PAGE 4
Tire$ton« MSWS
APRIL, 1957
GOING PLACES. . . SEEING THINGS
Salem Village Retains Charm Of 18th Centm*y
Festivals and jamborees, garden tours, flower
shows, traditional Easter sunrise services and a
host of other events add variation to the April
travel calendar for Firestone employees.
Throughout the mid-South area within a few
hours’ travel from Gastonia, spring flowers take
the spotlight on the April program. The North
Carolina mountain flower season begins in April
with the blooming of small
ground varieties, and
reaches its peak in late
May and in June with
mountain laurel, wild
flame azalea and crimson
rhododendron.
This month is peak sea
son for spring flowers in
the Sarah B. Duke Gar
dens at Durham; Reynolda
Gardens of Winston-Salem;
and Coker Arboretum,
Chapel Hill. Into early
April, you can view the
showiest display of azaleas
and dogwood on the South
eastern Coast, in the Sandhills resorts of South
ern Pines and Pinehurst, and at the year-round
resort of Tryon in the Blue Ridge foothills.
THOSE INTERESTED in nature lore will have
opportunity to make the 7th annual Spring Wild-
flower Pilgrimage in the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park, April 24-27. This event is spon
sored by the botany department of the Universi
ty of Tennessee, the naturalist division of the
National Park Service, and the Gatlinburg, Tenn.,
Chamber of Commerce, with assistance from the
Gatlinburg Garden Club.
The pilgrimage combines nature walks and
hikes over park trails, motorcades to some less-
frequented areas where spring flowers are usually
profuse, illustrated nature talks in the evenings,
and guided photo tours. Activities will be led by
volunteer experts, either botanists, naturalists, or
those skilled in the photographic arts. Pilgrimage
headquarters will be Gatlinburg.
Shifting across North Carolina to the state’s
eastern coast — from the Outer Banks to the
beaches near Wilmington and Southport—April
is a top notch month for surf fishing. All ocean
fishing piers open during the month. The moun
tain trout season begins April 6 and lasts through
August 31.
ARRIVAL of the surf and sun season on the
Outer Banks beaches will be celebrated April
26-28 with the Dare Coast Pirates Jamboree. The
celebration, held each spring since 1955, features
fishing contests, pony and jeep races, fish fry on
Hatteras Island, model plane contests at Wright
Memorial, Kitty Hawk; and the Pirates’ Ball at
Nags Head. A highlight of this year’s program
will be dedication of the William B. Umstead
Memorial Bridge between Roanoke Island and
Manns Harbor.
Easter in North Carolina is observed with sun
rise services from coast to mountains. One of the
nation’s oldest is at Winston-Salem, where it has
been held each year since 1772 in Salem Square
and the Moravian Graveyard. Other outstanding
Easter sunrise services on April 21 are: Wayah
Bald, Franklin; Fields Of The Wood, Murphy;
Mountainside Theatre, Cherokee; Blue Ridge,
Daniel Boone Theatre, Boone; Hatteras Light
house, Hatteras Island.
FOR FIRESTONE travelers, this month’s sug
gested trip is to the village of Old Salem, un
usual survival of an early-American planned
community. Perhaps you can make the trip at
Eastertime, to attend the 185th annual sunrise
service, then linger to relive some history in this
18th Century Moravian congregation town cover
ing some 16 blocks in Winston-Salem.
Many Salem buildings have been in continuous
use since before 1811; others have been rebuilt
or returned to their original appearance since
Old Salem, Inc., was formed in 1950 as a non
profit organization to restore and preserve Salem
as a major historic site.
Three of the eight buildings restored since 1950
are open to the public. They are Wachovia
Museum, containing the largest collection of an
tiquities in America; John Vogler House, home of
the village silversmith; and Salem Tavern, which
looks as it did when George Washington visited
it in 1791.
SALEM was founded in 1766, its builders form
er members of the Moravian colonies in Penn
sylvania. Mostly of Germanic background, they
patterned Salem after country villages-of Ger
many. Hooded doorways, eyebrow-arched win
dows and graceful iron railings adorn many of
the buildings of log and frame and red brick
construction.
The village has continued as a center of the
Moravian Church, the church teachings being
interwoven with the life of the community.
Exhibit buildings in Salem are open each
weekday and on Sunday afternoons. Visitors’ in
formation center is at 614 South Main street,
Winston-Salem.
TWO DECADES of service were commemorated by Horace R.
Hughes, Shop, in March. Here he is being congralulaied by General
Manager Harold Mercer, who presents him with a watch, customary
gift of all persons who reach the 20-year employment milestone.
AS OF MARCH. . .
20-Year Roster
Has 256 Names
On March 12, Horace R. Hughes, Shop Plumber, became
the 256th employee here to reach the 20-year service mark,
in the 22 years the Company has operated the Gastonia
plant. In recognition of his long employment, he has received
the usual gold watch and 20-year service pin.
Next highest with long service
records were seven persons who
moved into the 15-year bracket.
They are:
Hassie E. Honea, Spinning;
Robert B. Burleson, and Mamie
J. Stevens, Rayon Twisting;
Dorothy N. Couick, Bessie
Beaver, Dixie M. Brockman and
Lacy R. Nall, all Rayon Weav
ing.
Others in March who earned
pins for service are:
Ten Years
Anderson Kimsey, Carding;
David Lee Hill and Mary P.
Turner, Spinning; Hazel Hice
and Hazel D. Newton, Spooling.
Jake A. Cogdill, Jack W. Faile,
Marion C. Hughes and Guy O.
Crawley, Rayon Twisting; Ris-
beth T.f Webb,’t Cotton Weaving;
Humbert Harding, Shop; Alonzo
Setzer and Samuel J. Smith,
Warehouse.
Five Years
Ralph J. Johnson, Carding;
Wilburn E. Summey, Edith L. M.
Martin, Edgar Lee Byers and
Jerry D. Keisler, Rayon Twist
ing. Norville Johnson, Shop;
Grace D. Gilstrap and Ruth F.
Morris, Cotton Weaving.
Club Members To Lend Help
In Homes And Gardens Tour
Members of the Firestone
Variety Garden Club will be in
charge of flower decorations at
the Orthopedic Hospital during
the Gastonia portion of the state
wide North Carolina Homes and
Gardens Tours this spring and
summer. The local tour is sched
uled for April 10 and 11. During
that time, 12 outstanding homes
and gardens will be open for
public visitation here.
Nine women members of the
plant garden club are scheduled
to serve, at different times, as
hostesses at the Orthopedic Hos
pital during the two-day pro
gram.
The tour of homes and gardens
in Gastonia is a part of a sched
ule from early April into early
summer, when privately-owned
homes and gardens from coast to
mountains in the state are open
ed to visitors. Proceeds go to the
Elizabethan Garden on Roanoke
Island, project of the Garden
Club of North Carolina.
TOUR DATES in different
parts of the state are not an
nounced far in advance, because
they must coincide with peak
blooming in the various locali
ties.
Also in the Gastonia area, sev
eral outstanding homes and gar
dens of Kings Mountain will be
open to visitors on April 11 and
12. Other communities schedul
ing tours within the next few
weeks are, for April: Laurinburg,
3, 17; Red Springs, 13, 14; Lum-
berton, 17; Chapel Hill, 18; High
Point, 20, 21; Yanceyville, 24;
and in May: Fayetteville, 1;
Pittsboro, 4.
The Variety Garden Club at
the plant is a member of the
Gastonia Council of Garden
Clubs and is affiliated with the
North Carolina Garden Club.
IN MEMORIAM
H. O. Burns, Sr., died at his
home in Camden, S. C., March
19, after an extended illness.
The 74-year-old retired mer
chant and apiarist was the fa
ther of Mrs. Alvin Riley of Ray
on Twisting.
The funeral was held March
20 at Hermitage Baptist Church,
Camden—where Mr. Burns was
a charter member and an hon
orary deacon—and burial was in
the church cemetery.
Besides Mrs. Riley, Mr. Burns
is survived by two daughters,
Mrs. W. R. Williams and Mrs.
Edgar Deese of Camden; and
six sons, Patrick of the Navy,
stationed at Norfolk, Va., and
Eddie, Norman, H. O. Jr.,
Michael and Johnnie, all of
Camden.
- Miss Frances Carolyn Harris
of Dallas died February 17 after
Recreation Slates
Golf Instruction
Something new on the spring
and summer sports and recrea
tion program: A class in golf
for women, set to begin around
April 15.
Besides this new feature of
the season’s schedule from April
through August, the agenda in
cludes bocce, baseball, golf, soft
ball, rifle target shooting, horse-
an illness of four months. She
was the daughter of Bill Wilson
Harris and Mrs. Harris, employ
ed in the Winding Department.
Miss Harris had completed her
studies at Dallas High School,
and was to have received her
diploma with the graduating
class this year. Last September
she had enrolled at Kings Busi
ness College, Charlotte.
Besides her parents, surviving
Miss Harris are a sister, Billie
Harris of the home, and her
paternal grandparents, Mr. and
Mrs. R. F. Harris.
Perry Phillips, who died at
his home in Candler, N. C., Feb
ruary 10, was a brother of Mrs.
Belle Blaylock, battery hand in
SYC Weaving.
shoe pitching, marbles and ten
nis.
There will be departmental
and inter-industry competition
in softball, with teams arranged
for men and women employees
and for boys and girls of em
ployee families.
Playground activities begin at
the recreation area in front of
the plant with the closing of
schools in early June.
At Judean Shrine
Installation
Mrs. Everett J. Mechem,
Worthy High Priestess, deliver
ed the principal address at the
installation of officers of Judean
Shrine No. 13, at Masonic Tem
ple, March 16,
Other members of Firestone
families participating in the
ceremony were R. B. Hull, Ap
pointive Officer; W. R. Turner,
Sr., Arthur Newton and! Mrs.
Arthur Newton, honorary of
ficers; and Mrs. H. O. Eisen
hower, Elective Officer. Mrs-
Eisenhower is a retired Com
pany employee.
Clean-up And Fix-up Week In April
Selection of a “Clean-up Queen” will be a special feature of
Clean-up, Fix-up Week, scheduled for Gastonia April 14-20. The
annual observance, promoted by the Chamber of Commerce, stresses
beautification and safety in home, business and industry.
Each spring the program centers in planned emphasis on main
tenance and repair and the spruce-up of buildings and grounds—
to promote better and safer living in the community.