From page 1 Progress ‘Year Of The Green Light’ mechanical shop. A new 5,000- pound-capacity boiler put into operation, more new fuel-oil tanks installed underground—a 30,000-gallon for #2 oil and a smaller one as catch container. Bowling Green improvements. A $400,000 project completed, installing smoke-control devices on #9 treating unit (#1 already- had similar equipment.) Bennettsville. Completed in stallation of 13 modern Whitin twisting machines, replacing outmoded ones in Ply Twisting. Olher Areas of Progress • Gastonia: With company- sponsored bloodmobile in Aug ust (1 of 2 each year) Firestone people reached the 7,702-pint mark. The continuing blood- giving program which began in 1948, makes Gastonia, along with Firestone’s Los Angeles, Cal., plant longest-running blood programs among all Fire stone plants in the U. S. Firestone people pledged $41,384 to Gaston United Way. Received United Way Gold Award for participation. COMPANY PRESENTED awards in annual Gaston County Scouting program. Participated in annual Chamber of Com merce membership campaign. Had a Job Forum exhibit at Eastridge Mall. Plant received 31st annual Safety Award from N. C. De partment of Labor; also an award from National Safety Council. Led in annual “Join the Y” program, 106 memberships ob tained. Had a Scholarship and 2 Merit winners in company’s College scholarship program. Gastonia plant’s purchase of U. S. Savings Bonds at end of year was 67.8 of the employ ment. Bennettsville. People were again 100 per cent in payroll purchase of Savings Bonds and at the top among all plants for Suggestion participation. Plant was completing 12th year of outstanding safety record—no chargeable injuries. Plant received Central (S. C.) Carolina Safety Council trophy for 3rd consecutive time, thus permanent possession. Presented a Firestone display at the Com mercial Fair of Chesterfield/ Marlboro Technical College, Cheraw, S. C. In United Fund of Marlboro, people were 100 per cent in their contributions. Bowling Green. Took part in annual Free Enterprise Fair at Western Kentucky University. U. S. Savings Bonds purchase reached 62 per cent of employ ment. People gave $15,840 to United Way. In safety, by end of fiscal year was well on way toward 2 million people hours on the job free of injury. ALL 3 U. S. PLANTS of the division took part in the “Year of the Green Light—Go” pro gram, to increase production, ef ficiency, profit-improvement, etc. The Suggestion program at all plants improved. Some “big pay” ideas were adopted during the year: At Gastonia, a sug gestion for $4,465; at Bowling Green, $930, $1,220 and $2,285. All 3 plants arranged and pro grammed a Free Enterprise/ Citizenship seminar in plant county locations—Gaston, N. C.; Marlboro, S. C. and Warren, Ky. Seminars featured Charles Hagel, associate manager of Firestone’s governmental affairs service. Energy Savings • At the end of the fiscal year, energy savings at all the U. S. Textiles Division plants (Gastonia, Bowling Green and Bennettsville) was 20.91. That was almost 3 per cent BOWLING GREEN Industry Appreciation A model loom, a function ing cable twister setup, raw and treated synthetic yarns and fabrics, photos of plant and production processes, and a Firestone 721 Steel Belted Radial tire were fea tured in a display during In dustry Appreciation Week in Bowling Green this fall. The Firestone Textiles dis play was at the American Na tional Bank. The scale model Draper loom was fabricated and assembled by personnel in Weaving and Maintenance; the functioning twister arrangement by the people in Twisting. nylon, polyester and fiber glass yam and fabric were fea tured in the tire-cord portion of the exhibit. An aerial photo of the factory and grounds and process and production photos were included in the layout, along with the 721 tire. Brenda Hale, controller secre tary, chaired the committee ar ranging and presenting the dis play. Others on the committee were Leroy Johnson and Joe Millea of Engineering; J. A. Griffin, Quality Control; D. R. Davis, Waste supervisor; G. T. From Left: York Murray Grigg King ‘Gone Out’ • • Although he took early retirement, William J. York’s work record with Firestone Textiles finished out with 43 years and 6 days. The TC Twisting super visor’s retirement started Dec. 1. News Digest Films The second of 2 films on “The Art of Diplomacy” is the De cember offering of Firestone’s Screen News Digest films in the current series which the com pany makes available to public junior and senior high schools in a dozen plant cities. Gastonia and Bowling Green are among the plant locations receiving Digest films this school season. First in the cur rent series was a double issue for September-October, “Con quest of the Skies”; and for No vember, “The Ethiopian Powder Keg.” The January offering is “Focus on 1954”; and for Febru- ahead of last yeu's goal for savings, based on these plants' 1972 energy usage. Alloise T. Murray, splicer operator in TC Weaving, had put in 37 years and 6 days at her retirement which also began Dec. 1. At the same time, 2 others joined the group “going out”: Mason King, Main Office messenger, left with 31 years and 9 months “work done,” David G. Grigg, section su pervisor in Chafer Weaving, ary ” “The Truman Legacy.” When not in use in the schools, the Screen News films are available for showing to local church, community, club and other group meetings. The Firestone plant personnel offices and school administrative offices in Gastonia and Bowling Green have information on the films and their use outside the schools. Douglas Jennings, M. D., and Firestone Textiles Bennettsville, S. C., employee physician, is the newly-clectod president of Marlboro County Rescue Squad. The Rescue Squad, a United Fund service, recently acquired 2 new vehicles—a modular-type ambulance and a truck for car rying the squad’s crash equip ment. Shields, Safety engineer; S. A. Tomlin, factory auditor; J. R. Harrison, Weaving manager; R. B. Henderson, manager Treating units. >> Draper, Chompton Knowles, Sulcer—well-known names of modern power looms. The WWG loom, for display and not pro duction, is becoming known in Bowling Green from its show ing at the annual Industry Ap preciation Week in a downtown bank lobby. The WWG (Williams-Wil- liams-Gillentine) is one of a kind—a scale model. Three em ployees of the Firestone Tex tiles plant built it; Jesse Wil liams, head loom fixer; Bobby Williams, special projects man; and James Gillentine, style changer. They are in Weaving— each with 10 years service. They work under direction of Jesse Liles, in charge of machinery upkeep. Weaving department manager is Richard Harrison. Some figures comparing the loom model with a regular pro duction loom: The standard X3 Si AH MllIX I X-l lull t OMl» t (MI TNI LOOM WI.AVLS IWISIIO 11141 COHOS IMTO TIRt CURD FAIIHK. finished with 10 years and almost 6 months. Others whose retirement began in November, but were not included in that list last month: Roland B. Jolly, twister cleaner in TC Twisting, 34 years and 5 months; and Fred Cranford, twister op erator, TC Twisting, 27 years and 9 months. Scholarships Firestone em ployees' sons and daugh ters who are applying for the 1979 Firestone College Scholarships: December 22 is last date for regular registration to take the SAT test on the final scheduled date, Janu ary 27, 1979. Late-registra- tion date is January 5. Already the SAT test has been administered on November 4 and Decem ber 2. Firestone applicants taking the SAT must designate on the registra tion form the Firestone Scholarship Code -0080- for scores to be sent auto matically to the Scholar ship Committee in Akron. is about 54 inches long, 86 inches wide and 56 inches tall. The WWG is 10 inches long, 17 inches wide and 9 inches tall. Haskell King milled out the sides of the loom model. He is a 10-year employee in Main tenance. The WWG is a model that really works, although not “in Production”. But it gets a lot of attention. Anniversaries • • Robert L. Grooms, fabric changer and baler in Cord Weaving, had his 35th service anniversary at Bennettsville in early December. Also last month, Faye K. Shankle com pleted her 35th year. She is a technician in the Quality Con- trol-Laboratory department. Others with December ser vice anniversaries: Thirty Years • Archie Le- bine, section supervisor, Cable Twisting. Five Years • Charles E. Quick, section supervisor, Ply Twisting. ☆ ☆ ☆ Observance of Twelfth Night or Old Christmas (Jan. 6 on to day’s calendar) is a tradition in many countries, including the United States, but here limited to local areas. For example, Kentucky and North Carolina. Around Rod- anthe on Hatteras Island, Outer Banks of N. C., people still re member Twelfth Night with solemn reflection, fun and frolic. And at Prestonsburg, Ky., each year there is an Old Christmas Party at Jenny Wiley State Re sort Park.

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