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GASTONIA • NORTH CAROLINA
AUGUST • 1967
Your Safety — Our Business
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Pairy Stones
The hillcountry of North
Georgia is “homeland” to
^any a Firestone Textiles
family. Within this vast play-
§i'ound at the southern end
the Appalachians, the
^Wn of Blue Ridge in its
^annin County area is a
rypically - favored vacation
ing center.
The mountains, some
^^aching 4,000 feet, “air-con
ditioning by Nature”, scenic
|^,6auty and abundant recrea
tion facilities are chief at
tractions to visitors and the
f*^ople who live there year-
^ound.
Along with the other min
erals and semi-precious gems
Fannin County earth is
• a A suggested side trip into
the Southern Highlands, start
ing from Camp Firestone at
Bridgewater, N. C.
the staurolite, familiarly
known as fairy stone or cross
rock. This part of Georgia is
one of the few places in the
world where this unique
stone is found (another is
Patrick County, Va.)
So, people come to North
Georgia from every state
and many foreign countries
to search for the prized
stones, in colors ranging
from gray to black to brown
—varying from one locality
to another.
In Fannin County is famed
Lake Blue Ridge, surround
ed by the Unaka Mountains
and within the bounds of
Chattahoochee National
Forest,
JORACE
*utier
Retirement With Meaning
Keep stirring around, hold on
^ a bright view of life. Make
and try to be one your-
Find some interesting
^i^gs to help keep the hours
^^easurable.
. It’s a formula which Horace
^tler tries to apply toward a
Meaningful, rich retirement.
*‘If you ‘lay raound’ too much,
get stiff and after a while
be out of circulation to
he observes,
. Sutler retired from a doffing
in spinning 12 years ago,
putting in almost 22 years
f'irestone, Gastonia.
and Mrs, Butler live at
^ S, Weldon Street. They keep
contact with their friends and
relatives, occasionally traveling
at some distance to visit folks
and see different things , , •
have some recreation,
A recent out-of-town trip was
to Greenville, S, C., where they
spent several days with a daugh
ter and her family. They had the
pleasure of helping their son-in-
law try out his newly-purchas
ed power boat on Lake Hart
well, Ga., along with some fish
ing.
Mr, and Mrs. Butler some
times go to the Carolinas coast
where he fishes “just for the
fun of it—more than for what
I catch,” he says.
Firestone at Gastonia, having joined with other com
pany facilities around the world, is at halfway point in a
program of making 1967 a year of emphasis on the personal
safety of its employees.
Raymond Mack, plant safety
manager, believes the special
stress on safety thus far in the
year “has helped us to main
tain our usual outstanding
record of injury prevention and
control.”
The program throughout the
whole Firestone organization be
gan in February. It involves a
top-management challenge, per
formance analysis, a managerial
statement of company policy,
meetings to study the policy,
and actually putting into effect
the safety plan among Fire
stone’s employees in factories,
retread shops, warehouses,
stores and other facilities
throughout the world.
This plan stresses safety poli
cies and injury-prevention pro
cedures 24 hours a day, on and
off the job.
The program aims to under
score, strengthen, intensify and
advance the company’s present
extensive safety operation
which has been one of the most
progressive in the rubber indus
try, and is one of the most suc-
San Jose, C. R.
Tire Plant
Tire production has begun at
the new Industria Firestone de
Costa Rica, S.A. plant. For the
time being, production will be
marketed in Costa Rica only,
with gradual expansion planned
to provide tires for all of Cen
tral America.
At a ceremony marking the
beginning of production, M. Di-
Federico, Firestone Internation
al Company president, told of
the many jobs the new plant
will offer Costa Ricans and sav
ings which will be enjoyed by
residents there who purchase
Costa Rican-made tires.
He said the latest machinery
and tire-building methods are
used in the new plant to turn
out “the highest-quality tires.”
Before production began, a group
of young Costa Ricans received
technical training in various
Firestone plants and went back
to San Jose to teach other resi
dents of the area—with assist
ance from Firestone technicians.
cessful in industry at large, ac
cording to the manager of safe
ty for the company’s manufac
turing plants.
“Your Safety Is Our Business
At Firestone,” is a slogan which
the company has widely pro
moted.
In a letter to facility manag
ers when beginning the 1967
year of emphasis, Earl B, Hath
away, company president, said:
"Safety is still our business in
every respect—not only in our
products, but in every single as
pect of our business. It is a
company belief and a way of
life at Firestone. But it requires
constant vigilance."
To insure against injury and
loss of life, key item in the in
tensified program is a prepared
Firestone Safety Policy and Ac
cident-Prevention Program,
signed by the president and dis
tributed throughout the world
wide facilities of the company,
THE POLICY does not repre
sent any new plans and pro
grams, but serves to remind all
management and supervisory
personnel of the basic elements
of a safety plan and of giving
the program top-management
support and encouragement.
The Firestone emphasis began
with a letter from Mr. Hatha-
• more on page 3
• • H. T. Aldridge, department supervisor of twisting (center),
reviews the Safety Policy outline with Jerry McMillian (left) and
George Barnett, who both work in twisting. Near them is a Stand
ard Operating Procedure station where a copy of the Safety Policy
is permanently located.
UNITED
APPEAL campaign upcoming
Thirty-three services dedicated to helping people will
share in the gift you make to the Gaston County United
Appeal during its annual financial collection this fall. The
campaign which begins among some contributors in Septem
ber, will be in October at the Firestone plant.
The Greater Gastonia United As of late July, the campaign
Fund and Council, organized in goal had not been approved, but
1952, was recently re-designated
the United Community Services
of Gaston County,
The 1967 drive for UCS op
erating funds is the 15th annual
campaign. Funds gathered this
year will go toward operation of
member agencies in 1968,
Two New Racing Films
Thrills and drama of major stock, sports and champion
ship car racing is offered by two new films which the
company now has in circulation.
Firestone's outstanding early 1967 victories in racing
are featured in a 16-mm, color-sound film, "Showdown in
'67". The 26-minute motion picture highlights Firestone
wins in major racing events including Riverside 500, Day
tona 24-hour Continental, the Daytona 500, the Sebring
12-hour Grand Prix and the Atlanta 500.
"Thirty Days in May" tells the story surrounding the
1967 Indianapolis 500-mile race. Scenes include the qualifi
cation runs, introduction of the turbine-powered car which
dominated the race through 197 laps and set 19 speed
records, and the race finish.
Both titles are being distributed by Association Films.
Inc. For information on free loan of these and other films,
ask at the plant industrial relations office.
was expected to exceed the last-
year figure of some $300,000.
The increase is due to rising ex
penses generally and expansion
of services by several of the
participating agencies and the
addition of four new member
agencies,
"WONDERFUL things hap
pen” when you give to the UCS,
The money raised is distributed
among member agencies to help
people. It is for yearly operating
expenses—not for capital funds
for buildings, camps, etc.
Agencies in the United Ap
peal do not conduct extra cam
paigns except to enroll members
with dues that are payment for
services—not for donations, cap-
ital-funds campaigns for new
buildings and equipment; nor
emergency disaster campaigns,
as in the case of one member,
the American National Red
Cross local chapter.
United Appeal membership is
limited to organized services op
erating in the fields of health,
welfare and recreation.
• more on page 2