You ARE INVITED TO EN-
^age in our recreation
i>KPARTMENrS SUMMERTIME
SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES.
NEWS
GASTONIA
THE BEST SAFETY DEVICE
IS A CAREFUL MAN OR
WOMAN.
VOLUME I
GASTONIA, N. C., MAY 20, 1952
NO. 2
i
A. KARL, President of Firestone Textiles, receives from
^jeneral Manager Mercer the first copy of the FIRESTONE NEWS.
Looking on as Firestone Textiles becomes the sixth plant in the
Milestone organization to have a house organ, is Nelson Kessell,
J?eneral superintendent.
Firestone Plants Rate Among
The Nation’s Safest Industries
OUR PLANT shares with the
^ntire Firestone organization the
honor of receiving the National
Safety Council “Award of Honor”
distinguished service in the
field of safety for the year 1951.
"^his is the sixth time in 7 years
that Firestone has been cited for
this award, the highest and most
“bought after one offered by the
council.
According to council reports,
'ii'estone plants are among the
safest in all industry. Firestone is
e only rubber company that has
received the nation’s top award as
*^any as six times and is the only
lubber company to qualify this
y^ar on a company-wide basis.
The record of the Company’s
P ants in 1951 vvas the lowest it
tiver attained. The frequency
was only 2.0 lost time accidents for
^ach millioj, man hours worked,
l)elow the national frequency
average for the rubber industry of
accidents per million man
of work The Firestone
rate, or average numbe
dayj^ lost due to accidents was
per thousand man hours work
ed.
ijs
^ ORDER to qualify for honor
‘hither on a company-wide
a single division, in-
re^ Were required to have
th^i^^^^ far below a “par” set by
P(jj. Safety Council—40
3Q below for frequency and
below for severity,
in 1 ^ ^''^ard is given only to those
organizations which
imn^. outstanding job in
their safety records,
an record represents
I’ate of .2 in frequency
-12 in severity over the
j, ous year.
1945 -^^^®ty records achieved in
’ ^946, 1947^ 1948 and 1950
Firestone I'eceived the National
Safety Council’s Award of Honor
for Distinguished Service to
Safety. For 1951 the title of th&
highest award was shortened to
“Award of Honor”.
In addition to contributing to the
winning of the top company-wide
award for 1951 and other years,
our plant has received plaudits
from the North Carolina Depart
ment of Labor in the form of cer
tificates of achievement for ex
cellence in safety—received each
year since 1948. To qualify for this
award a plant must either reduce
its accident frequency by 40 per
cent or maintain an average of 75
per cent below the state average
for plants doing similar work.
Twice in the last six years Fire
stone Textiles has won thii d place
in the National Safety Council’s
Textile Division Contest. In 1951
our plant placed fourth in this
division and received a certificate
of achievement for reducing our
accident frequency over the pre
vious year’s record.
OUR PLANT has also copped
the top honors in the safety con
test sponsored annually by the
North Carolina Cotton Manufac
turers for the years 1948 and 1949.
For the last two years we have
placed second in very close con
tests.
These outstanding records in
safety attained by Firestone Tex
tiles have been possible by the ex
cellent cooperation of all em
ployees and supervisors. This coop
eration has enabled Safety Di
rector McAbee (and former Safety
Director Tom Ipock, now Indus
trial Relations Director) to point
the way to the ultimate goal of
complete freedom from accidents.
(Continued on page 2)
Improved Camp Firestone Now Open;
Carl Sparks To Act As Custodian
BEACH RETIRED
SERVED 23 YEARS
CAM1» FIRESTONE at Bridge
water, N. C., opened May 1 with
a new caretaker, Carl Sparks, who
replaces Joe Beach, recently re
tired after 23 years service to the
camp (including several years un
der previous management).
The camp has long been a
I'avorite summer retreat for
FIRESTONE employees and fami
lies. Its 9 cabins and bunk houses,
open-air mess hall, boathouse,
playground and lake make it one
of the best equipped company-
owned summer camps in our area.
Located 12 miles Northwest of
Marion, N. C.—easy driving dis
tance from Gastonia—it offers a
choice of fishing, swimming, boat
ing, hiking, nature lore and horse
shoe pitching. Lake James, a
big attraction with its fish-laden
pools and inlets offering an
Irresistable attraction to fishermen,
is but a stone’s throw from the
cabins.
A number of camp improve
ments were completed prior to
opening the camp for this season.
To insure a constant supply of
good drinking water, a deep well
(150 feet deep), complete with
modern pumping system has been
installed. A sanitation improve
ment program has also been com
pleted which brings to the camp
all the modern conveniences one
finds in the city. New steel entrance
gates have been erected and road
improvements undertaken to en
hance the appearance and useful
ness of the camp area. Twelve new
life jackets have been provided at
the boat landings in several sizes
so that all campers may enjoy the
water sports in safety. Five j’ow-
boats are available at all times.
The ibunkhouses, of which there
are six, will sleep 12 people each.
In addition to the bunkhouses,
there are three cabins of which
Cabin 1 is for overseers and Cabin
4 for second hands. Cabins 2 and 3
accommodate 10 and 4 people re
spectively. A centrally located
mess hall completely out-fitted
with modern kitchen facilities will
accommodate 80 campers.
SUPERVISORS ATTEND
SAFETY CONFERENCE
Industrial Relations Director
Ipock along with Supervisors Guf
fey, Lovingood, Rape, Bradshaw,
and Nurse Roxie Newton attended
the Statewide Safety Conference
in Asheville, May 4-6. The three
day meeting brought together
safety leaders from all major
N. C. industries. Speakers in
cluded a number of outstanding
national experts in the field of in
dustrial safety.
LAKE JAMES., most popular attraction at Camp Firestone, is
famous for its fishing opportunities. Campers have six boats at their
disposal to explore the numerous inlets and coves—all said to be
thickly populated with fish.
BUNKHOUSE row at Camp Firestone. A rustic, yet modernly
equipped, kitchen and mess hall is available for use by bunkhouse
occupants. Playground swings and seesaws are near-by for the
youngsters.
Loray Baptist Church Newest
And Largest In West Gastonia
A DILIGENT and patient group
of Baptists saw the fullfillment of
a goal—set for them in 1939—
when the Loray Baptist Church
was dedicated this Easter. It was
in July, 1939 that a building fund
was announced for the purpose of
erecting a new church sanctuary.
The orginial plan for a new
church was executed under the
guidance of the late Dr. J. W.
Whitley, form u‘ pastor of the
Loray Church. W. G. Henson, plant
engineer for Firestone Textiles,
served under Dr. Whitley and more
recently, under Dr. Malone, present
pastor, in the key post of Build
ing Committee Chairman.
(Continued 011 page 2)
THE NEW LORAY BAPTIST CHURCH located at the corner
of Firestone and West Franklin Avenues in Gastonia. The $300,000
structure was dedicated Easter Sunday.