Berton C. Fairbanks was born in 1882, and graduated from Sidney Central School in 1900. While in school, he sold newspapers to the passengers who got on and off the trains that came regularly to Sidney at that time, and then worked in the Weller Drug Store on the corner of Main and Liberty Streets continuously from 1900 to 1906 (at the same time earning a degree from the Albany School of Pharmacy). In 1911 he bought the store renaming it Fairbanks Pharmacy, affiliating with the Rexall group of drug stores. Berton Fairbanks managed the pharmacy until his retirement in 1955.The inventory of the store upon Bert's retirement catalogued over 10,000 items for sale.
Always a true entrepreneur, he brought the first Thomas Edison record players and records, and the first Brownie Cameras to Sidney. He then got the Greyhound Bus Company to make Fairbanks Pharmacy its headquarters in Sidney, serving both the villagers' travel needs as well as bringing more customers to his store. In the week before his retirement he sold two bus tickets to Alaska, one to El Paso, Texas, and one to Oklahoma City, in addition to all the local and regional bus fares. He had a vision for Sidney, met Governor Teddy Roosevelt and was instrumental in establishing New York State Troopers' Troop C base at the corner of River and Main Streets. As chairman of the Sidney Chamber of Commerce, he joined with other Sidney businessmen to invite Scintilla Magneto to open a plant in Sidney in 1925. This firm later became the Scintilla Division of Bendix Aviation Corporation, and eventually Amphenol.
Mr. Fairbanks was well known for espousing the creation of a Fairbanks Bowl, a natural amphitheater adjoining the then Sidney Municipal Airport. The Bowl never became a reality, but the land belonged to the village because Bert joined with other businessmen and bought the property, then gave it to the village. He had envisioned a natural arena for all outdoor sports and possible outdoor concerts.
Bert Fairbanks was a charter member and past president of Rotary Club, with a perfect attendance record of 36 years. He was presented International Rotary's highest award in 1972, the Paul Harris Sustaining Member Award. The same year he was the Honorary Chairman of the Sidney Bicentennial Celebration. He was a charter alumnus of Eisenhower College, an honorary member of the Sidney Chamber of Commerce, of the New York State Police Veteran's Association, and of the International Association of Rexall Clubs. He served on the board of the Unadilla Marine Midland National Bank. He was a member of the Sidney Historical Association, a sixty-year member of the Sidney Lodge 801 Masons, and a member of several other service organizations in Unadilla, Binghamton, Norwich and Chenango Valley.