SEPTEMBER, 1978
CLUB MEMBERS
TO SC COAST
Members of Loray Senior
Citizens Club of Gastonia
went on their late-summer
trip to Myrtle Beach and
Charleston, S. C., in early
September. They traveled
in the Loray Baptist Church
activities bus. The church, in
the Firestone community,
sponsors the group which
has a goodly number of Fire
stone retired people in the
club membership.
On the 3-day trip, travelers
“took in” sand-surf and
amusements at the Beach,
went by Murrells Inlet fish
ing village and on to historic
Charleston. There, they
visited landscaped gardens,
parks, and many more places
of interest—The Battery,
Catfish Row, old buildings
and other landmarks.
Films In Schools:
A Commendation
Gaston is among the counties
of Firestone plant locations re-
c e i V i n g company-sponsored
Screen News Digest Films for
use in public junior and senior
high schools. During the last
school year there were 6 Screen
News documentaries on U. S.
history, social issues, govern
ment, technology and other sub
jects.
Textiles division president
James B. Call last month re
ceived a letter commending the
film program. This from the let
ter by Jerry Bostic, social stud
ies supervisor of Gaston County
schools:
“Speaking as a social studies
teacher in Gaston schools for
more than a decade, I and my
peers consider the contribution
of these films considerable and
appropriate. Topics were suita
ble in many areas of our Social
Studies curriculum, particularly
our World Studies as well as our
U. S. Studies courses at the
senior level. . . .
“I as well as other educators
in the County system appreciate
and applaud the generous in
terest shown by you and your
firm.”
Firestone people’s partici
pation is a major part of
United Way of Gaston
County’s effort to reach a
goal of $1 million to finance
health, welfare, recreation
and other community ser
vices during 1979.
Honorary chairman of the
County campaign is Buddy
Baker, NASCAR racing
driver, who volunteered to
promote the local funding
program. His winnings on
the NASCAR circuit are
about the same as this year’s
United Way goal.
At Firestone the campaign
aims for 100 percent par
ticipation and everyone giv
T'tre^fone
Textiles
Company
Bennettsville
South Carolina
SJSW
Gastonia
North Carolina
Bo)vling Green
Kentucky
At The Year’s Turning • Summer’s leaving regretfully and
Autumn’s at hand. That’s September—golden month of mel
low sunlight, but with first hints of Winter on days that
are chilly at the ‘edges.’ And things like ripened pokeberries
and rustling grasses along a country fence—this one by the
wayside in Watauga County, N. C. Firestone News photo.
FIRESTONE CAMPAIGN TO LATE SEPTEMBER
United Way-Gaston
• • Final report date is September 26 for the 1978-79 Fire
stone Textiles in-plant United Way campaign which began
September 5. The plant UW solicitation is a month earlier
than in past years.
ing Fair Share. Leading the
program are Max Graham
Jr., employment interviewer
in Industrial Relations; and
James G. Burr, junior engi
neer in Industrial Engineer
ing. Helping them are other
volunteers in all depart
ments.
Firestone people at the oth
er 2 U.S. plants of the Tex
tiles Division have begin-
ning-in-October community-
service funding campaigns.
At Bennettsville, they contri
bute through the United
Fund of Bennettsville and
Marlboro County (S. C.); and
at Bowling Green, United
Way of Bowling Green and
Warren County (Ky.)
‘Salute
To Textiles’
An award shared by Firestone
Textiles, Gastonia, has been
displayed since last year in
plant First Aid. The “Salute to
Textiles”, came from 18 cham
bers of commerce in Mecklen
burg and 11 other area counties
in North and South Carolina.
The Salute to the textile in
dustry is for “its longtime con
tribution to the economies of
North and South Carolina.”
Prominence and impact of
of textiles in and on the econo
mies of the Carolinas is impres
sive. The industry employs 1
out of 20 persons now employed
in manufacturing in the U.S.
The textile segment of manu
facturing in the Carolinas is
much greater—some 32 percent.
Within a 100-mile radius of
Charlotte, about 40 percent of
all U.S. textile workers are em
ployed. Gaston and Cabarrus
counties have first and second-
highest percentage of textile
workers per capita among all
counties in the nation.
Firestone Textiles’ Gastonia
operation put upwards of $15
million into the area economy
ADAMS with "Salute" plaque.
She is a cleaner in sanitation
service of Shop.
last year. More than $12.6 mil
lion was paid to about 1,170 em
ployees and nearly $2 million
was spent for local goods and
services.
rARTERfi
DIATOR C At«c
i
Harvest
Of
Summer
• • A Gastonia Farmers Mar
ket in business Tuesdays, Thurs
days and Saturdays is located at
Marietta Street and Airline
Avenue. One of the market's
regulars selling the season's har
vest is retired Firestone Textiles
groundskeeper Frank Sparrow
(left in right photo).
Visiting with him was Reid
Crouch, a former Firestone em
ployee at Gastonia for some 10
years. Reid's wife Nora is re
tired with 36 years service.
Frank's brother, Fred Spar
row, retired last year with 26
years at Gastonia. During
Frank's more than 35 years with
Firestone he continued to op
erate his Route 3 farm, back
then with the help of sons and
daughters.
These days, Frank and Mrs.
Sparrow work fulltime with the
crops and animals, including 18
head of cattle this summer.