Tire^tOlt^ MIWS APRIL, 1958
SON OF EMPLOYEES
Earl Reeves Excels In Music And Aviation
A keen-edge axe came very
close to depriving Floyd Kelly
of some toes. Safety shoes made
the difference.
Had it not been for safety
shoes, falling concrete slab could
have brought serious injury to
Rutherford B. Duke.
From the time he was a little
fellow, you could make him hap
piest by giving him a musical in
strument to explore. No matter
what it was—string, wind, per
cussion or wood-wind — Earl
Reeves could draw the music
out. And there were other rare
talents that found expression be
fore this son of Firestone em
ployees had entered junior high
school.
Earl’s parents are W. P.
Reeves of Carding, and Mrs.
Reeves of SYC Weaving.
By the time their son was
seven years old, he was twang
ing out pretty good tunes on the
guitar, and ere he had entered
grammar school he was playing
a trumpet with a professional
flair.
When just turned nine, Earl
began writing music for a “hill
billy” band, which was then
broadcasting on WGNC, Gas
tonia.
ALONG with his bent for
music, Earl had a deep interest
in aviation, and the two com
plemented each other. From
early childhood when he had
watched birds and airplanes
glide along the skyways, he had
dreamed of himself as a pilot. In
the years that have followed, he
has owned three planes and has
attained to one of the highest
pilot’s ratings in Gaston Coun
ty.
At Ashley High School, he be
came a member of the Teen
Town Cats, a stage-show group
that had a radio program on
WGNC and booked engagements
as far away as Greensboro.
“The first dance for which I
played trumpet in the band paid
me enough wage to finance my
first flying lesson,” Earl re
calls.
Soon after this, a partnership
with a high school friend gave
them ownership of an airplane
—put together with parts salvag
ed from two old PT19 army
Fairchilds.
HIGH SCHOOL behind him,
Earl worked for a time as a me
the Firestone Plastics Company,
Pottstown, Pa.
A jury of state supreme court
judges and heads of national
patriotic, veterans and service
club organizations, selects award
recipients each year. Winning
categories include advertising,
cartoons, college campus pro
grams, community programs,
company employee publications,
editorials, essays, high school
editorials, letters from armed
forces personnel, 16mm motion
pictures, photographs, public
addresses, radio and television
programs, sermons and miscel
laneous spiritual values.
are removed and replaced by
new rear traction tires by Fire
stone. The change normally
takes an hour.
The Company loaner program
assures uninterrupted operation
of all farm machinery.
Firestone has tractor tire re
tread shops strategically located
throughout the nation's farm
regions. The Firestone original
equipment tread design is used
for all rear tire retreads.
All retreads carry a full new-
tire guarantee. New treads can
be put on all of the popular size
tractor and farm equipment
tires.
chanic at airports in Moultrie,
Ga., and Kinston, N. C. Upon en
tering the Air Force, he was as
signed as trumpeter with the
761st AF Band. While stationed
at Wichita Falls, Texas he ap
peared with the band on a num
ber of radio and TV programs.
A transfer to Pepperrell Air
Base at Saint John’s, Newfound
land, cleared the way for him as
a star trumpeter with the Air
Force band on radio and televi
sion programs. Then he landed a
sideline job as trumpeter with
the Pit Orchestra of the Canadi
an Broadcasting Corporation,
with more radio and television
appearances.
In what spare time he had
left, Earl played in a dance band
of Newfoundlers, until he was
sent back to Elgin Field, Fla., to
join the 584th AF Band. The
band had regular telecasts from
Pensacola. At Elgin, Earl own
ed an airplane and in it com
muted to Gastonia on week
ends.
I
The Committee for Economic
Development predicted earlier
this year that the average
American family will have an
annual income of $7,100 after
taxes by 1975. The figure stands
now at $5,300.
“Within the next 20 years—
barring war and assuming that
we manage our affairs with rea
sonable competence — we may
expect to enter a period of gen
eral well-being never before
considered attainable,” the CED
reported.
The CED is made up of 150
business executives and scholars
who conduct research and de
velop recommendations for pro
moting economic development.
THE REPORT based its opti
mistic outlook on the past per
formance of the United States’
economy. A key to the growth
of America, it said, was the con
current growth of other Western
nations.
“We must advance together,”
the CED said. “That means en
larged foreign investment on our
DISCHARGED from service,
he enrolled at the American
Flyers School of Fort Worth,
Texas. There, a few weeks ago
he was graduated with his
instrument pilot’s rating, and
completed most of the require
ments for the Airline Transport
Rating. His qualifications in
clude authorization to fly com
mercial aircraft.
In addition to his U.S. com
mercial pilot’s license, he holds
a Canadian pilot’s rating. He al
so is licensed as an aircraft in
structor, and instrument pilot.
While Earl is at present with
his parents on Chapel Grove
road, he is a part-time instructor
and a charter-flight pilot at the
local airport.
His music is not being neglect
ed, either. He is a trumpeter on
contract with a local dance
group. Frequently he plays with
other bands in the Gastonia
area, and occasionally offers
private instruction in guitar,
trumpet and piano.
part, and participating in reduc
ing everywhere obstructions to
the movement of men, money
and goods.'”
The report noted that since
1880, the gross national product
per person (total goods and serv
ices produced) of the United
States has grown from $635 to
$2,466 in 1956.
In a long-range outlook, the
CED said it expected the gross
national product to exceed $725
billion by 1975, compared to
$415 billion in 1956. It warned
that this expected growth could
fail to develop if nuclear war
should break out, if defense
spending continues for too long
a time, or if taxes increase to
the point where incentive in the
free-enterprise system is stifled.
Pvt. Gary McFeef came up
from Fort Jackson, S. C., in
March to visit his mother, Jessie
McFee, creeler-spooler in Wind
ing. Gary has completed his
training at Fort Jackson and is
now stationed in Colorado.
Safety Shoes On The Job
Rutherford B. Dukes, brick mason, and Floyd Kelly,
SYC Weaving loom fixer, have a special appreciation for
safety shoes. These men recently saved themselves tem
porary foot fractures or maybe even serious injuries because
they had been thoughtful enough to provide for themselves
protective footwear.
Mr. Dukes accidentally dropped a five-pound slab of
concrete plaster on his foot from a distance of about four
feet. The toe of his safety shoe was little more than scarred.
Mr. Kelly, in an off-job chore of trimming tree branches
with an axe, glanced the tool into his shoe toe. The keen
blade sliced the leather covering but the steel plate under
neath protected his foot from injury.
Freedoms Foundation Award
To Company Newspapers
Ten Company employee publications in the United
States have been honored with the highest recognition given
by the Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge, Pa.
The Gastonia Firestone News shares with the other
plant publications the “Distinguished Service Plaque” for
having been selected for an award in at least seven of the
Foundation’s nine annual awards programs.
The publications in ten plant ville, Ind.; Firestone Rim Lines,
cities again received as a group
the Freedoms Foundation George
Washington Honor Medal for
“current programs on activities
which create or support a bet
ter understanding of our great
fundamental American tradi
tions in their application to the
everyday lives of citizens of our
Republic.”
The Firestone award, for
achievements during 1957, was
announced during special George
Washington’s Birthday cere
monies at the Foundation’s na
tional headquarters, V alley
Forge.
IN 1953 and 1954 the Firestone
publications received the top na
tional award in the company
employee publications category
for their achievements during
1952 and 1953 in support of the
American Way of Life. They won
Honor Medals for their work in
1954, 1955 and 1956.
Besides the Gastonia publica
tion, papers included in the win
ning group were: Firestone Non-
Skid, home plants, Akron, Ohio;
Firestone Californian, Los An
geles, Calif.; Firestone South
erner, Memphis, Tenn.; Firestone
News, Pottstown, Pa.; Firestone
News, Fall River, Mass.; Fire
stone Hawkeye, Des Moines,
Iowa; Firestone Hoosier, Nobles-
Wyandotte, Mich.; and Ravenna
Arsenal News, Ravenna, Ohio.
The Freedoms Foundation is
a non-profit, non-political and
non - sectarian organization
founded in 1949. It attempts to
bring about a better understand
ing of the basic principles un
derlying the Republic by recog
nizing individuals and groups
for the things they write, do, or
say in support of the American
credo.
PRESIDENT Eisenhower is
honorary chairman, and among
the trustees are Herbert Hoover,
admiral Arthur W. Radford and
Roger S. Firestone, president of
Loaner Program
For Farm Tires
A farm tire loaner program
provides that a tractor operator
may borrow new tires through
Firestone outlets, while waiting
for his tires to be retreaded or
repaired.
“Farmers do not want to tie
up their equipment, even for a
short time, while their tires are
being retreaded,” said C. R.
MiUer, Company manager of
farm tire sales.
Store managers or dealers
send service trucks to farms
where worn or damaged tires
VERSATILE—Earl Reeves plays a piano-trumpet duet of one of
his many special arrangements. The son of W. P. Reeves of Carding
and Mrs. Reeves of SYC Weaving has won a number of honors as
a trumpeter. He has played with members of the Tonuny Dorsey
orchestra and several other "big-time" bands.
Average Income Of American Family
Predicted At $7,100 By Year 1975