I^ire^tone
Textiles Company
JULY • 1976
Gastonia Bennettsville Borvling Green
North Carolina South Carolina Kentucky
Bicentennial Theme
• Suzanne Powell (left) and her
sister Donna like the Continent
al Soldier design which Boy
Scout Troop 9 'painted onto' a
fire hydrant in front of the Fire
stone Gastonia plant.
In keeping with the Bicenten
nial, the Scout troop decorated
this one at West Second and
Dalton and another one in Boy
Scout uniform in front of Loray
Baptist Church on West Frank
lin Boulevard. Loray Church
sponsors Troop 9. Suzanne and
Donna have a half-brother, Tom
Cook, who is a unit operator in
Nylon Treating at Firestone.
£NERGY-USE
Conservation 14.41 Per Cent
• • A 14.41 per cent reduction was achieved in Firestone
Textiles. Company’s energy-use conservation for the second
quarter of fiscal 1975-76—the months of February, March
and April. The savings figure for the first quarter (Nov.
1975-Jan. 1976) was 11.22.
Guido MartineUi, industrial
engineer and energy conserva
tion coordinator for the division,
noted that the second quarter
figure slightly exceeds the goal
(13 per cent) aimed for by 1980.
The 14.41 per cent reduction
involved the plants at Gastonia,
N.C.; Bennettsville, S.C.; Bowl
ing Green, Ky.; three plants at
Woodstock, Canada, and the fab
ric-treating operation at the
Firestone Memphis, Tenn., tire-
building facility.
RATE OF energy savings is
based on number of British
Thermal Units (BTUs) it takes
to produce and process a yard of
fabric.
T. W. Fisher Jr., of the com
pany’s Energy Utilization Akron
office, points out that the 14.41
reduction in energy use repre
sents an annual savings of $657,-
750, figured at utility and fuel
prices as of late June.
“It’s good that you have reach
ed your 1976 goal already,”
wrote Fisher, “and I hope you
will continue to reduce energy
consumption as a regular thing.”
What did we do to reach this
point of energy savings? Among
major things at the different
plants, Martinelli points to. . .
• Boiler modification and two-
zone polyethylene pre-tension
dip processing in the Gastonia
treating unit.
• Belt change on twister
frames and modification in treat
ing unit at Bowling Green.
• Alterations in the air-wash
conditioning system at Bennetts
ville.
Also making a big difference
Nine ‘New
Schedules’
• Evelyn Mayfield started
working at the Gastonia
Firestone plant in 1937. She,
a technician in Quality Con
trol laboratory, is one of nine
at Gastonia to ‘close out’ ca
reers in recent weeks.
Next to Evelyn’s 40-years length of service was
Opal Bradley of TC Twisting with 28 years and 3
months; then Elizabeth Howell, also of TC Twist
ing, 26 years.
Ralph Dalton ‘was done’ with his work in the
Shop, finishing 25 years and 5 months; and for
Ruth Wilson of Quality Control: 21 years and 4
months.
With 20 years and 19 months: James Hawkins of
TC Twisting; and Jerry Edwards, also of TC Twist
ing, 20 years and 7 months. For Sarvis Bell of TC
Twisting: 17 years and 5 months; and Kathleen
Jolly, 16 years and 10 months.
Textile Industry
Energy-Saving
United effort by textile
employees and management
to substantially cut down on
their companies’ energy con
sumption is proving success
ful. A recent Department of
Commerce report shows that
the textile industry — rank
ing 10th in annual energy
consumption by U.S. indus
tries—achieved a 6.6 percent
improvement in energy effi
ciency during the final six
months of 1975 over the same
period in 1973.
Said the report: Improvement
resulted from energy conserva
tion techniques and higher pro
duction levels. Some steps tex
tile companies took to raise ef
ficiency were careful scheduling
of production, insulation of fa
cilities, use of heat-capturing
equipment, lowering thermo
stats, changes in production
techniques, and reducing speeds
of company-owned vehicles.
About 80 companies of all
sizes report monthly to the en-
ergy-conservation program con
ducted by American Textile
Manufacturers Institute (ATMI),
the industry’s central trade asso
ciation.
The commerce department
notes that the textile industry
was one of the earliest to parti
cipate in the government’s in-
dustrial energy-conservation
program.
in energy savings is the careful
management of all electric-con-
sumer operations at Gastonia,
Bowling Green, Bennettsville,
Woodstock; and Memphis treat
ing units.
July Bonds
Promotion
Almost 10 million buyers
of U.S. Savings Bonds “are
laying a third-Century cor
nerstone by contributions to
the strength, prosperity and
free enterprise that is
‘America’s Spirit of 1976.’ ”
There’ll be lots more before
the summer is over.
Firestone is among the more
than 40,000 companies that offer
payroll purchase of U.S. Savings
Bonds.
July 19-30 the company will
conduct the annual Savings
Bonds Campaign in all its U.S.
facilities. This emphasis "will
support the nation's Bicentennial
offer of an ideal time for each
of us to 'Take Stock in Ameri
ca,' " said F. A. Wahl, company
general campaign chairman.
Goal for the 12-day Bonds
promotion: Sign up at least 50
percent of all non-subscribers at
each location, and obtain in
creased allotments from at least
50 per cent of those already en
rolled.
He Changed Jobs
• John V. Darwin has devoted more
than 40 years to business and indus
try. His retirement from Firestone at
Gastonia was just a shift in work—
from textiles to real estate. But he
has more freedom in his schedule
now, and likely as not whenever he
takes a notion, he’ll go fishing, play
golf or travel some.
"Mr.D" spent 32 years and 8
months with Firestone Textiles
Company, retiring July 1. He
had been administrative assist
ant to division president James
B. Call since 1970.
A native of Gaffney, S C., Dar
win was graduated from Gaff
ney High School in 1930 and
from Duke University in 1933.
He returned to his hometown for
two years’ work with a govern
ment agency, then in 1935
moved to McColl, S.C. There he
taught chemistry and math in
the public school. After a year
in teaching, he went into indus
try with Marlboro Cotton Mills,
remaining with the Bennetts
ville company to early 1939.
THEN HE MOVED to Gaston
ia to work as manager of ac
counts with Akers Motor Lines
for nearly five years. In Novem
ber 1943 he joined Firestone to
be in charge of accounts for the
Bennettsville plant which the
company had just purchased
from Marlboro Cotton Mills.
His promotion as chief ac
countant of the Gastonia plant
came within a few months. His
next job for several years was
as sales manager of sales yarn
in the “Cotton Days” of the
plant’s history.
When the late Harold Mercer
became president of the textile
division in 1966, Darwin was
promoted to general manager of
the Gastonia plant. He was in
(More on page 3)
Three Air Shows
Firestone air shows at three
family entertainment centers
will continue through Labor
Day: Carowinds near Charlotte,
N.C.; Kings Island near Cincin
nati, Ohio; and Kings Dominion
at Ashland, Va.
Performances of "The Great
est Show Off The Earth" at all
three parks feature two biplanes,
a three-person skydiving team
and an 80-foot balloon. Shows
are each evening at Kings Is
land and Kings Dominion; and
on week-end evenings at Caro
winds.
• Gearldine Woodburry is a loom knotter
at Firestone Textiles Company’s Bennetts
ville, S. C. plant. Gearldine doesn’t really
knot looms, but knots warp cords from new
ly-filled creels as one of the last operations
before start-up for weaving. After knotting
is completed, the loom starter manipulates
the warp through eyeboards and reeds of
the loom, putting in a short trial run of
filling. Then the cloth doffer removes the
start-up end. If all has gone well, the weav
er takes over “to let the loom roll on.”
Gearldine marked her 30th work anniversary with Fire
stone in June. Her husband, George Woodberry is a shift
foreman.
SHE
KNOTS
WARP
CORDS