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SOME LAST GLANCES
farewell to the sky
GASTONIA
NORTH CAROLINA
FEBRUARY
• 1971
SECOND ANNUAL UCS
Harold Mercer
Memorial
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William S. Holland, Gastonia business leader, re
ceived the Harold Mercer Memorial Award at the 18th
annual meeting of United Community Services of Gas
ton County, Jan. 20.
James B. Call, president of
Firestone Textiles Company,
made the presentation, in
recognition of Holland’s out
standing UCS leadership
during 1970.
Holland, out-going president
of the county UCS, is the second
top leader to receive the award.
It honors the memory of the
late general manager of Fire
stone’s Gastonia plant and presi
dent of Firestone Textiles Com
pany.
J. Hugh McArver, 1969 UCS
president, was first to receive
the award, established by Fire
stone Textiles Company in 1970.
It perpetuates the memory of
Mr. Mercer, who died in June of
1969. He was for more than 37
years a Firestone official, and
an outstanding leader in busi
ness, community and church cir
cles.
He was associated with The
Firestone Tire & Rubber Com
pany from 1931 to 1968, had
• More on page 2
The 70-year life span of the Gastonia Firestone plant’s
big chimney was fast coming to its eventful end in late
January, as workmen chiseled away at the massive brick
walls—growing thicker from mid-section toward the ground.
Somewhat behind schedule since its start late last sum
mer, the take-down project should be completed sometime
in February, according to plant engineer J. G. Tino Jr.
West Gastonia’s familiar landmark, with its ‘bell’ touch
ing the clouds at near 200 feet, had to be dismantled when
a gas explosion cracked its walls last summer.
These photos: 1—A last look at the full length of the
chimney, as workmen of a Charlotte firm began the demoli
tion last September; 2—In January, it had been reduced to
below plant roof level, as its successors (two metal stacks)
towered above it; 3— and 4—Coming on down, still more
toward the base.
VICE PRESIDENT
R. A. Riley Visited Gastonia
Richard A. Riley, The
Firestone Tire & Rubber
Company Vice President of
Diversified Products, visited
the Gastonia plant on a one-
day schedule in January.
Every Person Has A Real Contribution To Make...’
“Making The Best Today, Still Better Tomorrow.” Be
hind this familiar Firestone slogan:
• A pledge to the present and future Firestone customer
of the company's constant efforts to uphold and ever im
prove the quality of its products.
• A reminder to people who work at Firestone of the
personal challenge to produce high-quality products, and of
the employee's responsibility toward the customer.
Since Firestone’s founding in 1900, its people have been
dedicated to development, production and sales of the best
products and services at prevailing fair market prices.
In this the company’s 71st business year. Firestone
people know that they must not become self-satisfied in
this dedication.
Firestone tires and other products—for all these years,
proven to be among the best on the market—can always
“stand further improvement.” That’s the way it is when
human hands and minds combine with tools to produce ma
terial things. It can usually be done better, with the goal
of perfection as the standard.
From selection of materials for our products, through
every step of processing along the production line to final
inspection, every person on the job at Firestone has a real
contribution to make in improvement of tires and other
products.
As a job-level example, look at non-lire plants (diversi
fied products) such as Firestone Textiles Company units at
Gastonia, Bennettsville, S. C., and Bowling Green, Ky.
People who work at these plants know that fabric is a
major structural part of tires, and that quality begins
here. Because a product is no better than the sum of all its
parts put together well, fabric produced at Gastonia or at
the other plants commands a tremendously-important role
in the quality of tires which the company turns out at other
locations.
"OUR FABRIC production from Firestone Textiles Com
pany plants is a most important and rewarding work,” re
minds James B. Call, president. He points out that of the
near 204 million people in the U.S., most of them ride on
wheels tire-equipped.
“The small percentage of accidents and fatalities attri
butable to tire failure shows that tires have a high record
in safety performance,” Mr. Call notes. “Naturally, we help
build that quality into tires when we produce the highest-
grade fabric,” he adds.
To a great extent, the character of a final product be
gins or continues with each person who contributes to that
product’s manufacture—from production of the material it
self, to the way it is handled all along the line.
So, this means that if there is a compounding of mis
takes, an inferior product will result. Poor quality is ordi
narily found out through inspection, before a product goes
on its way to the customer. A rejected product, of course,
means unnecessary cost in waste and time and labor “put
to naught.”
• More on page 3
While here he conferred with
Firestone Textiles Company
President James B. Call and
other members of the local fac
tory and division management.
Mr. Riley, Vice President of
Diversified Products since 1968,
joined the parent company in
1939. His several leadership as
signments include president of
Firestone Steel Products Com
pany, before his advancement to
a corporate vice president and
director.
Among the several non-tire
divisions under Mr. Riley’s
guidance are Firestone Syn
thetic Fibers Company at Hope-
well, Va., and Firestone Textiles
Company with units at Gas
tonia, Bennettsville, S. C., and
Bowling Green, Ky.
The company’s DP operations
manufacture a wide variety of
non-tire products — more than
45,000—for the consumer mar
ket.
Right — He Is
• Seen and heard in snack
bar near Firestone parking lot,
two young "Tom Sawyers". One,
with a dollar bill in hand, say
ing; "Ray, we can't buy all
THAT! You oughta know by
now that a dollar won't do
EVERYTHING!"