MR.
FIRESTOKE
On Gastonia Visit
Kimball C. Firestone from the company’s Akron head
quarters spent a day at the Gastonia plant in February. He
is the son of Leonard K. Firestone, president of The Firestone
Tire & Rubber Company of California; and grandson of the
company founder, Harvey S. Firestone.
Mr. Firestone’s visit to the A. Riley, vice president of
Gastonia plant was his first ex
perience at observing produc
tion of tire fabric in a textile
operation. The Gastonia visit
Was in the interest of his cur
rent assignment in non-tire
products.
He was recently named ad
ministrative assistant to Richard
vice
diversified products.
Before his latest management
assignment, Mr. Firestone was
for one year assistant to Mr.
Riley, then president of Fire
stone Steel Products Company.
Mr. Riley was elected company
vice president, diversified prod
ucts, in late 1968.
For A Third Term On Council
Ralph F. Johnson is going for a third term as a member
of Gastonia City Council. Johnson, now mayor pro tem and
in his second term on the Council, represents Ward 3 in the
City’s western section.
The employee relations man- in recent years in public hous-
ager at Firestone announced his ing, urban renewal, downtown
candidacy subject to the City development, a five-year plan
election in May. He said: for capital improvement for
recreation; improved electric,
water and sewer systems.
Johnson, a Firestone employee
for 33 years, has a record in in
dustrial and community leader
ship. He has been especially ac
tive in recreation work on the
local and state levels.
He is serving as treasurer of
the Gaston County Recreation
Association, is chairman of the
Gastonia Recreation Advisory
Commission, is a past president
of the NC Recreation Society;
and currently, county chairman
of the Travel & Recreation Com
mittee of Piedmont Area De
velopment Association.
Ralph F.
Johnson
Mayor
pro tem
represents
Ward 3
“I want to continue a part of
the programs we have develop
ed, so our city will be a better
place to live, work and play. He
referred to programs initiated
Record Support For UNCF
The United Negro College
^Und reported its 1968 support
Campaign produced a record
$6,943,773 to help 43,000 students
36 member colleges.
The Firestone company is a
'regular contributor to the Unit
ed Negro College Fund.
UNCF 1968 national campaign
chairman was George Chapman,
chairman of the Board of Chase
Manhattan Bank. He attributed
the campaign’s success to “in
creased awareness and response
of corporations, foundations and
individuals to the fund’s appeal
to support quality higher edu
cation for Negro youth as a
means of closing the educational
economic gap now existing in
our country.”
JOIN
THE
YMCA
Gaston Counly YMCA is striving for 2,600
new members through its "Join the Y" cam
paign in March. Membership in the YMCA
offers opportunities to swim, camp, partici
pate in youth activities, service and study
clubs, education classes, counseling and guid
ance programs.
Sculpture In The Snow
• “Snow had begun in the gloaming” of Feb. 15, and by
following daybreak: An averaged depth of 15 inches of
^^ite fluff—the most for a single snowfall since 1902, ob-
^^Ved the record-keepers.
Ti restone
MARCH • 1969
GASTONIA
NORTH CAROLINA
tilt
IMC ^Company Of The Month'
AT IMC
MEETING
With display
of Firestone
tires (from
left): John
Smith of
Akers Motor
Lines, and
current IMC
president;
John Zimmer
man, assistant
p ersonnel
manager for
Firestone;
E. C. Waag-
ner, the com
pany's Char
lotte distric t
manager of
sales; and
J. V. Darwin,
Gastonia Fire
stone plant
manager.
How to live and work with people in business, and
develop each person to fullest potential. That was the theme
which John Zimmerman discussed at the Gaston County In
dustrial Management Club’s February meeting.
Zimmerman came from Ak- Gastonia plant manager; E. C.
ron, Ohio, to address the IMC
meeting in Masonic Temple. He
has been assistant personnel
manager of the Firestone com
pany since 1965.
Gastonia's plant of Firestone
Synthetic Fibers and Textiles
Company was saluted at the
meeting, in the IMC "Company
of the Month" recognition.
Among those appearing on the
program were J. V. Darwin,
Waagner, Firestone’s Charlotte
district manager of retail; and
Chris Hope, manager of Gas
tonia (downtown) Firestone
Stores.
SPEAKING on “Realities of
Personnel Administration,” Zim
merman declared that personnel
management “must be profit-
oriented and reward-conscious,
to bring out the best in everyone
on the job—to succeed well.”
‘I Could Almost Hear . . . ’
Back home in Gastonia from a recent trip to Knox
ville, Tenn., a Firestone textile employee reports that he ex
perienced a twang of nostalgia while shopping in a huge
department store there. It was housed—of all places—in a
renovated textile plant.
Most familiar to him inside the spacious two-floor
interior of glittering merchandise display: Long rows of
sturdy turned-wood floor-ceiling support columns and
hefty beams—newly painted and serving splendidly in their
new setting. He reminisced:
“Above the din of shoppers and ringing cash registers,
I could almost hear a familiar clickety-clack of looms and
a whirring of spindles.”
f II?!|f 1
fefcii l iii.
Apart from the inconvenience it visited upon Piedmont
Carolinians who usually don’t expect that much snow, the
heavy fall presented some pretty sights. Such commonplace
things as a birdbath, a washtub, a garbage can and a street
hydrant took on un-ordinary appearance. So here, for the
scrapbook: Some sculpture of the driven snow—scenes which
will seem so remote, come the flowers of April and May.
He pointed out that the Fire
stone organization spends close
to a half-billion dollars a year
in exchange for manpower—a
major expenditure in the com
pany’s operation.
“The power of leadership real
ly comes from the followers who
are convinced that they are
making a meaningful contribu
tion to a business,” he noted.
“Management development be
comes increasingly urgent as
business becomes more and
more complex.”
In one phase of his remarks,
Zimmerman said that communi
cations, or transfer of ideas be
tween people on the job, is vital
to success in business.
“Understanding on the job
is the life blood of healthy busi ■
ness. With good communications,
people are better able to work
efficiently and with a feeling of
being rewarded, of self-worth
and of value to their company.”
Waagner, representing the
sales force of the company,
noted: —more on page 2
Boy Scouts
Court Of Honor
Troop 631 sponsored by Fire
stone in Bennettsville had the
opening and closing ceremony
at the Marlboro County Boy
Scouts Court of Honor in Feb
ruary.
Mike Sweatt was meeting
chairman and Chet Poison was
officer of the day. Both are from
Troop 631.
At the Court, held on Boy
Scout Sunday, Chuck Sweatt re
ceived Life Scout award; Earl
Speight, Sam Speight and Chuck
Boan received Star Scout
Awards. Merit badges went to
Earl Speight, Chuck Sweatt,
Frankie McColl, Chuck Boan
and Sam Speight.
Presenting the awards were
Jamie Lee, district chairman;
Billy Moore, organization and
extension chairman, and Dr.
R. C. Charles, council training
chairman.