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Plant Honored For Safety
Record Made Last Year
At a dinner meeting in the Girls Club in late September.
Firestone Textiles was formally awarded an achievement
plaque for its outstanding safety record during 1954.
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SAFETY TROPHY—For ihe best safety record in 1954 of North
Carolina plants employing over 1,000 persons. Firestone received
a plaque, accepted here by General Manager Harold Mercer (left)
from H. S. Baucom, director of the State Industrial Commission.
At right is G. D. Cross, safety director and head of supervisory
training for the Firestone organization. At extreme left, L. B. Mc-
Abee, Director of Safety here.
RECOGNIZED FOR SAFETY LEADERSHIP—These supervisors
made up a portion of Team 2, which was honored recently at a
dinner meeting for the team's winning first place in the safety
contest during 1954. In front row, from left: Tracy Whitener, Paul
Walker, Clyde Moss (team captain), W. G. Henson, Sr. Back row:
H. A. Cauthen, I. S. Bull, W. H. Dilling, and G. A. Perry.
Members of the team not present for the photograph were R. E.
Conrad, Frank Davis, Fred Morrow, Luiher Foy, Ed Taylor and D. J.
Haefka. Mr. Haefka had been transferred to Akron at the time of
the safety dinner meeting here.
ELEVENTH MONTH HAS VARIETY
Holidays and Anniversaries
Fill Calendar In November
THE HONOR came from the
North Carolina Cotton Manufac
turers’ Association in coopera
tion with the State Industrial
Commission. It was an award
for the plant’s record in leading
all other North Carolina indus
tries of more than 1,100 em
ployees in the state Safety Com
mission’s state-wide contest dur
ing 1954. That year, Firestone
had only three accidents, a rec
ord unmatched by other large
firms in the state.
At the recent presentation
meeting here, G. D. Cross of
Akron, Ohio, told approximately
60 employees—most of whom
were supervisory personnel —
that “accidents, no matter how
minor, cost money and human
suffering.” Mr. Cross is director
of safety and supervisory train
ing for the Company.
Citing the Firestone Textiles
record for safety in the current
year. Cross emphasized that in
safety each year must show an
improvement over the previous
one, and urged “increased safe
ty consciousness.”
THE PLANT'S safety record
thus far in 1955—although below
that of 1954—is good when com
pared to other companies of
similar size, the speaker pointed
out.
During the past year, the plant
divided its supervisory person
nel into four teams. These teams
competed against each other for
the best safety record.
Team Number 2, captained by
C. E. Moss, Sr., was first-place
winner. At the plaque-presenta-
tion meeting each member of the
winning team received a Parker
“21” pen and pencil set.
TEAMS, besides the winning
one, were: No. 1, General Super
intendent Nelson Kessell, cap
tain; No. 3, Francis Galligan,
Superintendent of the Cotton
Division, captain; No. 4, Phil
Williams, assistant to Mr. Galli
gan, captain.
Scoring in the supervisory
safety contest was based on
record of absence of lost-time ac
cidents in the departments each
month, wearing of safety shoes
and prescription safety glasses,
personal contacts in the interest
of safety promotion, attendance
at monthly safety meetings, and
number of approved safety sug
gestions or refinements made in
the departments.
Carson Is Judge
In Field Trials
John R. Carson, Jr., son of
J. R. Carson, plant guard, and
Mrs. Carson, Cord Weaving, was
one of the judges in the South
Carolina Fox Hunters’ Associa
tion field trials, held at Clinton,
October 4-6. At the meet, hunt
ers brought some 300 dogs from
several states.
Carson, who has 12 fox-hunt
ing dogs of his own in Gastonia,
spent a recent week hunting in
eastern North Carolina.
The Saxons called it Wind-
monath, as the winds then blew
furiously and the fishermen drew
their boats on the beach to wait
for the calmer weather of spring.
To Americans, November is a
month of football games, Armis
tice Day, harvest-home festivals
and Thanksgiving Day.
It is a month of 30 days ideal
for work and play and nights
cool enough for sleeping. There
is a zip in the air and restraint
in the midday sun. And with the
coming of frost, those first pink
tendrils of morning look airish
and brittle. Trees have shaken
off their garb of colors and ani
mals are busy making prepara
tion for winter. Fields yield their
goodness and there is settling in
fluence that touches everything.
NOVEMBER was the ninth
month in the old Roman calen
dar, and was named from the
Latin word meaning “ninth.”
When the Gregorian Calendar
(the one we have now) was re
vised—making the year begin
with January instead of March—
November became the eleventh
month without any change in
its historic name.
November begins with All
Souls’ Day which traditionally
NOVEMBER, 1955
ARRIVALS
Edgar Evans
Wright, in
Two members of the Spencer
family—both employed here, be
came a grandmother and a great
grandfather at the same time in
September.
Edgar Evans Wright III, made
his earthward trip at the U.S.
Naval Hospital, Millington,
Tenn., September 17.
The father, Edgar Evans
Wright, Jr., is serving with the
U.S. Marine Corps. The mother,
the former Jo Ann Spencer, is
a daughter of Mrs. Mazella
Spencer of Rayon Weaving; and
a granddaughter of J. E. Spen
cer, personnel interviewer here.
The child, first in the Edgar
Wright family, weighed seven
and one-half pounds.
♦
Plant Engineer I. S. Bull and
Mrs. Bull announce the birth of
a son at Memorial Hospital on
Sunday, October 9. The child,
who weighed seven pounds and
two ounces, has been named
David Jackson Bull.
♦ >
Ralph Carson, plant guard,
and Mrs. Carson, splicer in Cord
Weaving, became grandparents
of a baby girl on October 1, born
to Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth R.
Lutz in Nashville, Tenn. The
mother is the Carsons’ daughter.
The grandmother went to Nash
ville to visit the Lutz family
when the baby arrived.
> >
Private and Mrs. John D. Wig
gings announce the birth of a
daughter, Nancy Ellen, on Sep
tember 30. Private Wiggins is
the son of Mrs. Rosalie Burger,
starter maker, in Spooling. The
father is stationed at Fort Eustis,
Va.
commemorates all souls of the
faithful departed.
WITHIN the month are sev
eral birthdays of famous per
sons, including: Daniel Boone,
frontiersman. November 2;
James K. Polk, eleventh Presi
dent of the United States, 2;
Warren G. Harding, 29th Presi
dent, 2; William Cullen Bryant,
American Poet, 3; Will Rogers,
American humorist, 4; John
Philip Sousa, “the March King,”
6; James A. Garfield, 20th Presi
dent, 19; Franklin Pierce, l4th
President, 23; Zachary Taylo^’
12th President, 24; Samuel
Clemens (Mark Twain), humof'
ist, 30; and Winston Churchill’
British statesman, 30.
AMONG special events
November are: U. S. General
election day, the first Tuesday
after the first Monday; Forget'
Me-Not Day, on the Saturday
nearest Armistice Day; ArniiS'
tice Day, commemorating the
cessation of World War 1; and
Thanksgiving Day, this year
November 24.
On the Church calendar,
beginning of Advent, Novemb®^
30, marks the start of a fouf'
weeks period of preparation pr®'
ceding Christmas.
The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company
Akron 17, Ohio
Dear Mr. Mercer:
Mr. Karl has just shown me your letter to him stating that the
Gastonia Plant was the winner in Group 7 (factories employing
over 1151 people) of the Statewide Textile Safety Contest.
My congratulations to you and the entire personnel of the Gas
tonia Plant. Of course, it is well appreciated by me that a record
such as this is only attained by the wholehearted cooperation of
every man and woman in the Plant. It is they who make the record,
and to them go my congratulations.
J. E. TRAINER
Executive Vice President
The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company
Firestone Textiles Division
Akron, Ohio
Dear Mr. Mercer:
It is especially gratifying to learn that Gastonia was the trophy
winner in Group 7 of the 1954 Statewide Textile Safety Contest. To
attain this position naturally requires continued vigilance on the
part of your entire organization. My congratulations to you; Mr.
McAbee, your Safety Director, and to your entire organization
since they had a part in making this record possible.
W. A. KARL
President
Firestone Textiles
Volume IV, No. 17, November, 1955
Published by The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Firestone Textiles Division.
Gastonia, North Carolina. Department of Public Relations
DEPARTMENT REPORTERS
CARDING —Edna Harris, Jim Ballew, QUALITY CONTROL — Sally Crawford,
Jessie Westmoreland. Leila Rape, and Louella Queen,
SPINNING—Lillie Brown, Mary Turner. WINDING—Mayzelle Lewis, Ann Steven
son, Elizabeth Harris.
SPOOLING—Nell Bolick, Ophelia Wallace, CLOTH ROOM—Margie Waldrop.
Rosalee Burger.
SHOP—Rosie Francum.
TWISTING—Pearl Aldridge, Corrie John- WAREHOUSE — Patsy Haynes, George
son, Lorene Owensby, Dorothy Baber, Harper, Albert Meeks, Rosevelt Rainey.
Dean Haun, and Vera Carswell. PLASTIC DIP—Jennie Bradley.
SALES YARN TWISTING—Elmina Brad- MAIN OFFICE—Mozelle Brockman.
SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE—Sue Van
SYC WEAVING—Lucille Davis, Sara Dyke.
Davis, Nina Milton, Juanita McDonald. PERSONNEL OFFICE — Barbara Aber-
CORD WEAVING—Roy Davis, Irene nathy.
Odell, Mary Johnson. Claude Callaway, Editor