Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport

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  • Collection DOI:
    Principal Investigator:
    Caleb Gilbert, Peter Burns
  • In partnership with the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, these oral history recordings capture the invaluable life experiences of long-lived members of Gloucester's working waterfront, one of the oldest fishing communities in the United States.

Interviewee Sort descending Collection Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Al Cottone Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport

On August 2, 2019, Molly Graham interviewed Albert Cottone for the Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport project. Al Cottone, born on December 12, 1965, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, to a Sicilian immigrant family, is a lifelong fisherman deeply connected to Gloucester's fishing traditions. His father, Frank Cottone, migrated from post-World War II Sicily to Australia and eventually to the United States, where he continued his fishing career.

Molly Graham Gloucester, MA NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Cape Ann Partnership for Science, Technology, and the Natural Environment
Ann Molloy Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport

On October 16, 2019, Molly Graham interviewed Ann Molloy for the Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport project. Ann Molloy, a native of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and a member of a longstanding Sicilian-American fishing family provides a rich account of her family’s deep roots in the community. Her grandparents immigrated from Sicily in the early 1900s, transitioning from small-scale Mediterranean fishing to becoming integral parts of Gloucester’s fishing industry.

Molly Graham Gloucester, MA NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Cape Ann Partnership for Science, Technology, and the Natural Environment
Anthony Gross Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport

On August 28, 2019, Molly Graham interviewed Anthony Gross for the Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport project. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 30, 1952, Gross moved to Gloucester, Massachusetts, at the age of three when his father accepted a position as general manager at Empire Fish Company. Gross's father, a butcher by trade, played a significant role in the Gloucester fishing community, serving as president of the Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Dory Committee.

Molly Graham Gloucester, MA NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Cape Ann Partnership for Science, Technology, and the Natural Environment
Joe Orlando Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport

On August 23, 2019, Molly Graham interviewed Joseph Orlando for the Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport project.

Molly Graham Gloucester, MA NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Cape Ann Partnership for Science, Technology, and the Natural Environment
Mark Ring Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport

On December 16, 2019, Molly Graham interviewed Mark Ring for the Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport project.  Mark Ring was born in Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1957. He graduated from Manchester High School in 1975. Growing up, Mark's father ran a marina, and he had uncles who were commercial fishermen. He spent his teenage years fishing on a skiff and lobstering with his uncles. After high school, Mark moved to Gloucester and fished - gillnetting and swordfishing - during the 1970s and 1980s.

Molly Graham Gloucester, MA NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Cape Ann Partnership for Science, Technology, and the Natural Environment
Philip Powell Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport

On January 29, 2020, Molly Graham interviewed Philip Powell for the Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport project.  Philip Powell was born on June 11, 1965, in Woburn, Massachusetts. His family moved to Swampscott, Massachusetts, where he currently resides. Powell's father, born in Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1935, immigrated from Poland. His mother’s family came to the United States from Germany in 1941, settling in Winthrop, Massachusetts. Powell’s early life involved extensive outdoor activities, including family fishing trips and camping.

Molly Graham Gloucester, MA NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Cape Ann Partnership for Science, Technology, and the Natural Environment
Rosalie Parco Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport

Molly Graham interviewed Rosalie Parco on October 24, 2019.  Parco was born in 1926 in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Both sides of her family immigrated from Sicily and included many fishermen. She graduated from Gloucester High School in 1944 and attended Kathleen Dell Secretarial School in Boston.  Then she met her husband, Anthony Parco, founder of Ocean Crest Seafoods and Neptune's Harvest Fertilizer in Gloucester, a family business that is still in operation today.

Molly Graham Gloucester, MA NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Cape Ann Partnership for Science, Technology, and the Natural Environment
Salvatore "Sam" Novello Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport

Molly Graham interviewed Captain Salvatore ‘Sam’ Novello on August 2, 2019, for the Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport Oral History Project. Captain Novello was born in 1943 in Gloucester, Massachusetts, where he has lived all his life.

Molly Graham Gloucester, MA NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Cape Ann Partnership for Science, Technology, and the Natural Environment
Sebastian Parisi Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport

Molly Graham interviewed Sebastian Parisi on August 31, 2019, for the Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport Oral History Project. Sebastian Parisi was born in 1940 in Gloucester, Massachusetts.  Both sides of Parisi's family emigrated from Italy, and many of his ancestors and relatives worked in the fishing industry.  He graduated from Gloucester High School and worked as a mechanic for cars and diesel boats.   Parisi served as an aircraft mechanic in the Air Force from 1960 to 1964.

Molly Graham Gloucester, MA NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Cape Ann Partnership for Science, Technology, and the Natural Environment
Sefatia Romeo Theken Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport

On September 30, 2019, Molly Graham interviewed Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken for the Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport Oral History Project. Sefatia Romeo Theken's grandparents immigrated to Gloucester in the 1940s.  Many of her relatives worked in the fishing industry in Gloucester.  Mayor Romeo Theken was married to a commercial fisherman and worked as a fish packer at Gorton's and later for the Addison Gilbert Hospital.  After her husband died, she began to get more involved in the Gloucester community and advocating for fishers.

Molly Graham Gloucester, MA NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Cape Ann Partnership for Science, Technology, and the Natural Environment