The son of Polish immigrants, Matthew A. Fidrych was born 1915 March 9 in Providence R.I. where his father worked in a woolen mill as a loom fixer. He attended Rhode Island School of Design, 1932-1940, as an evening student in the Textile Department. Fidrych served in the military during World War II and returned to Providence R.I. to work in the textile industry. He married Katherine A. Cichon. Fidrych died in Providence on 1996 October 11.
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Matthew A. Fidrych papers, Rhode Island School of Design Archives.
The Matthew A. Fidrych papers contain class notes and assignments, fabric samples, handheld threader, weave layouts, and a textbook from his student days at Rhode Island School of Design, 1932-1940. The collection includes a small handheld artifact (9.5") possibly a threader, one bound textbook, "Textile Costing: An Aid to Management," by Lockwood and Maxwell (Washington D.C.: The Textile Foundation, 1938), one bound notebook of ruled paper (6.75" x 8.25") containing class notes about weave formation, one folder with class assignment notes and fabric samples, and one folder with weave pattern lay-outs and fabric samples. Papers in three-ringed binders have been transferred to folders.
The items are arranged by material.
The Matthew A. Fidrych papers were received from his daughter, Carol Carr, in 2009.