Your cooperation helped make
the first Community Fund Drive a
solid success. This same spirit of
cooperation has traditionally serv
ed Firestone employees well and
will continue to do so. Congratula
tions are in order.
NEWS
GASTONIA
Wake Forest Basketball Coach
Murray Greason accepts invitation
to speak at annual All-Sports
Banquet, April 4. Watch for com
plete details in March 5 issue.
VOLUME II
GASTONIA, N. C., FEBRUARY 5, 1953
NO. 3
First Fund Drive Acclaimed, $11,696.42 Raised
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EMPLOYiiSS***"
COMMUNITY FUND
IN THE PICTURE, above left, are the first shift solicitors for
the first annual Community Fund drive. These employees, who gave
Unselfishly of their time in order that this first drive might succeed,
are:
Front row reading left to right; Mrs. Sara Scruggs, Spooling;
Eula Wilson, Main Office; Mrs. Jane Rice, Weaving; Mrs.
Margaret Rhyne, Cloth Room; Mrs, Bertie Conrad, Spinning; Mrs.
Katherine Davis, Winding; and Miss Sue Van Dyke, General.
Second row: Mrs, Rosa Francum, Shop; Mrs. Marie Fogle, Twist-
Mrs. Frances Huffman, Twisting; Mrs, Sally Crawford, Quality
Control; Mrs. Guinn Briggs, Carding; and Miss Helen Spencer,
General.
Third row: W, B, Ward, Spinning; H. T, Aldridge, Twisting;
Ruby Riley, Twisting; Mrs. Clara Wilson, Weaving; and
General Superintendent Nelson Kessell, who served as chairman of
the drive.
Fourth row: Russell Conrad, Weaving; A. C, Kessell, Carding;
^llie Diggs, Weaving; and Hasel Cauthen, Shop,
Fifth row: Hugh Wright, Cloth Room; Claude Taylor, Twisting;
L. Graham, Winding; W, S. Guffey, Spinning; and 0, K, Forrester,
Spooling.
Sixth row: Albert Meeks, Warehouse; Fred Morrow, Warehouse;
L. Owens, Carding; Grady Richardson, Weaving; E, P. McArver,
Winding; and S, F, Honeycutt, Quality Control,
SECOND AND THIRD SHIFT SOLICITORS pictured above,
I'lght, likewise helped make the drive a success. They are, front row,
^®ft to right: Mrs. Maude Johnson, Spinning; Mrs, Mary Turner,
Spinning; Mrs, Fannie Humphries, Twisting; Mrs, Dorothy Baber,
Twisting; Mrs, Corrie Johnson, Twisting; Mrs, Betty Guffey,
Spooling; and Miss Jessie Westmoreland, Carding,
Second row: Mrs, Kathleen Hovis, Winding; Mrs. Earline
Gordon, Weaving; Mrs, Flossie Wilson, Twisting; Mrs, Hazel
Stewart, Twisting; Mrs, Irene Burroughs, Weaving; Miss Mary
Johnson, Weaving; and Miss Vivian Bumgardner, Weaving.
Third Row: Cramer Little, Shop; W. H, Dilling, W'eaving; J, W.
Hendricks, Warehouse; J, H, Brooks, Weaving; and D, R. Thomas,
Spinning.
Fourth row: M, J. Nichols, Spooling; Trenton Ginn, Twisting;
Tracy Whitener, Weaving; Wade Stiles, Twisting; and Carl Rape,
Carding.
Fifth row: R. F. Piercy, Spinning; Grover Hollifield, Twisting;
Jess Parks, Spooling; Floyd Kelly, Weaving; and Marshal Parham,
Shop.
Solicitors, not appearing in the pictures, are: Coy Bradshaw and
Mrs. Gertrude Sanders, Carding; Mrs, Mildred Smith, Spooling and
Warping; Otis Thompson, Vernon Lovingood, Mrs, Ruby Wiggins,
Mrs, Dean Haun, and Mrs, Nevie Dalton, Twisting; W. R, Turner,
Weaving; Emmer Stroupe, Winding; Miss Leona Dameron, Quality
Control; W. G. Henson, Shop; T. B. Ipock, Jr., L, B, McAbee, Luther
Foy, Ralph Johnson, Personnel; Robert Spencer, Supply Room; and
E, J, Mechem, Main Office.
Shown in the inset, bottom center, is a picture of one of the
large signs placed at the three employee entrances to the plant
during the Community Fund drive.
fflunity Churches. . . .
^est Avenue Presbyterian Influential Here Since 1907;
Some of Charter Members Still Active in Church Work
«/
West Avenue Presbyterian Church with its pastor, the
C. Neel, shown in the inset.
THE 222 MEMBERS of the
West Avenue Presbyterian Church
at 1015 West Franklin Avenue, un
dertook a familiar job in 1950 for
Gastonia churches. They decided to
remodel their church building from
furnace room to belfry. In March
1951, the last craftsman was able
to leave a church plant that for
all practical purposes was new,
though some of the old structure
remained—even as six of the
church’s charter members remained
after 45 years of change and
growth, both within and around the
West Avenue Church,
Serving the spiritual needs of
people, old and young, has been the
mission of this West Gastonia cen
ter of Presbyterianism since its
founding in 1907, As mentioned.
Banquet Speaker Selected
FEATURED speaker for the an-
nual All-Sports Banquet scheduled
I'or Saturday April 4, is to be
Wake Forest Basketball Coach
Murray Greason, This information
comes from Recreation Director
Ralph Johnson who adds that Mr.
Greason may bring along several
of his first string basketballers.
More details in connection with the
banquet will appear in the March
5 issue.
Camera Club Will Form
(Continued on Page 2)
THE Recreation Department an
nounces the forming of a Camera
Club for employees, the first meet
ing of which to be held Thursday,
February 12, at 7 p, m. in the
Girls’ Club, This first meeting will
be of an organizational nature with
such items as time and frequency
of meetings having a place in ITie
discussion that evening. All em
ployees having an interest in
photography are invited to attend
this meeting.
THE FIRST ANNUAL DRIVE
for funds to be placed in the Fire
stone Textiles Employees’ Fund
has come to a successful close ac
cording to General Superintendent
Nelson Kessell, who acted as chair
man for the drive. The plant-wide
campaign for charity funds re
sulted in the raising of $11,696.42.
Both General Manager Harold
Mercer and General Superinten
dent Nelson Kessell expressed
extreme satisfaction with the
results of the campaign, adding
their congratulations to those
who participated in making this
pioneer undertaking a success.
They both expected success in
this fir^t drive, but were
pleasantly surprised to see the
total contribution rise above
their personal estimates of the
outcome.
The encouraging figure donated
in this first drive would seem to
indicate that employees generally
like the consolidated fund for all
charities in preference to the in
dividual drives plan followed here
in years past.
Getting credit, in part, foi' the
success of the first drive is the
optional payroll deduction method
of payment to the fund. This fea
ture, no doubt, encouraged larger
contributions in many instances
than would have otherwise been
the case.
The charities listed on the em
ployees’ pledge cards were: The
Salvation Army, The Cancer Fund,
The American Red Cross, Boy
Scouts, March of Dimes, tiirl
Scouts, Heart Foundation', and
U,S,0, In addition, employees were
given an opportunity to write in
the name(s) of any other national
charity to which they wanted to
contribute. All contributors were
allowed to specify to which chari
ties they wanted their contributions
applied. In case the employee ex
pressed no preference, his or her
contribution is to be prorated a-
mong all the charities listed in
accordance with the totals each
charity received from those who
did indicate a preference.
Serving with Mr, Kessell in the
campaign were solicitors from all
departments and shifts. This group
of approximately 75 people de
serve notice for their thorough job
of canvassing the plant. Misses Sue
Van Dyke and Helen Spencer acted
as Mr, Kessell’s special assistants
during the campaign, doing the
clerical work necessary for such a
drive.
Income Tax Help Available
Employees desiring assistance
in connection with their federal or
state income tax returns may get
it at the Girls’ Club from 1 to 5
p. m., each weekday afternoon, ex
cept Saturday, through March 13.
Those seeking this assistance are
reminded to bring with them their
Form W-2, Withholding Statement.