Roland talks about growing up in Lewiston and the struggles of growing up in the great depression. He talks about all of his work at Shapiro Shoe; the work environment and the social aspects of it all. He describes his work in the cutting room specifically in the...
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...
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...
Gerard worked as a Loom Fixer Supervisor for the Bates Manufacturing Company. He discusses how he got his diploma from the International Correspondence School and went from a fill-in to supervisor, his experience in service, his family history, and the particular...
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...
