Certificate of Merit Winners
Scholarships
—From page 1
scholarship recipient works in
Twisting (synthetics). A stu
dent at Frank L. Ashley High
School, Neal plans to study
political science at Wake Forest
College beginning in September.
At Ashley he belongs to the
National Honor Society, is as
sistant editor of the yearbook,
and vice president of his class.
He was a semi-finalist in the
National Merit Scholarship
Qualifying Test this year.
The Gastonia winner is among
28 from 15 states to receive full
scholarships to the accredited
college or university of their
choice.
Scholarships, granted to sons
and daughters of Firestone em
ployees, provide for fees, text
books, and a substantial pay
ment toward room and board at
school. Grants are renewable
annually, based on maintenance
of satisfactory school achieve
ment.
Announcing the winners,
company chairman Harvey S.
Firestone, Jr., noted that since
the program began in 1953,
there have been 225 college un
dergraduate scholarships award
ed. In the current school year
96 scholarship students are at
tending 57 colleges and univer
sities.
THE 191 scholarship and Cer
tificate of Merit winners for
1961 representing 24 states were
selected from a record 413 ap
plicants. This was the second
year the Certificates of Merit
have been awarded along with
the scholarships.
Of the 28 scholarship recipi
ents, 17 are boys and 11 are
girls. Among Certificate win
ners there are 101 girls and 62
boys. Twenty of this year’s
scholarship winners aspire to
C. W. Honeycutl Elizabeth Butler
Bessemer City Bessemer City
Roberta Lovingood Donald McGinnis
Gastonia Gastonia
Carrie Wallace
York
L. W. Bum-
gardner, Jr.
Belmont
D. K. Hoffman, Jr. Carol McAllister
Gastonia Gastonia
careers in scientific fields. Seven
of these plan to study engineer
ing and six expect to teach* high
school or college mathematics.
Two others also plan teaching
careers. One hopes to prepare
for the ministry, and another
hopes to study agriculture.
Industrial Relations Manager
Honored By NC Labor Department
Thomas B. Ipock Jr., Firestone
Textiles manager of Industrial
Relations, was honored in April
for his outstanding contributions
to the field of industrial safety.
The recognition came from the
North Carolina Department of
Labor in ceremonies at Raleigh,
with personnel from the State
Advisory Board and the State
Labor Department attending.
Camp
Firestone
—From page 1
routine repairs, checking and re
placing lifesaving equipment, re
stocking fire-fighting materials
and first-aid supplies.
In recent years extensive re
pairs have been made on the
property.
At Camp Firestone, you can
enjoy fishing, boating, swim
ming, water skiing, horseshoe-
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Mr. Ipock was director of safe
ty at Firestone here from 1945
until 1951, when he became
manager of Industrial Relations.
He became a charter member of
the NC Safety Advisory Board
in 1946.
The Advisory Board was cre
ated as a semi-official consulta
tive agency to the Department
of Labor on safety promotion in
industry. The board of 20 mem
bers includes those whose pro
fessional work is concerned with
safety in representative North
Carolina industries.
Serving without, pay, board
members help the Labor Depart
ment plan and execute state
wide safety programs.
How Group Insurance
Helps Retirees And Families
ONE OF A
SERIES
Of everybody this side of the Ozark mountains,
Ralph Carson is a likely candidate for having the
deepest appreciation for the music of fox hounds
baying on a moonlit night. And in keeping with
his hobby, he has plenty of thoroughbred canine
friends on his Route 1, Gastonia homestead to
which he retired in early 1960.
Mr. Carson had put in more than 18 years on
the job here, the last few of which were as front-
gate man in plant protection.
A major reason why he can enjoy his hobby
now—along with a lot of other things that make
the “sunset” years interesting—is that he has the
benefits of the company’s pension plan. Ralph
Carson will tell you that it contributes substan
tially to a man’s security and feeling of well
being in retirement.
Working people during their productive years
think about the day when they will have time
and opportunity for all the things they want to
do, and places they want to go. The company
helps toward substantial benefits for just such a
time—in life’s richest years.
More Than Pension Check
There is something else besides the monthly
check which retired persons receive. These same
people have limited benefits of the Firestone
group insurance program. All this coverage,
which costs them nothing, means added security
and peace of mind for them and members of
their families,
Ralph Carson’s case is an example of how the
hourly-rated pension plan works. Of course, spe
cific figures and circumstances will vary with
individual retirees, but the principle has a pretty
general application to all retired hourly-rated
employees.
Each month, Mr. Carson receives a pension
check and Social Security check. He also knows
that he has Firestone group insurance protection.
Under the present system an employee with a
minimum of 15 years service receives a monthly
retirement income, including Social Security,
of approximately $115.50. With 20 years service,
he receives about .1; 124,50^.With 25 ye.ars, his in
come is around $133.50, and with 30 or more
years, it is in the neighborhood of $142.50.
Each hourly-rated employee eligible for a
higher-than-minimum pension receives upon re
tirement at age 65 an annual pension of one per
cent of his total earnings, less one half of his pri
mary Social Security benefits.
Up to January 1, 1955 earnings were based on
the average of the 1945-54 period. After Janu
ary 1, 1955 the rate has been based on actual
earnings.
Some Medical Service, Too
Hourly-rated employees retired by the com
pany on or after May, 1950—provided they are
eligible for pension, or if they are 65 years old
and eligible for a severance award — receive
limited hospital, surgical and hospital medical
coverage for themselves and their dependents at
no cost to the retiree.
Under this plan, limited surgical-expense bene
fits are provided for retired employees and their
dependents. This means that the fee the doctor
charges for an operation will be paid up to the
amount allowed in the schedule of maximum
surgical benefits, to a top figure of $200.
Total amount payable per individual for all
hospitalization and operations occurring after an
individual’s retirement is limited to $310 for
room and board, $100 for other services, includ
ing personal x-ray benefits and $200 surgery
benefits.
Those covered are the eligible dependents on
record with the company at the time of the em
ployee’s retirement.
“It’s a good feeling of security to know that
the company keeps up my life insurance,’' says
Mr. Carson. “It’s also good to have those hos
pital benefits continued for myself and Mrs.
Carson.”
With his pension. Social Security and group
insurance benefits, Ralph Carson lives an active
life of retirement with a good measure of fi
nancial security.
For his pension, he contributed nothing; for
Social Security benefits he and Firestone paid
equal shares. And limited group insurance bene
fits are his at no extra cost.
It all adds up to a measure of financial se
curity and peace of mind for the Carsons and for
scores of others who have retired from Fire
stone’s Gastonia plant.
MR. AND MRS. RALPH CARSON enjoy coun
try living in the Pisgah Church neighborhood
near Crowders Mountain. He devotes much of
his time to his foxhounds and to farm projects.
Mrs. Carson works in Weaving (splicing) at Fire
stone. After 23 years here, she will retire late
this year and will, of course, have her own bene
fits under the company's retirement program.
Tour Of Homes Had Flowers Theme
“Successful.” This appraisal
by officials of the Gastonia
Garden Council put finishing
touches on the 1961 Tour of
Homes on April 18.
Programmed on the theme,
“Through the Years With Flow
ers”, the pilgrimage of four con
temporary and traditional resi-
pitching, hiking. Nature study
and picnicking and camping. =^==^=^====
For children there are swings,
seesaws and a protected wading
area on the lake.
☆ ☆ ☆ ' ☆ ☆
Applications for a visit to Camp Firestone are made through
the Industrial Relations office. An employee or a group makes only
one reservation at a time, but after the visit is made, you may file
another application.
Facilities at the Lake James camp are available on the basis of
applications taken in the order they are filed at the IR office.
If you make a reservation and then find you can’t go at the
time you’ve scheduled, you would be thoughtful to let the IR
office know in advance, if you can.
Because there is usually a waiting list, your cancellation would
make it possible for someone else to have your place at the camp.
dences featured floral arrange
ments depicting four cycles of
family life.
The first residence of the tour
was themed “Life Begins”, fol
lowed by another, decorated in
the motif of “Debutante House”.
Third on the itinerary was the
South York street home of Fire
stone general manager Harold
Mercer and Mrs. Mercer. Their
residence, in the tradition of the
Old South, carried out a “Wed
ding Bells” theme. The last resi
dence on the tour was decorated
around the “Golden Years” idea.
The Variety Garden Club of
Firestone joined other clubs of
the community to present the
Gastonia Garden Council tour.
May, 1961 Page 2
Volume X Number 6
☆ ☆ ☆
Published by The Firestone
Tire & Rubber Company,
Firestone Textiles Division,
Gastonia, North Carolina.
Claude Callaway, Editor
Charles A. Clark, Photographer
PLANT REPORTERS
Carding—Payton Lewis, Jessie
Ammons
Cloth Room—Margie Waldrep
Industrial Relation s—Flora
Pence
Main Office—Bea McCarter
Quality Control—Sallie Craw
ford, Louella Queen, Leila
Rape
Spinning—L i 11 i e A. Brown,
Maude Peeler, Mary Turner
Spooling—Nell Bolick, Rosalie
Burger, Ophelia Wallace
Mechanical Department — Rosie
Francum
Twisting—Vera Carswell, Elease
Cole, Annie Cosey, Katie El
kins, Catherine Fletcher
Twisting (Sales)—Elmina Brad
shaw
Warehouse—N a n c y Cloninger,
George Harper, Albert Meeks,
Rosevelt Rainey
Weaving (cotton)—Ruth Veitch
Weaving (synthetics)—Mary E.
Johnson, Irene Odell
Winding—Ruth Cloninger, May-
zelle Lewis