Our life is made up of experiences. Business leads us
into every profession and every walk of life. It is the
school of experience. In business there is the supreme
satisfaction of accomplishment—of planning to do some
thing and of carrying through those plans against all
obstacles to a final accomplishment. Business is made up
of opportunities for great sacrifices and great accomplish
ments.
•Harvey S. Firestone
MEN AND RUBBER 1926
GASTONIA
NORTH CAROLINA
JUNE • 1973
BENNEnSVILLE
SOUTH CAROLINA
BOWLING GREEN
KENTUCKY
Ttre$tone
MSW
GASTONIA g0Y0|2 Retired
Lewis Connor of Spinning and Stella of TC Twist
ing established quite a husband-wife record of com
pany service by the time they both retired from
Firestone at Gastonia, May 1. Their total time; 71
years and 5 months. It divided this way: Lewis 37
years; Stella, 34 years and 5 months.
Besides the Connors, five others in May and early
June retired at Gastonia.
Leading this list, in terms of service length, was
Cole Whitaker, with 37 years. He last worked in TC
Weaving. The Others: Ethel McAbee, Cloth Room,
24 years and 2 months; Henry Church, Shop, 23
years and 3 months; Mae Foster, TC Twisting, 21
years and 1 month; and Clara Flynn, Preparation,
15 years.
‘You Ask What
I Play and Sing ..
Strains of “The Great Speckled Bird”
vied for a hearing at 3 p.m. shift change,
Gate No. 10. John Wesley Shaw had come
back to Firestone in Gastonia, to play his
guitar and sing for the first time since
1937. And to say some nice words about
a company’s product.
Blinded in an aecidenl while playing with a
knife back in Gainesville, Ga.. Shaw's world
has been physically dark since age 4. But other
ways the sun shines in.
“You ask what I play and sing. Mostly hymns
and gospel songs. I’ll play my favorite: ‘What
A Friend. ..” ’
For many years he has earned his way with
music and singing, traveling up and down
many states and “all over.”
“Lordy, I couldn’t begin to tell you how far
I’ve been,” as a loomfixer dropped some
money in the cup.
FROM headquarters in Spartanburg, friends
take Shaw by car to many places. Then he does
a lot of riding on busses.
John Wesley plays on streets, but is especially
pleased to appear in churches. Usually he re
ceives the freewill offerings. He says he doesn’t
get any pension or other financial help. Just
money in the cup on the tuning end of his
guitar.
He attended the school for the blind in
Macon, Ga.; taught himself to play the guitar,
with some help from a sister.
John Wesley’s wife died four years ago. A
daughter lives in Roanoke Rapids, N. C.; an
other one in Spartanburg.
“You say I’m at Firestone?” Well, you folks
make good tires—the best. Other things too.
Ain’t saying this just because I’m here. One of
my favorite songs is ‘Give Me The Roses While
I Live.’ That’s what I’m doing.”
PLAYTIME
• • Firestone Playground 1973
season is June 11 through Aug
ust 10. Hours of operation are
9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays
through Fridays.
The facility, with its wading
pool the main attraction, is in
front of the Firestone Textiles
Company plant. Accommodating
children through age 12, the
company playground is each
summer operated as a part of
the City of Gastonia Recreation
D apartment’s system of parks
and playgrounds.
Children who play at the park
in West Gastonia are supervised
by personnel who are employed
by City Recreation.
Besides wading pool, there
are swings, see-saws and horse
shoe pits. Added special feature
each summer season is instruc
tion in arts and crafts. Compe
tition in the various areas of
play and crafts participation
chooses winners at season’s end.
This is a part of the overall city
recreation program. Begun last
year and continued this season
are nature hikes and outings to
points of interest around Gas
tonia.
Some unusual place names in
Kentucky: Black Snake, Bum
mer, Coon, Jamboree, Lucky
Stop, Oddville, Oz. Rabbit Hash,
Smile, Uz, Whick, Windy and
Wonder.
Assistance Program Working
“At Firestone we care about people. So, we’re develop
ing ways to help with problems,” said Ed Johnson, director
of the Firestone company’s Employee Assistance Program,
speaking at meetings at the Gastonia and Bennettsville
plants in May.
• On his way to work, Hillard Ernest Terry
of TC Twisting was among many who paused
to leave a contribution for John Wesley Shaw.
He said his wife, during her many years
driving a car, always rode on Firestones. His
preacher brother in Alabama prefers Fire
stones. “And long years ago, our daddy liked
those old-timers” (Non-Skids?)
drugs, other problems which
may be affecting employees’
lives also are dealt with, John
son pointed out.
He noted that at present. Fire
stone group hospitalization in
surance does not cover alcohol-
drug abuse. “But I promise to
stand behind anyone who seeks
help with such problems,” John
son added.
Supervisors’ interviews with
employees is based strictly on
job performance, attendance and
other objective j o b-r elated
standards. The supervisor is not
expected to know m e d i e a 1
symptoms or make diagnosis,
but refers to the medical depart
ment representative those em
ployees whose problems may in
dicate need for medical advice
and further help.
'The company guarantees that
persons seeking help voluntarily
will remain confidential and
anonymous. Their identity is
known only to those people nec
essarily involved in the help
program.
Guidance and counseling are
also available to immediate fam
ily members, because a beha-
viorial problem such as an alco
holic wife, or a child on drugs,
will affect employee job per
formance and general well
being.
BENNEHSVILLE
Led Corporate Bonds Drive
The Bennettsville, S.C. plant of Firestone Textiles Com
pany posted a 100 per cent participation record for the sec
ond consecutive year, to lead the Firestone company’s 1973
corporate Savings Bonds campaign.
Other Firestone facilities general campaign manager, said
with outstanding levels of par
ticipation include Noblesville,
Ind., with 97.3 per cent; Ra
venna Arsenal, 87.3; Des Moines,
74.3; and Dayton 71.7 per cent.
Ray Kapper, the company’s
Help in managing and correc
ting the abusive use of alcohol
and drugs is main purpose of
the program which was started
in Akron last fall. It is being
extended to all facilities of the
Firestone organization in the
United States.
ALL THREE Firestone Tex
tiles Company production plants
—Gastonia, Bennettsville and
Bowling Green—are sharing in
the program. The Assistance
program director was in Gas
tonia and Bennettsville, plan
ning with plant management
and local agencies for operation
of the employees help service.
Johnson is a member of the
Firestone medical department
and a consultant to National In
stitute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism, a division of the
U. S. Department of Health,
Education and Welfare.
The program, with the super
visor the key person in refer
rals, operates through coopera
tion with local mental health
and other agencies. It aims at
“eliminating people problems
before they become problem
people.”
Its goal is to retain employ
ees and to help them return
to productive living. Though
the main thrust of the pro
gram is abuse of alcohol and
that on a corporate basis, Fire
stone brought participation level
from 47.6 per cent to a little
more than 50 per cent.
“Every single Firestone fa
cility showed some increase in
participation,” Kapper said.