In the Age of Steel: Oral Histories from Bethlehem Pennsylvania -- Eugene G. Simmers

Annotation Eugene G. Simmers was married to Katherine E. Simmers. After working for Budd Co., Simmers joined Bethlehem Steel 1936 as an inspector in the Lehigh Mills. He participated in the Loop Course, a management development program, and was ultimately promoted to superintendent of heat treatment and forging. In this interview Simmers discusses management's relationship with workers, views on the union, strikes, working during the Depression, working during World War II, employing women during World War II, details of ordinance production, shifts in the type of production over time, and the introduction of new technology. 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.