Fernand Labbe decided to leave high school in 1956 so that he could begin work at the mills. He worked for a number of years at Hill Mill, where he met his wife. Labbe outlines his roles in the mill, and discusses his experience in the workers union, and a strike that...
Noel Morrell was born in Waterville in the late 1920s, and grew up with his family in Lewiston. Morrell worked as a printing press operator at Bates Mill from around 1952 until he was laid off in 1983 during the company’s downsizing period. He discusses the...
Jerome Feinstein moved to Lewiston from Massachusetts after graduating from high school in the late 1930s. Feinstein worked in the shoe industry, moving across seven different roles in the factories. Eventually, he went on to be a shoe salesman. Feinstein discusses...
Laurent Rivard was born in Lewiston in 1920, and grew up in what was called “Little Canada”. He began working at the Androscoggin Mill at 18 after finishing school, and with the exception of two years spent in the army, Rivard would continue to work in various mills...
Born in 1925, Lucille Barret was raised in Little Canada and shares her experiences having grown up there. She worked at the Bates Mill for a very long time, starting in 1952 until 1995. She was a stitcher for the bedspreads for about 48 of the 50 years she worked...
