Ralph Gould was a shoe worker and business owner. He discusses the story of his father’s company, Gould and Scammon Incorporated, and the challenges they faced. He then discusses taking over his father’s company and their attempts to face a dwindling...
Roland talks about growing up in Lewiston and all the activities that were available for kids to do in the 60s and 70s. He describes his family and his father’s BBQ chicken restaurant. He talks about working at Falcon Shoe and how he went from begging for his...
Roland Gosselin, the oldest of nine children, worked as a weaver in the Bates Mill for 48 years and as a business agent for the union office. He shares stories about his family, his time in the mill and union, as well as his involvement in his community, the Richelieu...
Conrad Duchette was born in Lewiston, ME to a family with 24 siblings and moved to Turner, ME at 10 years old. He later returned to Lewiston at 18 to work in the shoe shops. He talked about the scariness of the shoe industry shutting down and how he managed to hold...
William ‘Bud’ Lewis worked as an engineer for the Bates Manufacturing Company Inc. from 1949 to 1985, then became a consultant until 2000. In this interview, he discusses growing up during The Great Depression in Portland, Maine, the history of the...
