We sleep, but Ihe loom of life
never stops and the pattern which
was weaving when the sun went
down is weaving when it comes
up tomorrow.
—Henry Ward Beecher
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GASTONIA
One of the illusions of life is
that the present hour is not the
critical, decisive hour. Write it
on your heart that every day is
the best day of the year.
—Ralph W. Emerson
VOLUME VII
GASTONIA, N. C. MARCH, 1958
No. 4
All-Sports Banquet April 7
N. C State Coach Featured Speaker
Earle Edwards, head football coach at North Carolina State College, will be principal
speaker at the 22nd annual Firestone All-Sports Banquet here on the evening of April 7.
Chief feature of the occasion is the awarding of honors to employees for their noteworthy
achievement in the sports and recreation program at the plant during 1957. The banquet
has been one of the highlight events of the activities calendar at Firestone Textiles each
year since 1936.
OLD WINTER
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February brought swirling eddies of snow and left the
Southland somewhat uncomfortably cloaked in a blanket of
fluffy beauty. The bone-chilling temperatures also helped to
set an out-of-the-ordinary pattern of winter weather for this
part of the country.
As February melted into March with its blustering
winds and the promise of another Spring, so also departed
the six-inch covering on the whited landscape. But while the
beauty touches of Winter yet remained, Jerry Barton and
Doris McCready of Main Office sculptured these figures
in the snow. They stand against a fairyland backdrop of up
side-down icicle towers which were formed in front of the
Industrial Relations annex.
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
In addition to the visiting
speaker from State College, a
number of well-known person-
.alities of the sports and recrea
tion world, and several leading
citizens of the area will attend
as special guests of the Com
pany.
Following the dinner and the
principal address, men and
women who work here and
many of their sons and daugh
ters will be honored for the dis
tinction they have earned for
themselves in the sports and
recreation program of 1957.
There will also be departmental
recognition.
AWARDS will range from a
commendation for the “best fish
ing story” to the Supremacy
Trophy—the superlative recogni
tion, This much - sought - after
trophy will go to the depart
ment which has won the great
est number of honors and
achieved the most outstanding
record in all recreation activi
ties during the year.
For nine of the past ten years,
the Spinning department cap
tured the trophy, and in 1954
Spinning tied with Twisting for
the distinction.
The title “Ideal Athletes of
1957” will be conferred upon
four men and four women from
all three shifts at the plant. The
National Wildlife Week Observance In March
Although nearly half the pop
ulation of the United States
visits our public lands, too few
people work to protect these
natural resources. This fact has
led to the emphasis on the theme
“Protect Our Public Lands,” for
the 1958 observance of National
Wildlife Week, March 16-22.
Article on Wildlife Conservation
Page 7
The continuing educational ef
fort to further public interest in
conservation of natural resourc
es is sponsored by the National
Wildlife Federation and its af
filiates in the different states.
National Wildlife Week as an
annual emphasis has been ob
served in the United States and
Alaska since 1938.
The 1958 theme will stress the
need for conserving such public
land as parks and forests; wil-
'derness areas and wildlife, graz
ing and mineral lands.
In announcing this year’s pro
gram, the Federation said:
“The protection and proper
management of these areas is a
matter of utmost concern to con
servationists and all people of
the country, especially the mil
Textile Industry Offers Rich Rewards
The North Carolina Textile Manufacturers Association has
divided the state into 12 districts and appointed a chairman for
each in a concerted move to encourage qualified young people to
attend the School of Textiles at NC State College.
The move was taken in an attempt to meet the need in the
Tar Heel textile industry within the next five years for approxi
mately 2,700 college-trained personnel.
With the cooperation of the School of Textiles, the association
plans to sponsor meetings in each district to acquaint high school
juniors and seniors with the opportunities offered by the textile
industry for college-trained young people.
Meetings in each district will be arranged by the chairman,
working with school officials.
lions of people who enjoy the
pleasures and recreational bene
fits of their scenery and many
outdoor activities, such as hunt
ing, fishing, camping, hiking,
and nature study.”
OF EQUAL importance, the
announcement pointed out, are
the vast timber, mineral, water
and grazing resources of public
lands—lands which account for
more than one-quarter of the
nation’s area.
The National Wildlife Federa
tion is an association of state
federations or leagues and their
affiliated local conservation
clubs. Total membership ex
ceeds two million persons.
It is not a government agency,
but it is a citizens’ organization
which has been responsible for
informed public opinion leading
to much important legislation
and to many action programs in
the conservation field.
The National Wildlife Federa
tion is financed by civic-minded
persons throughout the nation
who every year send in small
contributions in exchange for
Wildlife Conservation Stamps.
persons so honored are each
year selected by secret balloting
of employees who participate in
the recreation program. Those
the sports-recreation program
over the year just ended.
Recreation Director Ralph
Johnson will preside at the April
7 All-Sports Banquet.
Earle Edwards
who vote must have participated
in at least one approved sports
and recreation activity during
the preceding year. Points con
sidered when an individual
helps to choose the Ideal Ath
letes include participation,
sportsmanship and attainment in
Voice Rates High
As Musical Show
For the eighth consecutive
year, the “Voice of Firestone”
has been chosen as the best
classical-music program in an
annual television poll. The sur
vey was conducted by Television
Today and Motion Picture Daily,
and among television editors and
columnists for Fame magazine.
Now in its 30th season, the
Company program through the
years has received numerous
awards and special broadcasting
industry distinctions. It was the
first musical program to be tele
vised by a commercial sponsor,
the first to be simulcast, and the
first sponsored network televi
sion show.
The radio portion of the pro
gram was discontinued last year.
During the current season, the
“Voice of Firestone” is being
telecast in the Gastonia area
Mondays, at 9-9:30 P.M., over
WLOS-TV, channel 13, Ashe
ville.
THIRTY YEARS WITH COMPANY
Frank W. Davis, cotton classer and manager of the Warehouse
and waste materials sales, has marked his 30th year with the Com
pany. In this photograph taken in Akron, he receives his service
pin from J. E. Trainer (left), executive vice president, and addition
al congratulations from W. A. Karl (right), president of Firestone
Textiles.
Mr. Davis attended the New Bedford, Mass., Textile School
before joining Firestone in 1928 at the Fall River, Mass., plant.
Two years later he went to New Bedford, and in 1935 came to
Gastonia.