Dot McAtee works for the Maine Heritage Weavers today after working for Bates Mill for about 20 years. Dot worked first in the shoe industry at the age of 16 working part-time with her mother who worked making heels. Starting in 78′, she worked at the Bates Mill...
The youngest of ten, Anthony Shostak talks about growing up here in Lewiston. He remembers going down to the library, and to the Bates Pond to go find crayfish and frogs. The alderman or the police would come by whenever they got too reckless. The summer after...
Rita Morin worked in the shoe department. She discusses her childhood with 8 siblings and her transition to working in a shoe factory. She also describes the jobs in the mills that her family had and the community in her department.
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...
Tom LeVeen starts by sharing his experience growing up in the Worcester area, as the son of a mill owner. He talks about working at Bates Mill as the president. LeVeen speaks of the challenges that occurred when the Bates Mill was financially struggling in 1980s. He...
