A
'O'
THE M^LL WHISTLE
Ft«ldcr*st Mills, Inc.
Edan, N. C. 272M
Issued Every Other Monday For Employees
end Friends of FleMcrest Mills, Inc.
OTIS MARLOWE
EDITOR
1^ CAMILLE F. PERKINS
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Mambar, Intarnatlonal AtMclatlon
of Business Communlcetors
KKPOKTINGSTAPF
Alexander Sheeting Mill
Edna Bright
Automatic Blanket Plant
Janice Ennis
Bedspread Finishing Mill
Ann Midkiff
Bedspread Mill
Edna Hopper
Blanket Finishing Mill
Roslyn Henry
Blanket Greige Mill
Dovie Gilbert
Blanket Warehouse
Geraldine Perkins
Columbus Towel Mill
Mildred Newsome
Dallas Service Center
Barbara Aldriege
Draper Sheeting Mill
Ruth Minter
Fieldale Towel Mill
F’aye Warren
General Offices
Gladys Holland
Katherine Manley
Karastan Rug Mill
Irene Meeks
Karastan Service Center
Mary Stephens
Karastan Spinning-Worsted
Linda Goodman
Laurelcrest Carpet Plant
Stan Bartell
Laurelcrest Service Center
Charles L. Moore
Laurelcrest Yarn Mill
Barbara Hinson
Los Angeles Service Center
Juanita Atkins
Midwest Service Center
Judy Gluth
Mount Holly Spinning Mill
Barbara Herrin
Non-Woven Mill
Doris Shockley
Northeast Service Center
Mary Kulpak
North Carolina F’inishing
Phyllis Partee
Scottsboro Rug Mill
Hilda Thomas
Sheet Finishing Mill
Brenda May
inchester Spinning Mill
Ann Wilson
\D\ ISOH^ BOARD
R. F. BELL
J L.f'RABTREE
W, F. CRUMLEY
S. R. ('ULLIGAN
A. 11. JUSTICE
J M. MOORE
O L RAINES
M. L. RYAN
Employee Makes Hobby Of Ancient Instruments
“I enjoy it as a hobby more
than anything I’ve ever done.
My fishing rods are rusting.” -
Carl Wortham was talking
about his hobby of making
dulcimers, those ancient sweet
sounding musical instruments in
which there is a sidespread
revival of interest.
The dulcimer is mentioned in
the Bible, in the writings about
King Arthur and in the poetry of
the 12th century. Early settlers
brought the instrument to the
Southern Highlands of the
United States.
Mr. Wortham, an engineer in
the Mechanical Development
Department at Eden, has made
16 dulcimers and has sold them
as far away as Puerto Rico and
Arizona. A good instrument sells
for from $85 to $150 and up and
Mr. Wortham said he sells them
as fast as he can make them.
His latest sale was to a lady
from Michigan. She inquired
about dulcimers at a Greensboro
music store and was directed to
Eden to see Mr. Wortham. He
sold her a dulcimer and taught
her to play it.
He makes the dulcimers in his
home workshop and starts with a
block of rough wood! He now
makes all of the instruments
from walnut although he has
used cherry and even pine for
the top. He buys the tuning pegs
and wire for the frets from
sources in Eden and Greensboro
and orders some from Ten
nessee. He purchases either
guitar or banjo strings.
Mr. Wortham started making
dulcimers about a year ago
when he saw one owned by a
friend from Missouri. He
became interested in owning one
but could not find one to buy. So
he decided to make one himself.
He got his first information
from some mountain people who
were making and selling
Carl Wortham plays one of the dulcimers he made in his home workshop.
dulcimers at the North Carolina
State Fair. He later visited the
area around Boone and talked
with some mountaineers, asking
them how dulcimers were made.
He made his first instrument
from plywood. He worked out
the location of the frets at the
piano and made the frets from
paper clips and the strings from
piano wire. He made the tuning
pegs from walnut. He gradually
obtained more information and
learned where to order certain
items so he would not have to
make them.
During 1974 Mr. Wortham
visited Jean’s Dulcimer Shop at
Recent Service Anniversaries
Thirty-Five Years
Elizabeth B. Parrish Karastan
Thirty Years
Fontell Parrish Columbus
Twenty Years
Henry H. Ballard Fieldale
Estelle T. Dalton Fieldale
Gail P. Walker Research & Quality Control
William R. Frasier Blanket Finishing
Virginia B. Odell Karastan
AmosT. D. Hall Fieldale
Fifteen Years
Jackie R. Moore Sheet Finishing
Howard Perry , Columbus
Elmer S. Churchill Blanket Finishing
Mary A. Dykes Columbus
Mary S. Cox Bedspread
Ten Years
Donald L. Allen Automatic Blanket
Melvin L. Clark Fieldale
Frances W. Kallam Blanket Finishing
Robert L. Edwards Automatic Blanket
Audrey R. Herring Columbus
Curtis Ghsson Columbus
F.dna Pearl Regan Columbus
Edward H. Abernathy Columbus
John C. Bircher Karastan Spinning
Betty G. Gauldin Blanket Finishing
B. Gary Ramsey Fieldale
Jesse C. Amos Fieldale
-inda B. Johnson Automatic Blanket
Martha J. Peterson Columbus
Cosby, Tenn., where he received
much help from Jean and Lee
Schilling. He also visited Bill
Davis’ Dulcimer Shop at Gatlin-
burg, Tenn. Mr. Wortham said
Bill Davis brought back the
dulcimer 19 years ago and
through his cable television
program on dulcimers at
Gatlinburg has greatly
popularized the dulcimer with
tourists.
Mr. Wortham makes the
dulcimer in hourglass, teardrop
and fish shapes although he
makes most of them in the
hourglass design. He said it took
about three weeks, using all of
his spare time, to make the first
one. He makes them faster now
but said it was hard to estirnj
the accumulated time it takes
make one. >
While the dulcimer is loved t
its soft, sweet sound, its ml
can be amplified. Also, it cat^
played in combination wit|i
piano or guitar although ir|j
people prefer to tune it to
their own voices as an p
companiment to singing.
“I enjoy making them bul
see the expression on peopj
faces when they find they
make music on one — that’s
greatest pleasure,”
Wortham said. “What is so gi
is watching people’s faces wB
they realize they can ge|
simple tune from it.”
ROBERT L. LEE
LEO E. SANDERS
Promotions At Smithfiel([!
Two promotions have been an
nounced at the Automatic
Blanket Plant at Smithfield.
Robert L. Lee has been named a
shift foreman in the Components
Department and Leo E. Sanders
has been named a shift foreman
in the Control Assembly
Department.
Mr. Lee has been employed by
Fieldcrest since 1966. He worked
as an uptwister operator, ut
hand, extruder and coordin
all in the Components Dep
ment, before his recent
motion.
Mr. Sanders has been
ployed at the Automatic Bla!
Plant since 1970. He worked!
utility hand and a server, bo!
the Control Asseri
Department, before W
named a shift foreman.
THE MILL WHIS