Weeks, Harold Eastman, 1886-1960

Harold Eastman Weeks (1886-1960), a descendent of the Weeks family of New Hampshire, and a relative of John Wingate Weeks, worked as the Coordinating Engineer in the Electrical Systems Bureau of the Brooklyn Edison Company (BEC), one of the major participants in Brooklyn's electrification.

Weeks graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1908, served in the Army Air Corps (presumably during World War I), and, during the time frame covered by the diaries, served as a Captain in the Air Corps Reserve.

Apart from his regular job duties at BEC, Weeks furthered his professional development by participating in continuing education courses, such as public utility economics, sales methods, and public speaking, and by working as a public utility instructor at both the Brooklyn Edison Company and the New York Edison Company. He was a member of the BEC Technical Advisory Committee and was responsible for the preparation of the committee's reports. He was also a member and coordinator for the Brooklyn Edison Club, in which he was responsible for organizing social and sporting events for company employees. Additionally, Weeks was a member of a number of professional organizations, including the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE), the National Electric Light Association (NELA), the New York Electrical Society (NYES), and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and he regularly attended conferences hosted by these organizations.

Weeks also volunteered regularly. As a member of the Brooklyn Safety Council, he taught safety and first aid courses at the Brooklyn Edison Company. He also taught mapping and aviation to Boy Scouts, and served as a juror on a number of occasions.

Weeks's personal interests and hobbies, as evidenced by his diary entries and news clippings, included reading literature; playing chess and tennis; fencing; attending the opera and Boston Symphony performances in New York; and participating in the Debate Club and The Cicero Circle, among other clubs.

Weeks regularly read a number of New York and Brooklyn newspapers (e.g., The New York Times, The New York Tribune, The New York Sun, The Daily News, The New York World, The Brooklyn Citizen, The Brooklyn Standard Union, and The Brooklyn Daily Times ), clipping stories related primarily to the following topics: major local, national and international news events; public utilities; city planning and infrastructure; population estimates; the banking industry and the commodities markets; and aeronautics. Additionally, Weeks noted the birthdates of the Presidents and other figures in American history in his diaries.

Weeks resided at 20 Willow Street in Brooklyn, and was married to Dr. Virginia Travell Weeks, a Brooklyn pediatrician. Mrs. Travell Weeks was the sister of Dr. Janet Davidson Travell, President John F. Kennedy's personal physician. Mr. and Mrs. Weeks had four children: Sheldon Griswold Weeks, Dr. Willard Travell Weeks, Dr. Elinor Eastman Weeks, and Dr. Virginia D. Weeks (Mrs. Herbert van Wie Bergamini).

Harold Eastman Weeks died June 30, 1960, in Lake Placid, New York, at 74 years of age.

From the guide to the Harold E. Weeks diaries, 1925-1932, (Brooklyn Historical Society)