Remembering AQ: Mel Chang
Oct 1st, 2009 by Capsun
Note: This is part of my (supposedly) Weekly AQ Wisdom special series. To see other posts in the series, click on the Best Bets tab at the top of any page here and scroll down to the “AQ McElrath” section. Material for this post was taken from information available at her Celebration of Life in February. “
“AQ was thrifty and taught me to waste nothing and value the fact that all the union’s money came from dues paid by hard working members.
“I was a rank and file worker from Love’s Bakery when the union first brought me in to work on educational projects and organizing in 1978. AQ was my supervisor and she set me up in an empty room next to her office. She gave me paper pads which were made from left over paper which had printing on one side. She told me to use the back of the paper and to save and reuse paper clips.
“Ever since then, whenever I had an expense or had to fly to a neighbor island for union work, I would think that the dues from 8 or 10 members paid the airfare, and I better do a good job and not waste our members’ money.”
-Mel Chang, ILWU Local 142 Publicity and Education Director
This post concludes my series of remembrances of AQ. Please visit again next week as I share her delicious mango chutney recipe.
Mahalo!
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