Women of Bethlehem Steel - Patty Felix

Annotation Patty Felix grew up on a farm in New Jersey. The youngest of five siblings, Felix showed a love of learning from a young age and looked up to her oldest brother, who set an example of academic and personal success by studying mechanical engineering at night school at Lafayette College while working on the family farm during the day. Felix’s interview shows that she shared the work ethic and drive of her oldest brother. Although her family’s financial situation prevented her from finishing her degree, Felix speaks with pride about her three years at Moravian College, where she studied business and economics and was first introduced to the city of Bethlehem. In her interview, Felix intermittently reflects upon her family and education while describing her nearly thirty-year career as a buyer for Bethlehem Steel, a corporate position through which she acquired a working knowledge of metallurgy, steel production, and the international steel industry. Felix discusses the relationship between her professional and personal life and represents herself as dedicated as both a worker and a person to Bethlehem Steel and to Bethlehem, PA. This interview is part of a series of interviews conducted by Lehigh University and the Steelworkers’ Archives and supported by the Lehigh University Mellon Digital Humanities Initiative and the South Side Initiative. 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.