Age 27. 29 Washington Street, Beverly, MA. Born 11/22/1915, Northampton, MA. "Trapped in burning building" (death certificate). Recorded as having died during transit to Cambridge City Hospital, Cambridge, MA (death certificate). Mechanical engineer at United Shoe Machinery Corp., of Beverly. Celebrating his first wedding anniversary (exactly one week earlier) with his wife Virginia, age 24, dead. Also present Dr. Gordon Bennett, age 27, dead, and the latter's fiancée, Miss Edith Leadbetter, age 26, injured, both of Swampscott, MA. Lone party survivor Miss Leadbetter (Born 11/23/1916. Died as Edith L. Dunlap on 9/19/1963, of illness, age 46. Last residence Auburn, ME) was a shoe shop coworker of Mr. Downer in Beverly. Foursome was seated at a main dining room table opposite the stage near the Piedmont Street lobby entrance. "He had spent most of last week on the road on business trips, returning home for Thanksgiving and then going to Washington, from where he returned Saturday afternoon" (Beverly Evening Times, 11/30/1942). With his wife had listened to the afternoon B.C./Holy Cross football game broadcast over radio station WNAC Boston at their Beverly home. Was raised in Northampton and in Poughkeepsie, NY. Was a graduate of Harvard University in 1936 and Harvard Graduate School of Engineering in 1938. "He was valedictorian of his class at Arlington [NY] High School, and was on the Dean's list at Harvard..." (The Kingston Daily Freeman, Kingston, NY, 12/01/1942). One of seven Grove fire victims recorded as having died, "...en route to Cambridge Hospital" on their death certificates (also Mrs. Josephine Donovan, age 33, club waiter Sam Dowaliby, age 33, Charles Duhamel, age 27, James Fitzgerald, age 38, Charles Hildreth, Jr., age 22, and club service cashier Miss Katherine "Kate" Swett, age 67). Parents Mr. and Mrs. Henry E. and Anna (Whelan) Downer, of Arlington, NY. Burial with his wife at St. Mary's Cemetery, Salem, MA. Middle name Whelan.

‍