HAPPENINGS
WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND THE PLANT?
ENGINEERING SERVICES . . . Boiler
conversion for using No. 6 fuel oil has been
completed . . . Engineering Services held
their annuai dinner party for husbands
and wives at Etowah-Downtown . . . Bill
Staudenmaier spoke on the new Du Pont
Inventory Control Economics Program at
Louviers . . . Jim Farley and Glenn Wood-
ley attended an Instrument Application
School in Philadelphia . . . Andy Brown
wili head the Plant United Fund Drive in
1974 . . . Modernization of the Cafeteria
was completed . . . Volney Tinsley of
Brevard was hired as Designer Draftsman
in Projects & Design . . . C. B. Branson is
acting Design Group Leader.
CASTING . . . Jimmy Crane, Casting
“B” Shift, was fatally injured in a head-on
collision on Route 280 above Brevard on
Dec. 11 . . . Four new Casting Process
Operator job openings have been created
. . . Lloyd McJunkin has been detailed to
Group Supervisor. . . Keith Harbin has
joined Du Pont as a Casting Group Super
visor.
POWER ... We began using No. 6 fuei
oii to fire boilers on Nov. 17. All boiler sys
tems were converted on Nov. 21 (ahead of
the January schedule) . . . Leon Howard
is on special assignment for training oper
ators in No. 6 fuei systems . . . Long
hours were spent by operating area per
sonnel and support groups (Maintenance
& Engineering Services, Construction, and
ESD) to hasten this conversion prompted by
the Energy Crisis . . . Ken Byrd has been
detaiied to Group Supervisor.
COATiNG . . . While his brother Guy
Smith “beat the bushes”, Roger Smith (“C"
Shift Prep.) took aim on a 100 lb. “Cow
Horn” buck and brought him down in the
Grassey Creek hunting area on plant
property.
I
an'i
Roger Smith with Big Buck
ACCOUNTING . . . The annual outing
was held recently at the Hendersonville
CC . . . Many hours are being spent work
ing on the “Profit Plan” for 1974. This in
volves cost studies on the “1001” items
that influence our plant operating budget
. . . Cafeteria food fragrances are no long
er a problem in Accounting thanks to engi
neering changes to exhaust ducts.
IDP . . . Blue Ridge Tech. School of Hen
dersonville “Introductiorv to Data Process
ing” classes visited our computer facili
ties on Dec. 5 . . . Paul Sevenhuysen is
the newly hired Programmer Analyst in
Computer Systems. He has a BS Degree
in Horticulture from RNTS in Boskoop,
Holland (his native country) And a Masters
Degree in Business Administration from
Western Carolina University.
SHIPPING . . . Terry Rhodes was re
cently elected reporter for the Booster
Club for Edneyville schools.
MAINTENANCE SERVICES . . . Kirk
Hooper is a new papa with his first child,
a girl . . . Many mechanics worked many
hours to successfully accomplish neces
sary changes to No. 2 Casting Line — a
job well done! . . . The annual Mainte
nance Christmas Tree is growing steadily.
Come see the highlights . . . Several me
chanics devoted lots of time to help devel
op facilities at the new lake for use by all
employees. Special thanks goes to Randy
Potts for use of his heavy equipment
on building the dock and swimming area
. . . Leo Petit, Control Mechanic, passed
away on Dec. 15.
GROUNDS . . . Steve Praytor and Don
Berkshire have no meat shortage at home.
During the recent deer hunting season,
Steve killed an 8-point buck at Mills River
while Don bagged a 4-pointer at David
son River. . . Carl Beddingfield is sport
ing a full grown beard — he says it's to
keep him warm during the energy crisis.
R & D . . . New transfers from Parlin
to Brevard are Allyn Bennett (Senior
Research Engineer), Calvin Kuklinski
(Engineer), Robert Morin, Sr. (Research
Engineer), and Phillip Beighle (Research
Engineer).
FINISHING . . . Jim Roper has been
detailed to Group Supervisor on “B”
Shift. . . No. 6 Chopper is being adapted
to handle roll stock.
PURCHASING . . . Perpetual cost reduc
tion efforts by Purchasing have resulted
in an all-time high of $200,000 yearly
savings. Cooperation and assistance by
ali plant operating areas in achieving this
objective is acknowledged.
STORES . . . Nancy Goforth (Mai Go
forth’s daughter) is back at the Stores
window while off for a month from school
at Western Carolina University.
ERD . . . Jim White conducted a 4-day
NRG Supervisor Training Course at the
Ramada Inn of Hendersonville . . . The
last of a series of employee seminars at the
Ramada was in November... Dr. Leonard
Lister will join our Medical Staff on De
cember 31 . . . The Medical Van has been
“winterized” by installing a heater hook
up to warm the van while parked on
standby.
Dr. Lister — New Plant Physician
PROCESS CONTROI Our heart
felt sympathy goes to Martin Harris in
the death of his 5-year old daughter after
a brief iilness . . . Ferrell Driskell and
John Sheaman attended the Radiological
Society of North America annual meeting
in Chicago Nov. 28-30. Du Pont featured
the new Daylight System and the Low-
Dose Mammography System . . . Elliot
Jaquith and George Beatty have attended
computer training sessions at Maynard,
Mass, under the Digital Equipment Train
ing School program. Training is for de
velopment of rapid sensitometry test
ing the Lab and computer monitoring
in Coating . . . Jose Lopez, native of Cu
ba, has attained U. S. Citizenship . . . Bruce
Cook, newlywed on Nov. 24, was ship
wrecked for 3 days on a sandbar off Port
Everglades, Fla. on his way back from a
Caribbean cruise to San Juan, Puerto Rico,
St. Thomas of the Virgin Islands, and Nas
sau — What a way to extend a honeymoon!
HOSPITAL-SURGICAL-
MEDICAL IMPROVED
PLAN
Two significant improvements in our
Hospital-Surgical-Medical coverage be
came effective 11/1/73. These are:
1-COVERAGE FOR DEPENDENT CHIL
DREN TO THEIR 26TH BIRTHDAY . . .
An unmarried dependent child is now cov
ered under a family or two-person certifi
cate up to age 26 vs. age 19 with previous
coverage. To be fully eligible, the child
is limited to one of the following:
• A blood-chiid, stepchild, a legally
adopted child, or in some circum
stances a foster child of the subscriber
and/or spouse ordinarily residing in
the subscriber’s household or a
student living at school.
• A blood-child of the subscriber not
necessarily living in the subscriber’s
household, but dependent upon the
subscriber for support. For example,
a subscriber’s child living with the
estranged spouse, but receiving more
than 50% of the support finances from
the subscriber.
Note: No action is needed on your part if
you have children who are eligible unless
they are foster children. In this case, a
Certificate of Dependency form must be
filled out. Contact Mary Bishop in the Per
sonnel office.
2-EXPANDED OBSTETRICAL DELIVERY
ALLOWANCE . . . Because of rapidly
escalating cost of health services, the
allowance for maternity care has been in
creased effective 11/1/73 to 80% of a phy
sician’s charge not to exceed $265 vs. 80%
of $150 with the previous coverage.
continued on page 3
5TH YEAR FOR SCREEN
NEWS DIGEST FILMS
Du Pont is sponsoring Screen News
Digest Films for the fifth straight year for
Transylvania and Henderson County
Schools. These films show highlights of
current events of national and world in
terest.
The first two 1973-74 releases, avail
able at county education centers are “The
Energy Challenge” and “The Return Of
Juan Peron”.
Civic or private groups may also request
loan of these as well as 34 other docu
mentary films supplied during the past
four years.