We are saddened to hear the news that friend of labor Dick Davies passed away recently. As a young man, Davies represented Orono in the Maine House of Representatives (1974-1982) where he became known for his work advocating for utility customers, sponsoring first-in-the-nation legislation to end mandatory retirement and a bill establishing the Office of the Public Advocate. He later served in the Brennan and Baldacci administrations and led the Office of the Public Advocate.
One of his proudest moments was supporting striking mill workers in Old Town as a University Maine student and member of Students for a Democratic Society in the late 1960s. In a 1996 interview, Davies described how he and other SDS members showed up to support workers on strike at the Ounegan Woolen Mill in Old Town in 1966. According to the Maine Folk Life Center,
"After some discussion, the union asked two students to go undercover in the mill and gather intelligence that could be used to bring the unsafe working conditions to light. The two young men who volunteered took detailed notes and many pictures, which were given to the Campus and published as a front page exposé. This article ignited student interest in and support for the strike and on a cold Friday afternoon in March 1966 almost one hundred and fifty students joined the picket line outside the mill."