Od
The Autumn
was so gloriously atlired
in orange, scarlet, gold
and russet brown. . .
Bennettsville
South Carolina
Alma
Childress
Brown
Gastonia
North Carolina
Bowling Green • Kentucky
l^ire^tone
Textiles Ccmpany
27,664
Suggestions
First Nine Months
Employees of the Firestone company turned in 27,664
suggestions in the first nine months of the fiscal year which
began last November. That was the greatest number ever
turned in during a similar period in Firestone’s suggestion
program 57-year history.
products, Firestone Textiles
Company’s Bennettsville plant
was second in rate of sugges
tions turned in. People there
submitted 496 ideas during the
nine-month period.
20 SERVICES
Marlboro UF
A goal of $54,000 to aid 20
participating commiuiity
agencies is being sought in
the 1975-76 Marlboro County
(SC) United Fund Drive. The
funding program began Sept.
29.
Firestone, Bennettsville, plant
manager Edwin E. Fuller was
1974-75 president of the Marl
boro County UF, and this year
is co-assistant in the county ef
fort with the Industrial Division.
The Bennettsville plant is aim
ing for 100 per-cent participa
tion and Fair Share contribu
tions. Employees have been 100
per-cent participants for a num
ber of years. Last year, 74 per
cent were Fair Share contribu
tors.
Chairing the current plant UF
campaign are Frances Fletcher,
senior clerk in Payroll; Ezra W.
Perkins, Department manager;
M. D. Coleman, Laboratory and
Safety supervisor.
ed others for the programmed
tour by bus. It was Carl’s first
trip of this kind, but Nellie’s
second. In Summer of 1974 she
went on a bus tour of New Eng
land and Nova Scotia.
Number of suggestions up to
beginning of August of fiscal
1975 was up nearly 5 per cent
over the 26,373 in the same peri
od of 1974.
John T. Cahoon, vice presi
dent of personnel and planning,
attributed the increased partici
pation to company-wide em
phasis on encouraging employ
ees to help find job-related cost
reductions.
OF THE NEARLY 28,000 ideas
shared, 6,337 were adopted and
put to use by the company, re
sulting in corporate savings
amounting to a little more than
$2 million as of late Summer.
Of chemicals and raw materi
als facilities under diversified
‘Wish You Could
Have Gone Along'
Nellie and Carl Stowe Sr. re
turned home to Gastonia in mid-
September from a 10-day group
tour which took them through
the eastern Midwest and on to
the North Country of Minnesota
and Wisconsin.
Their “fartherest-up” stop was
at the Dells of the Wisconsin
(River) which has cut a gorge
through sandstone and carved it
into caves, pinnacles and curious
shapes beautifully-colored.
The touring group saw a lot
of other interesting things along
the way.
Mrs. Stowe is retired from
Industrial Relations of Firestone,
Gastonia. Mr. Stowe is a retired
electrical contractor. They join-
They’re Generous
With ‘Life’
• • Donors with one gallon or
more blood given through col
lections at the Firestone Ben
nettsville plant. Front (from
left): Otis W. Frye, shift fore
man; Lemont F. Williams, Main
tenance foreman; George Wood-
berry. Section supervisor; and
Back (from left): Jasper M.
OCTOBER
Autumn Hills
In the processional of seasons,
the great wheel of Earth has
turned and from now until Dec.
22, it will be tilted away from
the sun. Each day will become
shorter and each night longer
until just before Christmas
(Winter solstice) when days
once again begin lengthening to
ward Spring.
• • Along NO 105, looking to
ward Grandfather Mountain,
Sugar Mountain and Hanging
Rock. Hiking and walking trails,
footpaths and backroads lead
through forested areas, to lakes.
waterfalls, overlooks and bluffs.
Grandfather Mountain's Callo
way Peak is highest point in the
Blue Ridge range of Southern
Appalachians.
Firestone News Photo.
RETIRED
George Davis was "done
for good" with changing
bobbins on frames in TC
Twisting in late Summer.
His retirement as of Aug.
1 put him on record with
32 years and 6 months com
pany service — all of it
with Firestone's Gastonia
plant.
Your UW Gift To 32 Agencies
The Firestone (Gastonia) United Way funds solicitation
which started Oct. 6 will be completed by Oct. 23. Beginning
of the employees’ giving to Gaston County United Way was
moved up from the originally-planned Sept. 29 date.
Firestone people are sharing butions as possible. As in
Sermon topic listed on Char
lotte church bulletin board: "The
Filling That Makes the Pie."
Tirestone Around The World’
in the county-wide campaign to
raise $742,000 toward operation
of 32 participating community
services.
Clyde Thomasson, shift
foreman in TC Weaving; and
Thomas A. Grant, manager
of Industrial Engineering,
are campaign chairmen. Sev
eral dozen volunteer workers
are helping.
Firestone is aiming for 100
per cent participation, with
as many Fair Share contri-
Driggers, Supply clerk; Benny
L. Hendrix, Maintenance me
chanic: William Ainsworth,
weaver.
Plant manager Edwin E. Ful
ler presented each of these don
ors a sterling silver Cross pencil
as a token of their one-gallon
contributions. M. D. Coleman,
Safety supervisor, has donated
more than a gallon of blood to
the American Red Cross Blood-
bank.
“Generations in Speed” and
“21 Days in May,” both on the
Indianapolis 500 auto race, have
been added to the stock of 16-
mm films collection in the Gas
tonia plant Industrial Relations
office.
“21 Days” is the 1974 “500”
race filmed history marking the
end of Firestone’s participation
in the Indy competition over
more than a half century.
These and the other films in
the IR library stock are avail
able free for showing to civic
clubs and other group meetings.
Many of the films on file and
still more that can be ordered
are supplied through Associa
tion-Sterling Films which dis
tributes the sound-sight produc
tions on a free-loan basis.
ONE NEW catalog of these
A-S films, “Cinema 76” . has
more than 40 titles on business,
industry and economics. Among
the titles is “Firestone Around
the World” which will be avail
able after Nov. 1 this year.
This 28-minute color produc-
t.'on presents the company and
its people, jobs, quality prod
ucts, inventories, stockholders,
customers, corporate responsi
bility, environmental engineer
ing, youth programs and com
munity involvement, in a
More on page 3 •
past years, the company is
sponsoring prizes to go to
Fair Share givers. The prizes,
which have been on display
in the factory main entrance
since Oct. 2, will be award
ed Oct. 30.
☆ ☆ ☆
Eight Services
22 Years Ago
In 1953 the first Firestone
(Gastonia) Employees’ Com
munity Fund for Charities raised
$11,696.42. The campaign con
ducted during January that year
had general plant superintend
ent Nelson Kessell as chairman.
Mr. Kessell has been retired a
number of years.
The consolidation of all chari
ty drives in 1953 introduced the
innovative practice of payroU
deduction on contributions, al
though cash gifts were accepted.
THAT FIRST United Way-
type drive received gifts for
support of eight agencies listed
on the pledge card—Salvation
Army, Cancer Fund, American
Red Cross, Boy Scouts, Girl
Scouts, Heart Foundation, March
of Dimes and U.S.O.
More on page 2*