(Registered with U. S. Patent Offdce)
Volume VII
HIGH POINT, NORTH CAROLINA, JULY, 1956
No. 13
MESSAGE
FROM THE
PRESIDENT
TO MY FELLOW WORKERS:
Following a yearly procedure, ?' as it should be but it is what I
the Board of Directors of Anvil
Brand, some weeks ago, elected
certain individuals who aie to
serve as Officers of our Company
during the present year. Formerly
such action has been followed
by a brief announcement in SEW
IT SEAMS and perhaps nothing
much has been thought about it
one way or the other.
This year, however, in reading
the list of Officers I suddenly
realized that it meant a lot more
to me than what I had thought
befoie. Its significance prompts
me to try to convey some of these
thoughts to you because each
member of our organization, I be
lieve, plays a part in Company
planning and thinking.
The revelation which comes to
me is the fact that most of the
Officers of our Company have
come from within the organiza
tion; they have come up through
the ranks. In most instances the
individuals whose names appear
on the list started their careers in
no more than average jobs. By
achievement through industrious
application they have come to be
recognized as men and women
with important responsibilities
and the capacity to continue to
grow in business stature.
I was prompted to ask myself
at this point whether much the
same thing might be found in
all divisions of our business. I
was pleased to find upon study
instance after instance of indivi
duals being advanced from one
position to another.
This, I concluded, is not only
have always tried to encourage.
It is one thing to place emphasis
upon advancement from within;
it is another thing to be able to
point to actual accomplishment
on that score. It is a forceful ap
plication of the workings of a
democratic business process.
Sometimes there is misunder
standing about a person becoming
an Officer of a Company, The
view not uncommonly held is that
it means a lot easier job for one.
The contrary is more nearly true.
Having shown the capacity a^id
talent to assume responsibilities,
the impulse of Management is to
load on even more work. This is
a continuing test of a person to
grow in and with the Company.
Officers of a Company are held
directly responsible for either
specific duties within a depart
ment or division or are given a
broad range of general adminis
trative things to attend lo. An
important part of the success of
an Officer is a growing depth of
understanding of others and the
means of attracting and maintain
ing the loyalty and cooperation
of associates. In some degree,
therefore, all of us carry Officer-
ial responsibilities when we
realize and apply the principle
that what is good for the indivi
dual in earnings, opportunity,
working conditions and job se
curity is good for the Company.
The Officers listed below, I
know, bear your and my good
wishes; more particularly my
personal thanks for tasks happily
undertaken and well done:
F. D. Mehan Executive Vice-President
H. M. Webster, Jr. Vice-President
W. J. Rives Vice-President
G. K. Hammes Vice-President and Assistant to the President
G. W. Williams Secretary
H. T. Short Assistant Vice-President
P. K. Frye Assistant Vice-President
R. N. Morgan Assistant Vice-President
Mrs. H. D. Hughes Assistant Secretary
E. H. McCall Assistant Secretary
J. H. Thompson, Jr Assistant Secretary. Assistant
Treasurer and Comptroller
ALMOST PERFECT ATTENDANCE — When the six
months perfect attendance reports are made up each
month Dora Gammon’s name is almost always on the list-
Dora says in the eight years she has been working for
the Company she has never missed any time except for
the illness of her husband and when her son returned
from military duty,
92 Employees Have Perfect
Attendance Records For 6 Mos.
“Perfect attendance for six months.”
A phrase that doesn’t pack too much interest? A routine
record that a “faithful few” seem to rack up each half year?
Not at all. A perfect attendance
record is extremely interesting
to any company. It implies many
things. Perhaps first, a desire to
“be on the job” regardless of
many things which might cause
other persons to stay away from
work. Then there is the under
standing these “regulars” have
that each person’s single job is
related to the whole picture of
the company’s production and
that one job being idle a day can
be seen “down the line” in many
oi>erations.
In the past six months 92 per
sons out of some 850 employees
in Anvil Brand’s plants in High
Point and Independence, reported
for work every day. This is 18
less than the 110 who had per-
^fect records for the first half of
1955 and Aline Carter, personnel
Director, urges employees to
strive for an improved record in
the last half of 1956.
“When a plant employs wom
en with children, such as we do,”
Aline continued. “We naturally
expect situations to arise when
such an operator is out of work
because of absolute necessity.
But we do emphasize the im
portance of being on the job
regularly. When a new person
applies to us for work we check
attendance records which may
be available from other com
panies and this definitely has a
bearing on whether or not a per
son is hired.”
(Continued on Page Two)