GASTONIA • NORTH CAROLINA
AN ALL-AMERICA CITY
VOLUME XIV - NUMBER 7
JUNE • 1965
Tir«$ton«
1965
7
Your Symbol
of Quality
and Service
To
Robert
Scout Award
LOOKENG
AROUND
From Camp Firestone
Lesslie
A good boy who is out
standing in all Scout, church
and school work—interested
first in helping others before
helping himself. It was a
summary description which
Scoutmaster James R. Glenn
of Troop 60, Mount Holly,
gave of Robert Lesslie, win
der of the Harvey S. Fire
stone Jr. Scouting Award
for 1965.
Gaston county’s most out
standing Scout this year is the
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E.
Lesslie of Mount Holly. The
father is a researcher for South
ern Dye Company.
The Firestone company’s
highest award for Scouting was
announced at the annual Scout
honors dinner in the Recreation
Center here May 20.
Selected from among 40
iiominees for the high honor,
I^obert received from Firestone
Textiles general manager Harold
Mercer the coveted Silver Me
dallion, a Certificate of Merit,
a $100 U. S. Savings Bond, and
^ check for $15.50 to apply on
expenses of a stay at Schiele
Scout Reservation in Polk
County.
Young Lesslie is the 20th
Gastonia-area boy to win the
top Firestone recognition. This
is also the 20th year that other
Scouts have been honored here.
He was 14 years old in Jan
uary. In Scouting since Sept.
1962, he has an excellent church,
school and Scout history. An
Eagle Scout, his special project
during the Firestone competi
tion was earning the God and
Country Award. During the
contest period he earned 17
merit badges.
He is in the ninth grade at
Mount Holly High School. He
attends First Presbyterian
Church in his hometown.
Following the annual Scouting
Awards dinner, presentation of
Lesslie’s honors was followed by
awards to 39 other Scouts who
had qualified for Certificates of
Merit. They also received a
Firestone check for $15.50 toward
expenses of a trip to Schiele
Scout Reservation, or for Scout
ing equipment. They are:
GASTONIA 9 Troop 4: Glen
Wells. Troop 9: Mike Jordan,
Kenneth Johnson, Robert
Grindle, Wayne Bradley, Steve
More on page 2
Country Scene;
Hillside Garden
The company’s employee-
family retreat on Lake
James offers alpine rest and
recreation in the heart of the
Southern Blue Ridge “Holi
day Highlands.”
Camp Firestone at Bridge
water has variety recreation
“away from the city’s din”
and is an ideal place to start
out on sightseeing tours of
mountain country well
known for majestic natural
beauty and famed tourist at
tractions.
Asheville artist J. M. Zag-
er offers a barnyard drawing
to Firestone News as repre
sentative of country life
down many a road in West
ern North Carolina.
In the Firestone News pho
to, a statue of Francis of As-
sissi overlooks Daniel Boone
Native Garden at Boone. A
showplace of plant life native
to the Southern mountains,
the Garden features a rock
ery, rustic bridge, pool, and
Squire Boone Cabin, remi
niscent of the famous Wild
erness Scout family.
Nearby is a recreation park
and the amphitheater where
the outdoor drama “Horn in
the West” begins its season
late this month. Up the road
three miles is Tweetsie Rail
road with its frontier village
and “magic mountain.”
BEFORE Mr. Crane made the
presentations, L. B. McAbee,
Firestone assistant division man
ager, spoke on leadership and
attitudes in industrial safety.
“Safety depends much on
what seed we plant daily for the
harvest,” he said.
Entertainment for the pro
gram was by the “Fii-estone
Non-Skids,” a barbershop
quartet featuring Firestone fam
ily members C. E. Moss, C. E.
Moss, Jr., Winston Crawford
and Ci’amer Little.
Commenting on all phases of
safety in North Carolina, Com
missioner Crane noted that the
—More on page 3
PRESENTATION • Thomas Lesslie (left) with his son Robert,
'^ho received the Harvey S. Firestone Jr. Scouting Award from
plant general manager Harold Mercer. Robert, taking part in a
^and concert the night of the awards dinner, came the next day
the presentation.
1558 Vehicles Through
Check - Lanes
Fate Adams with his 1930
^ord was first in line to have his
^ell-kept vehicle OKd in the
lO'point mechanical exam at
firestone’s auto-safety check-
^anes.
And 1557 other vehicles—most
them newer than Adams’ fliv-
Ver-—were processed in the an-
^Ual free inspection for em-
^^loyee families and the com
munity.
Operated May 17-21, the ser-
^^ce was sponsored nationally by
firestone, cooperating with Au-
Industries Highway Safety
Committee, the Association of
State and Provincial Safety Co-
^^'dinators and Look Magazine,
locally the checklanes were
sponsored by Firestone Textiles,
the Industrial Management
Club, Junior Civitan Club, De-
molays and Key Club.
Beside the 10-point mechani
cal checkup on vehicles, motor
ists got free printed materials on
highway safety and good driver
attitudes and performance. Ve
hicles passing inspection got
the Circle of Safety windshield
sticker.
Working at the lanes during
the week were Alvin Riley,
Ralph Johnson and S. E. Craw
ford, industrial relations; Jess
Parks Jr. and Jerry Howie,
shop; Luther Brown, time study;
Paul Griffin, Firestone Stores;
and Dean Mitchell and Ed Scott,
high-school auto mechanics stu
dents.
Safe Production
Another
Honor For
Record another high mark in the proud history of Fire
stone Textiles’ performance in industrial safety. For the
18th consecutive year, the plant has been recognized by
the North Carolina Department of Labor and the United
States Department of Labor for the injury-control record
here.
The honor is symbolized by an
engraved bar to be added to
the safety plaque which the
plant received three years ago.
Presentation was made at the
annual Chamber of Commerce
Safety Awards Banquet in
Masonic Temple May 10.
NC State Labor Commissioner
Frank Crane handed over the
award to Firestone, at the same
time making safety presenta
tions to 33 other firms in Gaston
County.
Master of ceremonies at the
awards program was Alvin
Riley, Firestone industrial re
lations manager, and chairman
of the Chamber of Commerce
safety committee.