The real 'Norma Rae' dies at 68

Submitted by markjohnson on September 14, 2009 - 11:46am.
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Crystal Lee Sutton, the retired textile mill worker who inspired the movie 'Norma Rae,' died Friday at 68 in Burlington.

Sutton campaigned for workers rights for decades, including her efforts to unionize workers at a J.P. Stevens plant in Roanoke Rapids, where she earned $2.65 an hour folding towels in the early 1970s, reports the Times-News of Burlington. A 1975 book chronicled her life and work and was turned into the 1979 Oscar-winning film starring Sally Field.

"Crystal Lee Sutton was a remarkable woman whose brave struggles have left a lasting impact on this country and without doubt, on me personally," Field said in a statement Friday, the newspaper reported. "Portraying Crystal Lee in 'Norma Rae,' however loosely based, not only elevated me as an actress, but as a human being."

The Crystal Lee Sutton collection at Alamance Community College contains papers, photographs and other materials that she left to the school, where she matriculated through the nursing assistant program in 1988.

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Re: The real 'Norma Rae' dies at 68

Submitted by rightwing on September 16, 2009 - 2:55pm.

Lets see $2.65 in the 70s is around $14.50/hr in todays dollars. To fold towels. GiggleBox is right, she is lucky she got that.

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Re: The real 'Norma Rae' dies at 68

Submitted by GiggleBox on September 14, 2009 - 9:32pm.

As today's Republicans would say she was lucky to get that $2.65 an hour and should thank God she aint knocking on heaven's door gay.

Or is she?

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