‘I love it. It brings back a lot of memories.?
That was Oxford resident Jan Hopper’s assessment of ‘The Way We Worked,? a Smithsonsian Institute traveling exhibition that opened Saturday at the Oxford Public Library (530 Pontiac Rd.).
Using lots of photographs, songs, video clips, artifacts, facts, quotes, statistics and interactive elements, the exhibit chronicles the evolution of labor and celebrates all of its forms over the past 150 years. It examines who works, where we worked, how we worked and why we work.
Included with the Smithsonian exhibit are many local photos and unique artifacts spread throughout the library. Many were loaned by the Northeast Oakland Historical Society, which operates the museum in downtown Oxford.
‘It’s really fascinating,? said Oxford resident Jeff Morrison, who toured the exhibit with his wife, Sue. ‘There’s a lot of really good pictures. I really like the (labor) union pins and the stories (printed) under the (work) hats are cool, too.?
‘The photography’s really impressive,? Sue said.
The exhibit will be on display through Feb. 1, 2015. An opening gala for the exhibit will be held on Friday, Dec. 12 from 6-9 p.m.
Someone like Hopper, who spent much of her adult life as part of the workforce, can definitely relate to the historical exhibit because instead of glorifying famous people, it tells the stories of average workers who have toiled in fields, factories, offices, mines, oceans and even outer space.
‘I wasn’t born with money, so I know what it’s like to start at the very bottom,? she said. ‘I started working in ?55 when I graduated from high school. I never stopped until I retired.?
Hopper, who’s volunteering as a greeter for the exhibit, was employed for about 30 years with the Ex-Cell-O Corporation in Highland Park. The company was involved in everything from airplanes and railroads to milk cartons and atomic energy.
Seeing the old typewriters in the exhibit reminded Hopper of when she began as a junior typist. She later retired as the administrative assistant to Ex-Cell-O’s vice president of human resources.
‘It was wonderful to work for them. They were family-oriented,? Hopper said. ‘They loved the people. If you did a good job, they appreciated it.?
‘It was a well-run company,? she continued. ‘I knew the presidents and I had respect for them. If I had not, I would not have worked for them. If they had treated their employees shoddily, I could have not accepted that.?
Hopper hopes that many ‘young folks? will visit the Smithsonian exhibit ‘because they need to see how things were years ago? before people relied so heavily on ‘fancy gadgets.?
‘People really had to work hard for what they had,? she said.
Oxford resident Bob Neely and his 13-year-old daughters, Sierra and Marissa, stumbled upon the exhibit during a routine visit to the library and they very much enjoyed it.
‘It was a nice surprise,? he said. ‘We didn’t know it was here today.?
‘It’s really cool to see all these things,? Marissa said.
‘There’s some things they didn’t teach us in U.S. history, but you can see it here,? Sierra said.
For Bob, seeing an old book about shorthand ? the abbreviated symbolic writing method used by secretaries when taking dictation ? brought back fond memories of his mother, who worked as a secretary.
‘My mom did shorthand all the time,? he said. ‘I would find little lists around the house and I had no idea what they said because it was like code. It was second nature to her, but it was Greek to me.?
As a technology consultant for area small businesses, Bob was particularly interested to see how some tools have so dramatically changed in such a relatively short time.
For example, it wasn’t too long ago that people banged away on typewriters and now, virtual keyboards are commonly used.
‘To think, it happened in my lifetime,? he said. ‘It’s hard to believe some of the things I see (in this exhibit) were in my era.?
‘I think it’s incredibly important to remember our past like this,? Bob noted. ‘Sometimes I think we forget how good we have it.?
Oxford resident Jignesh Patel, who toured the exhibit with his sons Dylan, 11, and Davyn, 5, agreed.
‘I think it’s important for us to really recognize (how) this nation was built in terms of the amount of work and effort it took to put together all the things we use today,? he said.
Patel said people often take for granted simple, everyday items like toasters. They don’t think about all the labor that goes into turning raw materials into finished products.
He sees the Smithsonian exhibit as showing people, particularly the youth, that they have the ability to make things, not just consume them.
‘That entrepreneurial spirit is still needed today and we need to instill that into our kids,? Patel said.