Joe Manning's Presentation

I really enjoyed going to Joe Manning’s art show.  It was nothing like what I expected it to be, but nevertheless, it was extremely interesting!  Joe Manning is a retired elderly man from New Hampshire who was able to make an extraordinary difference in the lives of so many.  Usually, when people retire they spend their days relaxing and doing things they genuinely love to do.  But this is not was Joe did.  He was so captivated by Lewis Hine’s photographs of child laborers that he was able to uncover their story and share it with their ancestors.  Joe realized what an impact his work made so he promised to continue, and he was eventually able to touch over three hundred lives!

All of his work sparked from just one picture.  Elizabeth Winthrop, a famous author and one of Joe’s close friends, showed him a photograph taken by Lewis Hine of twelve-year-old Addie Lard.  It was a very powerful picture of her standing in front of her machine in a Vermont factory.  This photo inspired Elizabeth to write and publish a fictional story based off of Addie’s photo.  But, Joe wanted to know the real truth behind the photo, not just the fiction.  All Joe knew about the photo was the year and place it was taken, he did not even have Addie’s correct name.  Through researching, traveling and interviewing many people, Joe was able to locate and meet with one of Addie’s distant relatives.  He met with Addie’s granddaughter who had never met her grandmother, but immediately recognized her.  This was a very emotional time for both of them.  Her granddaughter had no idea that Addie worked in a mill at such a young age, and Joe was able to learn more about Addie’s life.  Joe learned that Addie’s daughter, Ruth, was immediately separated from her at birth because Addie had been so ill.  Addie’s relatives had always thought that she gave up her daughter because she did not want to raise her.  They were very grateful that they were able to learn the whole truth with the help of Joe Manning.  After making such an impact on Addie’s relatives, Joe decided to continue his work.  Lewis Hine took countless pictures of children working in factories, and Joe was ready to learn the stories behind these photos.  What I found most interesting is that Joe was able to unravel an entire story with just a photo, sometimes there was not even a caption included.  I admire Joe’s curiosity and his desire to learn more.  That is what made his research so great.

My favorite story of Joe’s truly shows how talented he was.  He found a photo of nine young children with a woman that looked like their mother.  He was instantly intrigued.  The caption included some names, but they were all misspelled nicknames that were of no assistance.  Joe spent a lot of time trying to figure out this photo.  Eventually, he was able to reach a relative of one of the children.  It turns out that all of these children went to foster homes, and most of them were separated from their siblings.  Joe was then able to contact the relatives of each of these pictured children.  These children were reunited with each other, and it never would have happened if it had not been for Joe’s work.

I found Joe’s dedication to his work to be very inspiring.  He did all of this research because he genuinely wanted to, not because he had to.  He loved to see families become reunited and learn more about their history.  Joe was able to uncover a child’s story just from looking at a photograph, and I think that is amazing.

Joe also worked with many pictures taken in Lowell and Lawrence.  He showed us photos of children working in the mills.  There were also powerful photos of these mill workers protesting for better conditions.  It was cool to see how much emotion these photos were able to capture.  We have learned so much about Lowell’s history as we toured the city throughout the semester, so it was interesting to see actual photos to go along with it, too.  I am so glad I got the experience to hear Joe’s stories and see how he was able to change so many people’s lives!

These are some of the many photographs that Joe researched.

Mona Lisa Smile

I saw the film Mona Lisa Smile last month.  I found it very enjoyable and it also helped me to understand Lowell’s history.  This was one of the many movies shown to go along with this year’s common text.  It was shown in O’Leary Library in a small auditorium.  I came to this without any knowledge of what the film was about.  I heard that Julia Roberts was in this movie, so I figured it would be good, and I was right.  It took me quite a long time to realize this, but this film had a lot of significance to the history of UMass Lowell.

The film takes place in the 1950’s.  Julia Roberts’ character, Katherine Watson, comes from California to a conservative school in Wellesley to teach at an all girls school.  She came to this school with new ideas that were completely unheard of.  Because of this, Katherine had to overcome many problems with both her students and her colleagues.  On her first day of teaching, her students had planned to memorize the syllabus and all of the ancient paintings she planned to show the class. She came to Wellesley College with completely new and modernized teaching methods that were not at all approved of.  Katherine continuously tries to teach her students to be more independent.  All of the women are stuck in this conservative mindset and Katherine does everything she can to free them from it. The school focuses on the correct way for women to behave.  They are required to attend classes on grooming and table setting.  She was hired as an art history teacher, but instead, she shows the girls modern art pieces that are like nothing they have ever seen.  When she began teaching, she got no respect from her students, but she did not let that stop her or her mission to change these girls. 

The school had always taught their students that becoming a housewife and a mother is far more important than pursuing a career.  They expected these women to forget about all that they had worked so hard for, and live their life how every woman should, with a family.  This made me sad because there were many women in this film who were very passionate about their studies, but everything they had ever known told them to quit.  One student, Joan, had always wanted to be a lawyer.  She never mentioned her dreams to anyone because they were so far from the norms of society.  Joan had a fiancé from Harvard; she thought that was her only future.  She became very close with Katherine, who instanttly realized Joan’s desire to become a lawyer.  Without telling her, Katherine applied Joan to Yale and she got accepted.  This was such an unusual opportunity for women in the 1950’s and if it were not for Katherine, Joan would not be able to pursue her dreams as a lawyer.

I cannot imagine living as a woman in this time period.  It seems so unfair that women’s futures were so limited.  If I were a student at Wellesley College, I would feel so grateful to have a professor like Katherine to show me that there is so much more to life.  She showed her students that they could live out their dreams and have the career that they longed for, and also have a husband and family. 

Katherine was able to overcome the adversity that was so present at Wellesley College, and she helped her students to do so, too.  Katherine stood up for her beliefs, even though she was risking her job, and I find that to be very inspiring.

            Mona Lisa Smile can be compared to Marie Frank’s University of Massachusetts Lowell, our common text for this year.  In this very same time period, women were studying in Lowell and facing the same exact struggles.  There was a two-year teaching college in Lowell for only women.  The only profession seen appropriate for women was teaching.  This school prepared women to become teachers, although most of them eventually put aside these studies to become housewives and mothers.  It is so hard for me to fathom living in a society such as this.  I do not think I would get along in a time where women were not treated equal to men and had certain roles that they were expected to fulfill.  This being said, I am so thankful for the progression that has been made in society, making it possible for me, and all women, to strive for greatness.

Open Response 1: UML Hockey

Sports have always held a special place in my heart.  I grew up in a family that loved sports, too.  Ice hockey has always been my favorite sport, and I think it always will be.  Every winter my father builds an ice rink in our back yard.  Some of my favorite memories have happened when we were all together on the rink just having fun, and doing what we love. What I love most about sporting events is the atmosphere.  At my high school, the student fan section referred to themselves as “Wamp Nation”.  This brought about a sense of pride and unity within all of the students.  Everyone went to every game, no questions asked.  We loved it.  During playoffs, our girls basketball team played at The Boston Garden.  Our fan section was unbelievable that night; we even made the news for it!  Going to these sporting events is what made high school so much fun and so memorable.  But all that time, I had no idea that I would eventually become a part of an even greater fan section.

On Friday October 10^th my friends and I attended the season opener against Sacred Heart University for the UML hockey team.  I was excited to see the team play, especially after how well they did last season.  I walked into the Tsongas Arena having no idea what to expect.  I had only been in the arena once before, and that was for Convocation.  The arena looked nothing like it had before; it was packed with thousands of excited and energized fans all dressed in blue in red. We arrived a half an hour early and it was still difficult to find seats.

This event lifted everyone’s spirits.  Everywhere you looked you saw friendly faces that were so happy to be at the game.  There was a real sense of community amongst everyone in The Tsongas Arena, and I found that to be very special.  There was music blaring through the speakers, getting the fans roweled up.  All different clubs and sports teams came together to support the hockey team.  There was tables set up all over the arena for activities to do during the game.  This gave the arena such a welcoming vibe.

The music got louder.  It was time for the Riverhawks to come onto the ice.  All of the stands stood up in unison, it was like a mass of blue moving about the arena.  We went wild when they announced the player’s names.  That night was especially important, and not just because it was their season opener. Banners that marked this teams incredible accomplishments would be raised in the arena for everyone to see.

Last year, our hockey team did things that nobody thought they could do.  They defied all odds and showed everyone how good they could really be.  They were Hockey East Champions and made it into the Frozen Four.  These were both huge successes and I had the honor of seeing the ceremony that celebrated each of them.  The ceremony was unlike anything that I had ever seen.  As the banners were uncovered, fireworks and explosions went off on the ice.  Cheering echoed throughout the arena.  Chills ran down my back as I looked at the line of players standing on the ice.  These players and their outstanding accomplishments had such an impact on the University and the city of Lowell.  It gave this town something to cheer for, as well as the university.  This team’s hard work and dedication was able to better this school’s reputation in so many ways.  The raising of these banners made me proud to be a Riverhawk.

The fans were chanting cheers the entire game.  Between periods a UML Riverhawk blimp came flying above us.  Everyone went wild as they screamed in confusion.  This blimp added to the excitement as it soared through the arena.  Everyone, even those people who were not particularly hockey fan, were so unbelievably engaged in the game.  There were moment of anxiety and moments of pure excitement.  For the first time, sitting in the fan section, I felt like a Riverhawk and I could not have been more proud.  Unfortunately, the Riverhawks lost to Sacred Heart that day.  Nobody let this loss dampen their spirits.  After this great experience, I am looking forward to a season full of UML hockey games!

Lowell Celebrates Kerouac

            

            Learning about Jack Kerouac has completely changed my views on Lowell.  His story tells a lot about the history of this great city, and I cannot believe I have not learned about him until now.  It was also awesome to see how important Kerouac still is to the people of Lowell.

            Kerouac was a very interesting man to say the least.  He grew up in Lowell on the second floor of 9 Lupine Road.  Throughout his childhood, Kerouac moved to various different houses in Lowell.  My class and I had the honor of going on a Walking Tour through Lowell.  We got to see many of these houses that he grew up in.  It is amazing that they still stand, just the way he describes them in his novels.  As our tour guide read an excerpt at each location we stopped at, you could see the clear resemblance, and that really struck me.  Every description he read matched what we were standing in front of.  For a month I have been walking by these different locations with no knowledge of their history or significance.  I’ve eaten at Suppa’s Pizza so many times, not knowing that just two buildings down is where Kerouac lived for years.

These are just a few of the houses Kerouac grew up in.

             The Kerouac Walking Tour started at the Franco American School, down the street from our campus.  Behind the school there is a beautiful Grotto and the twelve stages of the cross.  Kerouac talked of these figures in his novels.   I think that these are very interesting landmarks in Lowell and it is disappointing that they are hidden away behind the school.  In one of his novels, he mentioned kneeling at the first stage of the cross and being able to see a particular funeral home in the distance.  Standing at the first cross, I could actually see the funeral home.  I found this to be exciting.

The funeral home can be seen in the distance.

The Grotto

12 stages of the cross

This is a street corner that Kerouac writes about

            We also went to the Moody Street Bridge where we heard another excerpt from the guide.  I have walked past this bridge so many times since I have come to school.  Each time I think of how ugly it is, and I was excited when I heard that it would soon be demolished.  The bridge was described in great detail in Kerouac’s novel Dr. Sax.  After hearing the stories of Jack’s personal experiences on the bridge and seeing how proud and excited the people of Lowell are about it, I do hope that the bridge is saved after all.  It adds so much character to the city and it would be a shame if it actually gets removed.

            Last weekend the Lowell Celebrates Kerouac organization put together a festival in honor of Jack Kerouac.  There were many interesting events constantly going on, and I had the pleasure of going to one.  Last Thursday, my friend and I went to the Traditional Lowell Celebrates Kerouac kick-off music-and-readings event.  It was at Cappy’s Copper Kettle, a bar on Central Street downtown.  We weren’t all that sure if we would get into the event once we realized it was at a pub, but all of the people were very welcoming and we had no problems.  It was a very old fashioned looking bar.  There was a small stage in the back corner of the bar where people were singing.  There was also a pool table where the young men played games all night.  These men reminded me so much of Jack, who spent his nights drinking and playing pool with his friends.  It was cool to be sitting in a bar like that as I listened to excerpts from Kerouac’s novels; it was all very fitting.  It also was interesting to me how different the many people were.  There were some young people, some old, all gathered happily together to celebrate Kerouac’s life.  The atmosphere in that bar was very enjoyable, and gave me more of an understanding of Kerouac’s lifestyle that he wrote so much about.

            In between the music and the readings, a member of Lowell Celebrates Kerouac was honored.  Our tour guide from the walking tour was actually honoring this man.  He was commended for his dedication to the organization.  Seeing these men on stage, all dressed in different Jack Kerouac T-Shirts was just awesome.  They are all working hard to preserve Lowell’s history, and we should all be grateful for that.

            I really enjoyed learning about Jack Kerouac.  I love how his novels were about personal experiences.  Even more, I love how I can relate to these stories and experiences as I walk through Lowell.  I now have a much deeper understanding and appreciation for the city of Lowell.  It is so amazing to me how much this one man was able to shape this city.