SCHOLARSHIP O C
PDOCRAM X Cdi O
In The Park
• Charlotte's annucil arts and
crafts "Festival in the Park"
(Freedom Park) is Sept. 20-25.
For other events and places this
month and early October, see
"For Fun & Adventure" page 4.
GASTONIA
Service Years
• Helen I. Mason, respooler
operator; and Leonard
Green, twister operator (both
in TC Twisting), began work
ing at Firestone, Gastonia, in
August of 1942. So, last
month they received from di
vision president James B.
Call their lapel pin commem
orating 35 years service,
along with the $100 company
“appreciation gift.”
Also receiving the $100, along
with 30 and 25-year service pins:
Thirty Years • Mary N. Bo-
lick, quiller operator in Prepa
ration; Carl W. Wallace, bobbin
changer in TC Twisting.
Twenty-Five Years • Ruth H.
Carpenter, respooler operator in
TC Twisting; Charlie Robinson,
cleaner. Shop.
Too, in August, there were 13
more who received pins repre
senting 5, 10 and 15 years serv
ice.
Fifteen Years • James H. Par
sons, programmer in Data Pro
cessing.
Ten Years • Christine Branch,
beam knotter; Bobby G. Henson,
section supervisor; Mable M.
Toney, respooler operator; Jesse
C. Henson, frame changer and
Reba P. Johnson, respooler op
erator (all in TC Twisting); Bill
N. Maynard, elevator operator.
Shop; Tommy L. Lowery, shift
supervisor. Warehouse.
Five Yesurs • Ernest H. Terry,
twister operator, TC Twisting;
Cathey F. Tate, splicer operator,
TC Weaving; Harry E. Spencer,
vehicle mechanic, Shop; Daryl
G. Reid, fabric clerk. Ware
house; Frances R. Blanton, Qual
ity Control inspector in TC
Twisting.
Bonds-Buying
BENNEHSVILLE
OUT FRONT
Everybody buying. Bennettsville again leads in purchase
rate of U.S. Savings Bonds among the three domestic plants
of Firestone Textiles Company. In 1976, Bennettsville was
one of the few “100 percenters” among all plants and installa
tions of the Firestone company.
The South Carolina plant 47.6 percent. There were 105
maintained its high rate through
the annual Bonds sales emphasis
in May this year—and still has
it. Sixteen persons increased the
amount of payroll deduction for
Bonds.
Of Gastonia Firestone employ
ees, 72.8 percent were buying at
the end of the May promotional.
There were 113 new subscribers;
and of those already buying, 147
increased their purchases.
Bowling Green, with its 60.3
percent, led in the greatest rate
of increase. It moved up from
new Bonds purchasers and 81
who increased their buying.
Carl Kunkle, Gastonia factory
auditor and division chairman of
the Bonds sales effort, estimates
that figures as of September are
about the same as at the close of
the drive in May.
Frances Fletcher, employee re
lations representative, was co
ordinator of the Bennettsville
Bonds drive. At Bowling Green,
it was factory auditor Stan Tom
lin.
PROGRAM
• This (1977) is the 25th
anniversary of the Firestone
Scholarship program. Since
1953 the company has award
ed college scholarships an
nually and since 1960, Cer
tificates of Merit to other de
serving sons and daughters
of Firestone employees.
There have been 832 scholar
ships awarded as of 1977.
Carl Jerome Stewart Jr., of
Gastonia was the second (1954)
recipient of a scholarship from
employee families of the tex
tiles division.
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of
Duke University (on the Fire
stone scholarship), he went on
to earn a degree in the Duke
Law School. After working
briefly in Charlotte and serving
in the U.S. Army, he returned to
Gastonia in 1962 and opened a
law practice he has maintained
since.
Stewart has served in the NC
House as a representative from
the 38th House District (Gaston-
Lincoln counties) since 1967. He
became Speaker of the NC
House of Representatives at the
beginning of his sixth consecu
tive term in the House.
ALTHOUGH MOST House
☆ ☆ ☆
—NC Rep. Carl J. Stewart Jr.
. . The most important comment I
can make about the Firestone Scholar
ship is that it would not have been possi
ble for me to attend a major university
such as Duke without it. I still consider
it the single mo'st important accomplish
ment in my life.”
Speakers traditionally serve only
one term in that office, Mr.
Stewart apparently has earned
the commitments needed for an
unprecedented second term as
Speaker of the 1979-81 General
Assembly session.
Born in Gastonia and educated
in the city’s public schools, he
was president of three ot his
high school classes. In his senior
year at Ashley High School, he
was voted “most likely to suc
ceed.”
At Duke he was a Regional
Scholar, president of the stu
dent body, assistant to the Dean,
and the winner of regional hon
ors in moot court competition
and debating.
Besides his role as Speaker of
the House, Stewart as a legis
lator has been in several impor
tant assignments such as chair
man of the House Banks and
Banking Committee and House
Appropriations Committee; vice
chairman of House Judiciary
Committee; member of the State
Board of Awards, the Advisory
Budget Commission, Southern
Regional Education Board, and
Criminal Justice Information
System (CJIS) Security and
Privacy Board.
ACTIVE in business, commun
ity, and church affairs, Carl
Stewart has won several awards
for his public service. Among
his many activities are service
as president of the Duke Uni
versity Alumni Association, as a
member of the Southern Region
Education Board, and as mem
ber of the Board of Advisors of
Gardner-Webb College.
He is married to the former
Kathryn Wesson of Gastonia.
They have three children: Kath
ryn Elizabeth, Julie Ann and
Carl J. Stewart III.
Carl Jr’s mother. Hazel Stew
art, is retired from Firestone
(Gastonia). Also his father, the
late Carl Sr., was retired from
the Gastonia plant.
These Students Are In School
Jacqueline Beth Wyatt has
begun her first year at West
ern Kentucky University,
Bowling Green, studying on
a four-year Firestone schol
arship.
Jacqueline, the only 19 7 7
scholarship winner from among
Firestone Textiles Company em
ployee families, is among 46
high school graduates who this
year received The Firestone Tire
& Rubber Company Scholar
ships, and are entering college
and university this fall.
The daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Travis C. Wyatt, Jacqueline was
graduated from Warren East
High School of Bowling Green.
Her parents live in Smiths
Grove, Ky. Mr. Wyatt works in
fabric treating at the Bowling
Green plant.
At WKU, Jacqueline will con
centrate her studies in mathe
matics and computer science.
Two other 1977 high school
graduates who received awards
in the company Scholarship pro
gram and are entering college
this fall are:
Linda Cheryl Owens, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. John Owens (he
is assistant purchasing agent at
Firestone, Gastonia)—University
of North Carolina-Greensboro,
to major in journalism.
Jacqueline Wyatt
Two More Long Careers Ended
• Lassie Lee Green moved to “a new schedule” at
home when she retired from Firestone at Gastonia,
Aug. 30. Lassie, a respooler operator in TC Twisting,
has 31 years and 3 months company service.
Roy McMillan, a millwright (Shop) retired with 36
years and 5 months in June, but his “going out” was
not listed in Firestone News with others retiring at
that time.
Volume XXIII September, 1977
Number 9 Page 2
• GASTONIA
Claude C. Callaway, Editor
Plant
Offices
Warehouses
REPORTERS
Monthly publication of lh« Gaslonla, N. C., planl of Firestone Textiles
Company, a division of The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio.
DlTlslon Headouarters, Gastonia, N. C. 28052. James B. Call, president. Mem
ber CaroUnas Association of Business Communicators.
Industrial Relations—Bobbie Baldwin
Main Office—Frelda Price
Mechanical Dept.—Rosie Fletcher
Twisting Tire Cord—Elease Cole, Katie
Ellcins
Warp Preparation—
Nell Bolicle
Warehouse—Harold Robinson
BENNETTSVILLE PLANT
Frances Fletcher, Redona Darid, Mar
garet McCasicUl, Jimmy McCasklll
BOWLING GREEN
Clifton O. Logsdon
Sharon W r e n n a Corbett,
whose mother Mrs. Gail T. Cor
bett is secretary in the labora
tory of Quality Control, Gas
tonia, to Gaston College to study
broadcasting.
Linda and Sharon are this
year’s scholarship-program Mer
it winners from the company’s
textile division. Each received a
Certificate of Merit and 10
shares of Firestone stock, in rec
ognition of their outstanding
high-schol records—Sharon at
Hunter Huss High School; and
Linda at Ashbrook High School,
Gastonia.
Jacqueline’s Firestone scholar
ship at WKU is renewable up to
four years while she earns her
baccalaureate degree. A Fire
stone scholarship, now worth
more than $12,000, pays fcr tui
tion, academic fees, required
textbooks and room-board ex
penses while in school.
OTHERS in school on com
pany scholarships (students from
Firestone Textiles families, Gas
tonia): Joanne Ruth Hull, third
year at Davidson College, major
ing in religion. The daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Hull, her fa
ther is Firestone Textiles man
ager of technical services.
Robinette Elaine Caldwell,
third year. University of North
Carolina-Chapel Hill, majoring
in communications. Her mother
Doris (Mrs. Lee) Hollifield was
employed in the plant industrial
engineering at the time Robin
was awarded the scholarship.
Textile division scholarship
students who graduated this
year: Charles M. Willis, from
Western Kentucky University,
with major in physics-astrono-
my; and Barry R. Robinson,
from East Carolina University,
major in music therapy. Barry’s
father, Harold Robinson, is
Warehouse manager at Gastonia.
Charles’ parents, Charles and
Pearl Willis were working at the
Bowling Green plant at the time
the scholarship was awarded.