Unless you make allowances for
your friend's foibles, you betray
your own.
—Publilius Syrus
Tir«$ton«
GASTONIA
The responsibility of tolerance
lies with those who have the
wider vision.
—George Eliot
VOLUME VII
GASTONIA, N. C., FEBRUARY, 1958
NUMBER 2
A SUGAR-FILLED GREETING
FOR MY VALENTINE
Valentine’s Day belongs to the young in heart. No matter
what the measure of years associated with one’s earthly
pilgrimage, February 14 is occasion for those special expres
sions of human affection. In the long ago, when the Valentine
tradition was becoming established, people spent weeks
composing suitable verse and writing it in elegant script on
cards they called “valentines.” It is doubtful if the people
of that age could have matched the craftsmanship of Jean
Reeves who, here, fashions her greetings “for someone
special.” She is the seven-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Jay Reeves, 700 Townsend avenue, Gastonia. Mrs. Reeves is
the Firestone Visiting Nurse.
Two Titles Added To Catalog
Of Firestone Movies
Two new color movies produc
ed by the Company are now
available for showing in the
Gastonia area. They are “Agri
culture’s World Series,"’ and
“Trail Blazers.”
A 16-mm print of these titles
may be booked through the In
dustrial Relations office for
showing to schools, church
groups, civic and professional
clubs and other organizations.
“Agriculture’s World Series”
is an account of the 1956 na
tional plowing matches held at
Newton, Iowa. The story begins
With an historical flashback of
slow, crude methods of harvest
ing in the early days of hand
and mechanized farming. The
movie then traces development
of the use of rubber tires on
tractors and other implements,
showing how tires have revolu-
AT RECREATION CENTER
Return Of Bloodmobile Set For February 21
Will Firestone Textiles live up to its outstanding record as a contributor to the Red
Cross blood program, when the bloodmobile makes its return visit to the plant on Feb
ruary 21?
On the most recent blood collection at Firestone — last September — employees gave
175 pints in one of Gastonia’s most successful turnouts in recent years. The generous re
sponse brought praise from Red Cross officials, and civic leaders expressed commendation
through newspapers and radio.
age for those who actually do
nate blood.
Besides departmental qualifi
cation under the new group pro
gram, it is possible for an entire
plant having 1,000 or more em
ployed to qualify for credit
cards, providing the blood con
tribution amounts to at least 15
per cent of the total employment.
tionized the farming industry.
“Trail Blazers” portrays off-
the-highway heavy equipment
tires and the part they play on
special assignments around the
world. In the picture are scenes
of how heavy construction ma
chinery, equipped with Firestone
tires, was used in building the
Sunshine Parkway in Florida,
the St. Lawrence Seaway on the
Canadian border; and trans
porting of supplies and equip
ment to oil wells in Arabia and
'to locations of the “Dewline”
radar screen from Fairbanks,
Alaska to the shores of the
Arctic Ocean.
It tells of the famous “Snow-
train,” world’s largest vehicle
on tires, which carried 150 tons
of freight 400 miles in 39 days
in temperature 68 degrees below
zero.
Of the coming of the bloodmo
bile in February, further details
will be announced on plant
bulletin boards in time for the
collection at the new Recreation
Center, Second avenue at Dalton
street.
For the upcoming blood call,
members of plant management
are hopeful that the response
will surpass even the Septem
ber record.
DURING the month of the last
bloodmobile visit here, two de
partments qualified under the
Group Donor Credit Card Plan.
Office and supervisory personnel
and employees in the Shop join
ed the group plan by contribut
ing 20 per cent or more of the
total number of employees in
each of these categories. Their
qualification, on a six-month
basis, expires February 23—two
days after the next bloodmobile
visit is scheduled.
A Donor Credit Card, when
presented to any participating
hospital, entitles the holder and
his family (mother and father
and parents-in-law, if over 60
years of age; husband or wife,
Scouts To Promote
Highway Safety
Two Boy Scouts from Fire
stone families have been certi
fied as members of the Speakers’
Bureau of the Governor’s Traffic
Safety Council. Van Riley of
Troop 1, Olney, and Frank Galli-
gan of Troop 13, St. Michaels
Church, were among nine Scouts
selected from Gaston County.
Van is the son of Safety Di
rector Alvin Riley and Mrs.
Riley of Ply Respooling. Frankie
is the son of Cotton Division
Superintendent F. B. Galligan
and Mrs. Galligan.
Major Charles A. Speed, safe
ty director of the North Carolina
Highway Patrol, approved the
boys from Gaston when they ap
peared at a Salisbury meeting in
mid-January.
Scouts chosen for the Gover
nor’s Traffic Safety Council are
required to prepare a talk on the
subject and present it at a
screening meeting in their dis
trict. Outstanding contestants
then go to the Highway Patrol
meeting for further instruction
and certification, if qualifications
are met.
Those who receive membership
cards are then open for invita
tion to speak on the subject of
highway safety at civic meetings
and on radio and television pro
grams.
minor children, and minor
brothers and sisters if residing
in household) to receive all blood
needed so long as it is available.
An announcement from the In
dustrial Relations department
points out that when a depart
ment does not qualify under this
group plan, eligibility is then
based upon the individual cover-
Ready--Ready To Save A Life
Drama stalks across the stage of our hospitals every
day. Miracles of medical science save thousands of lives
that would have been lost a few decades ago.
Ordinarily, the general public does not know about
those moments of strain and anxiety, yet each is a deep-felt
emergency to individual families, relatives and friends. In
many instances, because there is whole blood available,
these moments are eased for both the patient and those who
are concerned.
Blood is unlike other medical aids. The only source of
blood is human beings. Since blood donors cannot always
be present at a dramatic moment of emergency, it is neces
sary for them to donate their blood in advance so that it
is available for use when the need arises.
Firestone Textiles people can donate blood and have
it ready—ready to save a life.
m
GARDEN CLUB PROJECT
Members of the Firestone Variety Garden Club chose as their
annual winter project the preparation of dried arrangements for
gifts to residents of Gaston County Home, at Dallas. The arrange
ments, designed with a Valentine’s Day theme, were distributed to
members of the County Home “family” in late January. In the
picture: Mrs. W. E. Pope (left), first Firestone winner of the Jack
son and Perkins Trophy for rose-growing, looks over some of the 42
arrangements prepared at the plant Recreation Center. With her is
Mrs. R. H. Henderson, another member of the Garden Club.