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Gastonia
North Carolina
JANUARY 1976
Bennettsmlle Bowling Green • Kentucky
South Carolina
Textiles Company
1975, ending Oct. 31. Savings
were $2,016,792 in 1974.
It was the fifth straight year
of increases in total savings,
award payments, number of
suggestions submitted and sug
gestions adopted.
Firestone’s suggestion pro
gram dates to 1918—one of the
oldest in American industry.
Corporate Suggestions man
ager H. Bruce Palmer noted that
during 1975, 38,459 suggestions
were turned in by factory em
ployees for a participation rate
TCW Department Manager
Richard Harrison became department manager of TC
Weaving in the Gastonia plant, Jan. 1. He succeeds Carl
Rape, who retired. Harrison, with Firestone nearly seven
years, is a graduate of North Carolina State University with
a degree in textile technology.
The department manager, and their daughter Emily live
from Thomasville, N.C., joined on Lynhaven Drive in Gastonia.
Carl Rape
From card
lender to
department
manager.
Firestone at Gastonia in June
1969 as a shift foreman in TC
Weaving. Three years later he
was advanced to general fore
man of the department, the as
signment he held until his most
recent promotion.
Harrison has been active in
the plant United Way campaigns
and YMCA membership drives.
He has been a member of Inter
national management Club of
YMCA; is a member of the Gas
tonia Evening Lions Club.
He and Mrs. Harrison (Jane)
A Thought
for the New Year • Plato, ancient Greek philosopher and
sludent of Socrates, said "You can't step into the same river
twice."
sucMsiwMs 7Q0 Per 1,000 Persons
Goals for the company’s Suggestion Program in
fiscal 1976: $3 million savings and an average of 700
suggestions per 1,000 plant employees.
Setting these aims follow
ed a record savings of $2,-
712,461 reported for the sug
gestion program in fiscal
of 672 suggestions per 1,000 em
ployees. Factory and non-fac-
tory employees submitted a total
39,269 ideas.
Last fiscal year’s performance
well exceeded the goals set for
the program at the beginning of
that year. The goal was $2.2 mil
lion savings and 650 suggestions
per 1,000 plant employees. Said
Palmer;
“Suggestion totals for 1975 in
dicate that employee interest in
the program continues to grow
and that the quality of ideas
continues to improve. It also
shows that the program has re
ceived strong support from su
pervisors and managers through
out the Firestone organization.”
20 With 5 Years
• •In late 1975, 20 em
ployees at Bowling Green
completed 5-year service
records with the company.
Their names and depart
ments:
Wilbur Madison, Royce
Watson, Cecil Beckner,
Barbara Prunty, Glenda
Watson, Paul Dunning,
Victor Taylor and Elaine
Lawrence—all Twisting.
Betty Williams, Melvin
Lindsey. Jerry Chapman,
Janice Sue Dunning, Jer
vis Childress, Dorothy
Dunning, Jessie Hooten—
Weaving.
Gary Cowles, Roger
Beckhan, Steve Wilson—
Treating Unit. Mike El
liott — Quality Control.
Ricky Arnold — Mainten
ance.
They each received the
5 - y e a r Firestone service
pin.
THE LOOMFIXER had lunch
the other day at a cafe in the
West Gastonia, Firestone plant
community. 'Vittles" were tasty.
Another thing that took his in
terest were several word spell
ings on the menu board:
SANDWITCHES LARG EGGS
SASAGE L E T T U C CHEE'S
BERGER (With Tomoto: 5^ EX
TAR.
He Went To ^Jordan’ And Came Back
George Hill “went down to
the Banks of the Jordan” last
month, but some fellow
workers acted quickly to
keep him from “crossing to
the Other Side.”
George is a carpenter. He and
other Shop carpenters Thomas
Turner and Ted Williams, and
electrician Jack McCarter were
working on a construction pro
ject at the west end of the Gas
tonia mill.
With shovels, George and
Ted were digging separate holes
for footing of concrete pillars.
Scott, noticing that George had
suddenly disappeared, ran over
to find him collapsed head-down
in the hole. Apparently dead.
Scott and Ted quickly lifted
him to the surface, where Thom
as gave mouth-to-mouth breath
ing aid while plant nurse Peggy
Lovelace was on her way with
oxygen.
Then the rush to Gaston Me
morial Hospital and on to Char
lotte Memorial Hospital. George
was able to go home after a brief
stay and went back on his job
the Monday following Christ
mas.
“They didn’t find out what
happened to me,” said George.
“I know one thing—I’m glad to
be on this Side. And I’m mighty
thankful to everyone who help
ed to keep me from going. .
They attend Covenant United
Methodist Church, where he is
a member of the church’s ad
ministrative board.
Carl Rape Retired
Carl Rape and his wife Leila
have been preparing for retire
ment for years and years. That’s
the way to do it, they’ll tell you.
Part of the preparation, they
say, is to develop several special
interests and get experience in
lots of worthwhile projects that
will carry over to ‘great adven
ture’ after your main career is
finished.
Carl retired as department
manager of TC Weaving at Gas
tonia Dec. 31, with 38 years and
i
Richard
Harrison
of TC
Weaving
3 months service. When Leila
retired from her Quality Control
inspecting job two years ago,
she had 37 years and 7 months.
Together, they have almost 76
years—and that could be a hus-
band-wife Firestone record at
Gastonia. • More on Page 3
Work With A Purpose
SPECIAL
MERIT
For the past 19 years. Jack
W. Faile has taken a week
vacation during Christmas
season and devoted it to
working with the Salvation
Army and the Empty Stock
ing Fund.
The bobbin changer in TC
Twisting has been with Fire
stone more than 30 years and all
along, managing people-helping
projects off the job.
A working member of the
Gastonia Salvation Army Cita
del on Airline Avenue, Jack
serves his church in various ca
pacities. He is director of the
SA Christmas aid program, and
a teacher of a Sunday school
class of youngsters, ages 12-14.
His mother, Mrs. Bessie Faile,
is retired from Firestone. A
brother, Doyle, is a tape bonder
in TC Twisting.
Over the recent holidays. Jack
served in different ways in the
aid-to-needy program, ending
with helping to pass out food,
dinner checks, toys and other
items to members of 750 fami
lies. The Salvation Army pur
chased gifts through its aid pro
gram and the Empty Stocking
Fund promoted each year by the
Gastonia Gazette.
Jack’s involvement in his
church and the Empty Stocking
Fund is a living demonstration
of the Salvation Army’s motto
“With Heart to God and Hand to
Man”
☆ ☆ ☆
In Gastonia Guard Armory •
Jack Faile (left) with another
volunteer, Eddie Area, helped to
distribute gifts to 750 needy
families at Christmas time.