A. Frank Vollette Page 482-483 - A. Frank Vollette is successfully established in business in Grand Rapids as a wholesale dealer in lumber and veneers used specially in the manufacturing of furniture, and his operations now involve shipments of such products not only to the various parts of Michigan but also into Illinois and Indiana. He maintains his office and business headquarters at 211 Erie street, northwest, and his residence at 2252 Madison avenue, southeast. Mr. Vollette was born at Stratford, Province of Ontario, Canada, April 27, 1887, and his lineage traces back to sterling French origin, as the surname implies. He is a son of John and Susie Vollette, who still maintain their home in the province of Ontario, where they were born and reared. The schools of Stratford afforded A. Frank Vollette his early education, and in his native province he learned in his youth the plumber’s trade. For ten years he was a plumbing and heating contractor in Canada, and he then came to Grand Rapids, where he has since maintained his home. Here he was employed in turn in several furniture factories, and through this medium he gained authoritative knowledge of types and values of woods used in such manufacturing, with the result that he was well fortified when he established independent business, that of wholesale dealing in lumber and veneers, in which his success has been unequivocal. In the World war period Mr. Vollette was employed by the government as an expert inspector of lumber to be used in airplane construction, and after the close of the war he was retained in service as a lumber-disposing officer, his work in this capacity having continued until March, 1920. In the time-honored Masonic fraternity Mr. Vollette has received the thirty-second degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite and is a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. He is locally a member of the Masonic Country Club and the Lions Club. His first wife and likewise his present wife gained active affiliation with the Order of the Eastern Star and also the White Shrine. Mr. Vollette is in a basic way aligned with the Republican party, but has had no desire for political activity. He and his wife are members of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Grand Rapids, as was also his first wife. March 14, 1910, Mr. Vollette was united in marriage to Miss Olga Thwaites, daughter of John Thwaites, of Grand Rapids, and she passed to the life eternal in the year 1919, the two surviving children being sons, John and Edward. June 1, 1921, was marked by the marriage of Mr. Vollette to Miss Helen Lupton, of Grand Rapids, and she is the popular chatelaine of their attractive and hospitable home.

Transcriber:  Nancy Myers
Created:  2 October 2003