Kenneth Berry Papermaker
| Last Year of Employment at Mill: | 1970 |
|---|
| Currently residing In: | Honolulu, HI USA |
|---|
| Spouse/Partner: | Karen Sayuri Berry |
|---|
| Children: | Sheela, 1973; Shane, 1974 |
|---|
| Military Service: | Army  |
|---|
Kenneth's Latest Interactions
Sad to learn of Tandy's passing. My seven years in the paper mill remain etched in my brain. Though I soon came to love everyone on the paper machines, Tandy was certainly the most welcoming and helpful in my transition from college nerd to budding paper maker! I'll always remember him fondly as a gifted leader and great foreman with an exceptional 'C' crew during my first months in a challenging environment!
To me, Jerry was a great, great man and exceptional shift foreman. I was a part time cleanup man when he took me under his wing.
Jerry inspired me with his skill sets, his knowledge, his energy and his passion for papermaking. He loved that I was caught up in it all, and went out of his way to help explain details that became increasingly valuable as I moved up the line of progression to a stock prep post where I could make a difference.
I dropped out of college to become a papermaker and now, more than a half century later, I can say I learned from Jerry during my seven years at the mill things that still resonate about papermaking and about life in general.
After all these years, I still think about Jerry, my first mentor, and many other great men who I rubbed elbows with at Hoerner Waldorf' paper mill during the 60s--some at the top like Jim Majors and Les Hunt, but most at the bottom like me--and all with a special blend of toughness, compassion and intellect. I was so blessed to be a part of it all. --Ken Berry
I hate coming here, breaks my heart to think so few papermakers are apt to remember Johnny's--mentioned in my previous comment. In the few minutes here tonight, I flashed back on a few great papermakers on foreman Mike DeVries' shift in the late 60s. Several of us formed a basketball team that competed with teams from Darby, Clinton, Stevensville, etc. The name of the team was: Devries Shift. Our games were frequently mentioned in the Missoulian, and players who were making Mike a household name expected drinks to be on the house when he was around. It's sad trying to remember all those stars--at work as well as on the basketball court: Don Armstrong, Ron Petit, Dee Archibald, Jim Hayes, Ted Boyd. and a few others.Good days long gone.
