Laura Orleans

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Interviewee Sort descending Collection Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Barbara Merry The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

On September 23, 2007, Millie Rahn interviewed Barbara Merry as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Documentation Project. Barbara describes her childhood, noting that she’d been surrounded by boats her whole life. Her father owned a wholesale/retail marine company, and she grew up on a wooden cruising boat. She gravitated toward tying knots and starting selling her macramé to make a little extra money. Once macramé went out of fashion, she tried several other crafts before finding Ahsley’s Book of Knots and began knotting.

Millie Rahn New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Bernice Calnan The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

On September 25, 2010, Madeleine Hall-Arber interviewed Bernice Calnan as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project.  Bernice was born into a fishing family, her father immigrating to the US from Newfoundland. She retells stories she grew up hearing about her father’s youth and work as a boat cook, providing a good sense of the New Bedford fishing community of the 1960s.

Madeleine Hall-Arber New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Betsy Pye The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

On September 23, 2007, Julie Olson interviewed Betsy Pye as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Betsy shares personal anecdotes from her childhood in New Bedford and her perceptions of the waterfront as an outsider. She describes meeting her husband when she was 19, and chronicles his family’s history, his work as a boat engineer, and her involvement with the local fishing community after their marriage. Deb Schrader, and her involvement in advocating for the fishing industry, served as a role model for Betsy.

Julie Olson New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Bill Adler Fishtales

Bill Adler, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association, began lobstering in 1963 and has remained involved in the industry since. He started by gathering sea moss off the coast of Marshfield and transitioned to lobstering. Adler holds a master's degree in English and taught school while continuing to lobster. He has been involved in the politics of the lobstering industry and holds positions in various commissions and organizations, including the Lobster Institute.

Markham Starr New Bedford, MA Northeast Fisheries Science Center - NOAA, Working Waterfront Festival
Bill Gell Fishtales

Bill Gell was a pilot who flew a spotter plane for swordfishermen in the 1970's and 1980's. He shares the story of a practical joke he played on Rodney Avila as well as life as a pilot.

 

Markham Starr New Bedford, MA Northeast Fisheries Science Center - NOAA, Working Waterfront Festival
Bob and Helene Quinn The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Bob Quinn and Helene Quinn and their ancestors have lived and worked on Eagle Island in Penobscot Bay Maine for generations. Bob got his start working on a pumper in the sardine industry and eventually began lobstering. Bob is now passing the torch to his grandson, Sam, who is eagerly embracing a life at sea. Helene Quinn is Bob's wife. She hails from Rockland, Maine, and has deep roots on Eagle Island. Samuel Quinn Russo, aged 12 during the interview, is Bob and Helene's grandson. He represents the younger generation that is actively embracing the family's fishing traditions. 

Madeleine Hall-Arber New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Bob Mitchell The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

On September 23, 2005, Millie Rahn interviewed Bob Mitchell as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Bob was born and raised in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, into a family of Fairhaven natives. He shares pieces of his family’s history, his father’s founding of R.A. Mitchell Company in 1954, and his pursuit of further education in England at the Lister Engine Factory School. Returning to the United States in 1962, Bob resumed his role in the family business.

Millie Rahn New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Bradford Hathaway Fishtales

Bradford Hathaway was a reporter for the New Bedford, MA Standard Times. He covered the waterfront for a number years. He recounts a few stories from his career including the loss of two fishing vessels and a visit on a Russian fishing vessel.

Markham Starr New Bedford, MA Northeast Fisheries Science Center - NOAA, Working Waterfront Festival
Brian Lee Fishtales

Brian Lee began his fishing career on a long liner. He tells the story of how he survived a serious injury on deck. He now is a commercial rod and reel fisherman out of Fairhaven, Massachusetts.

 

Markham Starr New Bedford, MA Northeast Fisheries Science Center - NOAA, Working Waterfront Festival
Carlos Morales Casting A Wider Net: A Community Oral History Project

Carlos Morales came from Guatemala to New Bedford to find work to provide for his family. He shares his experiences in the seafood processing industry and about his job as a fish cutter. We learn about life in Guatemala and his education there, as well as how it set him up for success in aspects of his job. He closes his interview with his aspirations for his kids as well as for his future.

Samantha Mendez New Bedford, MA New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center