Santa Came South
With Loads
Of Merriment^
And Memories
January' I960 Page 3
c
HRISTMAS comes but once a year”
echoes an old favorite poem. But the fun
which Firestone employee children had
December 19, was enough to last all the way
across the 1960 calendar.
The almost 2,000 children of Firestone
households represented at the Gastonia p'ant,
were honored guests at the company’s tra
ditional Christmas parties staged at the
Webb and Palace theatres. It was Gastonia’s
20th annual program of fun and merriment,
put on for children through 13 years of age.
Festivities, gaily packaged in two parties at
the Webb and one at the Palace, unloaded
bags and bags into the eager arms of more
than 1,600 children who came for the shows.
Those not attending the parties received
their gifts from the Industrial Relations de
partment.
At the Webb, the shows beginning at 9
and 11 a.m. featured a collection of fun car
toons and short films. At the 10 o’clock
Palace show, children enjoyed “Tom Thumb”
a full-length color movie.
Each performance at both Gastonia the
atres reserved the spotlight for St. Nicholas
himself, who hurried down from ’way above
the Mason-Dixon line to oversee the distribu
tion of gifts—according to the children’s age
groups.
Photographs on this page are representa
tive of the activities at all three Christmas
parties in 1959.
« •*
READY FOR THE FUN—Among early arrivals for
the first of two shows ai the Webb theatre were
(from left); Jack Alford Shannon and his sisters
Karcy and Amanda Shannon, and their cousin John
nie Shannon.
AROUND THE YULE TREE—The Mechanical de
partment set a towering tree—all aglilter—in the
Palace and Webb theatres. Here, eager to peek at
gifts under the tinsel were (from left): Linda Ram
sey, Gail and Teresa Chastain.
CONFERENCE WITH SANTA—The Supervisor of
Gifts was on hand early to add some more names
and lists of things to his catalog of millions of pages.
Robert Stephens Jr. and Jan Dellinger were assured
that their requests would have due attention.
m
BENEATH THE FANCY WRAPPING — Kathryn
Parks envisioned hours of pleasure from her em
broidery kit. David Rhyne (left), and Robert Lee
Parks shared a look. Robert, David had a sports kit.
GIFTS UPCOMING—Police Capt. Roy Short de
livered gifts to (from left): Jean, Wynema and Char
lene Woody. At the Webb parties Capt. Short re
minded the children of Christmas safety.
HELPING HAND—At Palace theatre, policeman
M. J. Rainey helped children across the street. With
him here are Jerome Montgomery (foreground),
Shirley Wilkes (left), and Ruth Montgomery.
m
GOOD ENTERTAINMENT—Among youngsters en
joying the movie "Tom Thumb" were (from left):
Kitty Mason (back), Alma Mason, Dennis Bratton,
Gregory Hallman and Russell Mason.
FIVE IN FAMILY — Typical of brother-sister
groups enjoying the merriment were the children of
David Meeks (from left, front-to-back): Wanreta,
Michael, Elsie, Bobbie Jean, Marjorie, and Mr. Meeks.
JEST IN PARTING—Before St. Nick headed back
to the North Woods, Ava (left), Jatana and Richard
Jackson wanted to know if the Jolly Visiioi‘'s
whiskers were the real stuff.