Haverhill High School Alumni

Haverhill, Massachusetts (MA)

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Sadye (Stone) Thall

Sadye (Stone) Thall

Class of 1928

Sadye C. (Stone) Thall, one of the founders of Sterilite, a company that has a manufacturing facility in Ennis, celebrated her 100th birthday last year.
Stone was born June 25, 1910, in Haverhill, Mass.
"When she was only 2 years old, her father died, leaving her mother, Bessie, to support the familly," said Diane Rothstein, one of Thall's four daughters. "To support her children, Bessie opened a grocery store in her house. Her children consisted of Sadye and her two brothers, Saul and Edward. Sadye eventually became the delivery girl."
Despite an upbringing with no toys or birthday celebrations and little money for coal to keep warm when frost collected on the walls inside the house, Sadye managed to save $100 for college. In 1928, her brothers started their first venture, a small shop providing a single small service for the shoe industry.
"In order to obtain a lease for the equipment they needed, the brothers had to supply a security deposit of $100," Rothstein said. "They didn't have the money, but their younger sister did. The brothers debated the pOint, but they asked for Sadye's financial help."
The success of that first venture financed with Sadye's $100 eventually led to the founding of a plastics company.
Sadye worked in the business until 1937 and soon afterward, the business teamed up with an injection plastics business.
"The company, with the main plant being located in Townsend, Mass., was first called Alcon," she noted. "Then later, the name was changed to United Sterllite and finally it was known as just Sterilite, which has become known as the world's largest independent manufacturer of plastic housewares."
Rothstein noted the sacrifice her mother made back when the company was starting up.
"In those earlier days, along with running the company, my mother had to care for her mother, who was paralyzed due to a stroke -as well as caring for her children," Rothstein said.
On Oct. 29, 1990, at the New England Housewares Club, Sadye's nephew, AI Stone, who then ran Sterilite, honored his Aunt Sadye, noting that "without her $100, the brothers would never have gotten their start and there would be no Sterilite." Sadye worked in her brothers' ventures until 1937, when she married Abraham Thall.
Sadye was eventually named director of the corporation, owning 25 percent of it. She sold her interest in 1999.
In addition to the main plant in Townsend, Mass., Sterilite has operations in Massillon, Ohio, Birmingham, Ala., Lake Haverson, Ariz., Clinton, S.c. and Ennis.
Rothstein noted that her mother is well cared for and lives in Dedham, Mass. She is the mother of four daughters, seven grandchildren and 16 greatgrandchildren.
"She is and has been a wonderful mother, daughter, sister and entrepreneur," said Rothstein. "She had a lot of foresight and was very sacrificial -that was the key to her success as a businesswoman."

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