A man should always consider
how much more unhappy he
might be than he really is.
—Joseph Addison
Tir«$ton«
GASTONIA
The most completely lost of all
days is that on which one has not
laughed.—Sebastian Chamfort
VOLUME VI
GASTONIA, N. C., SEPTEMBER, 1957
NUMBER 9
'1^
iteS
CCi
‘SHARE IN AMERICA
ERE SLEEPS THE CRIMSON PETAL
September stalks across the browning fields of the Piedmont,
bringing with it a farewell to summer not yet gone and a look at
autumn not yet come.
The melancholy season is approaching for those people to whom
summertime means flowertime. September’s hot weather is still
here but many of the loveliest blossoms have faded.
The crape myrtle, late summer dahlias, scarlet sage, coleus,
verbena, agerantum, chrysanthemums, some roses, zinnias and sev
eral others will, in the next few weeks, be doing their utmost in
Gastonia area gardens to make folks forget other flowers whose
brilliant colors will not be seen ere another springtime returns on
the land.
Humankind can be thankful that many flowers remain to
brighten the earth for another month or so—or until the first puff of
fall’s chill breath.
With this in mind, members of the plant’s Garden Club have
planned the first standard flower show ever to be staged at Fire
stone, Gastonia. Dates are October 4 and 5 and the theme is “Variety
in Autumn.”
Here, in the backyard garden at 214 South Liberty street, is
Teresa Chastain, five-year-old daughter of W. H. Chastain, Carding;
and Mrs. Chastain, SYC Weaving. Teresa’s mother is secretary of
the Garden Club and publicity chairman for “Variety in Autumn.”
Nylon Cord Adds Safety Edge
To DeLuxe Super Champion
Speedway-tested nylon cord is
adding a 15-mile-an-hour safety
Margin for motorists who have
their cars equipped with the new
I^eLuxe Super Champion tire by
Firestone.
The low-priced nylon cord re
placement tire with high speed
characteristics went on sale in
August. It is available in popu
lar sizes at the employees’ store
Gastonia and at other Fire
stone stores and retail dealers.
‘The DeLuxe Super Champion
^s new from start to finish,” an
nounced E. B. Hathaway, vice
president. “It is designed to
''Withstand hot summer driving
on the nation’s turnpikes and
other vacation routes.”
The Company’s original “blad-
ed” tread design provides long
er mileage, better traction,
easier ride, and holds squeal and
whine to a minimum.
“Combined with the tire’s high
speed performance,” Mr. Hatha
way said, “is a cord body that
will take rough roads in stride.
Nylon practically eliminates the
danger of sidewall breaks.
“That means car owners can
get more and better recaps,” he
said.
Firestone’s newly developed
“speedway weld” is the basic
Savings Bonds Promotion
Planned For Sept. 23-28
The U. S. Treasury Department has selected Gaston County as the first location in the
Southeast for a special one-week campaign to promote the sale of U.S. Savings Bonds. The
drive will be conducted September 23-28, launched with an outdoor rally on the after
noon of September 23, in front of the Firestone plant.
The Washington Office of the Treasury Department has announced that on the outdoor
program here, plans are to feature entertainment by outstanding talent, including a beau
ty queen of national prominence.
General Manager Harold Mer
cer is chairman of the “Share in
America” drive in the county.
Orville K. Forrester, overseer in
Spooling-Winding, is Firestone
plant chairman of the Bond sales
program.
As the chairman, Mr. Mercer
met with approximately 100
representatives of 78 leading
business and industrial estab
lishments in the area, for a pro
motional dinner at the Country
Club, Sp'ptember 3.
“Every person employed in
the County should count it a
privilege to buy Bonds in the
‘Share in America’ program,”
said Mr. Mercer.
Later, the General manager
said that it is especially hoped
Plant IR Director
Heads UF Publicity
Thomas B. Ipock, Jr., Indus
trial Relations director, is this
year’s chairman of the publicity
committee for the Greater Gas
tonia United Fund campaign.
The 12 - member committee
will lead the local promotional
program which gets underway
with a dinner rally at Masonic
Temple on October 10.
The solicitation effort here
will continue for a month. It will
be conducted simultaneously
with many of the more than 2,-
100 fall appeals of United Funds
and Community Chests, world’s
largest voluntary fund-raising
effort for health, welfare and
recreational services.
that during the September drive,
those who work at Firestone will
see the advantage of either in
creasing their present buying of
Bonds, or subscribe to the pur
chase plan for the first time.
IN PLANNING for the Bond
week, Mr. Forrester recalled
that employee subscription to
the Savings Bond purchase
through payroll deduction has
made the plant one of the lead
ers among industries of the
Southeast.
From 1941—the year the pro
gram w:^.s started here—to July
of this year, employees had pur
chased Bonds in excess of $3,-
419,000.
In 1951 employees subscribed
80 per cent to the payroll savings
plan, and for that accomplish
ment the plant received the
Treasury Award. A plant-wide
campaign in 1953 boosted par
ticipation 22 per cent over the
high level attained in 1951.
THE BOND program here
reached its peak in April of 1956,
when employee purchase of
Bonds climbed to 97.1 per cent.
That was at the close of the
Company-wide Bond sales drive
which began in March of that
year.
For the high level of achieve
ment reached in the 1956 drive,
the Treasury Department gave
the plant the Minute Man
Award.
—Turn to Page 2
Red Tag Article
In Safety Paper
A photograph of Maintenance
Foreman Ed Taylor and Roy
Chastain of the Shop was pub
lished in the August, 1957 issue
of Safety News, a periodical of
the South Carolina Industrial
Commission.
The Firestone employees were
featured along with an article
on the proper use of danger tags
in industrial accident preven
tion. The story and picture ap
peared in the plant newspaper
here several months ago.
construction feature of the tire.
Heat resistant tread compound,
improved synthetic rubber and
high adhesion stock are used in
the tire’s construction.
Oxidation and deterioration,
common enemies to tire life, are
curbed by the heat resistant
tread compound. High adhesion
stock between the tread and tire
body completes the “speedway
weld.”
The modern “low look” was
built into the tire by reducing
the width of the white sidewall.
A heavy rubber bumper protects
the white finish from curb scuff
ing.
FROM THE LAND OF THE RHINE
While on a six-month visit to the United States, Mr. and Mrs.
Richard Kaps of the Western Zone of Berlin, Germany, stopped for
a tour of the Gastonia Firestone plant in August. On this their first
trip to America, the Kaps’ visited relatives in Georgia and North
Carolina, in addition to touring other parts of the country.
Here, the plant visitors are looking at cans of cotton drawing
sliver. From left: Mr. and Mrs. Kaps, Mescal Certain, Quality Con
trol inspector; and the Kaps’ daughter and granddaughter, Mrs.
Lewis Certain and Eileen of Columbus, Ga. Mescal Certain and
Mrs. Lewis Certain are sisters-in-law.
The Kaps were scheduled to sail from the port of New York,
September 6, on their return trip to Europe.