There is no liberty without se
curity, and no security without
unity.
—Andre Maurois
Tire$ton«
GASTONIA
Those who deny freedom to
others deserve it not for them
selves.
—Abraham Lincoln
^^OLUME IV
GASTONIA, N. C., JULY 11, 1955
NUMBER 12
i«i
.............
V'
Mt,
Young playground visitor—Among those who came
to enjoy the recreation facilities at the Firestone Playground on a
decent weekday was Michael Patterson, 9-months-old son of Charles
I‘atterson of Twisting, and Mrs. Patterson. Michael, dressed to lick
discomfort of soaring summer temperature, figured he’d bring
along his lunch. Here he responds to something of interest in the
Sand, while he is being watched over by his grandmother. (Other
®^fiyground pictures appear on page 4).
Recognized For 4-H
Contributions
The Extension Service of the
• S. Department of Agriculture
onored Raymond C. Firestone,
^xecutive Vice President of the
ompany, with a citation, June 20
Washington. The honor came
Mr. Firestone in recognition of
“distinct contributions to the
^^tionwide development of the 4-H
program” and in considera
tion of other important services
to the field of agriculture in gen
eral.
Mr. Firestone, a Director of the
National Committee on Boys and
Girls Club Work the last two
years, is Executive Vice-President
of The Firestone Tire & Rubber
Company, sponsor of the National
4-H Club Soil and Water Conser
vation program since 1944, during
which time more than three mil
lion acres of land have been put
under soil conservation practices
by 4-H boys and girls.
CRAMER LITTLE, SHOP
Top Suggestion-Maker Tours Akron Plants
★ ★ ★
It was the “bigness” of the
operation that impressed
Cramer L. Little most when
he visited the home plants of
the Company last month.
Mr. Little for 17 years a
lathe operator in the Shop,
was awarded the trip to see
the operations in the Akron
plants, for having had the
most approved suggestions at
Firestone Textiles last year.
Touring the plants in Akron, he
was deeply interested in the man
ner the factories put to use fabric
produced in Gastonia, and in the
emphasis on the exactness of mix
ing rubber compounds.
He was especially surprised to
see the way in which truck tires
are built,
“The passenger tires are built
the way I expected,” he comment
ed, “but the truck tire building is
different from my idea of it."
The friendliness of the people
he met in Akron was another thing
that impressed the Gastonia visi
tor.
^HAMA under THE STARS
Decisive Revalutionary Battle Told
In ^The Sword Of Gideon”
“The Sword of Gideon,” outdoor drama based on the Battle of
Mountain, will begin its fifth season on July 14. This year the
which plays in Kings Mountain Battleground Park, some 20
Gastonia, marks the 175th anniversary of the battle which
Jefferson called “the turning point of the American Revolu-
Three additional performances of the play will be staged this
Son, making a total of 15. Performances are scheduled each Thurs-
y> Friday and Saturday night from July 14 through August 13, at
COMPLETE LONG RECORDS
dumber Of 15-Year Empl
Reached 374 On July 1st
oyees
years service; and 22
5 years service with the
and A A
A. Gaddis, Carding,
^^®Ught the total number of 15-
^ ewiployees to 374, as of July 1.
pj^t July 1; 12 persons com-
finished “
tST YEARg-
Guinn F. Briggs, Cicero
Spj Raymond Lipscomb.
lianH^^’ Helms, Jr., Lil-
WiUi I^ayon Twisting: Burley
Cj, . Cotton Twisting: Andrew
Elnaina D. Bradshaw,
leaving: Alda S. Guf-
Ing’ Burrell. Cotton Weav-
tj>oj. Jackson. Quality Con-
^ilene B. Strickland.
Spinning: Ralph T. Quinn, Troy
T. Slagle, Rayon Twisting: Vivian
V, Bumgardner, Edward T. Dailey,
John E. Johnson, Jr., Ralph L,
Reep, Ralph B. Franklin. Laura T.
Medlin, Charles Lancaster, Wil
liam H. Lee, Phil R. Cabe, James
G, Willis, Alene N. Whitesides.
Rayon Weaving: Gradie C, Cook,
Beulah W, Cook, Bobby Lee Payne.
Cotton Weaving; Max E, Pear
son, Warehouse: Henry Gordon.
Quality Control: Minalee Gaddis,
Winding: Seattle B. Mantooth.
Main Office: Jeanette H. Brock.
Time Study; Thomas A. Grant.
As of July 1, 859 10-year, and
1,974 5-year service pins had been
awarded.
Institute Adds
Some Equipment
A flat-bed turret lathe, complete
with drive motor and controls; an
L and W indexed chuck; an In
ternational gasoline engine and a
heavy duty rear axle differential
are items of equipment added re
cently to the machine shop at Gas
ton Technical Institute, James I.
Mason, Director of the school, an
nounced that the equipment was
donated by two milling machine
concerns and a truck transfer com
pany, all of Gastonia.
General Manager Harold Mercer
is a Director of Gaston Technical
Institute.
President Honored
By University
The honorary degree of Doctor of
Laws was conferred upon Lee R.
Jackson, President of the Com
pany, at the 83d annual commence
ment of the University of Akron,
June 13.
In conferring the degree, Dr.
Norman P. Auburn, President of
the University, termed Mr, Jack
son “an inspired, honest and in
trepid builder, who has given his
life to the building of his Com
pany, his industry, his alma mater,
and his community.”
TOP IN SUGGESTIONS—A visitor at the Akron plants of the
Company last month was Cramer Little, second from right, lathe
operator in the Shop here. He was awarded the trip for having turned
in the most approved suggestions at the Gastonia plant last year.
With him here, from left are L. J. Alger, Suggestion System Man
ager; W. A. Karl, President, Firestone Textiles; Mr. Little; and T.
B. Ipock, Jr., Industrial Relations Manager at Gastonia, who was
in Akron for a conference.
SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
Sellers Gets Honors At BCHS
Bobby Sellers, 1955 winner of
the Firestone College Scholarship
Award, received top honors in his
Senior Class at his graduation
from Bessemer City High School
this spring.
The Bessemer City youth was
named winner of the Loyalty
Scholarship Achievement Award
sponsored by the Balfour Com
pany. Other honors going to him
were the Bobby Poteat Memorial
Award given by the BCHS base
ball squad of 1949; the Athletic
Award; and a Gold Honor Card
for outstanding scholarship.
Young Sellers, whose father,
Clyde Sellers works in SYC Weav
ing, will enter North Carolina
State College this fall.
He will attend under the Fire
stone Scholarship program which
provides for full tuition at the
school of the winner’s choice, aca
demic fees, textbooks and a con
tribution toward the cost of living
while in school. Scholarships are
renewable annually until require
ments for an academic degree are
fulfilled, p r 0 V iding satisfactory
scholastic standings are maintain
ed and all other qualifications are
met.
1955 Seen As Good Year
For The Rubber Industry
Business in the rubber industry O
will reach an all-time high during
1955, according to a prediction by
Harvey S. Firestone, Jr., when he
was in Washington recently to ac
cept a citation from the Chamber
of Commerce of the United States,
THE COMPANY was being hon
ored for its “outstanding record in
favorably representing American
business to the general public,”
and for its contribution to Ameri
can culture through the simulcast
of the Voice of Firestone.
Mr, Firestone observed that if
there are no serious labor dis-
TO LEAD UNITED APPEAL
Mercer Heads Fund Drive
General Manager Harold Mercer will direct the Greater Gastonia
United Fund campaign this year. He was elected President of the
United Fund at the organization’s annual meeting held in Masonic
Temple recently.
Other officers serving with Mr, Mercer are: R, H, Pinnix, vice
president; R. P, Caldwell, second vice president; and W, A, Daniel,
treasurer.
turbances or major international
disruptions, the rubber business
in 1955 should exceed that of 1953.
So far, 1953 was the industry’s
best year,
HE ESTIMATED tire shipments
during 1955 at 104,800,000 units,
or G.5 per cent more than the 98,-
500,000 tires shipped during 1953.
His outlook was based on a
record-breaking 1955 first quarter
in tire shipment and rubber con
sumption, This fact, together with
the present strength of the econ
omy, “indicates that production
and sales for Firestone and the
industry will be the best in his
tory,”
“We also expect the higher out
put of rubber products other tluin
tires, especially foam rubber, to
continue through the year,” he
said.
The Firestone Company has un
dertaken an expansion program
for the synthetic rubber producing
-Continued on page 3