-name basis with former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole. “He was a rare sort of breed,” Homer Rajotte said. “He got along with both sides.”
Homer said he could talk for hours about his father and some of his accomplishments. “But the absolute best thing I could say about him,” Homer Rajotte said, “is that everyone who knew him, whether they agreed or disagreed with him, respected him.”
“I can’t think of anyone who followed town or state government so closely,” State Senator Richard T. Moore (D, Uxbridge) said. He remembered a time in 1977 when then-Gov. Michael S. Dukakis was grilled by Mr. Rajotte at an event at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School in Upton. “Afterwards, I remember seeing Ross bicycling home.”
With God as Our Co-Pilot
Homer Rajotte said his father’s legacy is rich and storied. His dad had compiled a 25-volume memoir, including the history of the more than 700 bills he filed with the state Legislature over the years, a treasure-trove of letters to the editors at a number of newspapers, mementos and photos.
Homer said his father used “With God as Our Co-Pilot” as a letterhead for as long as he can remember. He said his father loved reading newspapers, and that he subscribed to a great number of them.
Rajotte Bridge (Route 122 over the Blackstone River)
As his life drew to its close, he was able to see the Rockdale Youth Center opened, a Route 122 bridge over the Blackstone River at the intersection of Providence Road and Tessier Street in Rockdale named in his honor and the National Guard Armory in Whitinsville named in his honor.
The Act of the State Legislature reads:
AN ACT DESIGNATING A CERTAIN BRIDGE IN THE TOWN OF NORTHBRIDGE AS THE ROSAIRE J. "ROSS" RAJOTTE BRIDGE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
The bridge, N-21-0002, spanning the Blackstone river on state highway route 122 in the town of Northbridge,shall be designated and known as the Rosaire J. "Ross" Rajotte Bridge, in honor of Rosaire J. "Ross" Rajotte, who has dedicated his life to public service and has served his country, state, and town as a decorated veteran of World War II. A suitable marker bearing said designation shall be attached thereto by the department of highways in compliance with the standards of said department.
Approved February 12, 1998.
Ross Rajotte National Guard Armory (Lake St. Whitinsville)
State Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, filed legislation along with State Representative Mr. George Peterson, R-Grafton, to name the National Guard Armory on Lake Street in Whitinsville after Mr. Rajotte.
Years prior, Mr. Rajotte was instrumental in getting the armory located in Whitinsville. Rajotte was a National Guardsman who served with distinction in World War II.
In 2001, the National Guard Armory on Lake Street in Whitinsville was named the “Ross Rajotte National Guard Armory.”
At the ceremony, Mr. Rajotte said he was not one to search for glory. He wanted to be a missionary, he said, and go to places where people needed the most help. He spent two years in the Civilian Conservation Corps before enlisting n the National Guard in Worcester in 1939.
The Army National Guard has both Federal and State missions:
On the Federal level –
It expands the operational capacity of the U.S. Army by maintaining trained and equipped units that can respond immediately to military threats and national emergencies - units who can be mobilized to serve in combat as well as humanitarian operations.
On the State and local level –
the Army National Guard is a first responder domestically and abroad.
Member of Veterans’ Groups
Mr. Rajotte helped organize the Northbridge Veterans Council in the early 1950s.
He was also a:
Family Man
Despite his heavy involvement in local affairs, Ross remained a family man. He loved his spouse, his children, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and loved spending time with them.
He loved his church, St. Peter’s Catholic Parish, as well as photography, gardening, bird watching, and swimming.
Upon his death, he was survived by:
Buried with Military Honors:
Ross Rajotte was buried with full military honors in the Massachusetts Veterans' Cemetery, Winchendon, MA.
(Rajotte Bridge and National Guard Armory)
Rosaire J. “Ross” Rajotte was born in Northbridge on February 11, 1920, a son of the late Omer and Opalma (Baril) Rajotte, and lived in Northbridge for most of his life.
With God as his co-pilot, Ross, a missionary at heart and a lover of democracy, dedicated himself to make life better for his fellow Americans as a public servant and a passionate advocate for veterans.
He attended local schools and joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937, working for 2 years in Pittsfield, MA, Warwick, RI, and the forests of Franklin County in Western Massachusetts.
In 1939, he started work at Whitin Machine Works (“The Shop”) where he would continue working after World War II for a total of 41 years as a painter and in the maintenance department.
A Route 122 bridge over the Blackstone River at the intersection of Providence Road and Tessier Street in Rockdale is named in his honor. Also, the National Guard Armory in Whitinsville is named in his honor.
Private First Class: 141st Infantry
In 1939 he joined the Massachusetts Army National Guards’ 181st Infantry Regiment of the 26th (Yankee) Infantry Division.
His unit was federalized in 1941 and after a brief stint guarding New England beaches, it was transferred to the Mediterranean Theater where it was re-designated as the 141st Infantry Regiment and became a part of the 36th (Texas) Infantry Division.
It was as a Private First Class in this regiment that Ross participated in:
- The Battle of Monte Cassino,
- The Anzio Landing,
- The drive on Rome, (click here to read about Ross and his foxhole buddy Joseph V. Aloi)
- The invasion of Southern France . Higgins boats landed Rajotte and the troops directly onto the beach. (click here to read from Rajotte's Combat Journal from Southern France), and
- Campaigns in the Rhineland and the Vosges Mountains.
Injuries:
Ross Rajotte was a fighter in every sense of the word:
He caught a piece of shrapnel in the chest in Germany, a piece of a mine in the head in France, and a bullet in the back of the neck in France, but it wasn’t until shrapnel ripped off part of his right foot in Germany that he was forced to end his tour of duty.
Medals and Citation
Wounded three times, he emerged from the war with:
- Bronze Star Medal,
- 4 Purple Heart Medals,
- Presidential Unit Citation,
- American Campaign Medal,
- Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal,
- Victory Medal.
He also emerged with an abiding knowledge that he had shed his blood for the greatest nation with the greatest people in the world.
Local Government
Settling back to work at The Shop, Ross also began to involve himself in what became his lifelong effort to make life better for his fellow citizens of Northbridge. He cared about his neighborhood, his beloved Rockdale, and his town of Northbridge which was so much a part of his being. He wanted to make a difference, and he succeeded.
He became involved in town government and served 3 terms on the Board of Selectmen.
- Rajotte’s involvement in town affairs began in 1947.
- He served as chairman of five town boards, including the Board of Selectmen.
- He was also a member of the zoning board of appeals, a fence viewer, and a notary public.
He was instrumental in:
- Getting a water line installed through Rockdale to the Grafton town line, and establishing a town beach at Electric Pond in the 1960s.
He accumulated an encyclopedic knowledge of town history and politics, and he earned the thanks, respect, and affection of his town.
Town Meeting
For 55 years, he never missed a town meeting, a historic and probably an unprecedented event for the town — and perhaps the state.
Year after year, decade after decade, Ross argued the pros and cons of every Town budget, every zone change and every property purchase.
His enthusiasm was well known. Once he recruited two summer softball teams from nearby ball fields to attend town meeting so as to achieve a quorum.
In 1997 he sponsored a Town Meeting Article that called for the Town to notify Congress that it is opposed to public funding of abortion.
By May 2001, Mr. Rajotte had attended every single town meeting since 1948, and he had sponsored at least one article for every single town meeting warrant since 1948. “Town meeting was and will always be true democracy,” Mr. Rajotte said in his formal farewell to the town that night.
State Legislature Bills
He regularly corresponded with lawmakers.
State Rep. George N. Peterson Jr., R-Grafton, said,
“Ross was a wonderful individual and a truly great American.
If every citizen took the same amount of responsibility as he did, it would be a better country.Ross understood the responsibility, as well as the privilege, of being as American.”
Rajotte filed over 700 bills, covering a vast range of subjects, either by petition or through his local representative and senator in the state legislature and many of these became law.
Annual Town Report Budget
One bill that Rajotte sponsored in 1989 — and which was passed — gave towns the option to print their budgets in the Annual Town Report.
Because of Rajotte, the Town of Northbridge prints its budget and salaries in the Annual Town Report which is made available to residents at Town Hall and on local election day at the Polling Location.
Yankee Magazine – Most Committed Citizen
Yankee Magazine named Rajotte “Massachusetts’ Most Committed Citizen” in 1992.
He was a familiar sight on his bicycle throughout town. An injury from World War II prevented him from driving.
His son Homer Rajotte said his father, a lifelong conservative Democrat, was on a first-name basis with former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole. “He was a rare sort of breed,” Homer Rajotte said. “He got along with both sides.”
Homer said he could talk for hours about his father and some of his accomplishments. “But the absolute best thing I could say about him,” Homer Rajotte said, “is that everyone who knew him, whether they agreed or disagreed with him, respected him.”
“I can’t think of anyone who followed town or state government so closely,” State Senator Richard T. Moore (D, Uxbridge) said. He remembered a time in 1977 when then-Gov. Michael S. Dukakis was grilled by Mr. Rajotte at an event at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School in Upton. “Afterwards, I remember seeing Ross bicycling home.”
With God as Our Co-Pilot
Homer Rajotte said his father’s legacy is rich and storied. His dad had compiled a 25-volume memoir, including the history of the more than 700 bills he filed with the state Legislature over the years, a treasure-trove of letters to the editors at a number of newspapers, mementos and photos.
Homer said his father used “With God as Our Co-Pilot” as a letterhead for as long as he can remember. He said his father loved reading newspapers, and that he subscribed to a great number of them.
Rajotte Bridge (Route 122 over the Blackstone River)
As his life drew to its close, he was able to see the Rockdale Youth Center opened, a Route 122 bridge over the Blackstone River at the intersection of Providence Road and Tessier Street in Rockdale named in his honor and the National Guard Armory in Whitinsville named in his honor.
The Act of the State Legislature reads:
AN ACT DESIGNATING A CERTAIN BRIDGE IN THE TOWN OF NORTHBRIDGE AS THE ROSAIRE J. "ROSS" RAJOTTE BRIDGE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
The bridge, N-21-0002, spanning the Blackstone river on state highway route 122 in the town of Northbridge,shall be designated and known as the Rosaire J. "Ross" Rajotte Bridge, in honor of Rosaire J. "Ross" Rajotte, who has dedicated his life to public service and has served his country, state, and town as a decorated veteran of World War II. A suitable marker bearing said designation shall be attached thereto by the department of highways in compliance with the standards of said department.
Approved February 12, 1998.
Ross Rajotte National Guard Armory (Lake St. Whitinsville)
State Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, filed legislation along with State Representative Mr. George Peterson, R-Grafton, to name the National Guard Armory on Lake Street in Whitinsville after Mr. Rajotte.
Years prior, Mr. Rajotte was instrumental in getting the armory located in Whitinsville. Rajotte was a National Guardsman who served with distinction in World War II.
In 2001, the National Guard Armory on Lake Street in Whitinsville was named the “Ross Rajotte National Guard Armory.”
At the ceremony, Mr. Rajotte said he was not one to search for glory. He wanted to be a missionary, he said, and go to places where people needed the most help. He spent two years in the Civilian Conservation Corps before enlisting n the National Guard in Worcester in 1939.
The Army National Guard has both Federal and State missions:
On the Federal level –
It expands the operational capacity of the U.S. Army by maintaining trained and equipped units that can respond immediately to military threats and national emergencies - units who can be mobilized to serve in combat as well as humanitarian operations.
On the State and local level –
the Army National Guard is a first responder domestically and abroad.
Member of Veterans’ Groups
Mr. Rajotte helped organize the Northbridge Veterans Council in the early 1950s.
He was also a:
- Life member of Oliver Ashton Post 343, American Legion, the Whitinsville Post.
- A member of Veterans of Foreign Wars.
- A member of the Northbridge Post of Disabled Veterans.
- A member of several other local veterans group.
Family Man
Despite his heavy involvement in local affairs, Ross remained a family man. He loved his spouse, his children, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and loved spending time with them.
He loved his church, St. Peter’s Catholic Parish, as well as photography, gardening, bird watching, and swimming.
Upon his death, he was survived by:
- his wife of 37 years, Barbara E. (Benedict) Rajotte,
- a daughter, Evelyn Rodriguez of Worcester;
- a son, Homer Rajotte of Northbridge;
- two brothers: Roland Rajotte of Sutton and Ronald Rajotte of Worcester;
- four sisters: Bertha Dumas of Upton, Shirley Noel and Gladys Kaminski, both of Northbridge, and Gloria Cournoyer of Whitinsville;
- 3 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; nephews and nieces.
Buried with Military Honors:
Ross Rajotte was buried with full military honors in the Massachusetts Veterans' Cemetery, Winchendon, MA.
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Notes:
Compiled by S.J.Buma. Updated May 2019
1) Ross Rajotte Combat Journal.
2) Worcester Telegram & Gazette, May 6, 1997, “Rajotte Hits Tremendous Milestone”, by Jim Bodor.
Compiled by S.J.Buma. Updated May 2019
1) Ross Rajotte Combat Journal.
2) Worcester Telegram & Gazette, May 6, 1997, “Rajotte Hits Tremendous Milestone”, by Jim Bodor.
