\ % Variety In Holiday Music A good mix of holiday songs sung and played by pop. country and folk arlisls—that's the Firestone "Christmas America, Album Two" recording available this season for $1.29 at Firestone Stores and dealers. This is the 9th year the company has offered a holiday record album. This yecir's stereo version compares in quality with those retailing for as much as $5.98. Album selections: "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" and "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" by Bing Crosby, "'Christmas Wishes" by Anne Murray, Glen Campbell's "It Must Be Getting Close to Christmas," "Santa Claus and Popcorn" by Merle Haggeird, "Silver Bells" by Fred Waring & the Pennsylvanians and Wayne New ton's version of "Silent Night." Also Nat King Cole sings "The First Noel," "Mr. and Mrs. Snowman" is sung by Roy Clark, followed by "What Will the New Year Bring" by Donna Fargo and the Lettermen's "O Holy Night." The Capitol album includes medleys of songs about Christmas and America by the Hollywood Pops Orches tra & Choir. Retirement Course Finished Firestone’s first group of employees have participated in a pre-retirement course in evening classes at Gaston Community College. The 7- week course which ended in early November, was ar ranged and started by Hugh Brower of Drake University. Firestone people (employees and or spouses) who participat ed: Robert and Minnie Kilby, Eula Wilson (now retired), John and Rosie Fletcher, A. V. Riley, Marguerite S t y e r s , Roy and Christine Davis, Lennell and Nell Keenum, Ralph and Evelyn Dalton, George and Ramelle High and Margaret Whitener. Firestone people were first in the Gastonia area to be involved in the “getting ready for a sec ond career” program. The com pany requested it for Gaston College after Firestone in other parts of the country was suc cessful with the plan. More on page 2 Six Basketball Teams Bowling Green Six teams are in the Firestone Textiles basketball league for the 1974-75 season at Bowling Green. The teams, from A, C, D and E Crews, Maintenance, Warehouse & Treating, are named Astros, Chapparrals, Demons, Flyers. Hogs and Ware house. The season play opened Nov. 15 and will extend to late Feb ruary. After league play of 10 scheduled games there will be a round-robin tournament be tween the teams. The Firestone employees league is sanctioned and con trolled by the Bowling Green- Warren County Athletic Asso ciation. PEOPLE OF FIRESTONE TEXTILES COMPANY In the spirit of the time of year when lue celebrate the Miracle of the Manger, I wish for everyone a warm Christmas Season. May its message live anew and bring you joy. And may the season be filled with a spirit of Love and Peace which will continue throtighout the New Year of 1975. James B. Call • President Early Start George W. Wilson joined the company work force at Gastonia 3 months ago, is a cleaner learn er in TC Twisting. Sometimes he has opportunity to learn dof fing. He is 16 years old. DECEMBER • 1974 Firestone Textiles Company GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA BENNETTSVILLE SOUTH CAROLINA BOWLING GREEN KENTUCKY ☆ ☆ Carl Wilson, George's father, is a loom starter in TC Twisting. Mrs. Wilson (Kay) is a respooler operator in TC Twisting also. Carl and Kay began working at Firestone a few weeks before their son did. The Wilsons live in Lowell. Off-Job Safety Month More accidents happen in December than in any other month. • More traffic accidents • More home fires, more falls, accidents with toys, more accidental poisonings... For these reasons, Firestone every December stresses off-job safety. Figures gathered in the company’s safety department show that in a typical month, injuries taking place away from the job far outnumber on-job injuries. The company is vitally in terested in its people 24 hours of every day—not just while at work in factory, store, or wher ever else the job may be. CHIEF REASON for the December emphasis, says the safety department, is the reduc tion of pain and suffering to employees and their loved ones. And there are other sound rea sons: • Stressing off-job safety cuts down on wage loss and medical expenses which inevitably come to the worker as a result of lost time injuries. • It reduces absenteeism from the job, while increasing pro duction efficiency. That means better earning power. • Stressing safety this way helps to carry over an awareness for safety throughout the year. Marlboro CB Radio Club The first monthly meeting of the CB (Citizens' Band) Radio Club in Marlboro County, S.C.. was held at the Firestone Tex tiles Recreation Building Nov. 16. At this meeting the club so licited members and talked 'shop' around an evening meal of pork barbecue and chicken bog. Organized this fall, the CB Club began with 75 members, including some Firestone peo ple from the Bennettsville plant. Purpose of the club is to furn ish emergency radio communi cation as a people-community service. Christmas was first observed in England around the year A.D. 521, during the reign of King Arthur.