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They Recall Some gastonia
Memorable Christmases
It was the Christmas when I was around 10 years old.
My most-desired gift was an electric train. And there it
was under the Christmas tree! It had, besides the engine,
a Baby Ruth coach, a coal car and a red caboose. We lived
in Belmont.
This train spoke of special
love from my family. I set the
train to running, and I recall
how my only brother enjoyed
it as much as I did.
I still have the train stored
away. Last year I got it out and
found that it still runs. If I ever
have a son, he’ll enjoy it, too.
• Martin Owers
Data Processing
After I moved from the
Murphy, N. C., area to Gastonia
and startsd working at Fire
stone many years ago, I began
going back to the mountains at
Christmastime. That was while
Mother and Father were still
living.
I would join the neighbors
and go carol-singing. Back at old
Friendship Baptist Church, peo
ple prepared fruit baskets for
elderly folks. On this one mem
orable Christmas we went to
deliver baskets in the remote
community of Suit.
As we visited the lonely old
people, I’ll never forget the
tears of joy and hope. One man,
dying of cancer but with his
new-found hope of Heaven, told
us how much our coming meant
to him. I was humbled and my
heart was made glad.
• Elease Cole
Reclaimer, TC Twisting
The Christmas when I was 9
Four at Bennettsville
went into their 31st year
of Firestone service this
fall. Plant manager Ed
win E. Fuller presented
30-year awards — lapel
pins and $100 'appreci
ation' checks to:
J. W. Mudd, factory
foreman; Buster Camp
bell, Warehouse & Ship
ping; Coyt W. McLean,
supervisor Cord Weav
ing; Birch Lewis, inspec
tor—Laboratory.
Meeting The Energy Crisis
“By all working together,
Firestone employees can
make a meaningful contribu
tion to conservation in the
current energy crisis,” said
company president Richard
A. Riley.
In a recent directive, Mr.
Riley pointed to ways which
have been put into effect to
save energy at the company’s
plants and other installations.
Among these are the thermostat
control of work areas at 68-de
grees level; turning off all lights
after work, the disconnecting of
unnecessary lighting; and maxi
mum speed limit of 50 mph for
all company vehicles.
As of late November, the com
pany planned to establish an
office of energy conservation at
each plant. Its first project is
the coordination of car-pool re
quests from employees.
Ttrestone
DECEMBER • 1973
GASTONIA BENNETTSVILLE BOWLING GREEN
NORTH CAROLINA SOUTH CAROLINA KENTUCKY
Bennettsville Plant
Into 31st Year
Firestone Textiles Bennettsville, S. C., plant marked
its 30th anniversary of business November 15. On the
following day there was open house, attended by em
ployees and their families, retirees and their families,
and friends.
The open house from 2
to 4 p.m., brought some 400
persons for refreshments
and tours of the facility.
THE PLANT is located within
the city limits of Bennettsville,
east side, in Marlboro County.
The Firestone Tire & Rubber
Company purchased the proper
ty November 15, 1943. It em
braced a one-storey cotton mill
with 104 employee dwellings.
The original plant, operated for
many years as Marlboro Cotton
Mills, produced carded sales
yarns.
Firestone converted oper
ations to cotton tire-cord fabric
under the name of Bennettsville
Cotton Mills. In early 1945 the
plant was renamed Firestone
Textiles and soon thereafter was
awarded the Army-Navy E for
production excellence in the
war effort.
IN 1951 additions were made
to the plant to provide space for
chafer loom weaving operations
and rayon tire-cord production.
A new office building was con
structed during the same year.
During 1960 the village houses
were sold to some of the em
ployees, who had occupied these
houses for many years.
Modernization of the tire-cord
equipment, along with purchase
of new ply and cable twisters
and looms permitted greatly-ex-
panded production capacity in
1967. Nylon tire fabric was the
principle product.
During the early part of 1973,
18 new Saur Alima Twisters
were purchased and installed as
replacements for the Saco-
Lowell twisters.
There have been more im
provements toward moderniza
tion. The 70-year-old waste
house was torn down and re
placed by a modern waste fa
cility. A 20,000-gallon oil fuel
tank was installed underground.
The front entrance of main
plant has been modernized.
AIR CONDITIONING was in
stalled in the splicing, reclaim
ing and twisting areas. Still an
other change was a new evapor
ative cooling system in the ply
More, page 3 •
years old, I went with my
family to visit Grandmother in
Umatilla, Fla. After that, we
went several more times to
spend the holiday with Grand
mother.
Florida was so nice in winter.
Sometimes it would be snowing
in North Carolina, but always
sunny in Florida. Grandmother
had citrus trees, so we picked
fruit. And her kitchen goodies
were superb, especially Grand
mother’s special peach preserves.
She crocheted a doll for me.
These are all cherished memor
ies.
• Nancy Costner
Clerk, Payroll
It was 18 years ago, the first
year I was a Christian. Organi
zations of Loray Baptist Church
prepared baskets of food and
toys for needy families.
I went with one group to de
liver baskets to people very
More, page 2 •
OPEN
HOUSE Employees and visitors in Cord Weaying.
Six Retired At Gastonia
Two centuries and 15 months.
That's the added-up time repre
sented in the careers of six per
sons at Gastonia, who 'laid up
the shuttle' as of Dec. 1.
Hurley W. Brooks of Prepa
ration was out front with the
most years on the work record:
38. Maude Bryson of TC Twist
ing was next with 35 years and
11 months. Then the other four:
Ruth L. Helms, Preparation.
35 years and 8 months; Ruth
W. Wallace, TC Weaving,. 33
years and 7 months; Bonnie
Moses, Cloth Room, 29 years
and 5 months; Sara W. Ward.
Cloth Room, 28 years and 7
months.