GASTONIA
NORTH CAROLINA
AUGUST • 1970
Bennettsville
Plant
• • Most recent aerial pho
tograph of the Bennettsville,
S. C., unit of Firestone Tex-
tiles Company. Originally
part of Marlboro Cotton
Mills, the Bennettsville fac
tory has been operated since
1943 as a Firestone company
facility producing tire cord
fabric—first in cotton but in
recent years, all-synthetics
materials.
It is a leading producer of
specialized textiles in the SC
Coastal Plain area. Factory
manager is Edwin S. Fuller,
who transferred from the
Gastonia plant in early 1970.
A framed copy of this pho
to has been added to the
Gastonia plant conference
room collection of Firestone
domestic and foreign pro
duction facilities.
Storm Brochure
Distributed
If you know what io do when
a severe storm threatens, you're
your own best protection of life
and property, notes James W.
Denning, North Carolina Civil
Defense Director.
Through local Civil Defense
offices a flyer is being distribut
ed, to acquaint citizens with
measures designed to help peo
ple help themselves in hurri
cane and/or tornado emergency.
Included in the flyer are Hur
ricane Season safety measures,
a hurricane tracking chart and
a message from Gov. Scott.
"Too few people realize that
hurricane damage is not confin
ed to coastal areas," Denning
said, recalling the destruction
wrought to the Virginias and
Kentucky mountains by Hurri
cane Camille last year, and to
North Carolina by Hurricane
Hazel in 1954.
Tire$lotie
Turn Left’ Added To Library
Latest Firestone movie to be placed on permanent loan
to the Gastonia plant is "Turn Left to Win", the 1969
coverage of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Memorial
Day "500" classic.
Firestone films are available to civic groups, clubs,
schools, church groups and for other showings. Loan of
films on permanent placement at Gastonia may be had by
making request to the industrial relations department.
The 1970 Indy film, "Victory in May" and several other
Firestone productions may be ordered through the IR de
partment. Company films are distributed through Associa
tion-Sterling Films. Gastonia and Bennettsville are served
from the regional office in Atlanta.
‘Golden
Days’ Of Sports Recalled
A Second ‘Career’
“Stick to your bush, if
you’d pick the most huckle
berries,” runs an old country
saying. It’s somewhat the
principle on which Fred
Chastain operated during
the almost 35 years he was
employed at Firestone,
Gastonia.
Working his last day in early
summer, Chastain became the
most recent to retire here. Be
ginning in early 1936, he spent
all his service years in the vari-
Continuous Projects
Variety Garden Club of Fire
stone will join the other nine
units of the Gaston Council of
Garden Clubs in a project of
planting more trees this fall at
the Garrison Blvd. entrance to
Lineberger Park.
Mrs. Carl Stowe Sr., retired
Firestone plant hostess, is cur
rent Variety Club president.
Mrs. Stowe noted that the club’s
major project this season has
been helping in beautification
at Lineberger and other loca
tions within the city.
At the May Day Festival in
the Park this spring, the 10 par
ticipating garden clubs sold
Potted plants, crafts and other
items, proceeds going to beau
tify the Garrison Blvd. Line
berger Park entrance and erect
a memorial plaque for the Ave
nue of Trees.
The trees have been donated
by individuals in memory of
deceased relatives and friends.
Garden Clubs over the past
three years have spent more
than $7,000 for planting trees,
shrubbery and flowers. The
clubs, working" with the City
Council, have helped to provide
improvement , in the • parking
areas at Lineberger, building a
concrete skating rink, and do
ing conservation work on the
creek banks.
FRED
CHASTAIN
All in
Carding
ous jobs of carding—the earlier
days as speeder tender, then
drawing-frame operator, and
more recently “at the cards.”
As a boy, the Brevard, N. C.
native moved to Pickins Coun
ty, S. C., where his introduction
to textiles was in a cotton mill
at Liberty. He worked at sev
eral places in cotton processing,
but when he moved to Gastonia
and Firestone in the mid-1930s,
he purposed to “stay put.”
ON HIS retirement day, he
reminisced about the field of
textiles he knows best: carding.
Many changes. Notable progress.
Everlasting adjustments to
changes. In the News office he
reviewed some history of card
ing, going back to New England
and the textiles factory system
development.
Mrs. Chastain (Elsie) is an in
spector in the cloth room. She,
too, has “stayed put,” with her
25th work anniversary coming
up.
—More on Page 2
“Remember the good old days
of the Firestone Sports Banquets
when Ralph Johnson — back
then, plant recreation director—
ramrodded the annual spring
get-togethers?” asked one of a
‘great moments in sports’ fea
tures in a July issue of The
Gaston Independent.
The newspaper story recalled
some of the lingering glory of
Firestone sports history, harking
back to the days when Fire
stone’s girls’ softball teams were
nigh-invincible, over a 70-game
period spanning several years.
Johnson, now a third-term
City councilman and manager of
employee relations here, “re
members those events well,”
FIRESTONE
PLAYGROUND Doug
Was Tirst’
For best aim and follow-
through with horseshoes, the
prize was a blue ribbon for
Douglas Cloninger (right) who
participated in the tournament
at Firestone playground in the
early part of the recreation sea
son which continued into Au
gust.
The horseshoe playoff was
part of a variety of games com
petition at parks and play
grounds operated in summer by
the Gastonia City Recreation
Department.
Doug won first place in the
11 to 13 division. He plays left
field and sometimes pitches as
a member of the Noon Optimist
Club team in the Harold Mercer
Little League. Doug’s grand
mother, Maude Bryson, works
in spinning at Firestone.
The Firestone wading pool
and other facilities along with
16 other units within the City
Recreation system operated this
summer, offered a wide assort
ment of activities and special
said the story. HE COACHED
the girls’ softball team that was
unbeaten in 70 straight contests,
and counts this period of recre
ation life as one of his high
spots, along with the renowned
banquets at which such greats
as “Swede” Nelson, Earle Ed
wards and Harry Grayson were
speakers.
The story quoted Johnson as
saying “But I guess the biggest
thrill I ever had was coaching
and watching my son Buddy
pitch a perfect baseball game
when he was 12 years old.”
Buddy, now with the Gastonia
Fire Department, erased 18
consecutive St. Micheal’s batters,
More on Page 2 •
events. The closing week was
observed as “Back to School,”
with a farewell party.