Every issue of The Norwich Times includes interviews with people who live in Norwich. A commonly asked question is what they like about living in Norwich. Similarly, in the interviews I have been digitizing, many of which are from awhile ago, one of the most commonly asked questions is what people like about living in Norwich. These clips are of longtime Norwich residents Elizabeth McKenzie, Jim Southworth, and Al Sise talking about what they like about living in Norwich and what changes in Norwich they had seen. The clips are from interviews done for the film “Speaking of Norwich… Memories of a Vermont Town” that was sponsored by the Norwich Women’s Club and produced by Robert Franzoni, for Vermont’s bicentennial of statehood in 1991.
…I don’t know of anywhere I could live where people would have given me so much joy, concern, kindnesses, thoughtfulness, as Norwich…”
– Betty McKenzie. Betty McKenzie was 93 years old when this interview was filmed in 1988. She had lived in Norwich for 67 years, moving from Somerville, Massachusetts to a farm in Norwich with her husband in 1921.
Jim Southworth and Al Sise talk about changes in Norwich’s neighborhoods
In those days, the certain sections of town were more separate than they are now… wherever there was a schoolhouse was sort of a little community… each one had its own unique little personality…”
– Jim Southworth
“…I think the people are more or less the same as they used to be, they’re not farmers, no, but there is that spirit of helping the neighbors…”
– Al Sise
Betty McKenzie talks about living on a farm in Norwich.
“You know, everybody needs neighbors… if you want to have a lot of good neighbors, you want to live in Norwich.”
– Betty McKenzie