In the Age of Steel: Oral Histories from Bethlehem Pennsylvania -- Carl F. Ottenberg

Annotation Carl F. Ottenberg (ca. 1894-February 1, 1986), born in Berlin, Germany, was the son of the Franz and Ida Ottenberg. He was married to Helen Ottenberg, née Hartman. Ottenberg worked at Bethlehem Steel from 1916 to 1961 and was promoted to foreman during his tenure. In this interview he discusses his apprenticeship as a machinist in Germany, working for the Hamburg-American Line, leaving a German ship in Hoboken in 1914, being classified as an enemy alien during World War I, prior employment with Gerber Engineering Co., shifts, strikes, worker attitudes, his neighborhood, social activities, and traveling back to Germany to see his family. This interview is part of a series of interviews conducted by Lehigh University students and faculty from 1974 through 1977 focusing on retired Bethlehem Steel workers, business people, and the heirs of industrial magnates. The project was co-sponsored by Bethlehem Steel Corporation, who provided contact information for retired steel workers. An oral history interview is an act of memory and hence both highly selective and highly subjective. While it accurately reflects what a narrator remembers (or chooses to tell) of his or her experience and viewpoints, it may not accurately represent what actually transpired or what another person may have experienced. As such users should subject interviews to the same degree of critical scrutiny they would any other historical source.