GASTONIA • NORTH CAROLINA
AN ALL-AMEflICA CITY
VOLVME XIII - NUMBER 12
NOVEMBER • 1964
Your Symbol
of Quality
and Service
EARL B. HATHAWAY ELECTED PRESIDENT
Woman Editor—And Some Indians
Helped Make Thanksgiving Tradition
. A pioneer woman editor’s
J^fluence helped establish
Thanksgiving Day as a fixed
holiday in America. And had
not been for friendly In
dians, the beginning of our
thanksgiving tradition
^ould be vastly different
what we know of it in
history.
Our original Thanksgiving ob-
servance took place in the first
P*^rmanent English seitlenieiit at
Jamestown, Va., but the hoU-
day as an annual festival com
memorating the blessings of the
closing year dates to the Pil
grim Fathers of Plymouth Col
ony, Mass., in 1621.
That first Plymouth Thanks
giving might not have been a
proud page in American history,
had it not been for the influence
of friendly Indians, notably
Chief Samoset, Chief Massasoit
ivlore on page 2
What Your UF Gift Will Do
A dollar can do miraculous things for people, and dollars
together multiply the miracles. Thus spoke a com-
I^Unity-service worker. It suggested that your one gift al-
^ady made this year to the Greater Gastonia United Fund—
^ other United Appeal program—will be at work in coming
l^onths, providing vital services for those of all ages and
^^^^cumstances.
The record Firestone contribu-
of $23,532 to this year’s
Estonia appeal set a worthy
®^ample for others in their giv-
to the drive which ended in
®^rly November.
R. Williams Jr. and J. G.
plant UF chairmen this
pointed to the employee
^ ®dges and called the figure "a
ho
^’^endous demonstration of
^ much our people care."
They noted that many of our
®ople living in communities
^^tside the Gastonia area give
their own hometown United
^^Ppeals. And some who pledge
the Firestone in-plant drive
So giyg their own communi-
^ ^^mpaigns.
. Whether our people gave to
^ ® Gastonia UF effort or to
ited-giving programs at home.
Firestone recognize the in-
employee’s contribu-
0 ^ to better community living
jf^^ough united giving,” Mr. Wil-
added.
1 Suppose we had some way of
^^ing all the individual Fire-
employee gifts to United
^ds away from the job here,
add to this gifts of mem-
of Firestone families who
elsewhere and give to the
their jobs. Put this with
pledged on the job
^^estone and you would have
R. C. Firestone Heads Executive Committee
At a Firestone company Board of Directors meeting in
October, it was announced that—with the new fiscal year
at hand—Raymond C. Firestone was elected chairman of
the executive committee and chief executive officer; and
Earl B. Hathaway was elected president of the company.
Harvy S. Firestone Jr. continues as chairman of the board.
Raymond C. Firestone had
been president since Jan., 1957,
and chief executive officer since
May, 1963. Mr. Hathaway had
been executive vice president
since Oct., 1962.
Announcing the new align
ment of company executive of
ficers, Harvey S. Firestone Jr.,
chairman, said that elevation
of these two executives further
strengthens the executive man
agement to meet increasing
business opportunities of future
years.
RAYMOND C. FIRESTONE
joined the company in 1933 as
a service station attendant on
the gas island of a store in Los
Angeles and later became a
commercial salesman, store
manager, district store super
visor, and assistant manager of
the company’s southeastern sales
zone.
In 1935 he was appointed
Richmond, Va., district manager,
and a year later was assigned to
the new Firestone plant at
Memphis, Tenn. In 1937 he be
came president of the Firestone
Tire & Rubber Company of
Tennessee.
From March, 1942 to late 1914
he served as officer and pilot in
the ferry command of the U.S.
Air Force in World War II.
He then returned to duty as
president and general manager
an impressive index of Firestone
family response to United Ap
peals in communities represent
ed by our employment.”
What The Money Does • In
the Greater-Gastonia area. Unit
ed Fund agencies sharing your
contribution provide 27 com
munity services;
American National Red Cross,
Association for Retarded Chil
dren, Boy Scouts — Piedmont
Council, Cerebral Palsy of Gas
ton County, Family Services
Inc., Gaston Big Brothers.
Gaston Boys Club, Gaston
County YMCA, Gaston Life-
Saving Crew, Gaston Mental
Health Clinic, Girl Scouts —
Piedmont Area Council, Junior
Optimist Boys Club.
Red Shield Boys Club, The
Salvation Army, American
Hearing Society, American
Social Health Association, Caro-
linas United Community Serv
ices, Children’s Home Society,
Florence Crittenton Home.
National Council on Crime &
Delinquency, National Recrea
tion Association, National Social
Welfare Assembly, National
Travelers Aid Association, NC
Association for Mental Health.
United Medical Research
Foundation, United Services Or
ganizations, WAIF—Internation
al Social Service.
Hall Manager
Of Firestone
Stores
Employee customers will find
that the new manager of Gas
tonia Firestone Stores is a man
of the Firestone Tennessee Com
pany, then in vital war produc
tion, a post he held until he was
transferred to Akron to become
vice president in charge of re
search and development. He was
elected executive vice president
in 1954 and president in 1957.
EARL B. HATHAWAY joined
Firestone in July, 1927 upon
graduation from Northwestern
University with a bachelor of
science degree in commerce. He
completed the sales training
course offered by the company
and was assigned to the Chicago
district. He became a salesman
in Detroit in 1932 and later was
promoted to store manager in
Alton, 111.
In 1936 he was named assist
ant manager of the company’s
Chicago district and two years
later became district manager
in Detroit. He moved to the
home office in 1941 as whole
sale sales manager and in April
of 1942 was promoted to eastern
division manager. He was nam
ed trade sales manager in 1948
and elected vice president, trade
sales, in May of 1957. He was
named vice president in charge
of sales in 1959 and became a
director of the company in Jan.,
1960.
He was elected executive vice
president in 1962, a post he held
until being elected president.
Raymond C. Firestone
who understands and appreci
ates the textile industry and its
people.
Albert C. Hall, who came to
the job here from the manager
position of the company stores
in Burlington, is a weaver with
nearly seven years experience
in a Converse, S. C., mill.
The store manager here re
placed James C. Moore who
transferred to the Charlotte
stores.
Hall finished Cowpens, S. C.,
High School in 1956 and was
graduated from Wofford College
in 1959. He joined Firestone at
the company stores in Charlotte
two and a half years ago, en
rolling in the store management
training program.
He had been manager of the
Burlington stores 13 months be
fore coming here in October,
Mrs. Hall is from Spartanburg.
The Halls have a son three years
old.
Soon after moving to Gas
tonia, Hall became a charter
member of Gastonia’s newest
Noon Optimist Club.
Earl B. Hathaway
Stewart Spoke
At BRSC Meet
Several persons from Fire
stone, attending the regular
quarterly meeting of the Blue
Ridge Safety Council, heard a
talk by Carl J. Stewart, Jr., Gas
tonia attorney. The speaker was
guest at the dinner meeting in
Masonic Temple, Oct. 22.
Attorney Stewart attended
Duke University on a Firestone
College Scholarship. After grad
uation, he stayed on at Duke
and finished law school. His
father works here in weaving
(cotton); his mother in respool
ing.
Blue Ridge Safety Council
membership includes represen
tatives of industrial plants and
other businesses in Burke,
Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Mc
Dowell, Polk, and Rutherford
counties. It is one of eight
regional councils sponsored by
North Carolina Industrial Com
mission.
• A decade ago in November, Firestone’s employee con
tribution to the Greater Gastonia United Fund was $9,982.75.
For a rate of increase across the years, compare this with
the 1964 figure: $23,532.
That same month 10 years ago, the plant newspaper re
ported that the company’s then-fairly-new tubeless tires had
exceeded the 1,000,000 production mark.