PAGE 6
MAY 16, 1955
Honored 20-year Employees Have Total of 2fiOO years of Service
P
RESENTATION of 20-year walches and service pins was made May
5 at Ihe banquet in the recreation center, by J. E. Trainer and Raymond C.
Firestone, Executive Vice Presidents of the Company; William A. Karl,
President of Firestone Texiiles; and Harold Mercer, General Manager. Gen
eral Superintendent Nelson Kessell introduced each employee to Mr. Train
er and Mr. Firestone. One employee with 20 years service, Bertha Clark,
was unable to attend the presentation ceremonies. Names of employees who
received watches and service pins appear from left to right, under the pic
tures on this page.
■■■ ■■■
fireitone
VtARS Of SJRVICC
YEARS Of
Front row: Walter L. Dockery, W. O. Stephen
son, Blanton Bryant, Coy Reese, Raymond C. Fire
stone, Belon D. Hanna, Claude R. Taylor, Carl
Brockman, Nelson Kessell. Second row; James
Pryor, Harold Mercer, Leon Keisler, Marlin Thomp
son, William A. Karl, Otis A. Thompson, J. E.
Trainer, Bari Allen.
Front row: James L. Capps, David T. Lowery,
William Cosey, Tom Mathis, Edward S. Hughes,
Robert L. Rhyne, George E. Robinson, William Lee
Owens, Payton R. Lewis, Nelson Kessell. Second
row: Harold Mercer, William A. Karl, Raymond
C. Firestone. Spurgeon L. Owens, J. E. Trainer,
T. J. Galloway, W. T. Webster.
Front row: Tracy Whitener, C. M. Ferguson,
Frank Spencer, W. T. Webster, Raymond C. Fire
stone, Willie B. Ward, Raymond Mack, Nelson
Kessell. Second row: Harold Mercer, Hugh Wright,
R. G. Henderson, Paul E. Walker, William A. Karl.
Paul Thornton, Lonnie W. Crisp, J. E. Trainer,
R. E. Conrad.
ftnsiom
YiARS or smvicE
Front row: John P. Davis, Carmon F. Robinson,
Thor Giles, Lewis R. Clark, Raymond C. Firestone,
Frank Atkinson, Clyde E. Moss, Sr., Howard F.
Burgess. Second row: Harold Mercer. Johnny T.
Jones, J. Redding, J. D. Woods, Sr., William A.
Karl, Ransom F. Piercy, J. E. Trainer, G. K. Rob
inson, Jr.. Nelson Kessell.
Front row: Ed C. Taylor, Hazel A. Cauthen,
Thomas J. Clark, Raymond C. Firestone. R. L.
Tompkins, Troy C. Jones, W. A. Johnson, Second
row: Ellis G. Bullman. Harold Mercer, Robert G.
Passmore, William A. Karl, Virgil Stiles, W. G.
Henson, Sr., J. E. Trainer, George V. Foy, J. Ed
Spencer, Nelson Kessell.
auLJ&k
Front row: George T. Dill, William H. Dilling,
Nina Dilling. Mary Louise Dill, Tressie C. Webb,
Eli Webb, Grace E. Bullard, Nelson Kessell. Sec
ond row: Margaret Matthews, William A. Karl,
Maude Jordan, Raymond C. Firestone, Minnie C.
Johnson, J. E. Trainer.
2000
YtAftS Of
Bsa
2000
VS- RS, OF SERVICE
VWRS Of SfftVlCt
Front row: Eula Wilson, Lola B. Wilkinson, Mat
tie McCann, Maude C. Gaines, Raymond C. Fire
stone, Nora Wood, Dr. Walter B. Parks, Artie O.
Ammons, Jess L. Parks, Nelson Kessell. Second
row: Harold Mercer, Bessie L. Gaines, William A.
Karl. J. E. Trainer.
Front row: Lonnie G. Barber, Frank M. Mont
gomery, Raymond C. Firestone, Leonard Adams,
John A. Loyd, Joe Finger, Luther T. Thompson,
Nelson Kessell. Second row: W. Asbury Neely,
Harold Mercer, William A. Karl, J, E. Trainer.
Front row: R. M. Brown, Carl J. Carrigan, Hoyt
Hardy, Raymond C. Firestone, Thomas J. Webb.
McClure J. Veitch, Ralph Johnson, Nelson Kessell.
Second row: Harold Mercer, Hudy N. Webb, Earl
G. Conrad, Coy T. Bradshaw, William A, Karl,
Austell Smith, Ben Davis, J. E. Trainer, Fred T.
Morrow.
13,000 Tour
(Continued from page 1)
Special entertainment at the
barbecue included the Gastonia
High School Band, the Rambling
Rebels Drum and Bugle Corps of
Gaston American Legion Post 23,
tumbling performers from Val-
dese, acrobats and tap dancers,
“The Greasy Four” employee
quartet, and Pan Handle Pete,
one-man band from Asheville.
During the plant tours booklets
commemorating “Twenty Years
of Progress” and other souvenirs
were distributed.
Emphasis during the week was
on progress. Since Harvey S. Fire
stone acquired the plant in 1935
employee enrollment has grown
to 2,200, an increase of about 1,000.
Between June of 1935, when
rearrangement of machinery
was completed to improve prod
uct flow, and November of
that year, production totaled 3,-
159,368 pounds. Today, this is only
about two weeks’ production.
In 1938 production of rayon tire
cord fabrics was started experi
mentally and by 1941 rayon tires
were being produced on a large
scale. Now tires are produced al
most exclusively with rayon and
nylon cord.
Since World War II Firestone
Textiles has carried out a steady
program of improvement, enlarge
ment and installation of new
equipment.
With change from cotton cord to
synthetic cord much of the cotton
production was no longer re
quired, but during transition Fire
stone made large investments in
modernizing machinery for pro
ducing cotton yarns and fabrics
for commercial sale. This main
tained cotton production and in
sured continued employment for
hundreds of workers.
20-Year Banquet
(Continued from page 1)
ored 20-year employee and
sented watches and 20-year pi^‘
Nelson Kessell, General Superii^'
tendent, introduced the employe®^
to Mr. Trainer and Mr. Firestone-
C. E. Moss, assistant to Mr.
sell, gave the invocation.
The complete texts of the tal^^
given by Mr. Trainer and
Firestone appear on Pages 2 and