BENNETTSVILLE
To
Fix
A
Box
• Duard
Rabb's work
is an ex
ample of a
service
which might
go un
noticed, yet
is vitally
supportive
to the whole
operation of
producing
tire fabric
as an end
product.
Duard Rabb’s job title at
Gastonia: Carpenter (Shop). But
that tells very little of the
story of the things he “fixes
up.” He repairs all wheeled
equipment in the factory, shop,
offices and warehouses, except
fork lift trucks and hoists.
ROLLING package-hauling
boxes from ply and cable twist
ing operations are the major
pieces which Rabb keeps in
good repair. But there are many
other things, such as hand
trucks and dollies, office chairs,
supply and electrical items, and
sanitation equipment — even
caster-equipped mop buckets.
In his “fixit” corner near the
An Honor For Safety
machine shop, Rabb restores to
efficient working order an aver
age of 12 pieces of equipment a
day.
Employed at the Gastonia
plant for almost 32 years, he
worked 15 years in Spinning in
the days when the plant “work
ed” cotton.
BEFORE going on his current
job, he worked in several other
assignments in the Shop-me
chanical department.
In repairing the many pieces
of equipment, Rabb replaces
wheels and other parts, patches
dents and cracks, and does away
with sharp edges that become
safety hazards.
Generous Industry
America’s textiles leads all
other industries in giving to
philanthropic causes, as shown
by a recent survey of the Con
ference Board in New York.
Ten representative textile
firms were asked to list their
contributions in a survey of 433
firms in varying sizes and in
dustrial classifications. Findings
showed that the textile com
panies gave $8,122,000, or 4.1
percent of their net income be
fore taxes.
Mule Trader Brought A Name
Bowling Green, Ky., and
S.C. There are six other
tow^ns and communities of
the same name, one each in
Florida, Indiana, Missouri,
New York, Ohio and Vir
ginia. There may be still
others without a post office—
so not listed in the Zipcode
directory.
Bowling Green—this one in
South Carolina—is down Hy. 321
a little ways from Gastonia and
just across the state line. Fire
stone has employees who com
mute to and from there.
Then, of course, Bowling
Green, Ky., has the company’s
textile plant. It’s generally
known that Bowling Green Ky.,
(and maybe some of the other
towns of the same name) got the
name in the old days, when peo
ple played lawn bowls on the
village green.
A special-honor plaque
from Liberty Mutual Insur
ance Co. was awarded to em
ployees of Firestone Textiles
Company Bennettsville plant
in February. It recognized an
outstanding accident-control
record.
People at the Bennettsville
plant recently completed eight
years of continuous operation
without a disabling injury.
Several visitors from Liberty
Mutual and from corporate and
division headquarters of the
Firestone company attended the
award ceremony, Feb. 20.
Firestone, Bennettsville, peo
ple have been recognized over a
30-year period for noteworthy
safety attitude and performance.
They have qualified for a num
ber of National Safety Council
honors, including the Award of
Honor; also awards from the
South Carolina Department of
Labor, South Carolina Occupa
tional Council, Liberty Mutual,
and The Firestone Tire & Rub
ber Company.
Firestone
employee
Geraldine
Woodberry
received
plaque
from
Liberty
Mutual
representa
tive Don
Jackie.
Photo Quiz
Just a few yesterdays between
the photo on page 4 and the
Firestone office secretary now.
But of course, enough changes
in-between to make guessing
who she is a bit difficult. Did
you recognize?
She’s Freida Price, secretary
in the office of Firestone’s Gas
tonia factory manager Philip R.
Williams. Freida has been on
this job five years; worked in
Main Office accounting for two
years before that. She lives in
Fern Forest, Gastonia.
FIRESTONE
SCHOLARSHIP
Barry At ECU
Barry R. Robinson of Gastonia
is a student at East Carolina
University, studying toward a
The textile rate of giving in
1968, when it was also the na
tion’s industrial leader in con
tributing to community causes,
was 1.5 percent of income before
taxes.
Next-highest to textiles in
rate of giving were the primary
metals industry, followed by the
clay and glass industries, then
paper products.
The Conference Board is an
independent, non-profit business
research organization which
conducts research in the fields
of business economics and busi
ness management.
WHENCE came the name of
Bowling Green, S. C.? It doesn’t
even have a bowling alley, much
less a green.
Postmaster Tom Ed Jackson
says:
“Back in the 1800s an old
mule trader came down from
Kentucky. He was from Bowl
ing Green and the folks here
liked that name.
“Don’t know if that story is
true, since it’s not recorded any
where to my knowledge,” said
Jackson.
Green Blair Dulin, a longtime
citizen of the community, be
lieves this to be a correct version
of how the town was named. He
went on:
“That old mule trader was
from Bowling Green, Ky., and
our town was named for his
town—and in a way, in his hon
or.”
major in music therapy.
He and Charles Melvin Willis
of Bowling Green, Ky., won
Firestone College Scholarships
last year. Charles is majoring
in physics-astronomy at Western
Kentucky University.
OTHERS from Firestone Tex
tiles Company families in col
lege on company scholarships
are Samuel Rhyne, sophomore
at University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill; and Laura Ann
Hall, sophomore at Duke Uni
versity, Durham.
March 1 was closing date for
the 1974 Firestone scholarship
grants program.
Each scholarship, awarded to
sons and daughters of Firestone
employees, pays up to $1,400 to
state-supported colleges and
universities; and $2,800 a year
at privately-operated institu
tions. Scholarships are renew
able annually up to four years.
Selection of the 1974 scholar
ship awards is now in process at
the company’s Akron headquar
ters. Winners will be notified
by early May.
Dale Ritter, Firestone Diversi
fied products safety engineer
from Akron, Ohio, spoke at the
award presentation.
SC Museum
Of Education
Do you have an old Webster’s
Blueback Spelling Book? A
Baby Ray Primer ... an antique
piece of school equipment . . .
an old school photo?
Old school books, report cards,
school furniture and photos of
early schools and colleges are
some of the items being sought
for the South Carolina Museum
of Education being set up within
the College of Education at the
University of South Carolina.
The museum, expected to
open in late 1974, is planned as
a learning and resource center
for students and educators, and
as a general historical collection.
It will provide insight into the
development of education in the
U.S., with emphasis on South
Carolina.
While the museum seeks per
manent donations, items on loan
also will be accepted. Contribu
tions (tax-deductible) are made
to the museum through the Uni
versity Education Foundation.
For additional information,
contact Dr. William S. Savage,
College of Education of USC,
Columbia, S.C. 29208.
Suggestions
• From Page 1
Last year’s goal of 500 sug
gestions per 1,000 employees at
every plant and savings of at
least $1.3 million for the com
pany were met and surpassed,
reported H. Bruce Palmer, man
ager of the company’s sug
gestion system. He said:
“Even though our suggestion
program has improved rapidly
over the past few years, we
must make every effort to con
tinue to improve it — to en
courage every employee to turn
in ideas.”
Fabric—Not Fire
A grade-school student in
Garden City, Kan., wanted some
information on Firestone Tex
tiles Company and its product—
tire fabric. This is a reproduc
tion of the letter front as it
reached the Gastonia plant. The
student got his requested in
formation and some samples of
fibers, tire cord and fabrics.