David Carruthers: An Original Figure in the Canadian Papermaking Industry

摘要

In 1979 David Carruthers founded St.Armand Paper Mill in Montreal,Canada.1 Fairly unique in its approach,rooted in the ancient craft,and well established in the contemporary market,the mill processes rag to produce both handmade and machine-made papers.What follows is a self-portrait of sorts,in David Carruthers'own voice,with a few prompts and observations of mine to frame this oral history.2 To begin,David tells us of his family's association with paper going back two generations.At my grandfather's mill,they made toilet paper,lightweight laminated paper,and all kinds of wrapping papers.My father was the sales manager for this company.We used to ask him when he got home:"How many boxcars did you sell today,Dad?""Ah,wasn't so bad.I sold about eleven."Eleven boxcars of paper! I was a kid.And when I finally got old enough to really get interested,they sold that mill.3 I was 20 and went into academic work.I taught and then ended up with the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association.4 It was a wonderful place to work.I worked there for ten years and then started my own mill,Papeterie St-Armand,just because I thought there'd be a place for it in the industry.And well,I can say yes,there has been.It's been challenging to fit in because I see myself as part of the paper industry,but it's so different from what Canada makes in pulp and paper.