Your son or daughter may be
eligible to compete in the Fire
stone Scholarship Program. Get
full information and application
forms at the Industrial Relations
Office.
GASTONIA
“We like no -ism’s but safety-ism
at Firestone.”
Oscar Jacobs, Shop
2nd place winner,
1953 Safety Slogan Contest
VOLUME III
GASTONIA, N. C., JANUARY 25, 1954
NO. 2
Quality” Stressed In Talk Here By J. E. Trainer
Bowie Talks. . . .
Piedmont Council
Presents Its Top
Award To H. Mercer
GENERAL MANAGER Harold
Mercer was presented the Silver
Beaver Scouting Award along with
two other outstanding Boy Scout
leaders in the Piedmont Boy Scout
Council at the annual Piedmont
Council Banquet, Tuesday, January
19.
The Banquet, held at the Boy
Scout headquarters in Gastonia,
Was highlighted by an address by
George A. Bowie, public relations
Consultant for The Firestone Tire
^ Rubber Company.
Mr. Bowie, who has authored
Several books including “Snap Goes
Your Judgement’ ’and “Words Can
^e Dangerous,” chose “Man” as
his topic. “Of all wonders—man
himself is the most wonderful,” he
told the group.
The Silver Beaver Awards went
to H, H. Howard of Shelby, Terrell
Webster of Conover, as well as to
Mr. Mercer. The citation for Mr.
Mercer noted his outstanding con
tributions to the work and leader
ship of the Piedmont Council dur-
the past decade. Among other
Positions of importance he has
Served as (1) chairman of the Gas
tonia District Committee, 1953,
(2) chairman of Cub Scouting,
Gastonia District, 1948 to 1950,
(3) member the Gastonia District
Committee, 1944 through 1953, and
^4) member of the Executive
®oard. Piedmont Council, 1953.
^ ILVER Beaver Winners—
.^®^eral Manager Harold Mercer
shown seated; H. H. Howard
Qj Shelby and Terrell Webster
i Conover shown standing, left
^ight.
THE NECESSITY for high quality products that will be accepted favorably in the coming highly competitive market and co
operation between individuals and between departments were the main points stressed by J. E. Trainer, Executive Vice-President of the
Company, in a talk to the supervisory staff and-other key personnel of the Gastonia plant. Mr. Trainer spoke at a dinner meeting at the
Firestone Girl’s Club during an inspection trip to the plant Monday, January 4.
i
J. E. TRAINER, Executive Vice-President of the Company (shown above third from right), told
assembled supervisory and staff personnel here that the new policy of selling yarn and fabric in com
petition with other mills gives the Textile Division its first opportunity to see how good its products are
in comparison with those of other textile manufactures. With Mr. Trainer in the picture are, left to right:
Nelson Kessell, general superintendent; H. H, Waters, Director of Engineering for the Firestone Com
pany; W. A. Karl, President of Firestone Textiles; Harold Mercer,' gehWal mamger^f and Francis
Galligan, superintendent.
Mr. Trainer congratulated the
men on their accomplishments dur
ing the past year of operation and
thanked them for the part they
played in helping to make the Com
pany’s Billion Dollar Year pos
sible.
“A period of adjustment to
changing economic conditions is
taking place, however,” Mr. Train
er said. “This is due mainly to the
curtailment of automobile produc
tion, but we do not expect it to
last too long.
“We are making other adjust
ments in our textile operations
which will help get us back into
full production as soon as possible.
We have expanded our business
and are now putting out our tex
tile products in yarn fabric to sell
in competition with other mills.
This is a change from our former
practice of producing only for
Firestone.”
Mr. Trainer pointed out that the
new policy will give the Textile
Division an opportunity to see how
good its products are in compari
son with other mills, a comparison
not'pofe’Sible'befdre. '
(Continued on Page 2)
Firestone Scholarships To Go
To Top 15 Eligible Applicants
APPLICATIONS are now being received for the 1954 Firestone
Scholarship Program. All prospective applicants have until March 1st
to get their completed applications into the hands of the Firestone
Scholarship Committee in Akron, Ohio.
Essentially the same rules apply
this year as were in effect for the
1953, initial scholarship program,
which was won in this area by Miss
Claudette Taylor, daughter of Sec
ond Hand and Mrs. Claude Taylor.
Miss Taylor is now a scholarship
student at Duke University, Dur
ham, N. C.
The applicant must be a high
school senior who is a son or
daughter of a Firestone employee
whose earnings do not exceed a
base pay of $625.00 per month. In
addition, the applicant must grad
uate in the upper one-half of his
or her class.
Scholarship winners may attend
any college or university in the
United States providing it is an
accredited institution. The scholar
ship will provide enough money to
pay tuition, academic fees, text
books, and a substantial part of the
living costs of each winner.
This year’s program provides for
the awarding of 15 scholarships.
Winners will be selected on the
basis of their scores on psychologi
cal tests, rank in their respective
classes, and other qualifications
which indicate that they have the
character which will bring them
success in college life and in post
college life.
Each candidate for a Firestone
Scholarship may obtain proper ap
plication forms from the Industrial
Relations Department, or by writ
ing the Firestone Scholarship Com
mittee, The Firestone Tire & Rub
ber Company, 1200 Firestone Park
way, Akron 17, Ohio.
The Committee will notify all
applicants early in May of the
names of the winners of the 1954
Firestone Scholarships.
Billing Named To
College Who s Who
BILL BILLING, son of Mr. and
Mrs. W. H. Dilling of the Weaving
Department, has been named to
Who’s Who at Central College,
Central, S. C. Young Mr. Dilling,
a former Main Office employee,
is president of the student body
and has held prominent offices in
literary and music societies.
The faculty in selecting Mr. Dil
ling characterized him as “influ
ential, understanding, willing to
help, capable, and ready to serve
God.” Upon the completion of his
undergraduate work, he plans to
enter the ministry.
Earl Beeker Second
John Fletcher’s Gear Adjustment
Suggestion Tops In 1953 Contest
A suggestion entitled “Eccentric Adjustment for Gears” has netted
Lathe Operator John Fletcher one hundred dollars and a Firestone
clock-radio which the suggestion won for him in the week-long Sugges
tion Contest staged in November of last year.
His suggestion applies to theO-
horse head gears on speeders and
intermediate roving frames. Ac
cording to the suggestioneer these
gears—being casted—are never
perfectly true, i. e., do not track in
a true circle. His remedy is to fit
these gears with an eccentric bush
ing so fitted that the gear will
track in a true circle, thus eliminat
ing the sticking and improper
meshing that sometimes results
when casted gears without bush
ings are used.
The second place winner in the
contest. Laboratory Technician
(Continued on Page 2)
JOHN FLETCHER,, lathe operator (left above), won first place
in the Suggestion Contest conducted last November and is shown
here receiving the grand prize, a Firestone clock-radio, being
presented by Industrial Relations Director Tom Ipock. Earl Beeker,
laboratory technician (at right), won second place, the award being
a Firestone passenger tire.