To the Editor:

May 14th will mark the three-year anniversary of the last large group of employees to leave The Mill. I was one of those 300 or so people. I must admit it was a very unpleasant thing to do. It was difficult to walk away from a place you had worked for 38 years and not by choice. I know some people are bitter and blame International Paper for “ruining their lives.” I don’t feel that way at all. Instead I am grateful for the wonderful life I have been blessed to live. And the Mill was a very large part of that. It helped provide my wife and I a great living. And it gave our sons opportunities they otherwise would not have had.

I came to the Mill in 1972 at the age of 19. I was hired as a clerk in Data Processing. When I left three years ago I was an electrician.

During those 38 years I had opportunities to learn, to go places and do things that were great experiences. I came to know some really great people. And I had a good income. So I thank the Lord to have had the opportunity to work there for 38 years,

I’m also happy for the new employees of IP and ST Tissue. I can only hope they have as good a career as we did.

Frank Rickman
Franklin