The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-07-03
By a Staff Writer

Last Saturday Johan Chadwick, a Waterbury war worker. took of for Nantucket to spend his weeks vacation visiting the many inter- esting spots on the quaint Massa- chusetts island where he and George M. Conan, the great dram atist and composer ,whiled away so many happy hours. The Water bury war worker was for 24 years the private chauffeur and confi- dante of Americas beloved song and dance man, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by the late President Roosevelt for his many outstanding achieve bents in behalf of American patri- otiSm.
 Tomorrow, the Fourth of July, also marks the sixty seventh anni- versary of the birth of the great patriot, who endeared himself to Waterburians when he appeared at Jacques and Polls many years ago. Conan was born on 1nde- pendence Day, 1878. in Providence. R. l., amid the popping of fire crackers and the waving of the flag he loved so well.
 Patriotic Urge
 Chadwick came to work at the Waterbury Tool. division of Vickers, following the death of the prince of the American theater in Novem- Der, 1942.
 T felt it was my duty to do some kind of war work" he said, But I also felt the chief would have wanted it that way"
 Conan was criticaly i'll on that fateful Sunday afternoon when the Japs attacked Pearl Harbor. The man who had spent many hours during World War I boosting Lib- erty bond sales on Broadway turned to Chadwick with the re- mark:
 There's only one way out of 1t now Every American has got to knuckle down and do more than his share" His greatest sorrow. Chadwick recalled, during the dark days of 1942, when he found himself continuously bed-ridden, was that he was unable to answer Uncle Sam's call for help.
 Its tough to be here with all those people out there doing what they can. I could do so much to help" he said.
 However, within that first year of the war, just two months before his death. Cohan had the comfort of knowing his efforts had accom- plished something for the country he loved so well. The admission to the war bond premiere of Yankee Doodle Dandy, the film which de- picted his life, netted $5 .500,000, some seats selling for as much as $25,00O. The film featured many of his favorite songs including "Over There" and Its 8 Grand Old Flag"
 The death of his chief more than three and a half years ago still re- mains a great loss to the man who served the Broadway celebrity for almost a quarter of century. T tell you the day that he was born. the mold was broken. There will never be another like him." he de- clared. Thousands of others thought so too. The day of his funeral people knelt in the vicinity of St. Patrick's as far as you could see."
 Aided Little Fellow"
 Chadwick recalled the halcyon days when the prince of the Amer ican theater was not only writing songs, but producing and acting in his own shows. He swelled with ap- parent pride and admiration when he related how the generous Cohan, who started his theatrical career amid humble surroundings. never forgot the little fellow who was at- tempting to gain a foothold along the Great White Way. It was not unusual, the Waterbury war worker declared, for some fellow who had asked the producer for a cup of coffee in the park to be seated be- side a famed celebrity at the Cohan bhtti8 tabACs
 It was estimated at the time of his death. some 5000 people had re- ceived financial help from Conan. But of course" said Chadwick, 'the press never heard of the thousands of others whom the chief helped during times Of distress"
 Cohan's favorite diversion was his daily walk in Central Park, Chad wick recalled. Here he met the lowly and the great. and always had a cheery hello for them all But the theatrical producer was always strongly attracted to the fellow in the park who vas con- stantly in need of nickel for 'acupaeoflee". and the pigeons. the