Teresa Riley was born in 1924 in Rumford, Maine. She has lived in the area for her whole life. Riley’s father was a supervisor in Rumford’s paper mill. Riley graduated from high school in 1942 with the man who would be her husband; he left to serve in World War II, but they married when he returned. Three of Riley’s children have moved out of state, but the fourth manages a Hannaford grocery store in Saco, Maine.

This interview covers Riley family biographical information; economic issues: the Great Depression, decline in the United State paper market, the service economy in Maine, the price of gas, and jobs versus the environment; business in Rumford: local businesses, national franchises, and good business practices; the Androscoggin and its tributaries; having fun: mill-organized events, Riley’s gatherings with other seniors, school outings, skiing, carnivals, movies, and the Rileys’ camp in Roxbury; Rumford’s paper mill: jobs, pensions, changing ownership, community engagement, and decline; Riley’s children living out of state; population issues: Rumford’s population decline and influx from Massachusetts; Riley’s moving plans; Rumford’s future: development grants, re-creation of Rumford of the 1940s and ‘50s, economic prospects, and hope; the Rileys’ painting abilities; and legislative decision-making.

Copyright Bates College. This transcript is provided for individual Research Purposes Only; for all other uses, including publication, reproduction and quotation beyond fair use, permission must be obtained in writing from: The Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library, Bates College, 70 Campus Avenue, Lewiston, Maine 04240-6018.