Majors in French and Francophone Studies can choose to do an oral history project within various Francophone communities, both locally and abroad. The purpose of these project is to conduct a series of interviews within a specific community to record their history and identify the central issues that shape the identity of various Francophone communities.<\/p>\n
A) Franco-American voice from Lewiston\/Auburn:<\/strong><\/p>\n Video link of Marie Marthe Louise Grenier Rivard’s Interview<\/a><\/p>\n Marie Marthe Louise Grenier Rivard (1911-2009) \u00e9tait la doyenne de la communaut\u00e9 franco-am\u00e9ricaine de Lewiston\/Auburn lorsqu\u2019elle nous a parl\u00e9.\u00a0 N\u00e9e \u00e0 Saint L\u00e9on, Qu\u00e9bec, elle est arriv\u00e9e \u00e0 Lewiston en 1923 \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e2ge de 12 ans.\u00a0 Elle a travaill\u00e9 dans les \u00ab\u00a0shoe shops\u00a0\u00bb et comme modiste avant son mariage en 1941 avec Rom\u00e9o \u00ab\u00a0Tom\u00a0\u00bb Rivard.\u00a0 Ils ont eu cinq enfants.\u00a0 Marthe s\u2019est d\u00e9di\u00e9 \u00e0 sa famille, ses amis, son \u00e9glise et sa communaut\u00e9. En 2008, le Centre M\u00e9dical R\u00e9gional Ste. Marie \u00a0l\u2019a reconnue pour son long travail comme b\u00e9n\u00e9vole (une cinquantaine d\u2019ann\u00e9es\u00a0!).\u00a0 On disait\u00a0: \u00abMarthe aimait la vie et la vie l\u2019aimait.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n Marie Marthe Louise Grenier Rivard (1911-2009) was one of the most senior members of the Franco-American community in Lewiston\/Auburn when she spoke with us.\u00a0 Born in Saint-L\u00e9on, Quebec, she arrived in Lewiston in 1923 at the age of 12.\u00a0 She worked in the shoe shops and a hat shop before marrying Romeon \u00ab\u00a0Tom\u00a0\u00bb Rivard in 1941.\u00a0 They had five children.\u00a0 Marthe was devoted to her family, her friends, her church and her community.\u00a0 In 2008, St. Mary\u2019s Regional Medical Center recognized her for her long service as a volunteer (about 50 years\u00a0!).\u00a0 It\u2019s been said\u00a0:\u00a0 \u00ab\u00a0Marthe loved life and life loved Marthe.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n