Nation’s Stores Observe Simmons Week
Success of Co. Built On Integrity Of Father And Son
Leading Stores Of
Nation Pay Tribute
To Man Carrying
On Simmons Co.
EDITOR’S NOTE—Commenc
ing Friday, May 12th, and con
tinuing thru Saturday of this
week, Simmons Bedding Week
is being observed by leading
stores all over the Nation.
The story, reprinted below,
is of particular interest to
Roanoke Rapids people, since
the Simmons Company are
owners of the large textile
mills here. It is taken from the
special Simmons Section of the
Richmond NEWS LEADER of
May llth.
When only 19 years of age, Z.
G. Simmons, Sr., founder of the
Simmons company, was both
schoolmaster and farmer.
From blackboard to plow hand
le—his was a ’teen age teeming
with activity—alive with interest
and responsibility.
To young Simmons, the dual role
of teacher and tiller of the soil was
no mere routine. It was life experi
ence, opportunity. And young Sim
mons was determined to make the
most of it.
Home from the fields at dusk, a
new “day” was dawning for the
youngster. For others, a well-earn
ed rest—for young Simmons a long
evening of study and preparation
for the morrow.
And so, early in life, the found
er of the largest organization of
its kind in the world was planning
and building for the welfare of
others.
At the age of 21, young iaimmons
elected to enter the business world,
and went to work for Seth Doane
at $200 per year. This was in 1849.
Two years later, in 1851, Mr. Sim
mons acquired the business for
$200 and $14,000 in notes.
To many, this move, on the part
of one who was but 23, may have
appeared as a dangerous venture.
But young Simmons was confident
of his ground—knew the business
—'and had demonstrated a capacity
for business leadership. The added
responsibility of owner was ex
actly to his liking.
In 1856 Mr. Simmons was at
tracted to the utility field, and
purchased a half-interest in a small
telegraph company. He envisioned
not several miles of wire to serve a
few communities, but a vast net
work of communication spread out
over many counties.
This dream was soon to become
a reality. In the fifteen years that
followed, he directed the move
ment of 20,000 miles of communi
cation, which he finally sold for
$4,000,000.
Work, Not Man, Counts.
Throughout his entire lifetime of
service, Mr. Simmons maintained
that it was a man’s work—not the
man—that counted. In entering the
utility field, he was determined to
build a system of communication
that would meet a definite need—
that would endure—and one that
would serve as a milestone in his
business career.
That he successfully achieved
this end is evidenced, not only by
the vastness of the system develop
ed. but by the huge sum of money
which the sale of the property in
volved.
Possessed of great energy and
with unbounded confidence in the
future of America, it was but nat
In Harwichport Kidnapping Drama
Here are the principals in the $60,008 kidnapping of 10-year-old Peggy;
! MacMa'th of Harwich port, Mass, (right) which stirred the nation, bnt was
brought to sudden end when Kenneth Buck, 28 (upper right), and Cyril
Buck, 41 (lower right), garagemen at that place, were arrested in less than.
10 hpurs after the ransom money had been paid and Peggy returned to her<
parents. ’Under questioning, Kenneth Buck confessed, but tried to absolve
his brother, who acted as go-between. Cyril Buck has been charged with
extortion through ransom.' An early trial is predicted. _
ural that Mr. Simmons should
turn to other fields. And so in 1871,
he laid the foundation for the Sim
mons company.
The new Simmons venture called
for the manufacture of wooden
telegraph, insulators, fanning mills
and cheese boxes. There were nine
persons employd in the small fac
tory.
Like present-day manufacturers
who continually seek new products
to develop, Mr. Simmons studied
the possibilities of bed manufac
ture, and shortly was ready to an
nounce one of the most startling
developments in the history of that
industry.
The business of making insula
tors and fanning mills prospered,
and in the early eighties, Mr. Sim
mons purchased the Western rights
for a woven wire bed spring, and
soon thereafter organized the
Northwestern Wire Mattress Co.
Unerring Judgment
It was said of him by those who
worked at his side that he possess
ed unerring judgment, coupled with
: vision and an unusual capacity for
hard work. It was only a short
time later that the company intro
i duced a wooden folding bed—ia dis
tinct innovation—and in 1886 the
McKinley tariff made possible the
j building of chilled cast iron beds
on a profitable basis.
The first iron beds, of course had
to be mouled and often weighed as
much as 300 to 400 pounds. Their
cost was many times that of the
beautifully paneled, faithfully fin
ished Simmons steel beds of today,
, which are built for a lifetime of
service.
There followed in the course of
a few years the addition of coil
springs, link springs and other de
partments to the rapidly expand
ing business. In 1911, the company
developed lock seam tubing, the
square post and hand graining—
features that permitted the build
ing of attractive, light-weight,
moderately priced metal beds.
Z. G. Simmons, Sr., passed away
in 1910, at the age of 81 years. His
was a full life, enriched by achi
evement in many fields of service.
On the solid foundation which he
builded, there has grown, under
the direction of his son, Mr. Z.
G. Simmons, Jr., an organization
whose products are known and ac
cepted throughout the civilized
world.
Some fifteen years ago the light
steel bed by Simmons made its ap
pearance and was heralded in the
parts as a great stride forward in
bed manufacture. It was a distinct
improvement over the metal beds
that preceded it, combining all of
the practical utility and durability
desired with beauty and grain and
grace of line that quickly merited
an almost universal approval.
Entered Mattress Business
About six years later the Sim
mons organization introduced steel
bedroom furniture and in 1923 en
tered the mattress business on a
national scale.
Up to that time mattresses had
been manufactured locally and for
the mast part sold locally. There
was no standard of quality—no
fixed price. Mr. Simmons, Jr., en
visioned the development of a mat
tress of outstanding quality that
would gain national recognition as
a standard of value.
The introduction of the Beauty
rest mattress at a moderate cost,
was a revolutionary step in the
merchandising of sleep equipment.
Again the Simmons organization
had elected to pioneer a new devel
opment. The response from every
section of the land exceeded every
expectation.
The result is that today, in every
city, town and hamlet in which
Simmons products are sold, the
Beautyrest quality is available at
the nationally advertised price.
MRS. HAWLEY ENTERTAINS
Mrs. Prank Hawley was hostess
on Monday evening to her bridge
club. Lovely flowers were used
with pleasing effect. Three tables
ivere placed for players and a game
f six progressions was played. The
highest score for the evening was
made by Miss Lucille Carlon. A
salad course was served to the
following: Mesdames Howard Pru
den, Paul Heydenrich, Carroll
Wilson, Julian Allsbrook, George
Hayes, Cranford Hoyle, Clarence
Grimmer, J. T. Alford, J. W. Ross,
Misses Lucille Carlon, Margaret
Clark and Ruth Transou.
ENTERTAINS WITH BRIDGE
Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Batton en
tertained the members of their con
tract club on Thursday evening.
At the close of an interesting game
Mr. Jeff Lassiter and Mr. Walter
i
Haggard tied for high score. The
hostess served strawberry short
cake and ice tea. Those playing:
Mr. and Mrs. Gene Kimball, Mr.
and Mrs. Walter Haggard, Mr. and
Mrs. Jeff Lassiter and Mr. and
Mrs. Batton.
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