The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project
Interviewee | Collection Sort descending | Description | Interviewer | Date of Interview | Location of Interview | Affiliation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anita Best | The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project |
Anita Best, born in 1948, is a female singer hailing from St. John’s, Newfoundland. Raised on Merasheen Island and later moving to St. John’s, she grew up in a family deeply connected to the fishing trade. Her father and brothers were fishermen, and she was immersed in the seasonal aspects of fishing and fish processing. |
Millie Rahn | New Bedford, MA | Working Waterfront Festival | |
Alan Cass | The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project |
Alan Cass, a 60-year-old male, is a retired fisherman with a diverse ethnic background of English, Irish, and Portuguese heritage. He spent his career as a fisherman based in the home port of New Bedford, where he primarily engaged in scalloping. Alan has a deep connection to the sea and has experienced various aspects of the fishing industry, from working on fishing vessels to being involved in the fishermen's union. Over the years, he has navigated through challenging conditions, weathered fishermen's strikes, and witnessed significant changes in fishing technology and regulations. |
Janice Gadaire Fleuriel | New Bedford, MA | Working Waterfront Festival | |
Dave and Pat Densmore | The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project |
Dave Densmore and Pat Densmore are a married couple who have both worked as fishermen. Dave Densmore is a male fisherman who hails from Kodiak, Alaska, and has fished from the same port. Pat Densmore is a female fisherman who has also worked as a farmer. They both have a deep connection to the fishing industry and have firsthand experience in the challenges and rewards of this occupation. |
Janice Gadaire Fleuriel | New Bedford, MA | Working Waterfront Festival | |
Randall Hillier | The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project |
Randall Hillier, born in 1927 in Lamaline, Newfoundland, is a retired fisherman with a rich history in the industry. He grew up in a fishing family where his father owned a 36-foot boat and used a cod trap to catch fish. At the age of eighteen, Hillier left home and worked in St. John’s for a couple of years before moving to Ontario, Canada. In 1950, he moved to Fairhaven, Massachusetts to join his brother and sister. After working on the shore for a year, he began his fishing career in 1951, initially focusing on scalloping. |
Millie Rahn, Kirsten Bendikson | New Bedford, MA | Working Waterfront Festival | |
Eva Liput | The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project |
Eva Liput is a fishing vessel captain and a Polish immigrant who moved to the United States in 1986. She grew up in Poland, where her father worked as a fisherman on George's Bank. Eva developed an interest in sailing at a young age, influenced by her older brother who was a sailor. After immigrating to the United States, Eva first settled in Newport, Rhode Island, before eventually moving to New Bedford, Massachusetts. In 1986, she started working as a deckhand on the fishing vessel Michigan, a scalloper. |
Janice Gadaire Fleuriel | New Bedford, MA | Working Waterfront Festival | |
Dan Orchard | The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project |
Dan Orchard began his career as a fisherman, working in different fisheries along the Pacific Coast, from Southern California to Alaska. After leaving the Coast Guard, he ventured into lobster fishing but soon realized his passion lay in bigger boats, particularly draggers. Dan then worked on the boat The Travis and Natalie out of Point Judith, Rhode Island, where he gained extensive knowledge about fishing, including cutting, gutting, cleaning, and stacking fish on ice. Dan went on to explore different fisheries, including squid fishing and even caught rare species along the way. |
Millie Rahn | New Bedford, MA | Working Waterfront Festival | |
Angela Sanfilippo | The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project |
Ms. Sanfilippo, from an Italian fishing family, lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts. She is the Executive Director of the Gloucester Fisherman's Wives Association, an advocacy group for the fishing industry. Born in the fishing village of Porticello in Sicily, Angela acquired substantial knowledge from her grandfather about boat technologies and weather patterns. |
Janice Gadaire Fleuriel | New Bedford, MA | Working Waterfront Festival | |
John Xifares | The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project |
John Xifares, born on April 14, 1936, in New Bedford, is a retired superior court judge with a rich family background rooted in Greece and the New Bedford fishing industry. Before his tenure as a judge, Xifares was a lawyer, representing fish lumpers, seafood workers, and teamsters who represented fishermen for about a decade. His legal career also included serving as co-council for health and welfare funds and pension funds for these unions. Xifares' early life was closely tied to the fishing industry, with his family owning several bars on the waterfront and a couple of fishing boats. |
Janice Gadaire Fleuriel | New Bedford, MA | Working Waterfront Festival | |
Marcia Blount | The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project |
Ms. Blount, president of the Blount shipbuilding business, speaks about her involvement in the fishing industry and pressures on the business from waterfront development. |
Janice Gadaire Fleuriel | New Bedford, MA | Working Waterfront Festival | |
Steve Cassidy | The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project |
Steve Cassidy is an 85-year-old self-taught diver of white ethnicity. He began his career as a lifeguard at Horseneck Beach in 1955, where he was involved in several rescue operations. Cassidy's interest in diving began around this time, and he soon transitioned from lifeguarding to diving. He is a self-taught diver who learned the ropes of the profession through hands-on experience and by learning from others in the field. Cassidy partnered with Robert Douglas Ripley, a navy diver, and together they started a diving business. |
Mike Petillo | New Bedford, MA | Working Waterfront Festival |