[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 30 (Monday, February 27, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING LORRAINE BROWN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL H. MICHAUD

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 27, 2012

  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Lorraine Brown of 
Leeds, Maine for her years of work in the shoe industry.
  Born in 1933, Lorraine grew up with her three siblings between Auburn 
and Lewiston. Her father had passed away when she was still very young, 
and as a result Lorraine was primarily raised by her mother, her 
grandmother and her aunts. At the age of 15, she and her girlfriends 
started working in the shoe industry to pay for a set of roller skates. 
Lorraine met her future husband on those roller skates at the Beacon 
Roller Rink on Park Street.
  Lorraine has spent over 50 years in the shoe industry, stitching for 
Koss, Hammon, Eastland, LL Bean, Knapp, and most recently, Falcon 
shoes. In a 2010 interview for the Shoe Industry Oral History Project, 
Lorraine tells the story of what it was like to work for these 
companies with a particular focus on the people in her life. Whether it 
was a childhood friend who never missed a birthday card, a boss who 
lent her his car because they used to skate together, or the new 
friendships she forged with her coworkers, it is clear that Lorraine 
has been a special person to a great many individuals.
  Before he passed away, Lorraine's husband told her to keep working so 
she wouldn't go ``downhill''. Today, she is still stitching fire boots 
for Falcon Shoes, a company she has been with since the birth of her 
great granddaughter. Through good times and bad, Lorraine's kindness 
and energy have been an inspiration to the whole community.
   Mr. Speaker, please join me again in recognizing Lorraine Brown for 
her years of work in the shoe industry.

                          ____________________