Millie Rahn

Interviewee Sort ascending Collection Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Vicky Campbell The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Vicky Campbell is a former fish cutter and Union representative from New Bedford, Massachusetts, and Spruce Head Island, Maine. She has an extensive history in the fishery industry. Vicky grew up in Rockland, Maine, where fishing was a way of life. Her grandfather was a lobsterman, and fishing had a significant influence on her upbringing. Vicky later moved to New Bedford, following a friend's invitation, and found work in the fish houses. She had various roles in the industry, including packer, processor, skinner, fish cake maker, flash freezer operator, and brine tank operator.

Millie Rahn New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Shawn Sipple The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Shawn Sipple is a former fisherman and past winner of the scallop-shucking contest. He was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and attended New Bedford High School. Shawn got into fishing because his father, an ex-commercial fisherman, was tragically burned in a boat fire and could no longer fish. Despite the dangers of the profession, Shawn started fishing at the age of 17 after completing high school. He learned the tricks of the trade from Peter Kilshaw, the owner of Northern Edge, who mentored him. Shawn's father also owned the National Social Club in New Bedford.

Millie Rahn New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Robert Britto The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Robert Britto, a male boat owner and former fisherman, had a deep connection to the fishing industry, having spent 21 years at sea in various roles, including deckhand, cook, engineer, mate, captain, and owner. He initially got involved in fishing through his father-in-law, who was a fisherman. Britto started his scalloping career on his father-in-law's boat and went on to work on larger vessels before becoming the captain of the fishing vessel Rianda. Later, he purchased the Poseidon with John Isaacson and eventually built and owned the fishing vessel Hustler.

Millie Rahn New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Richard MacLeod The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Richard MacLeod is a retired fisherman who was born in Boston and later moved to Nova Scotia. In 1936, at the age of thirteen, he made his first voyage on a fishing trip on a three-masted sailing schooner called the A.W. Chism. In 1939, he moved to Gloucester and fished there for many years before moving to New Bedford in 1952. He fished out of New Bedford on various boats, including the Adventurer and Smylin. He later became the captain of the Mystic Light and eventually retired in 1983. After retirement, he started knitting lobster pot heads.

Millie Rahn New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Richard and Ray Canastra The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Richard and Raymond Canastra are American brothers who co-founded the Whaling City Seafood Display Auction in New Bedford, Massachusetts. They are known for their involvement in the commercial fishing industry, particularly in the scallop trade. The Canastra brothers were born and raised in New Bedford, a city with a rich history in the fishing industry. In 1994, they established the Whaling City Seafood Display Auction, which quickly became one of the largest seafood auctions on the East Coast of the United States.

Millie Rahn 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
Marty Olsen The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Marty Olsen is a retired fisherman. He was born in New Jersey and later moved to Fairhaven, Massachusetts. Marty joined the Army and started fishing in 1961, primarily out of New Bedford and briefly in Boston. Olsen's children did not follow in his footsteps, with his son becoming an electrician and his daughters marrying shore people.

Millie Rahn New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Louis Doucette, Jr. The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Louis A. Doucette was born on March 22, 1911, in Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard. He grew up in a family of eight children, with his father having a background in sailing ships in the 1800s and later working for a bridge company in East Boston. Louis and his father fished on the south side of Vineyard, transitioning from larger boats with a crew of 20 men in Gloucester to smaller boats with only 3 or 4 men. His mother, originally from Nova Scotia, often spoke about Boston's Old North Church and their family history.

Millie Rahn New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Lou Legace The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Lou Legace is a 54-year-old male of French heritage who was born and raised in Fall River, Massachusetts. He attended Durfee High School and briefly studied Civil Engineering at the University of Massachuestts in Amherst before deciding to pursue a career in fishing. Lou started his fishing career as a deckhand on a small clam boat owned by friends. He developed a passion for clamming and eventually became a captain himself. Currently, Lou owns his own boat and primarily focuses on paperwork and managing the business side of clamming, while occasionally going out to sea.

Millie Rahn New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Kristin Decas The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Kristin Decas served as the Executive Director of the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission (NBHDC). However, please note that there may have been changes in personnel or positions since then. Kristin Decas is an experienced executive in the maritime industry with a background in port management and economic development. She has held leadership positions in several ports across the United States and has been recognized for her contributions to the maritime sector.

Millie Rahn New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival