T he Way
Things
Used to Be
Eight resilient Rhode Islanders, between the ages of
eighty-three and 108, reflect on what brought them to
little Rhody, their own pasts and the way things used to be.
BY JAMIE COELHO AND SAMANTHA LABRECQUE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX GAGNE
The following interviews were conducted during the early winter months before the
coronavirus pandemic changed life as we know it for the unforseeable future. We’re printing
the conversations as they took place so the past may be preserved through their voices.
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l MAY/JUNE 2020 69