Two
THE MILL WHISTLE
November 11, 1946
J. Frank Wilson, Production Manager, Plans To
Retire After December 31, 1946
J. Frank Wilson, production manager
of Marshall Field and Company, Manu
facturing Division, has voluntarily re
quested retirement under the Com
pany’s retirement program effective De
cember 31. His request has been grant
ed, according to an announcement made
November 4 by Luther H. Hodges, vice-
president of the Company and general
manager of the Manufacturing Division.
Upon Mr. Wilson’s retirement the
duties of production manager will be
assumed by Harold W. Whitcomb, divi
sional vice-president and assistant gen
eral manager, in addition to his pres
ent responsibilities.
E. G. Michaels, now staff assistant to
Macon P. Miller, director of Industrial
and Public Relations, will be transferred
to Mr. Whitcomb’s office as staff assist
ant and will work on general adminis
trative assignments and special projects.
Mr. Wilson is one or the best known
and most popular citizens of this com
munity and of Henry County, Virginia.
Born in Madison, he came to Draper as
paymaster of the Draper Blanket Mill,
then called the German-American Mill,
in 1910, after several years connection
with the Penn Tobacco interests in
Reidsville. In 1918 he was transferred
to the Spray headquarters of the Com
pany as office manager and in 1919 was
sent to the newly-built Towel Mill at
Fieldale, Va , as mill manager.
In 1928 the Fieldale Hosiery Mill was
built and added to his responsibilities
and in 1936 he was also given responsi
bility for the Company’s undervvear
plants in Roanoke, Va., and Pawtucket,
R. I. In 1940, when Mr. Hodges moved
to New York as general manager, Mr.
Wilson was promoted to the post of pro
duction manager for all North Carolina
and Virginia mills and moved from
Fieldale to Spray.
In commenting upon Mr. Wilson’s de
cision to retire at this time before a
group of Company executives on Mon^
day, Mr. Hodges paid tribute to Mr. Wil
son as follows:
“Frank Wilson’s association with this
Company for a period of 36 years has
been a continuous story of progress and
greater achievement. He has held many
positions of responsibility and trust and
he has always discharged them con
scientiously and efficiently. He has made
a great contribution to the success of
the Manufacturing Division in many
ways but particularly in the Held of
public and industrial relations.
“We will all miss Frank Wilson, but
as he leaves us under the Company’s
retirement program in splendid health
and with many useful years ahead of
him, all of us, from President McBain
on down through the organization, wish
for him the best of everything in life.”
Mr. Wilson has long been prominent
in many community and civic activities.
Many years ago he was one of the or
ganizers of the Bank of Fieldale and
has been its only president since its
founding. He has served as president of
the Virginia Manufacturer’s Association
and for many years was Democratic
county chairman for Henry County.
Since moving to Spray he has served
as president of the Leaksville Rotary
Club, president of the Carolina Coop
erative Council, and has served as chair
man of all the important war fund
drives including the Red Cross, USO,
war bonds. Boy and Girl Scout funds
and other civic movements. He is a
director of the N. C. Textile Founda
tion and a member of the Inter-State
committee of the Young Men’s Chris
tian Association of the Carolinas.
He is an ardent baseball fan of many
years standing and was the first presi
dent of the Bi-State Baseball League
when that organization was formed in
1934. He is at present vice-president of
the Tri-City Baseball Club and is well
known by baseball players and fans
throughout this section. He is a mem
ber of the Meadow Greens Country
Club, the Penn-Rose Country Club of
Reidsville and the Forest Park Country
Club of Martinsville.
Only la.st Sunday Mr. Wilson auto
matically became a member of the
Hole-in-One Club when he performed
that unusual feat on the ninth hole at
the local course.
Mr. Wilson intends to maintain his
residence here for the present, but in
dicates that he has something else in
mind but can not make any definite
statement at this time.
Safety Rules Are
For Your Protection
Two serious accidents, both apparent
ly caused by disregard of safety rules,
have occurred in the Manufacturing Di
vision since November 1. A semi-decat-
ing opei’ator in the Woolen Mill Finish
ing Department, lost three fingers on
his right hand. He climbed over the
guard without stopping the machine, ac
cording to the report of the accident,
and had a piece of waste in his hand.
The chain caught the waste and pulled
his hand into the chain sprocket.
At the Blanket Mill Wool Picking De
partment, a colored employee lost an
arm when he reportedly removed the
guard in order to replace a belt on a
garnette machine. The cylinder was
running and the drive pulley with V-
belt caught his sleeve and pulled his
arm between the belt and pulley.
“Always stop the machine before
cleaning or oiling it!
“Do not remove guards while
machine is running!”
Orchids To Eight Mills
For Improvement In
Absenteeism Standing
This week’s orchids go to eight mills
which reduced their absenteeism per
centage below the figure shown in the
preceding period bringing the total ab
sentee percentage for all mills to the
lowest point in several weeks.
The lowest figure in 1946 was 6.6 per
cent during a two-week period in Janu
ary. There was a 7.1 per cent in Febru
ary and some 7.3 per cents both in May
and September. With this week’s figure
■--tanding at 7.3 per cent, the rating was
one of the best achieved since February.
Congratulations to these mills: SHEET
ING, BEDSPREAD. CENTRAL WARE
HOUSE, BLEACIIERY, WOOLEN, KAR-
ASTAN, TOWEL, and FINISHING.
Absenteeism
ABSENTEE METER
Two-week periods ending
October 13
and
October
27
MILL
Central Warehouse
Per
10-13
... 5.6
Cent
10-27
3.4
Bleachery ....
. ... 5.9
5.2
Finishing ....
5.4
5.3
Towel
... 6.8
6.5
Sheeting ....
.... 9.9
6.5
Rayon
... 4.9
6.6
Hosiery
... 5.0
6.9
Woolen
.... 7.5
6.9
Bedspread ..
... 9.7
7.4
Blanket
.... 7.9
8.3
Karastan
.. .10.2
9.9
Tufted
12.7
12.8
TOTAL ..
.... 7.9
7.3
Marshall Field
Executives Praise
Scout Movement
The Scout movement was highly
lauded this week by top executives of
Marshall Field and Company who stat
ed that the Company would participate
in the finance campaign in proportion
to the interest shown by the commun
ity.
J. Frank Wilson, general chairman,
following a conference with Luther H.
Hodges and H. W. Whitcomb, Company
vice-presidents and general manager and
assistant general manager, respectively,
of the Manufacturing Division, said
that both expressed interest in Tri-City
Scout organizations because they fill a
vital need in training youth for citizen
ship.
The easy way out of an assignment
can be the easy way out of success.