Richard Perry oral history interview (transcript)

This interview took place at the Georgia-Pacific mill site on Bellingham's waterfront. Mr. Perry gave the interviewers a tour of the mill as it was being dismantled, pointing out and describing the buildings, equipment and machinery. He begins the interview by talking about his background, noting that he is a life-long Bellingham resident. He discusses the history of the mill and describes the milling and papermaking processes in great detail, from logging the trees to producing rolls of toilet paper. Mr. Perry talks about the lignin research that was done at the mill through which a number of byproducts were created and used in other industries throughout the world. He discusses economic issues associated with both the pulping and byproducts side of the mill's operations, as well as the international pulping industry as a whole. He talks about the changing relationship between the mill, Western Washington University, and the community of Bellingham as a result of growing environmental concerns in the 1970s, describing in detail some of the specific issues that were addressed during those times.