Portuguese organizations

Odie’s father [Mr. Cardanha] had been a founding member of the Blackstone Valley Unit of the Portuguese-American Civic League to which I became a member. I had been a member of the East Providence unit earlier, and subsequently was elected president of the Blackstone Valley unit for a couple of terms. I also feel I had something to do with the formation of the Seven Castles Club of the Blackstone Valley, but I never received any credit for it. I mentioned one day at lunch with Peter Pimental that the area should have an organization of professional and business men of Portuguese extraction. A few weeks later Peter called a meeting of some men, but I was not invited. Peter was prominent in Democratic circles. My family had been considered Republicans, mainly because of my Uncle Frank Maciel who had served as a town councilman and state representative from East Providence, a die-hard Republican. I had never participated in party politics and frankly I have never voted a straight ticket in my lifetime. I was eventually asked to join, and even later was elected secretary and then president of the organization for one term.

Later I joined the Portuguese-American Federation, eventually serving several presidents as secretary, and later became a member of the Board of Directors until my retirement when I gave up all such organizational duties.