Work

La Dra. Matilde Castiel nació en Cuba el 13 de noviembre de 1954. En esta entrevista ella menciona cómo con tan sólo seis años y medio, ella llegó a los Estados Unidos junto a su hermano mayor y muchos otros niños en lo que fue la Operación Pedro Pan. Una vez en este país, ella tuvo que ser acogida por una familia hasta que sus padres lograron inmigrar a Estados Unidos. La Dra. Castiel realizó sus estudios universitarios y de medicina en la Universidad de California, en San Francisco. Ahora vive en Holden junto a su esposo, Aaron Mendel, y sus dos hijos.

Dr. Matilde Castiel was born in Cuba on November 3, 1954. In this interview she discusses how as a young girl she participated in "Operation Peter Pan," which brought her and her older brother, along with many other children, from Cuba to the United States. She then had to live with a foster family until her parents were able to immigrate to the United States. Dr. Castiel did her undergraduate studies at the University of California in San Francisco, and later earned a medical degree from that same institution.

Lorraine Connolly was born in Worcester in 1931. She resided with her parents and siblings in the lower Franklin Street area and went to area schools including North High School. She attended computer programming school shortly after the birth of her daughter and has worked steadily ever since. She describes the Worcester she knew and how it differs from today's Worcester.  

Wilma Sanchez was born in Puerto Rico where she lived with her father’s family until the age of six. At that time she began living with her mother and she describes episodes of neglect and sexual abuse. In this interview Wilma explains how she began using drugs, became involved with men who sold drugs, had two sons, was diagnosed HIV positive, and had a relationship with a female friend. Eventually her drug habit led her to prostitution and a jail sentence. Wilma entered a drug treatment program and overcame her drug habit.

Carrie Johnson grew up in Natick and Framingham. Her father worked in a hat factory and her mother cleaned houses. She married after graduating high school but moved to California after divorce. She went to college and became a public relations person for a community gangs program. In the interview she discusses her involvement with drugs, her sons, her job as a one of the first African-American reporters for the Metro West Daily News,  then being hired by the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, and her cleaning company.

May O. White was born July 8, 1908 in Oxford, Massachusetts. She is a descendant of  the Pilgrims who came from England on the Mayflower and settled initially in Salem, MA, and later to establish Oxford. She is proud of her family history and historical value of the houses they built in the 19th century. Being a member of the Historical Commission in Oxford, she is helping to establish a Historic District, which designation would preserve these homes. May and her family worked in Worcester, taking advantage of the railroad connection.

Ann R. Witkes was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1914 and attended Ash St. Elementary School and Commerce High School in Worcester. Ann spent all her life in Worcester, except for the last 20 years in Florida. She returned to Worcester as a widow, to the Eisenberg Assisted Living Residence a few years ago, to be close to her family. Ann worked as a hairdresser until she retired. She began at her father’s barber shop in Worcester.

Laura Caswell was born in White Plains, New York in 1961 to a Roman Catholic family of Irish and Italian descent. Upon finishing her first year of college at Rutgers University, she learned she was pregnant and made the decision to abandon her studies and marry her boyfriend at the age of 19. Laura and her husband had three sons. At the age of 37, Laura and her husband divorced and she began working as a computer programmer. She is currently employed at the Information Technology center at Worcester State University in Worcester, Massachusetts as a computer programmer.

Catherine Rajwani was born in Worcester in 1973.  She attended Notre Dame and Columbia University and then law school. She and her husband currently work as lawyers in her mother’s law firm. In this oral history she discusses her parents and siblings, living in different parts of the country, and her travels outside the country. She explains her view on the importance of work-life balance and also her volunteer work with the Salvation Army and in a soup kitchen.

Mary Brunelle was born in Franklin, Massachusetts in 1988. She moved to Worcester in 2000 to attend Assumption College and is currently still living in Worcester. Before moving to Worcester, she felt as though she was already familiar with the city since many of her family members, including her mom grew up in Worcester. In this interview, Mary discusses the strong impact of education. She originally attended Saint Joseph College in Connecticut, but later transferred to Assumption College as a junior.