Jeannine (Beauchamp) Séguin
It is hard to remember everything that happened thirty-four years ago.
In 1964 I started working for the Glengarry Telephone Co., until June 1969 when I married and moved to the province of Québec.
Mr. J.J. McCormick was my boss. He was a cross man. I still remember his phone number which was 23. When he would ring in you had to answer him fast.
Rhéal Fournier worked for a long time with Mr. McCormick as a lineman.
I worked with Mary Kennedy, Claudette and Hélène St. Denis, Denise Titley, Agathe Girard (now deceased), Dolores Sabourin and Solange (I don’t remember her last name). I also worked with Mrs. Brodie. We would work three weeks in a row and then be off one. One week we would work the early shift and then the late shift and then nights until Mrs. Brodie was hired only to work nights.
The salary was not high. I remember getting $40.00 a week clear.
We each took turns for housekeeping and groceries which we did at Leo Massie’s General Store. Mrs. Massie was a good sewer; she would sew and repair anything. For the groceries we each put $7.00 a week in a pot. One would do the groceries. If there was money left over, the next week we would buy extras.
In our leisure time we would take walks and play cards. Mrs. Brodie’s nephew Ray would come over. He played the guitar and sang.
I worked nearly five years at the telephone co. I think the company was sold in 1966, and the office was moved to Alexandria shortly after that.
I am enclosing a few photos. The sofa Mr. & Mrs. Brodie are sitting on was our bed when we worked nights. At 10:30 p.m. we would put a buzzer on and go to sleep on that sofa.. When someone would ring in a big bell was heard and you had to go and answer them. The buzzer would ring until you answered. The worst night to work was Wednesday night. It was Omer Poirier’s Auction Sale. His number was 14r4.