Retirees announce: The toys are coming!(NEWS)

Byline: Ellie Oleson

COLUMN: TELEGRAM & GAZETTE SANTA

A donation from Paul Revere Alpha Retirees Club Unum has tied the Telegram & Gazette Santa to local business history that goes back to 1848.

Charles G. Butler, 81, of Harvard is the accountant for the club, which has about 180 members, all retirees from the Paul Revere Corp. or UnumProvident Corp.

Mr. Butler said "Alpha" means "first," and he and most other members are former employees of Paul Revere, which is now part of UnumProvident Corp.

"We keep in touch and return to Worcester to the home office to meet once a month, except in December, January and February," Mr. Butler said.

A tax accountant and former teacher in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mr. Butler is a World War II Army veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart for his wounds at the Battle of the Bulge.

He served as computer security chief for Paul Revere Corp., headquartered in Worcester, until his retirement at age 74.

Paul Revere Corp. was founded in 1895 as the Masonic Protective Association, a fraternal accident, disability and life insurance company, headquartered in Worcester, for Freemasons only. In 1930, the Paul Revere Life Insurance Co. was founded as a subsidiary also open to non-Masons.

In 1997, Provident Accident Insurance Co., founded in 1887, acquired Paul Revere Corp., which by then was one of North America's largest disability insurance companies.

In 1999, Unum Corp., founded in 1848 as Union Mutual Life Insurance Co., merged with Provident to form UnumProvident Corp., the largest income protection company in the world.

"Anyone who retires from the company can come into the retirees' club," Mr. Butler said.

He said the club collects dues, which are used to pay for flowers at the funerals of deceased members and to make charitable donations.

"This year, we donated to the Telegram & Gazette Santa Fund for children," Mr. Butler said, pointing out that he is a father of two, grandfather of six and great-grandfather of two children.

In its 69th year, the T&G Santa Fund collects thousands of donations from generous readers and area residents to help buy toys for children in need in Central Massachusetts.

Children 12 and younger who would otherwise not receive any holiday gifts are eligible to receive two toys each. When signing up at an area agency, parents or guardians should bring personal identification for each family member and proof of address and income. No applications will be accepted directly by the T&G.

Area agencies...