Coffey, Dennis 03.09 - University of Massachusetts Lowell Libraries

at it. So, and of course he you know, was involved in Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union (A:
Right) for some time, and so forth. (A: Right) So there were a lot of people that came
through that avenue as well. You know his goal I think was the help raise the status of
the Franco-American community, (A: Umhm) but he was almost Brahman in his attitude
you know, in his approach to things, you know. So he was almost like one of the old
Yankees, you know, but on the other hand he didn’t lose that, that ah, that Franco side of
his life and so forth. (A: Yah. Yah) So yah, I mean he was clearly a key player. I
remember on time I was bringing, trying to bring some people in to fill up some space in
one of the mills. (A: Yah) And Tom Markham and I you know, we kind of worked
together on it, and Tom went away somewhere. So the fellow was coming in and he said
you know, “Could you set me up with one of the banks?” (A: Umhm) So I forget the
guy’s name now, but I called someone at Union National and I said you know, “Could
you see these folks?” “Oh yah, sure.” So we went down to the bank and they were
talking. And so I don’t know if Homer came into the meeting or not, probably not, but
you know, some senior bankers were there and they said, “Well what space are you
looking at?” So we talked about which mill it was. The guy picked up the phone and he
calls the owner of the mill, whatever and he says, “You got some space over there?
Yah?” Actually no, they asked me to call them. (A: Okay) Call the agent, or whoever it
was.
A: Where was the mill? The Boott?
D: No, no, no, further up. (A: Lawrence?) Lawrence, yah. And so I got the guy on the
phone. I said, “I’m at the bank and you know, we’re trying to cut a deal here to get some
financing.” “What bank you at?” “Union National.” “Oh, okay. Good.” [Laughs]
And you know, it was, it was a very tight community. (A: Yah, yah) And, so anyway.
A: Any interesting stories about Homer that you’ve heard?
D: Not that I can remember. You ought to talk to my mother though.
A: Is your mother still around?
D: Oh yah.
A: Yah. Okay.
D: Yah, yah, yah, she might, she might remember some Homer stories. Certainly Red
would.
A: Yes.
D: Yah, but yah my mother might have some Homer stories, because just before World
War II she worked in Washington, DC, and then when the war broke out my grandfather
said, “You got to come home, you know, they’re going to bomb. You know, you’re
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