PAGE 6
'rir«$tone MHWS
JUNE, 1956
IN SER VICE
With Infantry
In Korea
S/IC Joe F. Atkinson, serving
with the 24th Infantry Division
in Korea, would appreciate mail
from his friends back home. He
is the son of L. F. Atkinson of
the Spinning Department, and
Mrs. Atkinson. His sister-in-law,
Mrs. Dorcas Atkinson is in the
Winding Department.
Sgt. Atkinson’s address is;
Company C, 19th Infantry Regt.;
24th Division, APO 24; San
Francisco, Calif.
^ ^ ^
SPC 3/C Luther D. Chastain,
employed in the Carding Depart
ment in 1944 and 1945, is now
stationed at Fairbanks, Alaska.
In a recent letter to the plant
newspaper, Chastain said, “It is
always good to read the news of
home. Unless a person has been
away, one cannot understand
how it feels to get news from
home. If any of the readers of
Firestone News have relatives
living in Fairbanks, I would be
happy to look them up. My home
address in Gastonia is 1601
Fourth avenue.”
For a “cooling effect” on the
summer weather now prevalent
in this part of the South, SPC
Chastain sent a report on last
winter’s weather. The coldest
was 57 degrees below zero, and
there was at least six feet of
snow at one time.
Chief Petty Officer Roy L.
Nichols, former Firestone em
ployee and brother of Milton
Nichols, second hand, is home
on leave visiting his family. Of
ficer Nichols has been in the
U. S. Navy for the past 16 years.
He is stationed at Los Angeles,
Calif.
■4- 4-
Allen Dills of the U.S. Navy,
Norfolk, Va., spent the week end
of May 5 with his mother, Mrs.
Estie Dills, spooler tender.
A/3C Reggy Cox of Wright-
Patterson A. F. B., Ohio, is visit
ing his mother, Mrs. Brannon
Cox, starter maker, and family.
June Suggests First Day Of Summer,
School Commencement And Weddings
The sixth month of the pres
ent-day calendar is known
especially for the first day of
summer, commencement pro
grams in schools and colleges,
and as the traditional time for
weddings.
Although there are numerous
theories concerning the origin
of the name June, a popular
notion is that the ancient Ro
mans named it for Juno of
mythology. The early Romans
regarded Juno as the protecting
genius of women. Because wo
men then believed that June
was the most favorable month
for marrying, the June wedding
custom was established and its
popularity as a marriage month
has survived the centuries.
June is the month of the
summer solstice, or the time
when the sun appears to have
moved to a point fartherest
north from the equator and
seems to stand still before mov
ing south again. Solstice is a
Latin word meaning “the sun
stops,” and designates the first
day of summer—the longest day
and the shortest night of the
year.
WELL-KNOWN to the June
calendar are the observances of
Flag Day, June 14; and Father’s
Day, this year on June 17,
Father’s Day, which came into
popularity in the United States
later than did Mother’s Day,
honors fathers through special
services in churches and in
other ways. It was first observed
in Spokane, Wash., in 1910 and
only in recent years was its date
established as the third Sunday
in June.
June 14 is traditionally ob
served as Flag Day. Although
not a legal holiday in any of
the states, it is marked in one
way or another throughout the
country. In its observance,
special exercises are held in
public schools. Among the many
customary celebrations on this
day is the special program at
the Betsy Ross House in Phila
delphia in honor of the woman
credited with having designed
the first American flag.
History-wise, birthdays of
several great persons occur in
June. Among them are, Jeffer
son Davis, president of the Con
federate States of America,
June 3; Daniel C. Beard, found
er of the Boy Scouts of America,
21; Irvin S. Cobb, Kentucky
humorist and journalist, 23;
Pearl S. Buck, American novel
ist, 26; Helen Keller, famed
American blind and deaf mute,
27; Paul Laurence Dunbar,
American Negro poet, 27.
★ ★ ★
Litlle Miss Kalhy Shields
seems undecided as to how
she will dispose of the four
candles on her birthday
cake. She is the daughter of
Ray Shields, utility man.
Her mother is the former
Joyce Deal.
★ ★ ★
Plant Golfers
In Tournament
Men who are members of the
Firestone golf team this summer
will participate in the North
Carolina Industrial Golf Tourna
ment at the Mimosa Country
Club, near Morganton, June 16.
In the one-day tournament,
play will be according to the
“best ball” of the team, with due
recognition being given to the
team with the lowest total score.
Trophies will be awarded the
winning team (best ball), the
medalist, and the recreation di
rector having the lowest score
of the tournament.
INMEMORIAM
Caleb A. Spencer
Caleb A. Spencer, 94, died
May 10 after a week’s illness.
The funeral was held May 12
at West Avenue Presbyterian
Church, where he had been an
elder, and interment was in
Oakwood Cemetery.
Mr. Spencer leaves three sons,
Charles; W. S.; and J. E., of
Gastonia; three daughters, Mrs.
C. G. Lynch, Piedmont, S. C,;
Mrs. C. A. Dixon and Mrs. R. A.
Ferguson of Gastonia; 25 grand
children, 26 great-grandchildren
and one great-great grandchild.
Mr. Spencer, who retired
about 12 years ago after a long
and successful career as build
ing contractor and house mover,
had lived in recent years at 1110
Spencer avenue.
He was a native of Gastonia,
born October 4, 1861, the son of
the late William Spencer who
came to the United States from
Scotland and settled on Spencer
Mountain. The mountain was
named for him. He married the
former Elizabeth Ann Bradley.
She died in July, 1941.
Spencer avenue in southwest
Gastonia was named for Caleb
Spencer and his brothers. At
one time there were 13 Spencer
families living on the street.
J. E. Spencer, son of Caleb
Spencer, recently retired as
employment manager at Fire
stone. Mrs. A. A. Spencer, wife
of a grandson of Caleb Spencer,
works in Cord Weaving.
Marshall C. Burger died of a
cerebral hemorrhage on April 5.
He was the husband of Mrs.
Rosalie Burger of the Spooling
Department.
Twelve Weeks In Air Guard
For Michael A. Stroupe
★ ★ ★
Michael A. Stroupe, one of the
two 1956 winners of a Firestone
college scholarship in the Gas
tonia area, has reported to Sam
son Air Force Base, Geneva,
N. Y., for 10 to 12 weeks of Air
Force basic training. This is a
part of his training as a member
of the Air National Guard.
The scholarship winner was
graduated from Tryon High
School, near Bessemer City on
May 21. At the senior night ex
ercises he was class giftorian.
He is the son of Mrs. Winfred
L. Stroupe of the Weaving De
partment, and Mr. Stroupe.
The scholarship winner will
enter North Carolina State Col
lege, Raleigh, in September,
where he will study electrical
engineering.
Pe^y Jean Davis To Study
At High Point College
- Peggy Jean Davis, 1956 Fire
stone college scholarship winner
from Lincolnton, has been ac
cepted for entrance at High
Point College in September.
There she will study toward a
degree with a major in the field
of church secretarial work.
Miss Davis, whose mother,
Mrs. Harry Davis is employed in
SYC Weaving, this summer will
work in the office of a Lincoln
ton foundry. For the past two
years she has been employed as
a secretary after school, on week
ends and during the summers.
The scholarship winner,
graduated recently from Lin
colnton High School, during her
senior year was honored as the
“most versatile” in her class.
Plantation And Tire Manufactory
To Be Developed In Philippines
Firestone recently announced
that it was going to build a tire
and tube manufacturing plant
in Havana, Cuba.
Other Firestone foreign plants
are located at Hamilton, Ontario,
Canada; Brentford, England;
Port Elizabeth, South Africa;
Christchurch, New Zealand;
Bombay, India; Bilbao, Spain;
Pratteln, Switzerland; Valencia,
Venezuela; Buenos Aires, Argen
tina; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Viska-
fors, Sweden, and Hamburg,
Germany.
A projected $5,300,000 tire and
tube manufacturing plant in the
Philippines will be the 14 th
foreign plant operated by the
Firestone Company. Along with
the manufacturing establish
ment, to be located in the Ma
nila area, will be the develop
ment of a 1,000-acre rubber
plantation, according to an
nouncement by Chairman
Harvey S. Firestone, Jr., in mid-
May.
The plant will be equipped to
produce 100,000 passenger car
and truck tires annually.
Volume V, No. 6, June, 1956
Published by The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Firestone Textiles Division,
Gastonia, North Carolina. Department of Public Relations
CARDING — Edna Harris, Jim Ballew,
Jessie Westmoreland.
SPINNING—Lillie Brown, Mary Turner,
Maude Guffey.
SPOOLING—Nell Bolick, Ophelia Wallace,
Rosalie Burger.
TWISTING—Elease Cole, Pearl Aldridge,
Corrie Johnson, Lorene Owensby,
Dorothy Baber, Dean Haun, and Vera
Carswell.
SALES YARN TWISTING—Elmina Brad
shaw.
SYC WEAVING—Lucille Davis, Sara
Davis, Nina Milton, Juanita McDonald.
CORD WEAVING—Roy Davis, Irene
Odell, Mary Johnson.
DEPARTMENT REPORTERS
QUALITY CONTROL — Sally Crawford,
Leila Rape, and Louella Queen.
WINDING—Mayzelle Lewis, Elizabeth
Harris.
CLOTH ROOM—Margie Waldrep.
SHOP—Rosie Francum.
WAREHOUSE —Patsy Haynes, George
Harper, Albert Meeks, Rosevelt Rainey.
PLASTIC DIP—Jennie Bradley.
MAIN OFFICE—Doris McCready.
SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE—Sue Van
Dyke.
PERSONNEL OFFICE—Bea Bradshaw.
Claude Callaway, Editor