Newspapers / Firestone News (Gastonia, N.C.) / Sept. 1, 1972, edition 1 / Page 1
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GASTONIA BENNEHSVILLE NORTH CAROLINA SOUTH CAROLINA SEPTEMBER • 1972 BOWLING GREEN KENTUCKY ☆ ☆ ☆ MSW A Tire With A Whitewall Did you ever wonder how a white sidewall is put on a tire in the manufacturing process? Thomas R. Mertz, di rector of Firestone’s trade sales, tells about it: "In making a lire with a whitewall, a band of white rub ber is incorporated on one side of the tire. This band then is covered with a veneer of black rubber, to protect the white stripe during further manufac turing process. After the lire is vulcanized it is then placed into a machine which automatically grinds off the coating to the desired depth." Speaking of the popularity of whitewalls, Mertz notes that this tyi>e accounts for 75 per cent of all tires sold—a dra matic increase from 10 years ago, when only 50 per cent of the tires shipped were white walls. Five years ago the per centage was 67 per cent. Says Mertz: Tire sidewall treatment has changed many times over the past ten years. They have gone REUNION LAURA ANN HALL SAMUEL M. RHYNE Students To School The three Gastonia-area Firestone College Scholar ship winners in 1972 have entered school. Scholarship winners: • Laura Ann Hall, Duke University, Durham, N. C. • Samuel M. Rhyne, Uni versity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Paula Jean Moss, this year’s Certificate of Merit winner, is enrolled at West ern Carolina University, Cullowhee. Miss Hall, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. G. Hall of Gastonia, will study in the field of marine science, or oceanography. She is a graduate of Ashbrook High School. Her father is production manager at the Gastonia Fire stone plant. At UNC-Chapel Hill, Samuel Rhyne will study in pre-law. The Hunter Huss High School graduate is the son of Mr. and Fiber B widely-heralded for tires from almost two inches in width to less than a half-inch. And there has been a noted trend toward raised white lettering on the more “sporty” wide tires. Around 60 relatives from the Carolinas and Georgia attended the Burroughs family reunion at Firestone Recreation Center, Gastonia, Aug. 27. Among Gaston County mem bers of the clan attending were Joe Burroughs, Firestone Shop foreman; and Mrs. (Irene) Bur roughs, a loom knotter in TC Weaving. Out-of-town family members at the reunion came from Bre vard, Winston-Salem, Newton, Shelby and Grover, N.C.; Rock Hill, S.C.; Commerce and At lanta, Ga. A few weeks ago the Firestone company became the first tire manufacturer to use the widely-heralded Fiber B cord material in production of tires for the re tail market. The Fiber B fabric that went into the making of that company “first” was proc essed at the Gastonia plant of Firestone Textiles Com pany. The Fiber B project has ex tended over six months, accord ing to M. S. Flanigan, senior chemist at Gastonia. The project continues on a limited scale until regular processing of Fiber B can be started at the Bowling Green plant, where an ex clusively-designed treating unit is being constructed. AT GASTONIA, Fiber B is twisted, woven and treated. Twisting and weaving are “ordi nary” but dip-treating in No. 8 unit calls for special handling. Firestone is using the Fiber B belt material in regular produc tion of some of its new Radial V-1 GR70xl4 tires, said Thomas A. Robertson, director of tire development. What's special about Fiber B? For one thing, it is six limes stronger than steel by weight. Woven and treated fabric has a near-0 rate of elongation (al most no stretch). DuPont is producing a limited amount of Fiber B, but plans to begin volume production when its new plant is completed in mid-1973. “We are taking all the Fiber B we can get because our ex tensive tests of this material show that it combines the quali ties of strength, durability and smoothness of ride,” said Rob- SIX TIMES STRONGER THAN STEEL ertson. “We believe Fiber B will become a widely-used cord ma terial in the tire industry when adequate supplies become avail able.” The Radial V-1 is Firestone’s newest radial tire. It is being offered with a week-long trial period and a 40,000-mile guaran tee. UNITED APPEAL 33 Services; $631,000 The number of services funded by Gaston County United Appeal is 33—the same as last year. But to make it in 1973, the United Way program here needs $631,000. PAULA JEAN MOSS Mrs. S. M. Rhyne of Gastonia. His father works in the carding department at Gastonia. Miss Moss, a graduate of Kings Mountain High School, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert. J. Moss of Kings Moun tain. He works in the carding department. At WCU, Paula is studying pre-vet. The 1972 Scholarship winners brought the number to 18 in the Gastonia area to have received the coUege-university financial grants since the Firestone com pany started the awards pro gram in 1953. The full college scholarships are renewable up to four years and currently worth up to $7,000 each. This year nationwide, the company awarded 41 Scholar ships and 174 Certificates of Merit in recognition of out standing high - school records. Winners are from 28 states. The increased goal (last year it was $566,819) will be sought in this year’s cam paign, Oct. 3-Nov. 9. Among a campaign population of 109,521, the funds-gathering effort represents all Gaston County — Gastonia and other communities excepting Bel mont, Bessemer City and Mc- Adenville, which have UF drives of their own. Some 1,000 volunteers will devote their time and effort to the United Appeal, seeking to undergird the 33 community services. These include family and child care, character-building, emergency family relief, coun seling, youth guidance, health and medical research, emer gency rescue work, disaster aid, military recreation, rehabilita tion, boys’ club programs. Girl Scout training, social service planning, drug action informa tion and day-care service. James B. Call, Firestone Tex tiles Company president, and John V. Darwin, administrative assistant to the President, are on the board of directors of United Community Services of Gaston County. This year’s campaign theme is “Thanks To You, It’s Working.” EACH YEAR the in-plant UA solicitation at Firestone is made during October, and is the only general money-gathering cam paign at this plant during the year. Employee pladges are made through payroll deduction, the • Coy Stiles, veteran weaver at Gastonia, checks warp of Fiber B, among the latest-de veloped materials being used in tire fabric. Stiles, with the com pany since 1945, has a work ex perience reaching from the 'old days' of predominantly cotton to 'this miracle age' of fibers chem ically produced. contributor choosing the plan of payment. During the 20-year history of the UA program in Gaston, Firestone people's pledges have formed a major portion of the goal sought in each campaign. Last year Firestone people pledged a record $40,316.65. This year’s record county goal is nearly $64,000 over that of last year. The increase is necessary be cause of such reasons as im provement of the standard, coverage and scope of services More on page 2 Waters Hopewell Factory Manager Appointment of Herbert Waters as general factory man ager of Firestone Synthetic Fib ers Company at Hopewell, Va., was announced last month by R. W. Rice, president of that di vision of the Firestone company. In this newly-created post. Waters is responsible for all manufacturing operations of ny lon and polyester operations. Firestone Textiles Company at Gastonia, Bennettsville, S.C., and Bowling Green, Ky., proc ess Hopewell - produced syn thetic materials into tire cord. Waters joined Firestone in 1962, as a senior chemical engi neer, serving in the process engineering and development departments. In 1964, he became project manager and was re sponsible for construction and operation of the Synthetic Fib ers company’s prototype poly ester plant built in 1968. A native of Talladega, Ala., Waters was graduated from Au burn University with a degree in industrial management.
Firestone News (Gastonia, N.C.)
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Sept. 1, 1972, edition 1
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