Company Helped Promote
This ‘Whale Of A Romance’
Firestone and Cupid have
combined forces to promote a
“whale” of a romance at Marine-
land in California. An inflatable
rubber raft built especially for
the project by company em
ployees, conveyed 3,000 pounds
of blubber—male whale style—
to the domain of “Bubbles”, re
nowned female whale at Marine-
land.
It is hoped that the two will
become parents of the first baby
whale born in captivity.
The romance story began
when Marineland officials asked
the Firestone company to pro
vide a raft to do the transport
job, on the reputation that the
company had experience in
building inflatable boats, in
cluding the Navy’s Mark V 15-
man craft.
Firestone's California plant at
Los Angeles came up with a
special 24'foot "whale raft"
made of nylon fabric coaled with
neoprene.
At sea, Marineland staff mem
bers sighted the 17-foot pilot
whale their first day out. To
bring him in they used a “trade
secret” process which allowed
them four minutes to get the de
flated raft under the whale and
inflate the craft with carbon di
oxide.
BACK at Marineland another
lift was necessary to put the
mammal into the 640,000-gallon
tank where he now makes his
home with Bubbles and a small
er female whale named “Squirt,”
who might turn out to be the
mother of the first captivity-
born whale, instead of Bubbles.
To avoid a sunburn for the
whale, his “hunters” covered
him with a fabric which was
kept wet during the trip back to
Marineland. They made certain
his tail did not get into the
water, because that might have
prompted him to flop overboard.
As Bubbles and Squirt watch
ed, their tank-fellow was releas
ed. He sank slowly to the bot
tom, then began an inspection
tour of his new domain—ap
parently unharmed from his
trip.
Marineland officials are hope
ful that the new whale will be
come a star, like his female
tank-mates, world's only trained
whales. For some time now, they
have been cavorting in four
Marineland shows daily.
It has been said that there is
likely to be another whale cap
ture—this one in the Atlantic—
for Marineland in Florida, and
using the Firestone raft for the
job.
BIG MOVE — A crew from
California's Marineland tows the
oceanarium's male whale to
shore in the rubber-nylon raft
which Firestone made especially
for the purpose.
Slogan Winners
—From Page 1
: : Every Day You Begin,
Practice Safety To The End.—
Phoebe Pearson
: : Safety Is First And Safety
Is Last. There Is No Middle
Class.—John C. Owensby
: : Safety First Will Make Life
Last.—Earl M. Redding
: : The Safety You Lend May
Save A Friend.—Rosie Francum
: : Let Accident Prevention
Be Your Daily Intention.—J. W.
Hartgrove Jr.
: : On The Job And Every
Day, Safety First Will Always
Pay.—Gettie M. H. Davis
Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Treece
have named their daughter
Kathy Annette. She was born
September 3. Her father is a
weaver in the synthetic depart
ment.
Mr/s G. D. Stone
Home In Durham
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald David
Stone are living at 1411 Claren
don street in Durham, after their
September 19 wedding in Gas
tonia’s West Avenue Presby
terian Church. She is the daugh
ter of Arthur C. Bradley, plant
protection, and Mrs. Bradley of
Twisting (synthetics).
Before the wedding, her aunts
—Mrs. Vesta Lewis of Spinning,
Mrs. Vina Robinson of Spooling,
and Mrs. Margie Patterson—en
tertained the bride-elect at a
party and miscellaneous shower
at Firestone Recreation Center.
Mrs. Stone attended Gastonia
City schools and Montreal Col
lege. A graduate of Memorial
Mission Hospital School of Nurs
ing at Asheville, she is employed
by Watts Hospital in Durham.
Mr. Stone, son of Mrs. Lou C.
Stone of Wilmington and W. J.
Stone of Newport News, Va., at
tended Wilmington schools, and
received the BCE degree from
N.C. State College. He is em
ployed by the State Highway
Commission, Raleigh.
. if
WATER SPILL — Mary
Jordan's aim didn't fill the
soda pop bottle, so Joe
Green got wet.
GOOD PIE—(top right);
Leading contestants were
(from left) Howard Moore,
Arthur Spencer, Sandra
Hewitt (winner), and Linda
Thompson.
GOOBER CHASE — Joe
Green was near the finish
line in the race of nose-roll
ing the peanut.
A Helen Keller World Cru
sade for the Blind has been
launched from the United Na
tions headquarters in New York.
It aims at raising $1,250,000 by
June 27, 1960. Closing date will
be the 80th birthday of the
woman who is known for her
world-wide efforts on behalf of
the blind — despite her own
handicap of being deaf, speech
less, and blind.
Employees Helped
Pilot Club Drive
Miss Myrtle Bradley and her
sister Mrs. Clayton Wilson—both
of Main Office—helped the Gas
tonia Pilot Club in its annual
project of gathering funds for
the Gaston County Center for
Handicapped Children.
Miss Bradley is president of
the local Pilot Club; her sister
is a past-president. The organi
zation prepared contribution
boxes and placed them in busi
ness establishments throughout
the county during September.
Gaston County Center for
Handicapped Children is locat
ed on the highway between Dal
las and Cherryville.
☆ ☆ ☆
Fall Funfest
Fun and frolic aplenty—with
cash prizes too—marked the 13th
annual observance of the Au
tumn Field Festival on Septem
ber 12, at the Firestone Ball
Park. For the past 12 years the
traditional event for employees
and members of their families
had been staged by the Recrea
tion department on Labor Day.
Came this year’s last summer
holiday—and rain. So the fun
fest was postponed until the fol
lowing Saturday.
A big turnout of children and
grownups took part in this year’s
program which ran from 9 a.m.,
until 5 p.m. Among games and
other competitive activities were
the three-legged race, egg-
throwing, soda-drinking, rolling-
pin throw, money-tossing, pie-
eating, cracker-eating, bottle-
filling, field dashes, bicycle
races, and “horseback” races.
An outstanding feature was
the treasure hunt, won by Babe
Stines, whose reward was 500
pennies.
For the first time in the his
tory of the funfest, no women
participated in the rolling-pin
throw. But there was a male
winner: Bill Deal.
Altogether, the Recreation de
partment awarded around 100
cash prizes.
ARRIVALS...
Ben Davis, Recreation Center
clerk, is grandfather of Jeffry
Davis, who arrived September
23 in Perryville, Mo. The parents
are Harold Davis, son of the
Firestone employee here, and
Mrs. Davis. They moved from
Charlotte to Perryville several
months ago.
Robert Blair Jolly arrived
September 6, the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Frank Jolly. The father is
an operator in the Nylon-Treat-
ing unit.
Rhyne Ted Glance, who ar
rived on August 2, is the son of
Mr. and Mrs. Ted Glance. The
father is a doffer in Twisting
(synthetics).
Eugene Massey, lead man in
Nylon Treating, and Mrs. Mas
sey are parents of a son, Rickie
Lester, born September 11.
Judy Lynn, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Charles Lancaster, ar
rived August 23. Her father is
a doffer and tender in Twisting
(synthetics).
August 31 was arrival date
for Neil Calvin Terry, son of
George Terry, tape man in
Twisting (synthetics), and Mrs.
Terry.
FIRESTONE TEXTILES
P. O. BOX 551
GASTONIA, N. C.
POSTAL MANUAL
SECTION 134.1
U. S. POSTAGE PAID
GASTONIA, N. C.
PERMIT NO. 29
THE LIBRARY OF UxMC
CHAPEL HILL, N. C.
Form 3547 Requested
PAGE 6 S3SW§ OCTOBER, 1959