about Gold Dusters
The Balfour Gold Dusters is an organization formed to support former employees of the
L.G. Balfour Company.
It is supported in part by members dues and by the Lloyd G. Balfour Foundation
Lloyd G. Balfour 1886 - 1973
Lloyd Garfield "Bally" Balfour was a native of Kentucky, where he earned his B.A. degree at the University of Louisville. He went on to obtain an LL.B degree from Indiana University, where he became a member of Sigma Chi fraternity in 1907. Business was of greater attraction to Balfour rather than the legal profession, and he spent five years as a traveling representative for a maker of fraternity jewelry. During that time Balfour noticed several trends in the business, including lack of standardization, poor workmanship, inferior materials, and fictitious guarantees. These issues drove Mr. Balfour to establish his own company, and he founded the L.G. Balfour Company on Friday, June 13, 1913.
The business grew from a small nucleus of skilled craftsmen led by Mr. Balfour in a facility in Attleboro, MA. Lloyd Balfour's wives, Ruth who died a few years after they married and Mildred, were members of Pi Beta Phi and the L.G. Balfour Company landed Pi Beta Phi as their first sorority account when the company became the official jeweler after a vote at the 1913 Pi Beta Phi Convention. In the early years, the business was concentrated on quality fraternity and sorority products and the company earned a reputation for quality, integrity, and service. Eventually, Balfour held contracts with ninety percent of all national fraternal societies
About the Balfour Gold Dusters:
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The Balfour Gold Dusters organization was founded to enhance the lives of the Balfour Company retirees and former employees. The organization provides information and resources in the areas of health and finance.
The members meet monthly at the Murray Unitarian Church, in Attleboro, MA. Meetings are both business and social gatherings with meals and or informative speakers or entertainment periodically.
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Gold Dusters are a volunteer organization that is funded, primarily by the Lloyd G. Balfour Trust Foundation, established in 1973. The Foundation's 3 primary focus areas reflect Mr. Balfour's strong affinity for the employees of the Balfour Company; his commitment to the city of Attleboro, Massachusetts; and his lifelong interest in education.
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