Ttre$tone
Textiles Company
Gastonia
North Carolina
MARCH 1975
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iSoutb Carolina
That’s
Great!
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• Plaque representing upwards of 5 million
people hours operation without a chargeable in
jury was presented by Firestone Textiles Com
pany to employees of the Bennettsville plant.
Bennettsville More Than Nine Years
Saietv
• • “In industrial safety, I don’t like the term
•record’ in its usual sense—going out to make a show
ing. But when a record symbolizes the real care, effort
and doing of safe performance at work—that’s great!”
safety-recognition day, Feb. 12.
The program took note of
Bennettsville Firestone people's
Firestone Textiles Com
pany president James B. Call
told Bennettsville people
“Your outstanding record is
a monument to the good at
titude of each person on the
job taking care of himself
and herself — consequently
each other.”
The division president spoke
to the staff and guests at a
luncheon and later to the peo
ple on the job during the plant’s
9 years on-job operation free of
a chargeable injury. That time
represents more than 4,400,000
people-production hours of safe
operation.
Former Bennettsville plant
manager Ralph King also spoke
at the luncheon. He is now di
vision general factory manager.
King, Mr. Call; R. E. Mack, the
BOWLING
GREEN
‘All-Kentucky City’
Bowling Green earned its
second consecutive “All-Ken-
tucky City” award from the
Kentucky Chamber of Com
merce, it being among 28
cities honored with the
award for 1974. Nearly 100
communities entered the an
nual competition.
If Bowling Green should earn
the award for the third time
within the 5-year period, it
would qualify for the “All-Ken-
tucky City Hall of Fame.”
Hall of Fame awards for 1974
went to 3 cities. Besides these
and the “All-Kentucky City”
awards presented at an early-
1975 luncheon, the State Cham
ber of Commerce presented cer
tificates of excellence to 20
communities, honorable mention
to 27 others and certificates of
participation (for above-average
results in community develop
ment) to 4 communities.
Entries consist of written re
ports on various facets of com
munity development and citizen
participation, the reports supple
mented by slide and tape pre
sentations.
The Bowling Green report
which brought the All-City
award illustrated accomplish
ments in the community from
Oct. 1973 to Sept. 30 of 1974.
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"The textile industry in this
country is the most modern and
most productive in the world
and our workforce is the best.
UW^ Award Of Excellence
Firestone Textiles Company Gastonia plant was among
the 20 industries, businesses and institutions receiving the
1974-75 United Way of Gaston County Award of Excellence.
The award recognizing outstanding participation in and
contribution to the United Way, is the highest UW honor.
It was presented at the UW $49,640.47 toward support of 32
Here (from left): James B. Call, division presi
dent; and Bennettsville employees Boag Smith,
Margaret McCaskill, Freddy Stubbs, Howard
Herndon and Vera Joyce Lloyd.
Gastonia safety manager, and
other Gastonia staff members
shared in the program. Local
guests were Bennettsville Mayor
Hollis and other civic and pro
fessional leaders. Special guest
was E. F. Sweeney, retired Ben
nettsville plant manager.
During the day, people at
work on all shifts were served
a barbecue meal.
Forsyth Promoted
John R. Forsyth is general
foreman in Warehouse & Ship
ping, Bowling Green plant. His
promotion came in January.
John has been with Firestone
at Bowling Green since July of
1968. In February, 1969 he was
transferred to the salaried job
of shift foreman in Weaving.
The Forsyths have a daughter,
Rhoda, 10, who attends Bristow
Elementary School.
Red Cross Bloodmobile re
ceived 167 pints blood on Feb
ruary visit to Firestone Com
munity, Gastonia.
annual meeting and luncheon
earlier this year. In the most
recent United Way funding cam
paign, Firestone people pledged
ACS Information
Sunday In April
The American Cancer Society
Gaston County Unit will con
duct a county-wide campaign
the last Sunday in April to dis
tribute educational materials to
homes. Some 2,000 volunteer
workers will help in the mass
distribution of materials, so
every family in the county can
have information on early warn
ing signs of cancer.
Crusade chairman is Roland
Lanier. Co-chairpersons are Mrs.
Myrtle Collette and her sister
Mrs. Eula Wilson (Firestone Re
tirees) for the City of Gastonia
portion of the effort. Chairing
the crusade for other communi
ties in the county is Mrs. Lois
Owens.
• More on Page 2
people-helping services.
At the annual meeting. Fire
stone Textiles Company presi
dent James B. Call presented to
Tom D. Efird the Harold Mercer
Award, recognizing him as out
going 1974-75 president of Unit
ed Way of Gaston.
THE AWARD, presented each
year to the retiring UW presi
dent, is sponsored by Firestone
in memory of Mr. Mercer, one of
the founders of the United Way-
type program of community
service in the country.
Mr. Mercer was associated
with the Firestone company in
Gastonia for more than 36 years
—as plant general manager and
as textile division president at
the time of his retirement. His
widow, Lucia Mercer, was recog
nized during the awards presen
tation.
Philip R. Williams, Firestone
factory manager, is one of 13
newly-elected members of the
board of directors of United
Way of Gaston County.
With these assets and with pru
dent management, the industry
should remain relatively stable
through this economic slow
down." —Robert P. Timmerman,
president of South Carolina Tex
tile Manufacturers Association.
"Some yecurs ago, one of my
work associates told me that
'retirement is something you
talk about but it never comes.'
If she were still here today. I'd
tell her that it does. Time's got
to pass, and if you stay on the
job, retirement will surely come.
. . . I'm going to enjoy it! —Miss
Marguerite Styers, speaking at
a luncheon in her honor when
she retired from Firestone at
Gastonia, Feb. 14.
From Scant
To Full . . .
• In splicing reclaiming, short
"mill-end" lengths of plied tire
cord are transferred from small
or scant spools to full spools
suitable for creeling and weav
ing into fabric.
Length of cord on full spools ranges from 5,000 to
10,000 yards. Spliced ends are overlapped and sewn on
the machines.
Joyce A. (Mrs. Raymond) Younce is a splicer operator-
reclaimer in Preparation. She has been with Firestone
at Gastonia since October of 1973.