Newspapers / Firestone News (Gastonia, N.C.) / Sept. 1, 1972, edition 1 / Page 2
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WORKING AT GASTONIA PLANT A Father ^ Four Sons Tom J. Neal started commuting from his rural Gaston home at Crouse, to work at Firestone in August, 1951. At that time he lived on a farm and he and Mrs. (Lila) Neal had a daughter and four sons to help plant, till and harvest. For a while, the Neal land live on RFD, Crouse, near the was producing as much eis two bales of cotton per acre. And a lot of other abundance. Neal, an elevator operator, worked at Firestone and farmed “pretty much full-scale” into 1956. But as the sons grew up, they went to town for jobs. AS THEY started looking for work, their father knew a good place he’d send them. “I remember Joe Billy, the oldest, who first went up to Lincolnton and took a job in a furniture factory,” the father recalls. “I suggested he put in an ap plication at Firestone. He did and when the job ‘came open’, I went to see Joe Billy at work, to tell him the job at Firestone was available.” So, Joe BiUy did come to work here in early 1953. Since then, his three brothers have “hired on”. Joe Billy is now a section supervisor in TC Twisting. He, his wife Peggy and daughter old homeplace. Peggy once worked at Firestone. Joe Billy does some truck farming with his father; helps the elder Neal with the husbandry of almost 100 grapevines. THE NEXT NEAL son to join Firestone was Paul David, a section supervisor in TC Weav ing. He, with wife, Martha, their two daughters and one son also live at Crouse. In spare time, •Paul likes to garden, hunt and fish. He joined the company at Gastonia in early 1954. Next of the brothers coming to work at the plant here was James Thomas, a twister op erator in TC Twisting. His em ployment dates to Feb., 1955. James, wife Margaret and their three girls and one boy live at Landers Chapel in Gaston Coun ty. As a part-time farmer, James helps to perpetuate his family’s love for the land. Bobby Dean Neal, twister op erator in TC Twisting, was last to be hired here—and that was back in 1958. He, too, lives at Crouse; likes to garden, fish and hunt. He and his wife Diane have one son. Bonnie, the Neals’ daughter, is Mrs. W. L. Carpenter. He is a motor lines mechanic in Gas tonia. Tom J. Neal and his four sons with the same company, to date have a combined service length of around 89 years. Joe Billy and his father work second shift. Bobby Dean, James Thomas and Paul David are on first shift. • Tom Neal and his sons visit briefly at change time between first and second shifts. Three of the sons are on first shift, the fourth one and his father are on second. From left: James Thomas, Bobby Dean, Tom J., Paul David and Joe Billy. Their combined service years total almost 90—with many more to come. The Honey And The Bees United Appeal From page 1 HALVORSON LOWE BG Foremen Joe Lowe—from doffer and creeler to foreman of A Crew, Twisting Department at Bowl ing Green. He began working at the Kentucky plant in March of 1968, as a doffer and creeler in the ply and cable operations. At one time he worked as a cleaner and beam tie-in hand. “I weU remember the mud we had to wade through to get into the plant when it was still un der construction back in early 1968,” says Joe. Lowe played on the basket ball team which won the City Industrial League championship for 1971, Now, he plays on his church softball team. Two other interests: fishing and hunting. Joe took part in the recent Fire- stone fishing tournament at Nolin Reservoir. Joe’s wife, Jeanette, is credit manager at the W. T. Grant store in Glasgow, Ky. Sewing and knitting are among her spe cial interests. The Lowes’ have one daugh ter. in 1973, and rising costs of pro viding such services through the 33 member agencies. On the increased goal, cam paign chairman Charles E. Zeig- ler has called upon all volun teer workers to urge especially the "Fair Share" way of making contributions. A “Fair Share"? It’s generally considered one hour’s pay per month (12 hours for the year), if paid hourly; six-tenths of one percent, if paid monthly; and one percent of annual salary, if $10,000 or more. Duane Halvorson likes to spend time pitching horseshoes and making home movies. But on the job at Firestone, Bowling Green, he’s foreman of A Crew, Weaving Department. Dee, Duane’s wife, is a splicer operator in Splicing. Duane joined Firestone at Bowling Green in August, 1968. He worked as yarn handler, then a fixer—^both assignments in Backwinding. He was advanced to a super visor for materials reclaiming and waste management. Then, after a year in textiles training, Duane was promoted to fore man in Weaving. List of United Appeal Serv ices • American Cancer Society, American National Red Cross, American Social Health Asso ciation, Boy Scouts of America, Cherryville Rescue Squad, Chil dren’s Home Society of North Carolina, Community Relief of Mount Holly, Dallas Township Recreation. Family Coounseling Service, Florence Crittenton Home, Flynn Fellowship Home, Gaston Boys Club, Gaston County As sociation for Retarded Children, Gaston County Mental Health Association, Gaston Life-Saving Crew. Girl Scouts, International Social Services, Junior Optimist Boys Club, Medical Research Fund of North Carolina, Mount Holly Life-Saving Crew, Na tional Association Speech Agen cies, National Assembly for Social Services, National Recre ation and Parks Association, North Carolina Mental Health Association, North Carolina United Community Services. The Salvation Army, Salva tion Army Boys Club of Gas tonia, Salvation Army Boys Club of Lowell, Stanley C.D. Rescue, United Health Services Drug Program, United Services Organization (USO), United Way of America, and Gaston County YMCA. Roy Marr last month added a hive of honeybees to his ex tensive collection, and Ollie Liles was glad to see the busy insects go. Marr is a twister doffer at Firestone, and a beekeeper who’s been at it for many years. He transported the bees and their 25 pounds production from Liles’ house at 103 S. Dalton Street. (That used to be the home-office of the late Dr. W. B. Parks, for 30 years com pany physician at Firestone, Gastonia.) Liles, a section supervisor in chafer weaving, said the bees encamped on an oak tree branch above the carshed last spring and constructed a nest-hive similar to that of a hornet’s quarters. AS THEY labored away into Tarte: 35 Years Alton Tarte, supervisor of plant preventative maintenance at Bowling Green, recently marked his 35th work anniver sary with Firestone. He receiv ed his service lapel pin and con gratulatory check for $100 from BG plant manager Ralph King. Tarte joined the Firestone company as a twister doffer at the Gastonia plant in 1935. During his Gastonia service, Tarte was sent on a special mis sion to the company’s Wood- stock, Canada, plant, to help start up twisters. He had been a twister overhauler at Gas tonia. Volume XXX Number 9 September, 1972 Page 2 GASTONIA Claude C. Callaway, Editor Monthly publication of the Gastonia, N. C., plant of Fireiton* Textile! Company, a division of The Firestone Tire & Riibber Company* Akron, Ohio. Division headquarters, Gastonia, N. C. 28052. James B. Call, president. Mem> her South Atlantic Council of Indu^rial Editors and International Association of Business Communicators. Plant Offices REPORTERS Warehouses Industrial Relations—Dale Callahan Main Office—Bea McCarter Mechanical Dept.—Rosie Francum Quality Control—Louella Queen, Lelia Rape Twisting (synthetics) — Elease Cole, Katie Elkins Warp Preparation—Elmina Bradshaw, NeU Bolick Warehouse—Harold Robinson, Israel Good Weaving (cotton)—Ruth Veitch BENNETTSVILLE PLANT Faye Shankle, Mary H. Oliver, Sylvia Lockamy, Louise S. Preston—Report ers. bowling green Dorothy Kingrey, Mary Snell, Mary Bryant, Brenda Loaiman, Teresa Leonard the summer, the branch sagged with honeycomb and nectar. The Liles and nearby neighbors began to fear an eventual sting. Could someone take the “squatters" away? A. V. Riley, Firestone Tex tiles Company manager of per sonnel and in time past a bee keeper himself, put Roy Marr in touch with the situation. Roy and a helper took the hive at night (a good time to do it, according to Roy). He re located the bees in a patent hive. Right now, Roy has many “stands” in several locations. Most of his bees are removed from houses, driveways, attics, outbuildings. Several years ago, Marr re moved a colony of bees which had swarmed onto a tree at Firestone’s main office. BOWLING GREEN Back at Gastonia, Tarte was supervisor of Utex twisters, an assignment he held until in Jan. 1968 he transferred to Bowling Green as foreman in mainten ance. More recently, he was ad vanced to supervisor of pre ventative maintenance. Alton and wife Mary Neil spend some of their leisure time square-dancing. Mrs. Fletcher A memorial service for Mrs. Catherine Fletcher, 65, was con ducted from McLean Broad Oaks Chapel of Gastonia, Aug. 12, with burial following in Gaston Memorial Park. Mrs. Fletcher was a retired Firestone Textiles, Gastonia, employee. Her husband, John E. Fletcher Jr., works here in the Shop. Other survivors are her step mother, 2 sons, a sister, 3 half- brothers and 2 half-sisters.
Firestone News (Gastonia, N.C.)
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Sept. 1, 1972, edition 1
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