ROGER SNOWMAN, PIONEERING AUXILIARIST

Editor's Note: The following was penned by Glendon J. Buscher, Jr. of Flotilla 013-05-03 in Boston, History Division-Branch Assistant, HQ History Interviewer

By Glendon J. Buscher, Jr.
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary 

Boston, Massachusetts - Roger Snowman dedicated himself to the Auxiliary for more than 50 years in various offices, at the flotilla, division, district, and national level. He was elected Commodore of District 1 North at age 36, serving in 1960 and 1961. He is noted to be the youngest person to have become Commodore of that district. Following that he went on to serve as National Operations Officer and then the first National Communications Officer.

The Snowman ancestors originally came from England and settled in Maine. An account of the family history in Ancestry.com states that, while there were Snowman families in other states, most families had settled in Maine. Snowman Name Meaning & Snowman Family History at Ancestry.com®. They were a family of sailors and often coasted up and down the New England seacoast.

Roger’s branch of the family eventually moved to Massachusetts and settled in Chelsea, purchasing a summer home in North Weymouth about 1938. The family would often spend weekends sailing around the waters of North Weymouth and Boston Harbor.  They became active in the Wessagussett Yacht Club, where, as a teenager, Roger met Virginia Mathewson, his future wife, herself an avid sailor. The Mathewson family lived in a large house on Sea Street in North Weymouth.  Sally’s great grandfather, Wilfred B. Mathewson, had established the Mathewson Machine Works on Water Street in West Quincy, Massachusetts. The company made springs for mattresses, being a leader in bringing forth the “box spring” mattress. In 1942, the company bought out the Murray & Tregurtha (M&T) Company, a manufacturer of marine propulsion systems. Murray & Tregurtha, Inc. was founded in 1885.  The combined company. Murray & Tregurtha/Mathewson, relocated to the M&T factory at 2 Hancock Street on the Neponset River in Quincy, where it continued to manufacture both product lines.

Wilfred Mathewson gave Roger and Virginia, as a wedding present, a parcel of land behind the large house on which Roger built a house for himself, his wife and his three daughters, Shirley, Beverly, and Sally. This is now the home of Sally and her husband Jay. Sally recently sat for an interview to give an account of her father’s life.

Roger was born in 1925.  He began his boating experiences around age 7 and by age 14 he was already a skilled sailor. His first boat was a 9-foot Papoose called Seneca. At the time there was also a Coast Guard ship by that name. His second boat was a 16-foot Winabout. Over the years he would have a total of 14 personal boats called by the same name. The largest boat was a 34-foot trawler, although, in later years he downsized to a 20-foot cuddy-cabin inboard.  

 In 1942, after being released early from graduation at Weymouth High School, Roger enlisted in the Navy. He did so under a sense of patriotic duty. Unfortunately, during basic training, he developed rheumatic fever and ultimately was medically discharged, which left him devastated. He felt the effects of this medical condition for a lengthy period thereafter. After the war, Roger went to work for the Murray and Tregurtha division. He began in the factory as a marine engineer and worked his way up to Vice President of sales. In this position he traveled all over the world.

In 1940, Murray & Tregurtha developed for the US Navy a self-contained 360-degree steerable Marine Outboard Drive Propulsion System. During World War II, these units were used by the U.S. military on self-propelled barges, and many continue in service in commercial and military marine operations.  In 1946, Murray & Tregurtha began to build heavy-duty bow thrusters. The Germans had developed a type of bow thrusters, so Roger went over to Germany to study the design. Upon his return, he redesigned and then patented the thruster model. In 1947, the Harbormaster trademark was established by Murray & Tregurtha / Mathewson. The company was later acquired in 1990 by Harbormaster Marine, Inc., of Livonia, Michigan.  www.harbormastermarine.com/History.htm

Patriotic Duty

To fulfill his sense of patriotic duty, Roger decided to join the Coast Guard Auxiliary. He started off in 1946 by taking a Boating Safety course, then went on to take Power Squadron and Auxiliary courses in 1947. On Dec. 15, 1948, he joined the Auxiliary in the Castle Island Flotilla #5-11 in South Boston., where he became Basically Qualified. Even before joining the Auxiliary, he would often sail over from North Weymouth to help with various mechanical tasks at the Coast Guard Station at Point Allerton.

He immediately jumped right into Flotilla activities, serving in 1949-1950 as Flotilla Training Officer, then in 1951-1952, as Flotilla Vice Commander. He was elected and served as Flotilla Commander in 1953-54.  According to an article in the Oct. 15, 1954, edition of the Nor’easter, he was a very popular Commander. He participated in many missions and assists in his 47-foot flagship cabin cruiser the “M & T” (Murray and Tregurtha). The vessel had an outboard motor manufactured by Murray and Tregurtha with 127 horsepower and a 50-inch propeller.

In 1955, Roger was elected Division 5 Vice-Captain and became Division 5 Captain for 1956-57. At that time, he also qualified under the new Motorboat Examination Program and organized Public Education courses at Boston Teachers College for approximately 750 students. A dedicated Auxiliarist, he thereafter went on to serve in just about every other office in the Auxiliary. During his tenure as Division 5 Captain, he formed the Wessagussett Flotilla in North Weymouth.

At age 34, he became District Vice Commodore, where he served 1958-59. In 1960-1961, at age 36, he was elected District Commodore. He was the youngest person to be elected a Commodore in District 1 North. He was sworn into that office by Rear Admiral Edwin J. Roland. In 1960 he was one of the first three members in the country to become AUXOP qualified. As Commodore, he interacted with all other maritime agencies and was eager to take all maritime related courses and serve on all sorts of maritime committees. Even before Vessel Examination as a mission was established, he would often offer to examine his friends’ boats.

As an example of his competitiveness, but at the same time evidencing his humility, between 1955 and 1958, Roger participated in the so-called “Predicted Log Race”, a competition involving a demonstration of course logging and navigation skills. He won this race, or excelled in it, so many times that, to give others a chance, he declined thereafter to participate.

Roger was also an enthusiastic Ham Radio owner and operator and would spend many hours in his basement with his daughter Sally communicating with people around the world. In 1960 he served on the National Communications Committee, which then included OPS and Radio Comms. He became chairman of that committee in 1961 and thereafter, in 1962-63 was appointed National Operations Officer. In 1964 OPS and Communications were separated into separate divisions and Roger moved over to become the first National Communications Officer. For several years after 1971, he also served as District and Division 12 Communications Officer. At some point in his career, he also served as DSO-SL, the District Liaison to the Massachusetts Legislature.

Operation Webfoot

In 1966, he and the Auxiliary participated with the Coast Guard in a training exercise called “Operation Webfoot”. The Auxiliary simulated enemy infiltration and destruction of critical government facilities. Auxiliarists captured the Marine Guards at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, simulated blowing up the Bourne Bridge, the Edison Plant in Weymouth, the Everett Oil Tank facility, and such. The Gurnett light in Plymouth was cherry-bombed.  As part of this exercise, the Auxiliary placed small objects representing bombs in strategic places around the harbor. The Coast Guard was to find them before they were supposed to blow up and destroy key facilities.  Roger himself went around the harbor in the Seneca with simulated bombs and placed them in places such as the Fore River Bridge, on Aids to Navigation and other strategic places.  The Coastguardsmen were unable to find them all and thus “blew up” several key locations.

In February 1968, while examining his boat that was parked next to the Mathewson Plant on the Neponset River, he became aware of a person in distress on the river. A young fellow named James Carr and two other boys had spied a make-shift raft floating at the edge of the river. They climbed into the raft and used a board to push out into the river.

While out on the river, one of the boys, standing on the raft, lost his balance and James reached out to try to steady him. Instead, James fell into the river clothes and all. The weight of the clothes kept pulling him under and made it difficult to swim.  At this point Roger saw the incident and without hesitation jumped in and pulled the boy to safety ashore. It was only later that the boy’s family found out who had saved their son.

For this rescue, Roger was awarded the Auxiliary Plaque of Merit (“A” Award). As defined in the Auxiliary Manual, “The Auxiliary Plaque of Merit (APOM) is awarded to Auxiliarists in recognition of extreme skill in performing an assist or rescue that involves risk to the Auxiliarist’s life.” 

In 1969, due to the increase in recreational boating, Roger oversaw the increase in the number of Divisions in District 1. There were originally only 9 Divisions. His own Wessagussett Flotilla became Flotilla # 1 of Division 12.

In 1976, after graduating from Bridgewater State College, Sally joined the Auxiliary. This was a fortuitous time as, beginning in 1977, Roger became involved back at the Flotilla level and Sally began to go on patrols with her dad. This was a time of special bonding between father and daughter, because during so much of her previous childhood her dad would be away on Auxiliary, Power Squadron, Rotary Club, and local town activities. Sally would go on and earn a master’s degree and a PHD in Teaching. She herself has had an exemplary Auxiliary career. For the last 19 years up until recently she has been the keeper of historic Boston Light and a Member Training and Operations staff officer for Division 12.

Back at the Flotilla level, Roger and his boat Seneca participated in several important events, including OPSAIL 1980 and Sail Boston 1992.  The Seneca served as Press Boat for the July Fourth, 1983, USS Constitution turnaround. In 1982, he personally qualified as crew under the 313-training program at Point Allerton MA, where Auxiliarists could train with Coast Guard boats. In 1983, he completed Navy Survival Training.  Sally has particularly fond memories of these events. In 1984, he received his 35-year service award.

Between 1980 and 1996, Roger requalified under the new Boat Crew Qualification Procedures as Coxswain and Qualification Examiner. He continued his activities as Vessel Examiner, Advanced First Aid and CPR instructor and attended Auxiliary Leadership and Management School (AUXLAMS).  In 1988, he received the 100 Ton Pilots License.

Although, in 1991, Roger was diagnosed with mild Alzheimers, he remained active and alert for as long as he could. However, when the disease progressed, in 1996 he had to give up all these qualifications, Unfortunately, also, his beloved trawler Seneca had to be sold. He and Sally downsized to a 20-foot Shamrock. In October 1994, Sally and fellow Auxiliarist Jay Thompson got married at Boston Light with her dad at her side.  Sally had long told her dad she wanted to be married at Boston Light.

In 1996, the Wessagussett Flotilla disestablished itself and members became part of the Town River Yacht Club. After the further disestablishment of the Town River Yacht Club and then the Metropolitan Yacht Club, Sally is now a member of Flotilla 12-05 at the Braintree Yacht Club.

In 1998 there was a celebration for Roger’s 50^th anniversary in the Auxiliary. He received the 50^th Anniversary plaque from Commodore Pendergast and a letter of congratulations from Rear Admiral Larrabee.

Roger passed away on Sept. 17, 2001, at age 76. His funeral was held at the McDonald Funeral Home that had once been the Mathewson homestead on Sea Street in North Weymouth.  A large delegation of Auxiliarists and townspeople were in attendance. He was lauded as a great shipmate, leader, and civic activist.  His wife Virginia passed away on Jan. 4, 2014, at age 86.

Sally remembers her father’s legacy as that of a most hard-working, dedicated, patient, loyal, humble person and a great mentor to herself and other Auxiliarists. According to Sally, “he had set in place much of the foundation for what the Auxiliary is today”. He is truly an example of the Auxiliary tradition of service and an inspiration for today’s generation of Auxiliarists.