Firestone Textiles leads
county in Payroll Savings
^^lan participation with
68 per cent employee
enrollment.
Tllre$ton«
NEWS
GASTONIA
Turn to page two for a
fist of high school and
college graduates who are
members of Firestone
Textiles families.
VOLUME I
GASTONIA, N. C., JUNE 20, 1952
NO. 4
Employees Support Blood Program
Mrs. PAULINE STROUPE, splicer, gets a final check by the
bloodmobile physician before moving on to the donor room. Each
donor received a preliminary examination such as this to determine
fitness for blood giving.
^‘^I’shall ’^sfreshments after giving blood are donors (L to R)
^3,rham, shop bench man; Mull Ramsey, spinning section
'Veaviy, Keenum, refreshment clerk; and Mrs. Marshall Parham,
tie-in-hand.
Seventy Donors Answer Call
Ked Cross Bloodmobile
employees added
lilood ^ to the Red Ci •oss
^t th Wednesday, June
volunteer staff
Neij- Cross included
J^is ^\®towe, chairman; Mrs.
n
Mrs. A. G.
A. Cooper, Mrs.
Sanders,
Sherfjjj ^^^aughter, Mrs. Lindsey
F. Hogue, Mrs.
Mrs."
Wor'+i,. ®^^nie
Air 1? m
^6bb, ‘ Turner, Mrs. Hester
^obby Flora Pence, Mrs.
in, Mrs. C. D. Houser,
Jones, Mrs. Ida
'T'k Viola Broom, Miss
JoWv Bill Gamble, and
The medical staff included Miss
Alice Kinney, RN, public health
nurse, Mrs. Frank Wilson, and the
following volunteer nurses aides:
Mrs. J. S. Harris, Miss Elizabeth
Mingus, Mrs. Pansy Payne, Miss
Anne King, and Mrs. R. M. Hardee.
THE following employees do
nated blood:
William D. Sevilla, Bill McCar
thy, Johnnie Hayes, Thurman I.
Clark, Eugene E. Finney, Wilbur E.
Posey, Ray D. Thomas, Marcus A.
Chandler, Henry Church, James
Bates, Frank E. Capps, Elbert Pan-
ter. Jewel E. Self, Thomas W.
Turner, Mrs. Bertha W. Kessell,
(Continued on Page Four)
Seventh John W. Thomas Award Won
By Troop 4 Scout, Bobby Stapleton
Certificates Of Merit
Presented To 43 Others
ROBERT L. STAPLETON, JR.,
is the winner of the John W.
Thomas Award for 1952, A mem
ber of Scout Troop No. 4 of Gas
tonia and runner-up in competition
for the Award last year. Scout
Stapleton is the seventh Boy Scout
of the Gastonia Area to receive the
silver John W. Thomas Medallion,
The presentation was made by
General Manager Harold Mercer
at the awards dinner Thursday
night, June 12, at the Girls’ Club,
In addition to the medallion,
Stapleton received a $100,00 sav
ings bond and $19,75 in cash to
apply on his expenses during two
weeks at the Boy Scout Camp at
Lake Lanier.
Bobby Stapleton, 15, is an Eagle
Scout with 27 merit badges to his
credit. He is a rising 11th grade
student at Gastonia High School
where his father teaches mechan
ical arts. His Scoutmaster is R. B.
Wilson of Troop No. 4, sponsored
by the First Associate Reformed
Presbyterian Church of Gastonia.
THE John W. Thomas awards
are given in every community
where the Firestone Tire and
Rubber Company has a plant. This
award was originated in Akron,
Ohio, nine years ago by the late
Mr. Thomas, who served as presi
dent, board chairman, and honor
ary chairman of the board of di
rectors of the Firestone Tire &
Rubber Company.
(Continued on Page Two)
Tires Punished
In 500-Mi. Run
IN WHAT was termed the “most
dramatic” 500-Miles Race in his
tory, Troy Ruttman of Lynwood,
Calif., broke all records to win the
36th Indianapolis Speedway Classic
on Memorial Day. Driving his
Agajanian Special, Ruttman got
the checkered flag in 3 hours, 52
minutes, 41.88 seconds, chopping 4
minutes, 56,17 seconds off last
year’s all-time record time of 3
hours, 57 minutes, 3.05 seconds set
by Lee Wallard.
The race brought new honors to
Firestone as it was the 29th con
secutive time that Firestone tires
have been on the winning car.
From the standpoint of tire per
formance, the 1952 race was great
not only because it was the 29th
time the race has been run without
a tire failure but also because the
speed this year was more than 2Vz
miles an hour faster than ever be
fore.
ROBERT L. (BOBBY) STAPLETON, JR., accepts from General
Manager Harold Mercer the seventh annual John W. Thomas Award
Medallion for outstanding Boy Scouts in the Gastonia area. Bobby got
the award as a result of his extraordinary achievements in scout
craft, plus general excellence in scholarship and character.
Employees Finish Textile
Course; One On Honor List
(Continued on Page Four)
GENERAL Manager Harold
Mercer made the presentation of
diplomas to the 118 members of
the seventh annual graduating
class of the North Carolina Voca
tional Textile School at Belmont,
Wednesday, June 11, at 11 a. m.
Mr. Mercer spoke briefly
in appreciation of the work
(Continued on Page Two)
GRADUATION day at the North Carolina Vocational Textile
School in Belmont held special significance for Firestone Textiles
this year for the good reason that five employees and one former
employee were among the graduates. Moreover, General Manager
Harold Mercer presented diplomas to the graduating class
numbering 118. In the picture above Thomas Grant, ply twister and
honor student at the school, receives his diploma from Mr. Mercer
as school officials and other Firestone men look on. Left to right:
Mr. Mercer, Chris E. Folk, school principal; Martin L. Rhodes, school
superintendent; James Valentine, ply twister; Mr. Grant; Britt
Moore, twister tender; Clyde A. Erwin, Superintendent of Public
Instruction for North Carolina; Carl Butler, weaver; Walter Tate,
former employee; and Burnette Spencer, carding section man.