JUNE
1974
GASTONIA
NORTH CAROLINA
'T'tresfone
Textiles Company
BENNETTSVILLE • SOUTH CAROLINA
BOWLING GREEN • KENTUCKY
☆ ☆ ☆
Gaston 1974 Firestone Scouting Award
David Hall, who won a Firestone Merit Certificate
in 1972 and 1973, is Gaston County’s 1974 winner of
the Raymond C. Firestone Award for achievement in
Boy Scouts.
David, 14, son of John and
Mrs. (Faye) Hall of Gastonia,
is a Scout First Class, holds
eight merit badges and is a
member of Order of Arrow.
His Firestone award, the com
pany’s highest honor for scout
ing, was announced at the an
nual Gaston District of Pied
mont Council Camporee in May.
The honor is represented by
the prized silver medallion, a
$100 U.S. Savings Bond and $32
toward expenses for a week ai
Schiele Scout Reservation at
Tryon, N. C.
For many years the Gastonia
Scout awards were presented at
a Firestone spring banquet. This
is the first time they were an
nounced at the camporee.
DAVID
HALL
1974
RCF
Award
The Raymond C. Firestone
Award, named for the com
pany’s board chairman, is pre
sented at major Firestone lo
cations to Boy Scouts who have
$550 For A Suggestion
William E. Hyatt at the
Bennettsville Firestone plant
received $550 for his cost-
savlngs suggestion recently.
His winning idea involves a
mechanical modification on
one type of processing equip
ment. The suggestion in use
results in a significant re
duction in material waste.
The company’s suggestion
program pays employees a per
centage of the savings from sug
gestions, up to a maximum $10,-
000. Suggestions that are not the
money-saving type are paid for
on a merit evaluation.
During the past year, 70 sug
gestion awards adding up to
more than $2,500 have been
made at the Bennettsville plant.
Coyt McLean, another employee,
was recently awarded $100 for
an idea. In late 1973, Herdith
Calhoun was awarded $800 for a
suggestion on cost-savings.
• William
Hyatt (left)
received sug
gestion payoff
from Ben
nettsville
plant manag
er E. E. Ful
ler.
outstanding records in scouting,
school, community and church
work. Besides the top honor,
there are each year a number of
Merit Certificates presented.
David was chosen from a field
of 25 applicants.
He is a member of Troop 6,
has been active in scouting since
age 8. He received all ranks in
Cub Scouts, Wolf, Bear and
Webelos, and all activity badges
in Webelos. David has served as
scribe and assistant patrol lead
er; is now patrol leader of Tiger
Patrol which has been the
troop’s honor patrol for the past
five months.
AS WINNER of a Firestone
Merit Award twice, David at
tended a week of summer camp
at Schiele Reservation in 1972
and 1973.
He is a member of First Bap
tist Church which sponsors his
troop. David is active in Sun
day school, is a member of the
chapel choir, handbell choir, a
recorder choir, and the church
softball team.
More on Page 4 «
Heard in passing by: Loom-
fixer to weaver, "The fellow
who still thinks that dirt's
cheap, surely ain't checked the
price of potting soil lately."
YMCA Drive
Beyond Goal
Firestone people helped in
volunteer leadership and in be
coming members themselves, in
the Gaston County YMCA
spring membership campaign.
The effort, which sought 2,800
renewal-new members, went
beyond—reaching 2,900.
The drive organized workers
on a basketball theme. Factory
manager Philip R. Williams was
one of the two top managers of
the Red and Blue divisions.
Thomas A. Grant, manager of
Methods & Standards, was one
of five coaches in the county.
Richard A. Harrison, general
foreman in TC Weaving; and
Ralph Reep, supervisor in
Quality Control, were captains.
For Lazy Days
Of Summer
Firestone Playground 1974
season is June 17 through Au
gust 15. Hours; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.,
Mondays through Fridays.
The Gastonia play facility,
with its wading pool the main
attraction, is in front of the
Firestone plant. The company
playground is each summer op
erated as a part of the City of
Gastonia Recreation Depart
ment’s system of parks and
playgrounds. It accommodates
children through age 12.
YOUNGSTERS who play at
the park in West Gastonia are
under supervision of personnel
who are employed by City Rec
reation.
Besides wading pool, there are
see-saws, swings, and horseshoe
pits. In recent years an added
special feature is instruction in
arts and crafts. Competition in
various areas of play and par
ticipation selects winners at sea
son’s end. This is a part of the
overall City Recreation program
of activities.
This year, as in the past two
seasons, there wiU be scheduled
nature hikes and outings to
points of interest in the Gastonia
area.
Outstanding Donors
Six Firestone Textiles people recently qualified as
“big givers” of blood in the American Red Cross Gas
ton County Gallon Club. These Firestone donors rep
resent a total 21 gallons blood donated in the RC
regional program.
John Mitchell, working construction foreman in
the Shop, led with 9 gallons donated. Lennell Kee-
num, plant waste-control manager; and Ralph Dal
ton, Shop mechanic, each have 4-gallon records.
Bobby Ray Queen, Shop pipefitter, has 2 gallons ‘to
his credit.’ Jane Dobbins, splicer reclaimer in Prep
aration; and Bertha Jolly, weaver in Chafer, each
have 1-gallon records.
‘Unless We Do A Better Job.,
Business taking affirma
tive action—not just talking
—is what’s needed to restore
public confidence in the
American economic system.
“Unless we do a better job of
making business understood and
match our words with deeds,
our ability to operate effective
ly and serve society will be
dangerously impaired,” said
Raymond C. Firestone.
The board chairman of the
Firestone company spoke before
a group of business and political
leaders, including Kentucky
Gov. Wendell Ford, May 21.
Earlier, he attended a board
of directors meeting at the
Bowling Green Firestone Tex
tiles Company plant.
OPINION POLLS show that
the public attitude toward busi
ness and industry, especially
larger corporations, has become
increasingly negative. Firestone
said.
“This presents a very serious
problem for the economy as a
More on Page 4 •
lExirLi lORE: COLOR & SPICE IN OUR SPEECH 'Gathering Wool ^ spitting Cotton'
Dyed in the wool. Smooth as silk.
Soft as velvet. All wool and a yard
wide. Getting down to brass tacks.
The Loom of Life. Spun; brocaded.
These expressions are an insepar
able part of everyday American
speech. And they had their begin
ning in textiles as an art and an in
dustry.
It’s a good bet that textiles, more
than any other art form or inciustry,
has originated more words and ex
pressions that have enriched the
English language, and other lan
guages as well. Because throughout
the world, textile terms and idioms
have added crispness and color to
the people’s speech.
LIVING in high cotton, shuttle
back and forth, you can’t pull the
wool over my eyes, gather wool
(daydream), doff your hat, cotton up
to somebody, spin a tall yarn.
These are but a few examples of
how picturesque speech from tex
tile origins have been woven and
brocaded into the English language.
A man meets his neighbor on a
country road. “How’re you, Henry?”
he inquires, “Fair to middlin’ ” is
Eb’s reply. ‘Middling’ refers to the
length of cotton staple.
OTHER examples of how textiles
have enriched the language are such
terms as spinster for unmarried
women, calico horse, distaff for
women in general, and homespun to
describe something without frills
and fancies, unrefined, homely.
Chewing the rag? It means to en
gage in inconsequential conversa
tion. And spitting cotton refers to
froth at the corner of the mouth
when speaking fast.
When we get serious and specific,
we are “getting down to brass
tacks.” What’s that to do with tex
tiles?
In the pioneer days of the Ameri
can West, merchants sold dress ma
terial and other cloth from bolts,
More on Page 3 •