One of ihe famous Firestone Non-Skid lires, wiih
the first angular tread for non-slide road protection,
comes from the mold at the company's racing divi
sion plant in Akron, Ohio, under the watchcare of
John Killmer.
FROM
THE
PAST
Of The Passing Scene
It Started With The Pilgrim Harvest
The American holiday com
memorating the harvest of the
Plymouth Colony in 1621 has
been permanently set for the
fourth Thursday of November
since 1941. But it took a joint
resolution in Congress to make
it so.
During the years since the
first Pilgrim thanksgiving feast
at Plymouth, Mass., the day of
prayerful gratitude has been
moved to nine of the months
on the calendar. March, June
and October are the exceptions,
according to historians.
United Fund
—From Page 1
UF drive. Besides the many vol
unteers who worked in the
plant, there were several em
ployees who served in various
capacities in the Greater Gas
tonia campaign.
Referring to the Firestone UF
pledges, chairman Williams and
Martin issued a joint comment;
“Once more, our people have
demonstrated that they care
about others. In giving to the
United Fund, they have invested
in a year-round program dedi
cated to serving human need.”
KNOW YOUR
PRODUCTS
☆ ☆ ☆
The Firestone plant at Gastonia manufacturers textile materials
that go into consumer products in the wide-range market of the
automotive, home, farm and industrial fields. At one of the com
pany's Akron (Ohio) plants, employees devote their efforts to
making very specialized tires, among which are tires for antique
automobiles. This is another article intended to acquaint you with
the products you help to manufacture.
Antiqm Autos Roll On Non-Skid Tires
THE PILGRIMS themselves
omitted the holiday the first
year after they founded the
feast, because of near-famine
conditions in the colony. With
the return of good crops, they
held the feast again in 1623, and
the observance spread across
New England.
But it was not always held in
autumn. One year, the Pilgrims
gave thanks in July.
After the Continental Con
gress began appointing days of
Thanksgiving there was one
every year until 1783. Then the
custom fell into disuse for six
years.
PRESIDENT Washington re
vived the feast by calling for a
national day of thanks in 1789,
and there followed irregular ob
servances for the next 70 years.
☆ ☆ ☆
The spirit of the upcoming
Thanksgiving and Christmas
seasons will turn our
thoughts from self io others.
Every $1 contribution sends
one gift package through
CARE Food Crusade. Re
member those in need across
the world, through a gift to
CARE, Atlanta 3, Georgia.
The horseless-carriage era
lives in the realm of nos
talgia these days, while we
are caught up in the bustle
of superhighways and in
creased horsepower. But still
remaining are groups of
Americans who prefer to
rattle along on quiet country
roads in their restored Stan
ley Steamers, Chadwicks,
Model Ts, Maxwells — and
many another make.
Clubs, such as the Automobile
Old Timers, Veterans’ Motor Car
Club of America, Horseless Car
riage Club and Antique Auto
mobile Club of America, have
been formed to promote the in
terest in restoration of antique
automobiles.
Firestone also plays a big part
in getting the old cars moving,
by furnishing a line of tires for
the puttering carriages. Fire
stone’s Non-Skid tread, pioneer
ed in 1908, was a favorite in its
time. When interest in restoring
antique autos began to grow,
many people remembered the
Non-Skid tread and wanted that
type tire for their old cars.
President Lincoln urged that
Thanksgiving be a holiday on
which people could rest and ex
press their gratitude to God.
Not all of Lincoln’s Thanksgiv
ings were in November, but his
last one came on the last
Thursday of that month. This
example led succeeding presi
dents to declare Thanksgiving
Day on some Thursday in
November—with one exception.
Andrew Johnson moved it one
year to the first Thursday in
December.
After that, the observance re
verted to the last Thursday in
November, until President
Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed
Thanksgiving Day of 1939 for
the third Thursday of that
month.
Two years later the joint reso
lution in Congress placed it
permanently on the calendar as
we observe it today.
November, 1S61 Page 3
of
Together We Worship
A SHARED FAITH-
^ IS A GROWING FAITH
you NFJU) NOT WALK ALONE
A ship going west in one of the big locks
of the Panama Canal has to be lifted quite
a distance. The lifting is not done by the
passengers lending a hand. After the lock is
secured, water from a higher source is al
lowed to flow into it, gradually lifting the
boat and sending it off at the new level
its destination.
Something similar to this happens when
people worship, God’s gift of power for liv
ing can flow into a life . . . lift it up . . .
send it out on a higher level.
Where people are assembled in worship,
there is more than just so many people. The
love of God has been added. A crowd has
become a fellowship.
Designated places of worship are a dy
namic living creation, instituted by God for
man’s help.
In corporate worship, the presence of the
Almighty is seen and felt; people find great
er strength to meet life’s demands. In wor
ship—touched by the presence of God—
lonely and separated people find friends and
fellowship, strength and direction.
THE COMPANY met the de
mand in 1946, when it began
producing the antique tires.
Along with the Non-Skid tread
pattern. Firestone today also
makes antique tires with a rib
tread for increased mileage.
Firestone antique tires come
in straight-side and clincher
models in 12 sizes serving over
90 per cent of the antique-car
collectors. The straight-side tire
has a wire bead while the clinch
er type has a pre-cured rubber
bead. Four of the 12 sizes pro
duced by the company are 6-
ply, and 8 have 4-ply ratings.
Each size of these hand-as
sembled tires is built on a spe
cial drum. Like the originals of
the early 1900s, the antique tires
produced today are influenced
little by mechanized tire-build
ing devices. Tires are hand as
sembled and cured in McNeil
Steam Domes.
Although the antique tires to
day look like the early ones,
they incorporate many of the
latest engineering advancements.
The original square - woven
fabric has been replaced by S/F
Safety-Fortified cord and the
tires feature Rubber-X, a special
chemical formula that provides
the longest-wearing rubber ever
used in Firestone tires.
Only top-quality antique tires
go on the market—no “seconds”
in this line.
Firestone “oldies” are market
ed through regular company
dealers and stores. The company
also manufactures tubes for an
tique tires. Made of Butyl Rub
ber, they hold air ten times long
er than the best tubes of natural
rubber—a feature of particular
interest to owners of museum
cars.
METAL PARTS for antique
INSPECTION
Firestone tires for vintage auto
mobiles get the same careful in
spection as the modern product.
Tom Krengel of the Akron Race-
car division checks one of the
thousands of Non-Skids which
Firestone produces each year.
wheels are also manufactured by
Firestone at Steel Products. The
company markets antique - car
rims and fellow bands, along
with the tire-and-tube line.
Interest in antique cars has
increased greatly in recent years.
Museums featuring these old-
timers draw large crowds daily,
and antique - car owners fre
quently get together for tours
and rallies.
Among the most famous of
the antique-car jaunts is the
Glidden Tour held annually for
the old car owners. This year
the sixteenth annual revival of
the Glidden Tour was Oct. 8-13
in Eastern Pennsylvania and
Delaware. Three hundred cars
took part in the six-day event
covering 420 miles. Firestone
had a truck accompanying the
tour to provide tires and service
to the vehicles on tour.
All across America, antique-
car collectors and clubs have
lent their efforts to preserve for
posterity all makes and models
of vintage vehicles—pioneers of
today’s great automobile indus
try.
Helping much in this effort
has been the Firestone company,
producing a tire from the past to
help keep alive the history of
the American automobile.
REMEMBER WHEN —Autos like this Chadwick were pioneers of
the motorcar industry. Many models of the early 1900s have been
restored by hobbyists and collectors, and are authentic down to
the Firestone Non-Skid tires. The company produces tires to serve
90 per cent of the antique-car collectors.