Collection Items

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    Audio Recording
    Paul Anthony interview conducted by Laura Corinne Orleans, 2017-02-07. In this interview, Paul Anthony gives a rich description of the fuel delivery industry on the New Bedford waterfront. He discusses the process of fueling a fishing boat, how payment works, fluctuations in fuel pricing, and the relationships between dockworkers.
    • Contributor: Anthony, Paul - Orleans, Laura Corinne - Occupational Folklife Project
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Karen Joseph interview conducted by Laura Corinne Orleans, 2017-06-05. In this interview, Karen Joseph describes her experiences growing up in her family's business, the RA Mitchell Company, on the New Bedford waterfront. She discusses her experience being a female in a leadership role in a male-dominated industry, as well as the positives and negatives of working in a family business. Finally, she discusses her hopes for the future of the fishing industry.
    • Contributor: Joseph, Karen E. - Orleans, Laura Corinne - Occupational Folklife Project
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Robert Hicks interview conducted by Laura Corinne Orleans, 2017-03-31. Robert Hicks is a fifty-two year old Plant Manager of Crystal Ice in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He has been working at Crystal Ice since 1989, starting as a laborer and working his way up to Plant Manager. In this interview he describes his family history in the business, his early days at Crystal Ice, changes in the plant over the years, types of ice…
    • Contributor: Hicks, Robert - Orleans, Laura Corinne - Occupational Folklife Project
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    David Marujo interview conducted by Laura Corinne Orleans, 2017-03-31. David Marujo was born in New Bedford in 1968 and has lived in Acushnet since age 18. He began working at Crystal Ice 31 years ago and has worked his way up to his current job as supervisor. He describes the process of making different kinds of ice, how the technology has changed in the last 30 years, reflects on the changing waterfront and…
    • Contributor: Marujo, David - Orleans, Laura Corinne - Occupational Folklife Project
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    John Miranda interview conducted by Laura Corinne Orleans, 2017-02-10. John Miranda describes family life in Portugal, his immigration to America in 1980 and his training in engineering in both Portugal and the U.S. He discusses working for R.A. Mitchell for three decades, engineering changes in the fishing industry over the last three decades, and his hopes for the future of fishing in general.
    • Contributor: Orleans, Laura Corinne - Occupational Folklife Project - Miranda, John
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Robert Mitchell interview conducted by Laura Corinne Orleans, 2017-02-10. Bob Mitchell, owner of the R.A. Mitchell marine engines and generators supply company in New Bedford, inherited the business from his father and now runs it with his two daughters. He talks about his philosophy of business, knowing and taking care of the customers, working with family members, as well as some of the technical characteristics of engines, generators, serving fishermen and the industry,…
    • Contributor: Orleans, Laura Corinne - Mitchell, Robert B. - Occupational Folklife Project
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    John Pelicas interview conducted by Laura Corinne Orleans, 2017-02-10. John Pelicas describes in detail his work and life as a marine mechanic at R.A. Mitchell, where he has worked for 31 years. An immigrant from Portugal, he comes from a fishing family and has always been a part of the community on the waterfront. He discusses dangers of the job, fishing regulations, various engine fabrications, his deep commitment to the job, difficulties with…
    • Contributor: Orleans, Laura Corinne - Pelicas, John - Occupational Folklife Project
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Natalie Ameral interview conducted by Madeleine Hall-Arber, 2016-11-15. Natalie Ameral describes the daily routine of a port sampler and the challenges she faces being only one of seven port samplers for the region in her company, as well as the only female. She has been working with AIS since she graduated in 2015 and is now switching over to a new position working for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which is…
    • Contributor: Hall-Arber, Madeleine - Occupational Folklife Project - Ameral, Natalie
    • Date: 2016-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Sebastian Ayala interview conducted by Madeleine Hall-Arber, 2017-03-23. Sebastian Ayala is a forty-three year old foreman at the Norpel plant in New Bedford. He has been working at the Norpel plant for almost fifteen years, working his way up to a foreman position. In this interview Sebastian describes coming to New Bedford from El Salvador and his work at Norpel, including various positions in the factory as well as safety concerns.
    • Contributor: Hall-Arber, Madeleine - Occupational Folklife Project - Ayala, Sebastian
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Mark Bergeron interview conducted by Madeleine Hall-Arber, 2017-01-06. Bergeron discusses his path in the industry, starting with buying and selling fish and eventually as a co-owner of Bergie's. He explains the changes in the business from when he started, especially the harsh realities of today that are a consequence of strict regulations and changes in technology. He has three children in various aspects of the business, so his goal is to provide…
    • Contributor: Hall-Arber, Madeleine - Occupational Folklife Project - Bergeron, Mark
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Jeffery Cook interview conducted by Laura Corinne Orleans, 2017-06-08. Jeff Cook, one of the owners of New Bedford Welding Supply in New Bedford, MA, studied welding in high school and college and has worked his way up in his family business. He discusses the role of New Bedford Welding Supply in the fishing industry, the changes in welding equipment over the years, the role of his family members in the family business and…
    • Contributor: Orleans, Laura Corinne - Cook, Jeffery M. - Occupational Folklife Project
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Richard T. Gallagher interview conducted by Laura Corinne Orleans, 2017-02-02. In this interview, Richard Gallagher, an electrical engineer at Chris Electronics in New Bedford, MA, shares his work history, discusses various electrical components of boats, details his daily work, and explains the relationships with customers, fishermen, and between co-workers at Chris Electronics.
    • Contributor: Gallagher, Richard T. - Orleans, Laura Corinne - Occupational Folklife Project
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Bob Bowers interview conducted by Madeleine Hall-Arber, 2017-03-08. Bowers speaks about the job of a tankerman, a licensed position on a fuel barge. Interview topics include a description of changes in fishing and scalloping since 1977, demographic changes in the fishing community, and lack of interest among young people.
    • Contributor: Bowers, Bob - Occupational Folklife Project - Hall-Arber, Madeleine
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Jose Couto interview conducted by Madeleine Hall-Arber, 2016-12-14. Jose Couto started working at New Bedford Ship Supply because he had taken bookkeeping courses and was fluent in Portuguese, and since then has been promoted as a manager. In addition to bookkeeping, he deals with buying and stocking the store with supplies, often consulting with his customers to meet their needs. In this interview, Jose also discusses changes in the industry and his…
    • Contributor: Hall-Arber, Madeleine - Occupational Folklife Project - Couto, Jose
    • Date: 2016-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Patricia M. DiCienzo interview conducted by Madeleine Hall-Arber, 2017-01-04. Trish DiCienzo describes her responsibilities as a manager at Maritime Terminal in New Bedford. She elaborates on certain policies regarding transporting and storing goods as well as challenges that come with managing a unionized company. The interview has a single transcript, but is in 6 sections because interviewer used stop button instead of pause.
    • Contributor: Hall-Arber, Madeleine - Occupational Folklife Project - Dicienzo, Patricia M.
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Kevin Hart interview conducted by Madeleine Hall-Arber, 2017-01-17. Kevin Hart is a former lobsterman who now runs the only water boat delivering water to fishing boats in New Bedford and Fairhaven. He talks about being the only water boat provider, the decline of the industry and its current status in New Bedford, even with current prosperity of scalloping, as well as voicing future ideas for New Bedford with and without the industry.…
    • Contributor: Hart, Kevin - Occupational Folklife Project - Hall-Arber, Madeleine
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Debra Kelsey interview conducted by Madeleine Hall-Arber, 2017-01-05. Debra Kelsey, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, elaborates on her journey to her current position at the Fishing Partnership and the services the company provides for fishing families.
    • Contributor: Hall-Arber, Madeleine - Occupational Folklife Project - Kelsey, Debra
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    James Lopes interview conducted by Madeleine Hall-Arber, 2017-03-23. James Lopes, fifty-six years old, has been involved in the fishing industry since he was a teenager. He began his career as a 'Night Rider,' then had his own business, Ocean Obsession, Ltd, and currently works for Norpel as a production manager. He discusses the rewards and challenges of working on the waterfront, a typical day at Norpel, the "cast of characters" he has…
    • Contributor: Hall-Arber, Madeleine - Occupational Folklife Project - Lopes, James M.
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Virginia Martins interview conducted by Madeleine Hall-Arber, 2016-11-15. In this interview, Virginia Martins discusses the challenges of being in the fishing industry, including the changes to the industry, the role of women in the fishing industry, and the role of climate change and technology in the fishing industry. She shares her personal work history and her experiences at Bay Fuels, Inc.
    • Contributor: Hall-Arber, Madeleine - Occupational Folklife Project - Martins, Virginia
    • Date: 2016-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    James A Mercer interview conducted by Madeleine Hall-Arber, 2017-04-13. Jim Mercer, a diver on the New Bedford/Fairhaven waterfront, enthusiastically describes his job, how he became a commercial fishing boat diver, and why he enjoys his job and the waterfront community so much. He speaks about the importance of having a diver's assessment on the bottom of a commercial fishing boat and the process of doing an assessment. He describes the dangerous nature of…
    • Contributor: Hall-Arber, Madeleine - Occupational Folklife Project - Mercer, Jim (James A.)
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Edith Mikina interview conducted by Madeleine Hall-Arber, 2016-12-10. Edith "Edie" Mikina is the owner of Edie and Marie Boat Settlements in New Bedford, which handles accounting work for fishing vessels out of New Bedford and Fairhaven. She talks about her Portuguese heritage and family, work and services to fishermen, especially to Portuguese clients, and contrasts past and present in the boat settlement business and in the industry.
    • Contributor: Hall-Arber, Madeleine - Mikina, Edie (Edith) - Occupational Folklife Project
    • Date: 2016-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Cindy Pettway interview conducted by Madeleine Hall-Arber, 2016-11-10. Cindy Pettway was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts and grew up in Rochester. She worked at a motorcycle shop and then, in 1979, she began working at her father's shop and has been working there since. She sells Caterpillar parts and engines to local fishermen with her husband. In this interview, she describes how the industry has evolved and what her personal experience has…
    • Contributor: Pettway, Cindy - Occupational Folklife Project - Hall-Arber, Madeleine
    • Date: 2016-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Jaime Rivera interview conducted by Madeleine Hall-Arber, 2017-03-23. Jaime Rivera was born in Puerto Rico in 1989. He came to New Bedford in 2006 and found a job at Norpel in 2007. He describes working his way up from packer to nightshift supervisor. He speaks about learning to work on new equipment, temporary and permanent workers, and that his work is not easy but he likes all of it.
    • Contributor: Rivera, Jaime - Occupational Folklife Project - Hall-Arber, Madeleine
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Eoin Rochford interview conducted by Madeleine Hall-Arber, 2017-01-04. Eoin Rochford, Plant Manager of the Northern Pelagic Group (NORPEL) fish processing plant in New Bedford, MA, discusses the evolution of the fishing industry in New Bedford and New England. He also explains his personal history and career, including his time working as an engineer on fishing boats, fishing in Alaska, updating fishing boats, working at the NORPEL plant in New Bedford, and exporting…
    • Contributor: Hall-Arber, Madeleine - Rochford, Eoin - Occupational Folklife Project
    • Date: 2017-01-01
  • Audio Recording
    Jacqueline Rua interview conducted by Madeleine Hall-Arber, 2017-03-23. Jaqueline Rua has worked at Norpel for four years and has ambitions to be in management. She describes working conditions, learning English on the job and changes that have occurred in the four years on the job. She has a vast knowledge of types of fish and the packing process. She also trains Spanish speakers, who are hired as temps during peak seasons.
    • Contributor: Hall-Arber, Madeleine - Rua, Jacqueline - Occupational Folklife Project
    • Date: 2017-01-01