Bertram J. Dube, Hudson Falls High School class of 1935, was born to Flora and Roland Dube in 1916. He continued his studies at Duke University graduating in 1940. Following his military service in World War II, he returned to Duke University to attend law school and was awarded his LLB degree in 1947.
During WW II, Mr. Dube was commissioned aerial navigator in the 9th Air Force. He flew combat missions from bases in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, D-Day Crossing at Normandy, France, Rhineland and Ardennes. He was awarded the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Presidential Unit Citation with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the EAME Ribbon with 7 battle stars and the American Theater ribbon. He held the rank of Captain when leaving active duty and Lt. Col. upon his retirement from the Reserves.
Mr. Dube was admitted to the N.Y. State Bar in 1947 and practiced in both Glens Falls and Hudson Falls. He was a sole practitioner for a number of years before joining the firm of Bartlett, Pontiff, Stewart and Rhodes, retiring in 1993.
During his 46 year law career, he served as the District Clerk for the Hudson Falls Central School District. This is particularly noteworthy because during his tenure, he was deeply involved in the Centralization of the District and also new school construction. He also served as the Village Attorney for Hudson Falls from 1953 to 1978, was a member of the Board of Directors of the First National Bank of Hudson Falls, President of the Washington County Bar Association from 1964 to 1965 and the General Counsel to the Sandy Hill Corporation from 1952 to 1993.
Bertam J. Dube married the former Elizabeth Freeland in 1942 and lived in what is described as a happy union until his death in 1999. At the time of his death, many expressed admiration for his legal expertise, and his personal ethics and integrity. Quoting one of the many tributes, “Bert was a compassionate person with a keen sense of humor, a workaholic, a perfectionist, a listener, and an individual who always had his hand on the pulse of the community.”
These admirable standards, developed over a lifetime in Hudson Falls, were given back in service.