NOVEMBER • 1966
GASTONIA
NORTH CAROLINA
a landmark contribution Q^O 01
to United Fund
Candied apples and cotton candy
November’s, the hop of a wild rabbit scuttling through
leaves, wrote Florence Spilger. To most folks it’s a
^^mnant sale of autumn glory” and a round of pleasantries
^’^d festive days. These unidentified youngsters, photo
graphed by Firestone News, set the cadence of the season
lead us to some festivals and other special events listed
the travel article on page 4.
fIRESTONE PEOPLE
At Textile Exposition
"The most advanced machin-
equipment and other prod-
and services for the indus-
took attention of the more
fhan 35,000 mill people attend
ing the 24th Southern Textile
^^Position at Greenville, S. C.,
^ct. I7_2i.
^ Some 100 men from Firestone
^^xtiles management attended
he event, one of the world’s
^^gest trade shows. It was held
New Textile Hall adjoining
Greenville Downtown Airport.
"The latest tools for textiles
^ur Plant Listed
C&D Bulletin
. firestone Textiles at Gaston
ia shares a list of 183 manufac-
turi
plants and other indus-
enterprises in North Caro-
triai
offering free guided tours
visitors.
^irms listed in the recently-
^^blished Bulletin No. 156 from
Department Conservation &
^Velopment represent 64 North
^ r o 1 i n a communities from
Il'^Untains to coast. The list was
Prepared by the C & D with
^operation of chambers of com-
and other promotional
^®ups throughout the state.
4 A number of the NC indus-
t have daily guided tours
individuals, small parties of
^Velers or organized groups,
^ no advance arrangements
'"luired.
^.^irestone accommodates in-
^^duals and small groups who
^P here without previous ar-
j.^|^gement. But the industrial
^^tions department p r ef e r s
^ whenever possible, would-
visitors schedule their tour
; Advance. Advance scheduling
production were on parade—
from fully-automatic machines
and shuttleless looms to the
most recent improvement in
lubricants and cleaning materi
als.
The 315,000-sq.-foot hall ac
commodated almost 600 exhibits
from 32 states and 12 foreign
countries. It was the largest
number of exhibits since the ex
position was begun in 1915.
Added were 60,000 square feet
of space to the hall for this
year’s event, and a new 1,000-
car parking lot was finished in
time for the exposition.
Exhibits, put up every two
years at New Textile Hall, fea
ture the latest refinements in
equipment, machinery and sup
plies for manufacture, handling
and marketing of fabrics and
other textile products.
A new high mark in Firestone Textiles’ response to peo
ple’s needs and community betterment was reached with the
largest gift to the Greater Gastonia United Fund since the
United Giving program began here 13 years ago.
pie volunteered for work in key
positions of the community-
wide campaign. In the plant
solicitation, some 30 employees
worked in the person-to-person
contributions sign-up and in
other jobs of the campaign.
They volunteered under direc
tion of the UF-drive plant chair
men; P. R. Williams Jr., produc
tion manager; and J. G. Tino
Jr., plant engineer.
“We deeply appreciate the
heart-warming response of our
people in this landmark con
tribution to our ‘community
way’ of giving,” said Mr. Wil
liams.
Mr. Tino recalls that through-
A total employee contribution
of i$30,369.21 marked an increase
of $4,943.53 over the figure for
1965 which was a record con
tribution to that time.
When the first United Way
campaign was held at the plant
in 1953, contributions reached
around $11,000.
This year’s figures again
placed Firestone at the top of
the contributions scale in the
community-wide effort to pro
vide $297,784.84 during the Oct.
10-Nov. 8 campaign.
By pledges, the averaged con
tribution by payroll deduction
was $20.46, a record figure.
Pledge-taking among employees
here was completed in time for
a report to the UF “kickoff”
dinner meeting Oct. 10.
MONEY allocated through
volunteer giving will go into
operation of 29 participating
services. The UF area includes
Gastonia and immediate vicinity
with the community of Lowell
added.
This year’s UF program presi
dent is Francis B. Galligan, op
erations manager of the Fire
stone Textiles Co. Campaign
chairman was attorney Carl J.
Stewart, Jr., whose parents
work here. Mr. Stewart is first
vice president of the United
Fund.
Several other Firestone peo-
out the 13 years of Firestone
United Way participation, em
ployee concern and response
have steadily mounted as the
community and its people’s
needs have grown. The chair
men added: “Our giving is an
unbroken proud tradition. Our
‘one gift—one time’ in the only
fund drive here during the year
has again set the pace for Gas
tonia giving in response to
human need.”
The Money At Work • UF
pledges collected during the fall
campaign will provide money at
work during the coming year,
helping people through 29
agencies which provide volun
tary health, welfare and char
acter-building services. They
are:
American National Red Cross,
• More on page 2
1966 ‘Favorite Carols’ Album
Required when larger groups
Accommodated.
Francis B. Galligan Philip R. Williams Jr. Leonard B. McAbee
Managetnent PTomotions
Francis B. Galligan has been appointed to the newly-
created position of operations manager for The Firestone
Textiles Company. The division president, Harold Mercer,
also announced appointment of two others to top positions
on the plant level at Gastonia.
Mr. Galligan’s new assign-
iti employees here interested
''visiting other plants, a free
of Bulletin 156 lists firms
y tours are available, and
^^®itor instructions. Write for it
"Travel and Promotion Divi-
'“".Raleigh,
Succeeding Mr. Galligan was
Philip R. Williams Jr., as pro
duction manager of the Gas
tonia plant. Leonard B. McAbee,
who has been manager of pro
duction scheduling here, moved
up to division manager—cotton
and synthetics.
ment gives him operations over
sight of all five production fa
cilities of The Firestone Tex
tiles Company. Besides Gaston
ia, they are the plants at Ben-
nettsville, S. C.; Woodstock,
Canada; Buenos Aires and Sac
Academy-award-winner Julie
Andrews is featured on Fire
stone’s 1966 offering “Your
Favorite Christmas Carols Vol
ume 5” available this season in
company stores and dealer out
lets across the country.
The long-play album presents
Miss Andrews, star of “Mary
Poppins” and “The Sound of
Music”; and Andre Previn,
World-famous composer, pianist
and conductor. Mr. Previn con
ducts the Firestone Orchestra
and Chorus.
The custom-recording collec
tors item features “The Bells of
☆ ☆ ☆
Paulo, both in South America.
HE REPORTS to J. V. Dar
win, general manager of the di
vision, and to Harold Mercei*,
the president.
Mr. Galligan came to the Gas
tonia plant from a job as man
ager at Bennettsville. Here for
18 years, he was superintendent
of the cotton division and later
of the synthetic division before
becoming production manager
of the whole plant operation.
Mr. Williams, here since 1955,
was assistant manager of the
cotton division and later of the
synthetics-cotton divisions be
fore his assignment as assistant
production manager.
At Firestone in Gastonia for
more than 30 years, Mr. McAbee
started working as a production
employee in twisting and then
moved to a series of jobs on the
management staff. He had been
a section supervisor, a shift
foreman in quality control, the
plant safety manager, and as
sistant manager of industrial re
lations, before appointment as
manager of production schedul
ing.
Christmas.” On sale at the spe
cial price of $1 each, the album
will be promoted in stores up
through Christmas.
For several years the com
pany has made the special al
bum offering as a contribution
to good music and the meaning
ful observance of the Advent
season. Each year the albums
have featured different artists
and arrangements of the time-
honored music for Christmas.
The album offering each year
is a kind of successor to the
company’s “Voice of Firestone”
traditional Christmas program
of a bygone day and the dis
tribution of “Favorite Christ
mas Carols” books which grew
out of that program.
New Tire Plant
For Canada
Firestone’s newest tire plant,
dedicated last month at Joliette,
Quebec, covers 12 acres on a
150-acre site some 35 miles
northeast of Montreal.
Tires produced at Joliette are
marketed in Quebec and East
ern Canada.
This is the third tire plant for
Firestone in Canada, all operat
ed under guidance of T. M.
Mayberry, president of the Fire
stone Tire & Rubber Company
of Canada, Ltd. Others are at
Hamilton and Calgaiy.
A fourth plant operated by
the parent company is Firestone
Textiles at Woodstock, Ontario.
It is a member of the group be
longing to Firestone Textiles
Company, with headquarters in
Gastonia.
The Joliette plant is Fire
stone’s 94th in 26 foreign coun
tries.