Seay Completes 45 Years With Company
R. L. Seay (2nd from right) gets congratulations from President H. W. Whitcomb
for 45 years of continuous service. At left is R. R. Roberts, a vice president and
treasurer, and at right is L. E. Chewning, manager-general and tax accounting.
Roy L. Seay, insurance specialist in
the Accounting Department, completed
45 years of continuous service with the
company Friday, February 1. In an in
formal ceremony at the General Offices,
President Harold W. Whitcomb present
ed Mr. Seay with the Fieldcrest dia-
mond-and-gold 45-year emblem, a gift,
and a letter expressing the company’s
appreciation for his long record of faith
ful service.
A native of Leaksville, Mr. Seay first
worked as an office boy in the summers
between school years 1911-1915. He
worked as a blanket cutter at the old
American Warehouse, now the Finish-
(Continued from page one)
James Doolittle and Lowell Thomas.
Secretary Hodges’ visit to the South
Pole as the first, and possibly the only.
Cabinet officer ever to go there, recalled
another “first” involving North Carolina
and the Tri-Cities.
Another Tri-City man, Lt. Command
er Conrad Shinn, was the pilot of the
first airplane ever to land at the South
Pole on October 29, 1956. He has since
been on two additional expeditions at
McMurdo Sound.
Two “Firsts” by Local Men
The two “firsts” by men from the Tri-
Cities were described by President Har
old W. Whitcomb in correspondence
with Dr. Mooney. Mr. Whitcomb pointed
out that Commander Shinn was born
and brought up in the Tri-City area and
that his father, T. P. Shinn, retired man
ager of the Canteen Service, was a
long-time employee of Fieldcrest Mills.
“I doubt if many small towns of 7,000
in the United States can boast of two
illustrious citizens having visited that
far-away point by air,” Mr. Whitcomb
t
4
ing Mill, in the summer of 1916.
His continuous service dates from
February 1, 1918, when he became a
clerk in the Shipping Department at the
Bedspread Mill. He was transferred in
1922 to the Bedspread-Karastan payroll
office, and in 1930 was sent to Roanoke,
Va., as office manager of the Roanoke,
Athena and Puritan mills.
In 1934 he became a bookkeeper in the
Accounting Department and in 1941-46
he was office manager at the Blanket
and Sheeting mills. He was a cash and
payroll specialist at the General Office
from 1946 until his appointment as an
insurance specialist in March, 1960.
wrote. “I think it is also another ex
ample of the romance and opportunity
of our great country where young men
from humble circumstances who are
bright, energetic, and ambitious can
come to the top because of the opportun
ities and advantages offered by our
democratic system and our free enter
prise way of life.”
In his reply. Dr. Mooney wrote: ‘I
note what you have said with regard to
the historic contributions made by Com
mander Shinn to South Polar explora
tion. Yes, he piloted the aircraft that
landed the first Americans at the South
Pole, on 29 October 1956. I have always
had the highest regard for Commander
Shinn, not only because of his ability
as a Navy officer and pilot but also, per
sonally. I had not thought of the fact
that Conrad was born in Spray, North
Carolina, but I had recognized the fact
that he was a native of North Caro
lina. . .
“Indeed, you should be proud of hav
ing both the Secretary and Commander
Shinn as natives of your town.”
Hair Gets Certificate
In Data Processing
Robert Hair, manager-data process
ing at Fieldcrest Mills, has been award
ed a Certificate in Data Processing by
the Data Processing Management As
sociation.
The awarding of the certificate is
based on completion of prescribed col
lege courses in mathematics, account
ing, finance, economics, and related
business and scientific subjects; three
years of direct work experience in data
processing; high character qualifications;
and passing written examinations.
Mr. Hair was in the first group to
be tested on a nationwide basis. Pur
poses of the certificate program are
to establish recognized professional
standards and to promote education.
The Data Processing Management As
sociation is a 21-year-old international
organization of more than 16,000 mem
bers who promote progress in the use of
electronic computers, punched cards,
and other means of handling infor
mation.
Mr. Hair is a native of North Caro
lina and a graduate of the Massachu
setts Institute of Technology, where he
majored in engineering and business
administration. Prior to joining Field
crest in 1956, he was employed in the
industrial engineering division of the
Procter & Gamble Co. and also served
four years as a weather officer in the
U. S. Air Force.
Mr. Hair is a member of Alpha Chi
Sigma honorary chemical fraternity,
American Meteorological Society, and
Textile Data Processing Association.
ROBERT H. HAIR
. . . Wins Professional Recognition . . •
New Telephone No.
In your Fieldcrest telephone directory,
in the alphabetical listing on page seven-
please add:
Mary Sue McCollum 5391-
THE MILL WHISTLE
Fieldcrest Automatic Blankets Delivered to South Pole