In the Age of Steel: Oral Histories from Bethlehem Pennsylvania -- Louis Ropos

Annotation Louis Ropos was born in Austria-Hungary and emigrated from there in 1911. After starting with Bethlehem Steel working in a zinc mill in 1911, he left the company and worked in St. Louis, Indianapolis, and New York. In 1920 he returned to Bethlehem Steel and worked there until he retired in 1962. In this interview he discusses emigrating, boarding in Bethlehem upon arrival, the various shops he worked in, steel-making processes, his views on the union, some detail of jobs held outside of Bethlehem Steel, and the timekeeping process at the plant. 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.