Newspapers / Firestone News (Gastonia, N.C.) / May 1, 1965, edition 1 / Page 3
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FLOWER: Lily of the Valley or Hawthorne BIRTHSTONE: Agate (ancient). Emerald (modern) ☆ ☆ ☆ the weather The May sun sheds an amber light—W. C. Bryant Among the changing months, May stands confest/The sweet est, and in fairest colours drest. —James Thompson A Doffer Thinks Out Loud • Now is a good time to plan some remembrances for Mother’s Day . . . Remember May is off-the-job Safety Month and put its principles into practice • • . Observe Memorial Day in its original intended meaning • • . Forego a grudge . . . Appreciate the glories of Spring, as ^ay walks the earth again. May Is A Time Of New Life May, the fifth month of the n^odern year, was the third nionth on the old Roman calen- It is commonly considered the last month of spring. The ’^ame may have come from the Greek goddess Maia, mother of Hermes; or Maia Majesta, a lo cal Italian goddess of Spring, ^hom the Romans believed could bless their crops. Many ceremonies celebrated throughout the ages during May hegan from the month’s position the agricultural year. In the United States today, the most ’notable observances this month are Mother’s Day and Memorial I^ay. May day, celebrated in the U.S. and many other parts of the ^orld, has been fixed by cen turies of tradition for the first day of the month. In ages past, it was an occasion for rejoicing the arrival of the season of new vegetation. Today, ceremonies are rem nants of the ancient agricultural and fertility rituals, when people paid homage to trees and leaf- covered branches, and the spirit of vegetation was symbolized by some living person. This led to the existing custom of honoring ^ Queen of The May. In England of Chaucer’s time, ‘Fetching Flowers” was a May ^ay ritual in which people made It Happened This Month May 1 First ad in an American newspaper, Boston News Letter, 1704 8 Rubber tire patented in Eng land, 1847; first auto patent filed, Rochester, N. Y., 1879 11 Tubeless auto tire intro duced, 1947 13 Capt. John Smith and set tlers arrived at Jamestown, Va., to establish first per manent English colony in America 21 American Red Cross organ ized, 1881; patent applica tion for demountable tire- carrying rim, 1906 30 Federal workmen’s compen sation insurance law en acted, 1908; first auto race on long-distance track, In dianapolis, 1911 trips to the woods to gather flowers to decorate houses and the village square. This came to be called “going a-Maying”. As part of the festivities, celebrants chose the fairest maid of the vil lage and crowned her with flow ers as the Queen of May, and t?ie people danced around her flow er-braided throne. ALONG with this custom was developed the practice of erect ing a fixed staff or May Pole high as the mast of a 100-ton ship. To this the villagers sus pended wreaths of flowers, danced around it and played games. Police Cars Testing Firestone Tires Firestone’s continuing pro gram of proving the exellence of Its tubeless tires has led to a test project with the Gastonia police 'department. Several cruiser cars here have heen outfitted with the com pany’s new whitewall, 2-ply De luxe Champions in a beginning test plan which may continue Over a 12-month period. Luther Wilson, Gastonia city Maintenance manager, said Fire stone made the test tires avail able at no cost. Tires will be checked periodically, replaced According to details of the pro gram, and kept in good running Condition. The company’s extensive test ing of its new 2-ply tubeless tire on taxi fleets, racing cars and elsewhere has already estab lished a good reputation for the tires’ performance, endurance and service. Company engineers point out that the 2-ply tire’s major fea ture is minimized heat buildup at sustained speeds, thus allow ing for extended tire life. Tir^ston^ May, 1965 JKFSWg Page 3 One thing you can still get for a penny is your incorrect weight. They Gave Generously Ralph Johnson, manager of employee relations (second from right), presented a transistorized radio to each 4-gallon blood con tributor (from left): Luther Brown, Gene Carson and Thomas Turner. 41 CHARTER MEMBERS Optimist Club Organized Thomas E. Gibson Jr. \yas elected president of the Optimist Club of Firestone which was chartered here in April. Freddie Elkins was chosen first vice president and Payton Lewis second vice president. Other officers are Luther C. Brown, secretary-treasurer, and Alfred Caskey, sergeant-at-arms. The new organization has 41 charter members, all employees of Firestone or members of Fire stone families. The club, spon sored by the Gastonia Noon Op timist Club, meets at Firestone Recreation Center the first and third Tuesday evenings of each month. It is the first Optimist club to be organized with a trade name in its title. President Gibson points out that this was ap proved by Optimist Internation al, with the stipulation that the club be operated as a project of the total plant community. Selected as members of the board of directors were Ray Thomas, Carl Stewart Sr., Earl Redding, Ken Stephenson, Oli ver Hardee and Thomas A. Grant. Charter members other than the officers and board members are; W. B. Ward, Jesse F. Liles, Deaver Jolly, Melvin Stewart, William Barnhill, Denny Dock ery, Larry Z. Thomas, James G. Burr, Ira Neil Broadway, Leroy Posey, Willard Carringer, Rob ert L. Ramsey. Also J. A. Haney, J. G. Tino Jr., John Mercer, Lee Norville, W. C. McGinnis, Thomas Case, Hal Dean Crawford, Elam Kay- lor, Ben T. Hanna, Milligan Ramsey, James Reel, and: O’Neil Gamble, Roland Jolly, Horace R. Hughes, Cramer McDaniel, Frank E. Capps, William Collins Jr., and Ronnie Rumfelt. One of the club’s first projects is sponsorship of a Little League baseball team. At a Recreation Center lunch eon in April the company and the local Red Cross recognized Firestone blood donors who had established 1, 2 and 4-gallon records. One-gallon donors were presented a sterling mechanical pencil engraved with name and blood contribution; the 2-gallon donors received a sterling en graved pen. Those honored (front row, from left): Coy Bradshaw, Joe Givens, Lloyd Hope, Opal Bradley, John Fender. Second row: Deuel Red ding, Horace Hughes, Lennell Keenum, Coy Davis, Hansford Wilkes, James Burr and David Smith. Bradshaw, Givens, Redding, Hughes, Keenum, Davis and Wilkes have 2-gallon records; the others, 1 gallon. Not in pic ture: Dillard Palmer and C. M. Parham, both 1 gallon. IR Manager Heads GPA Alvin Riley is president o£ Gaston Personnel Association for the 1965-66 year. The Firestone industrial relations manager was chosen last month to head the organization which is made up of people in administrative per sonnel work or related fields. GPA membership embraces Gaston County and portions of three adjoining counties. The Gaston unit is one of five chap ters in Region 2 affiliated with the American Society of Person nel Administration, fOR SAFE TRAVEL - Check Driving, Review And Rededicate Highway deaths in 1962 topped the 40,000 JJiark in the United States. Last year the 'highways were stained with blood of 48,000 Persons. As 1965 is well along, the 50,000 ^ark is not far away. Added to the deaths last year were ^>840,000 persons injured on highways, streets and roads. Excessive speed still holds top place in the list of injury and fatality causes, with driv ing on the wrong side of the road and reck less driving taking second and third places in that order. Add to driver error and bad judgment the mechanical malfunction of the vehicle as a major cause of highway tragedy. And what can we do? For safe operation, check vehicles at the free Firestone inspec tion lanes this month. Review our driving habits and set out to improve them. Rededi cate ourselves to practicing safe pedestrian habits and teaching them to other members of our families. May is off-job safety month. Speaking Of 111 and Phrasing Ware . . . As Firestone people conscious of the quality we strive to build into our company’s products, we sub scribe to a truth expressed by the ancient Roman poet, Plautus: “Good merchandise finds a ready buyer.” In later times, the English writer George Herbert, enlarging upon Plautus’ observation, noted: “111 ware is never cheap. Pleasing ware is already half sold when it reaches the market.” William Buchanan Memorial services for William B. Buchanan were conducted April 14 at Beech Avenue Bap tist Church and interment was in Gaston Memorial Park. Buchanan, a Firestone em ployee for 30 years, was a weav er. Several years ago a photo graph of his hands holding a shuttle as the symbol of his trade won for Firestone News first award in industrial com petition of the South Atlantic Council of Industrial Editors. Buchanan was a deacon and treasurer of Beech Avenue Church. Surviving are his widow, Delia Beaver Buchanan —a Firestone retiree—a son, 2 daughters, 2 brothers, 6 sisters and 12 grandchildren. L
Firestone News (Gastonia, N.C.)
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May 1, 1965, edition 1
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