Edward Adaskin family papers

Edward Adaskin was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1893 to Russian immigrants Adolph and Rebecca Adaskin. Adolph had been employed in the garment business in Russia, but after emigrating in 1892, he could only find work as a painter. In 1894 he was killed in an accident on the job, leaving his wife Rebecca, and two children besides Edward, an older brother, Herman, and a sister, Anna. Herman went to work to support the family, and by 1903 opened a small grocery store. He soon used his knowledge of household goods, acquired during a stint as an auctioneer, to open a furniture store which sold indoor and outdoor furniture, mattresses and appliances. Edward served in France in World War I as a Navy Storekeeper, while Herman tended the family business. On his return to Springfield after the war, Edward became head of advertising for Adaskin Furniture Company, and by 1922, when the Fall River store opened, he was manager of the Fall River branch, and treasurer of the company. The business expanded into Rhode Island, Connecticut, and other locations in Massachusetts, and became known for promotions such as the June Bride Contest. Edward, who had moved to Fall River in 1922, married Ethel Laurans in 1923, and had three daughters: Joan, Judith, and Janet. Edward became sole proprietor of Adaskin Furniture Company upon Herman’s death in 1935, and became well-known for his many contributions to community groups, such as the Chamber of Commerce, Cancer Crusade, and Temple Beth El, of which he was a president and founding member. He also founded the Fall River Education Fund to award college scholarships to local students. When Edward died in 1951, his friends established the Edward Adaskin Educational Foundation in his memory, to replace his Fall River Education Fund. The Foundation later became affiliated with Southeastern Massachusetts University and changed its name to the Ethel and Edward Adaskin Endowment Fund. It is still awarding money to UMass Dartmouth students under the name of the Ethel and Edward Adaskin Memorial Fund.