[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2303]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING BERTRAND DAVID MATHIEU

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL H. MICHAUD

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 27, 2012

  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Bertrand David 
Mathieu of Lewiston, Maine for his decades of work in Maine's shoe 
industry.
  Bert was born in 1922 in Lewiston, Maine. By the time he was 16 years 
old, he had already started working with heavy industrial equipment in 
a shoe factory. Bert earned his place in the ``Greatest Generation'' 
when he answered the call to service during World War II. Originally 
joining the Maine National Guard in 1939, he would go on to serve in 
the European theater and fight in the Battle of the Bulge.
  After the war, Bert returned to the shoe manufacturing career that 
would be a part of his life for more than seven decades. With little 
formal training, he mastered his craft by listening, asking questions 
and vigilantly researching the technical aspects of the job. A 
committed family man, Bert also repaired televisions on the side for 
nearly 50 years in order to help pay for the schooling of his 
daughters.
  I've always known that Mainers are of sturdy stock, and I strongly 
suspect that our healthy Maine air and peaceful surroundings have 
something to do with it. Today at the age of 90, Bert still displays 
the hard work, creativity and ingenuity which have sustained him 
throughout his life. You can still find him working at Pamco Shoe 
Machinery in Lewiston, sorting and organizing machine parts. His energy 
and his positive attitude remain an inspiration to all who know him.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me again in recognizing Bertrand David 
Mathieu for his many years of good work.

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