Arlene Vachereau Marks 60th Anniversary at Donovan O'Connor & Dodig
Arlene Vachereau stands next to the original sign for the law firm that used to hang in the Mausert Block.
It was the year that Arlene Vachereau, clad in a skirt suit and white gloves, had an interview with attorney Walter J. Donovan. She was immediately hired.
"My insurance guy new Mr. O'Connor and he put in a word for me," Vachereau said, as she looked forward to her 60th anniversary with Donovan O'Connor & Dodig, which was celebrated on July 1 at the company picnic.
Vachereau has outlived both attorneys, celebrated the firm's 100th anniversary, and continues to work three days a week.
"I got here 1973, she was a veteran already, and then I left as a partner 2010-11," said John O'Neill. "And she's still here!"
Vachereau, also a longtime poll worker in Clarksburg, took time out of her busy day to talk about some of the changes she'd seen during her decades at the firm.
"In those days, we worked from a drawer because they did dictation tapes," she said. "When you were ready for another job, you went and took a dictation folder, so we worked for everybody.
"We did all kinds of stuff, and then later on we got to where you were put as a secretary to someone, and you did that type of work. We all knew how to do everything in those days, because, of course, it wasn't as complicated as life is today."
She'd graduated from St. Joseph College, a business school and later Southern Vermont College in Bennington, Vt., and was unhappy with her first position at Williams College. It wasn't interesting enough, she said.
Donovan had been in the practice of law for half a century at that point, working out of the Mausert Block, which he'd purchased in 1926. J. Norman O'Connor joined Donovan in 1954.
"We had mimeo machines, the big copiers, which sometimes they didn't cooperate, and our first office was upstairs from Moore's, and the people that managed the building for Mr. Donovan used to live right in the middle of it, in the middle of the offices," Vachereau said, adding you could smell what they were cooking.
Vachereau remembered watching the Adams Super Market burn down from their offices and the new Berkshire Bank (now Greylock Federal Credit Union) being built in its place. The firm moved across the street to the bank building in the 1970s, sharing the second floor with medical and dental practices. Then they moved into the former Adams Berkshire Inn, now Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School.
She stayed with the firm when it relocated onto the campus Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, where Christopher Dodig's name was added in 2016.
"When I started work at D&O in 1990, Arlene had already been at the firm for more than 20 years," he said via email. "I remember being surprised and impressed by the number attorneys and staff members who had worked their entire careers at the firm — and Arlene has climbed to the top of the list.
"Her loyalty to the firm and her work ethic are unmatched. She is an unsung hero; we would not be where we are today without her."
The firm's grown from a handful of lawyers and administrative assistants to around 30 or so over the years. It's considered the oldest and largest law firm in the Berkshires.
Computerization came in, first with tapes that ran on a machine and a big mainframe, then personal computers on every desk.
"We evolved from there, but when I started, there was carbon paper and electric typewriters, and when you made a mistake, you had to erase it," Vachereau said. "Everything is new, but it's great, because you keep learning, your mind doesn't get stagnated."
O'Neill also described her as "loyal and steady," and someone who could read his poor handwriting.
"Arlene did the briefs, very, very technical, you got to know what type font to use, you've got the margins on each side, the top were different. You have 25 copies, you got to file the appendix, and she did all of that, and you got to obey the deadlines, and she took care of that, and absolutely reliable," he said. "She come in early, she had stayed late, she was always, always dependable, reliable, and excellent work."
The two reminisced about past cases and colleagues, how brilliant a lawyer O'Connor was, how gentlemanly Donovan, and how a big client's daughter who was going to intern showed up in a pantsuit — resulting in a relaxation of the dress rules for the women. And more women began to be hired as attorneys as well.
She's filled various roles at the law firm, including sometimes orienting young attorneys. Vachereau said her favorite part of the job was the briefs, because they had to be "meticulous." That's carried over into her current job — accounts receivable and going through wills.
Laurie Gray, business manager, said the firm for many years offered to retain original wills and planning documents for clients, often several generations of families. But now people move around more and may have changed wills or their heirs don't know about them.
"We've amassed this whole room full that we need to keeping the fireproof drawers, and so she's going through the process of pulling each of those wills and just checking the status," she said. "She's come across quite a few where people are deceased and we're still holding an original will. ...
"She remembers almost every person whose will she's pulled out of that drawer."
She laughed that every year Vachereau asks during the annual reviews if they're going to get rid of her. "Oh, absolutely not. You're welcome here for always, as long as you want," Gray said.
Vachereau's husband, Ray, was a foreman in the state Highway Department. They married in 1997 and he died in 2018. She bowls, plays cribbage and works to keep busy. She has no desire to fully retire yet.
"I think being with people is very, very important, and just new technology, learning something, just having a routine in your life," she said. "I think it's so important."
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