Superior Woman--Summer 2020--Final Edition

More documents

Recommendations

Info

16 SUMMER 2020 SUPERIORWOMAN.NET SANDRA ARSENAULT
GOSSARD girls BY DALE HEMMILA Editor’s Note: The story below was filed just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard. Some planned outreach and celebrations related to the Gossard Company’s 100th anniversary in Ishpeming, and the same anniversary of the first national election where women could vote, were put on hold, due to COVID-19. The hope is those events will be able to be held in 2021. Nonetheless, the story of the Gossard and especially the women who worked there is still compelling and Superior Woman wants to continue to honor their legacy and tell the story of the Gossard, the women who worked there and one woman’s efforts to make sure we remember it all. When you think of Superior Women, you should consider the hundreds of women who kept a garment factory humming in Ishpeming, Michigan, for decades. Now, one Superior Woman is making sure their legacy, and the history that’s included, isn’t forgotten. The factory was owned by the H.W. Gossard Company, and the hundreds of women were those who worked there from 1920 to 1976. The Superior Woman maintaining that legacy is Sandra Arsenault, who, with husband Paul, owns the historic Gossard Building in downtown Ishpeming. In 2020, the year in which women will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, is also the 100th anniversary of the first Ishpeming “Gossard Girls,” when the factory opened in 1920. In honor of that 100th anniversary, Arsenault and her husband, Paul, are planning to create a much larger tribute, with displays encompassing nearly the entire building. “There’s going to be a lot more information in the building,” she said. “All three floors are going to have more information about their picnics, they had bowling teams, baseball teams and their cafeteria.” In addition, there will be an expanded display relating to the employee strike of 1949. “The story I want to tell, is to focus on the women,” Arsenault said. “In 1920 women were allowed to vote, and all along women have grown. At the time that the Gossard was here, there were no females in management. Now we have women who run for president, we have women CEOs, we have businesses that are run by women. “Now, people come into the building, and they take pictures, and that’s what I want them to do, and I think they will be really excited when they see what Paul and I have in store. (They) will be able to go through the building and read about the items (on display).” To capture that history and recognize the work of the people of the Gossard, Arsenault has researched the history of the Ishpeming operations, salvaged much of the equipment, photos, samples and other items left behind when the facility closed, and reached out to the more than 1,000 employees and their families in order to build an historical display on the Gossard building’s first floor. “My first goal is a tribute to the women,” Arsenault said recently while discussing her project. “Their legacy should be told.” The Gossard facility in Ishpeming came about when the Chicagobased manufacturer of women’s undergarments was looking to add a facility large enough to accomplish the piece-work nature of their garment assembly in a location that featured a ready workforce. Following a recruitment visit to Chicago from a representative of the SUMMER 2020 SUPERIORWOMAN.NET 17
Page 1 and 2: MARYBETH KURTZ baking up a storm SU
Page 4 and 5: VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1 SUMMER 2020 Supe
Page 6 and 7: 4 SUMMER 2020 SUPERIORWOMAN.NET MAR
Page 8 and 9: get up and get it yourself. People
Page 10 and 11: 8 SUMMER 2020 SUPERIORWOMAN.NET ROX
Page 12 and 13: As in any business where leadership
Page 14 and 15: STACEY WILLEY & JACKIE BESSNER 12 S
Page 16 and 17: A lot of your products are U.P.-bas
Page 20 and 21: ADVERTISEMENT FOR GOSSARD UNDERGARM
Page 22 and 23: 20 SUMMER 2020 SUPERIORWOMAN.NET ST
Page 24 and 25: Reporter: “I never thought of tha
Page 26 and 27: LORRIE HAYES 24 SUMMER 2020 SUPERIO
Page 28 and 29: “ I like to sing songs that are t
Page 30: YOUR AD HERE Does your business nee

Superior Woman--Summer 2020--Final Edition

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?