I worked at Narragansett Brewery in the early '70s. My father in law told me they were hiring and I went and applied and was hired. My father-in-law had worked at the brewery since he came home from Europe after WWII, and his father had worked there for years before. My-father-in law was also one of the last people out of the building in Cranston the day it closed. He was in maintenance and that last day they had to be sure everything was shut down
He is now in his late 80s and still talks of the Brewery fondly... as with most of them, the Brewery was their life and speaking from my own experience, it was a great place to work. Great co-workers and a real pride in our product! A pride that still exists and is now renewed by the return of "Our Own New England Beer"!
My father-in-law also met his wife, my mother-in-law, at the Brewery. She was the company nurse at the time. They will be celebrating their 61st anniversary at our home on the 4th of July, and I will be sure to provide plenty of 'Gansett!
A few weeks back I had to drive them to South County Hospital for some "senior" problems. On the way we passed the Narragansett town welcome sign, which was also the Narragansett logo on the Cranston Brewery building. I could see the pride in his face as we passed it. A smile from ear to ear! He popped off a few short stories, and he does have plenty of them, from "THE" days gone by.
Thanks, John for sharing your wonderful story, we'd love to hear those great tales of your father-in-law's that you mentioned! We encourage anyone to submit stories of folks whom you feel should be inducted into the 'GANSETT WALL OF FAME. Submit your stories and profiles here.