I^tresfone
Textiles Company
JULY • 1977
Gastonia Bennettsville Bojvling Green
North Carolina South Carolina Kentucky
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Honor Graduate
Jacqueline Beth Wyatt was
second in the top five honor
graduates of Warren East High
School, Bowling Green, Ky., this
year. Jackie, a 1977 recipient of
a Firestone company scholarship
worth up to $12,000, recorded a
grade-point average 3.986 at
Warren East.
On the Firestone scholarship
this fall, she will study for a
¥> *1 ^
Claypool, Division Personnel Manager RetiLd
Several
Firestone
office
people
dressed
old-style
for a day
Ihe last
week of
the great
er Gas
tonia
Centen
nial ob
servance
in May.
In this group from Main Office and Process & Product Devel
opment (front and from left): Susan Costner, Bill Calhoun, Nova
Lowe, Sandra Fewell; (second) Mary Ann Jackson, Serita Parks,
Gail Cook, B.R. Farmer: (back) John Owens and David Buchanan.
Jeff C. Claypool, textiles
division personnel manager
since June 15, joined Fire
stone in June, 1970, with the
company’s corporate train
ing program of the Akron,
OWo, headquarters.
After one and a half years
there, he transferred to the
Firestone Decatur, 111., plant as
assistant personnel manager.
In early 1974, Claypool went
to the New Castle, Ind., plant
as personnel manager and in
December that year, to Bowling
Green, Ky., as personnel man
ager.
THE NEW division personnel
manager and his wife Karen
are natives of Mansfield, Ohio.
He received a degree in psy
chology from Grove City (Pa.)
College in 1970 and the MA de
gree in counseling from West
ern Kentucky University, Bowl
ing Green, in May this year.
Mr. and Mrs. Claypool have a
daughter, Kelley, 6; and a son,
Scott, 2.
☆ ☆
☆
“In appreciation for 38 years
of service with The Firestone
Tire & Rubber Company,” reads
the plaque which the company
headquarters presented to Al
vin V. Riley in Akron a few
days before he retired June 30.
The Firestone Textiles Com
pany division personnel man
ager came from his native Cam
den, S.C., to begin work at the
Gastonia plant Oct. 25, 1939.
HIS FIRST job in old cotton
carding was in production. Be
fore he left the department, he
had moved up to section, then
shift, supervisor. Next, to Qual-
Firestone Air Shows
AT THREE
PARKS
career in mathematics/computer
science, entering Western Ken
tucky University this fall.
Jackie is the daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Travis C. Wyatt of Rt.
4, Smiths Grove, Ky. Her father
works in the fabric-treating unit
at Firestone Textiles’ Bowling
Green plant.
Another honor Jackie received
at graduation time: She shared
with three other students in
$1,000 of scholarship funds spon
sored by the Bowling Green
Women’s Club.
The company first sponsored
an aerial act, “The Greatest
Shows Off the Earth,” at Kings
Island in 1974. The shows were
extended to the sister park,
Kings Dominion in 1975 and to
Carowinds last year.
At each of the three parks,
shows feature two biplanes, a
diving team and a hot-air bal
loon. There are performances
each evening at Kings Island
and Kings Dominion, and on
Truckin’
400,000
Miles A Year
Three new International Har
vester TransStar tractors and 9
new Fruehauf trailers make up
the rolling stock of Firestone
Textiles Company’s Control De
livery System.
DRIVERS & SUPERVISOR
From front and left: Roy Ham
ilton, Bob Collins, Reid Moore,
Olin McClain and Mitch Tickle.
McClain is Gastonia CDS super
visor.
The four drivers who operate
the service in and out of Gas
tonia have logged millions of
miles and multiplied thousands
of hours road time without an
accident along the way. Each
year they “roll up” some 400,000
miles.
R.K. “Bob” Collins, Reid
Moore, Mitch Tickle and Roy
Hamilton usually make 6 runs
a week. Reid and Roy travel to
Akron and Barberton, Ohio,
with a stop at Wilson, N.C. on
return. Bob and Mitch haul
mostly to Pottstown, Pa., to
Wilson, with sometimes a side
trip to Hopewell, Va.
ON RUNS north, they carry
fabric from Gastonia; and re
turning, bring tires, mill stock
and other material. The trips
are mainly over Interstates 77,
85 and 95. Drivers work under
direction of John Murawski,
traffic manager at the plant
since late 1975. He worked 5
years in Akron before coming
to Gastonia. Olin McClain, CDS
supervisor, had 12 years truck
ing experience in Charlotte be
fore coming with Firestone in
1975.
ity Control as supervisor of in
spection.
In 1956 he moved to Indus
trial Relations as safety direc-
This seas,on Firestone is again sponsoring air shows at
three family-entertainment theme parks: Kings Island near
Cincinnati, Kings Dominion near Richmond, Va., and Caro
winds near Charlotte, N.C.
weekends at Carowinds. The air
shows are used at other times
for out-of-park events.
Kings Island, Kings Dominion
and Carowinds are open daily
through Labor Day.
☆ ☆ ☆
Employees at Gastonia, Ben
nettsville and Bowling Green
are being offered discount-ad-
mission coupons this season to
Kings Island, Kings Dominion
and Carowinds.
Driver Collins is the original
operator, joining the system
when it started in March, 1971.
He has a 10-year safety record.
Moore, with the company 4
years, also has a 10-year safety
record. Hamilton and Tickle
joined the truck service in Feb
ruary this year. All the drivers
had other trucking experience
before work with Firestone.
Tractors and trailers are
leased from Ruan Leasing Com
pany. Wind deflectors and non
ribbed sides reduce drag. All
these features work an average
2 miles-per-gallon fuel saving
over equipment in earlier serv
ice. The rate now is 6 mpg.
• Alvin V. Riley (left), divi-
s i o n personnel manager, re
tired; and Jeff Claypool, new
manager.
tor; in 1959 to employee rela
tions manager a year later. He
had been textiles division per
sonnel manager since January,
1970.
His many contributions in
community service include Boy
Scout leadership (Silver Beaver
Award), International Manage
ment Club (charter member),
YMCA; personnel and safety
organizations. He is a past
chairman of Gaston County
Democratic party.
Mr. and Mrs. (Ruby) Riley
have a daughter and a son;
Beverly (Mrs. Neil) Marlow of
Hickory and Van of Greens
boro. Mrs. Riley is retired from
Firestone TC Twisting.
To Beautify
Lineberger Park
Variety Garden Club contrib
uted $167 to the continuing
maintenance beautification pro
gram of Lineberger Park, Gas
tonia. The money was profit
from concession sales at the an
nual Lineberger Mayday in the
Park.
The club was organized in the
late 1950s as Variety Garden
Club of Firestone and was for
several years company-spon
sored as a part of the plant’s
recreation activities. The mem
bership is still mostly Firestone
retired people, or employee-
retirees’ family members.