GASTONIA • NORTH CAROLINA
Tir«$fon«
S3BW
AT AWARDS DINNER
JUNE • 1967
28 OTHER WINNERS
Henderson 1967 “Top Scout”
“Among the most promising young persons I know,” re-
j^arked his pastor, “One of the finest boys—I recommend
hipi heartily,” said his school principal, “Outstanding in a
Wide range of Scouting activities, school and church work,”
^dded his scoutmaster.
These were some appraisals of
Carroll Leonard Henderson Jr.,
recipient of the 1967 Harvey S.
firestone Jr, Award in Scout
ing.
The 13-year-old Life Scout of
Gastonia Troop 313 is the 22nd
or for Scouting
the honorees’
Polk County —
equipment of
choice,
J. V. DARWIN, textile di
vision general manager, p r e -
sented Carroll the Silver Medal
lion symbol of the award, a
Gastonia-area boy chosen as
Gaston County’s top Scout, The
^Presentation was made May 31
the annual Scout Awards din-
in Firestone Recreation
"enter.
Besides Carroll’s recognition,
other Boy Scouts from six
^Qston communities were each
^Warded a Certificate of Merit
^ r noteworthy achievement,
a gift check to be applied
expenses for a week at
^niele Scout Reservation in
• Carroll Henderson Jr. holds
Silver Medallion award, pre
sented by J. V. Darwin (righl),
division general manager. Lewis
Allen (left) is Carroll's scout
master. Carroll was presented a
congratulatory letter from Di
vision President Harold Mercer,
who was in Akron for a confer
ence when the Scout banquet
was held.
Certificate of Merit, a $100 U.S.
—More on page 3
Batche: ^Nothing Ahead of Safety ,,, ^
“ ‘Safety First’ was an inspired slogan when it was in
vented years ago. Unfortunately (as with all slogans) it has
been worn thin by use until the words drop from our lips
without the flavor of the slogan’s meaning,
“This is a pity, because our greatest need—yours and
mine—is to recapture the spirit of that ancient phrase and
convince every member of our companies from the work
man in the plant up to the president that nothing must
come ahead of the safety of our people,”
M. R. BATCHE was speaking record during the calendar year
at a late-May safety awards din- 1966.
ner in Firestone Recreation The plant here had received
Center at Gastonia. The Fire- the Award of Honor last year,
stone company manager of safe- but on a manhours basis of safe
ty for manufacturing plants operation during 1965.
shared in the formal presenta
tion of the plant’s latest awards
for achievement in industrial
safety.
These were the Award of
Honor, the National Safety
Council's chief distinction for an
organization's safety perform
ance on the job; and the N. C.
Dept, of Labor Safety Award for
the 20th consecutive year.
Division President Harold
Mercer presented the plaques to
Raymond Mack, plant safety
manager, who in turn declared,
“All our people earned them—
from the highest management
on down.”
J. V, Darwin, division general
manager, spoke of the awards as
having been won “through an
unbeatable team spirit,”
Firestone here qualified for
the Award of Honor by estab
lishing a no-lost-time-injuries
SPEAKING at the meeting,
Mr. Batche pointed out that
Firestone in Gastonia was lead
ing the company’s 14 divisions
of worldwide organization in
safety performance—with a rec
ord in excess of 7,000,000 man-
hours without a lost-time injury.
"It took people to make this
record," he declared. "We must
continue to put people to work
on safety."
Firestone is concerned with
the total person, he stressed.
• More on page 2
m
PRIZED TROPHY • Raymond Mack, plant safety manager; and
Harold Mercer (right), division president, proudly display the NSC
Award of Honor plaque. With them is M. R. Batche, company
manager of safety for manufacturing plants, who addressed the
awards meeting.
‘Dear Firestone: I Will Like You Very Much
From late winter through
early spring each year the plant
industrial relations department
receives an increased number of
mail requests for company in
formation and product samples,
especially of tire cord and fabric.
These requests come mainly
from grade and high-school stu
dents who use the material col
lected in class projects, special
reports and in school displays on
economics and industry, science
and social studies.
The representative letters
here, from grade-school pupils
mainly, are presented with
spelling, phrasing and punctua
tion as received in the mail.
Industrial relations answered
each of these requests (it re
plies to all inquiries it receives
about the company).
Blairsville, Ga.
Please send me an sample of
some fabic materials that you
product. I want it for a school
display that we are having. I
will like you very much for
sending it.
Lafayette, La.
Please send me information on
Firestone Textiles.
Weaverville, N. C.
In the 7th grade I am doing
a project on textile industries
in NC. Please send me some in
formation on Firestone Factory.
Greensboro, N. C.
My Social Studies class is
learning about 20th-century in
dustries. I have chosen your
company. Please send me what
is available that I may tell your
story,
Blairsville, Ga.
Please send me some samples
of fibers and fabics. Our sci
ence class in school is studying
about these and would appre
ciate it very much.
I
Old Landmark Goes—
^ Nen> One Arrives
'( It was the last voyage for the venerable
.Pond” rowboat one day in late May, as water
open reservoir behind the plant was
^iually drained. An era was ended, but serv
ice began from the two gigantic tanks erected
across Dalton Street near the site of the old
shop “barn”.
Above: Horace Hughes, pipefitter and chief
of the plant fire-protection brigade, measured
the remaining “deep” from the boat which
across the years was used to police the reservoir
surface. Arrow points to water line when pond
was “in business,”
At right: New storage tanks of a combined
half-million-gallon capacity, were photographed
from Ransom Street, New pumphouse is at base
of tanks near Dalton Street plant gate.
The retired reservoir, serving since the main
portion of the mill was erected at the turn of
the century, had stored water primarily for
fire-fighting use. New steel tanks in their bright
garb of green, also hold fire-fighting water re
serve, but with much-improved service.
Is it legend or fact that clay removed in dig
ging the old reservoir was converted to bricks
to help build the walls of the mill here?