Oliver Mirror June 1950

Description: An employee newsletter.
theOLIVER MIRRORVOLUME 2, No. S JUNE, 1950Directors Elect Phelps BoardChairman; McCord PresidentSOUTH BEND, IND.-lmportant action was taken in May by the members ofthe board of directors of The OLIVER Corporation in electing A. King McCordpresident of the company and advancing Alva W. Phelps to the position of chair­manof the board and chief executive office r. This announcement was made onMay 23, the date of the meeting of the board at South Bend Plant 1.C. Frederick Cunningham, chairman since 1945, resigned after many years ofdistinguished service to OLIVER in order to devote full t ime to his other businessinterests. Mr. Cunningham remains a membe r of the board .C. Frederick CunninghamSpringfield RadioFeatures OliverSPRI GFIELD OHIO-Participatingwith other industries in theSpringfield area, the OLIVERSpringfield plant was featuredduring two half-hour radio pro­gramsthis past month. These pro­gramswere two in a series en­titledWhat Springfield Makes­MakeSpringfield.Designed to better acquaint thecitizens of Springfield with lo­calindustries and manufacturingconcerns, the programs were pre­sentedby radio station WWSO,by use of wire recordings madeat on the scene locations withinthe plant.The first in the series featuredthe press and sheet metal depart­ments.Homer Crispin, generalforeman of fabricating, was inter­viewedand he portrayed a verbalpicture of the OLIVER Springfieldoperation for the radio listeners.The second program describedassembly, foundry and shippingoperations. Interviewed were J .J. Groeber, general foreman ofassemblies, Tom Cusack , foundrysuperintendent, and Bill Miller,shipping foreman.Mr. Phelps, who joined OLIVERafter a distinguished career inmanufacturing and engineeringat General Motors, has served aspresident of the company sinceMarch 14 1944. As chairman ofthe board Mr. Phelps will directpolicy for the company and con­tinueto be its chief executiveofficer. However, he anticipatesgreater freedom to concentrateon production engineering andexport problems, fields in whichhe has specialized for more thanthirty years. Under his manage­ment,OLIVER has experienced thegreatest and most successfulgrowth in its more than 100 yearhistory.Mr. McCord a Chicagoan, hasbeen active in the farm equip­mentindustry for 20 years, hav­ingjoined OLIVER in 1930. Shortlythereafter he was named assistantsecretary and was elected a vicepresident and director of thecompany in 1937. He was electedfirst vice president of the com­panyin March, 1948, and ad­vancedto the position of execu­tivevice president in March,1950. Mr. McCord is also a direc­torof the State Mutual Life As­suranceCompany of Worcester,Massachusetts and of the Amer­icanMarietta Company of Chi­cago.During World War II heserved on the Industry AdvisoryCommittee of the War ProductionBoard.Mr. Phelps announced that Mr.McCord would assume his newduties immediately.Strike IdlesCleveland PlantCHICAGO ILL. - Productir n ofOLIVER crawler tractors was haltedat the Cleveland plant of TheOLIVER Corporation at 12: 01 A.M.,May 18, expiration date of theold shop contract, by a strike of1300 members of District 54, In­ternationalAssociation of Ma­chinists.Cause of the strike wasthe inability of both managementand the union to agree on con­tractchanges requested by thecompany.In a series of letters to em -ployes, R. C. Stupp, plant man­ager,explained the impossibilityof successful competition in thecrawler tractor field without rateadjustments and contract changesto bring the plant omewherenearly in line with powerful com­petition,but the union bargainingcommittee resisted any of theproposed changes.SPECIAL BULLETINSOUTH BEND 2 STRIKESOUTH BE o, IND. (Plant 2)Locai 296 UA W-CIO struck SouthBend Plant 2 at 10: 00 AM June 6,after a crisis was reached overthe question of an employe dis­chargedfor cause.The action stopped productionand idled 475 employes. Masspicket lines were immediatelyestablished by the union.Management officials stated thatthe company had terminated thecontract by giving the union thenecessary 60 day notice, and hadbeen attempting to negotiate anew contract with the unionbargaining committee for somemonths. Mr. Stupp pointed outthat the rates proposed by thecompany remained substantially .higher than those of competitors.He said, h owever, that manage­mentfelt that even in the face ofcompetitive rate disadvantages thecompany could compete success­fullythrough increased efficiency.Acted On OwnMatthew DeMore, president ofDistrict 54, said officers of theunion had given no instructionsfor the strike. He added that theunit acted on their own becausethey are pretty damn sore aboutthe drastic wage cut.1950 Six Month Sales22 Percent Behind 1949CHICAGO, ILL. - Estimated netearnings of $2,165,000 after pro­visionof $1 443 000 for incometaxes for the first half of the fiscalyear ended April 30, 1950, werereported on May 23 by Alva W.Phelps, chairman of the board,and A. King McCord, president ,The OLIVER Corporation. Afterpayment of the regular divi­dendson the outstanding pre­ferredstock, these earnings wereequal to $2.46 per share of com­monstock outstanding. This com­pareswith earnings for the firstsix months last year of $3,118,000,equal to $3.65 per share of com­monstock outstanding, after pro­visionof $2,078 000 for incometaxes.Sa !es CadineThe companys net sales duringthe six month period were $42,-520,127, a decrease of 22 percentfrom the corresponding period inthe 1949 fi cal year when net salesamounted to $54,731,011.Mr. Phelps said that the reduc­tionin sales resulted primarilyfrom a late, cold spring in manyparts of the country and the re­turnto the pattern of seasonalbuying by customers. He tatedthat the reduction in earnings wasa direct resul of the sales de­crease.SHELBYVILLE STORYThis issue of the Mirror fea ­turesOLIVER As A Citizenof Shelbyville. Pages 4 through7 tell the story of The Big­gestLittle Plant in OLIVER .DeMore also stated that theunion membersh ip had author­izeda strike at a meeting twoweeks prior to May 18, and thatthe company was urged just be­forethe strike to hold up anychange in the wage schedulepending further negotiations. Thecompany he said, refused.Plant manager Stupp repliedthat further delay was impossiblebecause of the unwillingness ofthe union committee to negotiateany changes from the provisionsof the old contract.P icketing at the plant, by theunion, prevented supervisors fromhaving free access to the plantearly in the strike. Negotiations .between management and theunion have been resumed.2.flt.OLIYERm MIRRORVOLUME 2 No. 5Published at Chicago, Ill., by and for themembers of the OLIVER Organization.The OLIVER Corporation400 W. Madison Street, Chica go 6, Ill.JUNE, 1950EditorHoward D. ThomasPlant EditorsBattle Creek .......................... .. Dave RichCha rles City ........................ R. C. WattersCleveland .................................. Len OgleShelbyvil le ........................ G. BlankenshipSo uth Bend No. 1 ............. , .......... Dick FrySouth Bend No. 2 .............. John TuoheySpringfie ld ............................ Tom RobertsStaff PhotographersCharles Dillman Ca rl Ra beTheron Ta llma n Alfred Devere llThebert DetrickEl GentryJack FortRecent PromotionsCongratulations are extendedby members of the OLIVER Organ­izationto the following men whohave been promoted recently.Charles CityGordon Mead, formerly Indus­trialEngineer A, to DivisionForeman, # 1. Ernest Schwartz­kopffrom Division Foreman #1to Industrial Engineer A. OliverThorson from Departmental Fore­manto Division Foreman, 3rdshift. T. H. Morrell, formerly De­signEngineer, to Assistant ChiefEngineer.ShelbyvilleLawrence Strohl, formerly LeadMan, to Machine Shop Foreman,1st shift. Fred Curlin promotedto Machine Shop Foreman, 3rdshift.South BendChester Barkley from SectionHead, Production Control, toForeman, Stock # 1 Steel Section.Carl Bowman promoted to Foun­dryShift Supervisor from Mould­ingForeman. Victor Elick fromInspector to Inspection Foreman.Leonard Opazewski, formerly anElectrician, is now Service Fore­man.Roy Richards, Tractor Driverpromoted to Gray Iron Cleaningand Grinding Foreman, Foundry.Harris Heater from Gray IronFoundry Foreman to GeneralForeman, Foundry, Gray IronUnit # 1.Sign your Declaration of In­dependence.Buy Savin gsB onds.• June, 1950Battle Creek EmployesSafety Record CitedBy Dave Rich(Picture page 3)BATTLE CREEK, MICH.-New hon­orswere bestowed upon the em­ployesof OLIVERS Battle Creekplant on May 4, when they werepresented an engraved plaque, inrecognition of the safety recordof two million man -hours war kedwithout a lost-time accident.Honors were many at the safe­tybanquet, attended by membersof plant supervision, the safetycommittee and union officers.First honor awarded was theplaque, presented by Marsh andMcLennan, the plants insurancefirm. The presentation was madeby Robert Hutchinson, Marsh andMcLennan safety engineer, whostated that it was an award tothe partners in safety at theBattle Creek plant. Acceptingthe plaque were Ed Hessmer,safety director, William Gresley,president, Local 444, UA W-AFL,and ~illiam Smith, president, Lo­cal873, UAW-AFL.Appointment AnnouncedThe second honor announcedwas the appointment of safetydirector Hessmer to the execu­tivecommittee, power press sec­tion,of the National SafetyCouncil. This announcement wasmade by C. C. Drake, director ofsafety, who presided as master ofceremonies. Mr. Drake stated thatthe appointment was made inrecognition of Mr. Hessmers lead­ershipin safety.C. L. Hecker SpeakerC. L. Hecker, vice president incharge of manufacturing, was theprincipal speaker. J. R. Mohlie,plant manager, introduced Mr.Hecker by stating, Mr. Hecker,I want to present to you a groupof the best safety men in the·United States.Mr. Hecker traced the steadydecline of accidents at the BattleCreek plant which has resulted inthe present no-accident record.He also noted the impressive factthat a high percentage of the 900employes in the plant are activelyenrolled in the safety program,either through the shop safetycommittee, the union, or manage­ment.Tribute was also paid toDr. N. H. Amos, plant physician,for his energetic support and co­operationin the safety program.Sight ScreenerProgram Installed(Picture page 3)SOUTH BEND, IND. (Plant 1)-Anew sight screener vision testingprogram has recently been ini­tiatedat South Bend Plant 1 asan aid to employes visual effici­en~y and safety.The testing program, offered atno charge to plant employes, hasbeen proved a most valuable sys­temof checking eyesight and de­tectingvisual deficiencies thatmay be corrected by professionalconsultation.The test is made through theuse of a newly devised sight­screeningmachine. Small in size,the machine is easily movedthroughout the plant and the testsare completed in short time with­indepartments. Each person testedreceives a statement as to the find­ings,also advice as to the advis­abilityof procuring prescriptionsafety glasses.The program is directed by V.J. Buck Slack, plant safety andtraining director, and HowardDePree, safety engineer. Machineoperator is Devon J ohnson, for ­merlyemployed in Forge # 1.The testing program calls forthe screening of all employes ofPlant 1, including general factory,foundry and office personnel.Services HeldFor Andrew NowakSOUTH BEND, IND. - (Plant 1)Funeral services were recentlyheld in South Bend for T/ Sgt.Andrew B. Nowak, former Plant1 employe. Sgt. Nowak was killedin action on February 20, 1944-,while serving as a radio operatorand gunner with the 8th AirForce. His B-24 was shot downon a flight over Belgium.Sgt. Nowak was employed byPlant 1 on May 22, 1936 andworked as a la borer, oiler andbeltman, and watchman until hisentrance to active duty on April15, 1942.During his time overseas hecompleted ten bombing missionsover Germany and occupied ter­ritories,receiving the Air Medalfor meritorious achievement.Matthew Nowak, maintenancedepartment foreman, Plant 1 isa brother of the deceased.Purchasing AgentsHonor MadiganSOUTH BEND, IND. (P lant 2) -George Madigan, purchasingagent, South Bend Plant 2, washonored by the Purchasing AgentsAssociation of South Bend, whenannouncement was made lastmonth that he had been electedto the presidency of the organiza­tion.Mr. Madigan joined the staff ofPlant 2 in 1946, after five years atOLIVER S Cleveland plant. Heserved as vice president of theassociation during the past year.As president, he assumes leader­shipof an organization active inmany cities and towns in North­ernIndiana and Southern Michi­gan,as well as South Bend.MYLES THOMASCHARLES CITY $428.71LEWIS C. CAMPBELLSPRINGFIELD $409.00A. LEROY COZIERSPRINGFIELD $371.913. • June, 1950S~- , ,Bottle Creek, Mich .Highlighting the Moy 4 safety banquet, honoring the 2,000,000 occident free mon­hourmark of the Bottle Creek Oliver employes, was the talk delivered by C. L.Hecker, vice president. In recognition of the occident free record, the employeswere presented on engraved plaque by Marsh & Mclennon, carrier of the plantemployes insurance. Pictured at the speakers ta ble ore left to ri g ht: Ro bertHutchinson, safety engineer, March & Mclennon; Ed Hessmer, safety director;Lester Eberhard, vice president of Local 444, UA W-AFL; J . R. Moh lie, plant man­ager;Mr. He cker; C. C. Drake, director of safety; W. S. Schader, personnel man­ager;and William Smith, president, Local 873, UA W-AFL.Learning the result of his sight screening, a newly installed program at SouthBend plant 1 is Joseph Markiewicz, on employe of Dept. 43, Drill Room. Per­formingthe test is Devon Johnson . The program was initiated as a means ofd eterm ining visual e fficiency and safety.PERSONALITIES IN THE NEWSBottle Creek, Mich.Five months of negotiations ended on Moy 4 with the signing of a new two yearcontract between management at the Bottle Creek plant and the representativesof Local 444 UA W-AFL, shop union . The new contract provides for six paid holi­days,altered seniority provisions, some modifications of rote sett ing procedures,and safety rules requested by the company. Present at the signing were seatedleft to right: E. F. Grames, controller; J . R. Mohlie, plant manager; William Gresley,union president; George Pope, committeeman; Bert Bockinger, international repre­sentative,and William Schader, personnel manager. Standing left to right: HaroldEllers, committeeman; Harold Rounds, committeeman, and Lester Eberhard, unionvice president.Springfield, OhioInstrumental in placing the Springfield plant at the top of the good housekeepingladder in the last inspection was the revised method of steel storage as indicated inthe above picture. Formerly manually handled and stored in a vertical position,the steel is now transported by use of a crone, and handling is facilitated by hori ­zontalstoring . The change in operation hos greatly increased operating efficiency,and hos contributed to a safer and more orderly deportment in which to work . De­partmentalpersonnel, pictured against a background of the renovated de part­mentore left to right: Henry Mortin, crane floor man; Steve Thomas, actin g craneoperator; Lew Linton, steel stock control man and Homer R. Crispin, general fo re­manof fabrication.Columbus, OhioToking advantage of the back door location of the 1950 American Bowling Con­gresswere the membe rs of the Columbus Branch Bowling Team who took the alleyson April 29 in quest of ABC gold and glory. Rolling a 2,291 team total, theBronchmen rolled into the money in the countrys outstanding yearly tournament.Team members are left to right; D. E. Stoffel, A. E. Fernandez, R. W. Hard mon, R.P. McCray, M. A. Wand and D. T. Brannigan.OLI ERas a citizen ofSHELBYVILLEBy Gerald BlankenshipSHELBYVILLE ILL.-Thi i the tory of Shelbyville, homeof The Bigg t Little Plant in OLIVER and of the peoplewho live there. Located approximately 200 miles southwe tof Chicago, in central Illinois, Shelbyville came into exi -tence in 1827, when the Illinois General Assembly createdthe county of Shelby, and decreed that the county eat benamed Shelbyville in honor of General Isaac Shelby, aRevolutionary War hero.An intere ting idelight on how the site for the town waelected, tells of how the county commissioners appointeda committee, provided the committee member with a wagonand a barrel of rye whiskey, and instructed them to electa town site before the barrel was opened. Riding until theirthirst became too demanding, they stopped, drove a hickorytake into the ground, knocked the head out of the barrel,and proclaimed the location as the site for Shelbyville.Whether thi wa the manner of selection i ometimes ques-ion, but h itP h n pla h lbyvill high on abluff, overlooking the beautiful Kaskaskia river.Rich in Lincoln LoreLocated near the center of Abraham Lincolns activities,while he wa a resident of Illinoi , Shelbyville is rich inLincoln lore. A frequent visitor in Shelbyville, when he wasriding the judicial circuit during the period 1847 to 1858,Lincolns most remembered visit wa in 1856, when he de­batedthe slavery question, in the old courthouse, withJudge Anthony Thornton, prominent local lawyer and mem­berof an old Virginia family. This was the first in a serieof debates that played an important part in Lincolns even­tualelection to the presidency. As now, Sh elbyville wa acity of contra ts. With a tation on the underground rail­way,there existed strong anti- lavery sentiment, while atthe ame time, it wa a center of Sou thern sympathy.Agricultura l Trading CenterLocated in the center of rich farm lands, with the fiatblack land to the north, and the morainal hills to the outhof the city, it was natural that Shelby\·ille would becomea trading center for farmers, and until recent year thatwas the principal activity to be found in the citys bu inelife. Within the past twenty years the city ha become moreindustralized, with approximately 20 ~ of the 5,000 popu­lationnow employed in various phase of manufacturing.OLIVERS SHELBYVILLE PLANT: (Upper left) A view of the Shelbyville plant pre·sents a picture of modern, orderly and well-maintained buildings, an excellentindustrial location and around the clock manufacturing activity. BUSINESS DIS·TRICT: (Center) Compact and orderly in appearance, the business district providesthe community with stores, office space and other requirements without any loss ofattractiveness. Consisting of two story buildings, the district is centrally located andwithin convenient distance for Shelbyville residents. LINCOLN LORE: (Lower left)The scene of many visits by Abraham Lincoln, Shelbyville is rich in Lincoln historyand lore. Al Deverall, photographer for the Mirror, reads the inscription on thegranite boulder marking the spot where Lincoln and Anthony Thornton debated theslavery question.MAIN STREET SCHOOL: (Above) One of the many beautiful buildings found inthe community school system is the Main Street School. The Shelbyville communityschool system includes eleven grode schools and one high school. The new highschool is in the construction stage. SHELBYVILLE HOMES: (Above, right) Presentingno sharp contrast in housing facilities, small, comfortable and well kept homes aretypical of the Shelbyville residential areas.Developed Original Pick-up BalerThe manufacture of hay baler in Shelbyville date backto 1922, when H. M. Tallman purcha ed the Ann ArborAgricultural Company, and moved the operation from AnnArbor, Michigan, to the pre ent location. Combining thebaler operation with the Shelbyville Machine Company, acompany that until thi tim had been doing primarily con­tractwork, the Tallman family continued manufacturingbaler until 1943, when The OLIVER Corporation in a movedesigned to round out the hay tool line, took over the manu­facturingoperation. During the time they were engaged inthe baler building bu ine , the Tallman brother developedthe original pick-up baler, forerunner of today Model 8Automatic Baler, pride of the Shelbyvill plant.In addition to the Model , the Shelbyville plant producethe OLIVER Cotton Harve ter and the 22A Tractor Mower.The 8 Windrower will be produced at the Shelbyvilleplant for the first time thi pring.Growth of the plant i evidenced by today employmentfigure of 432, compared with 218 employes one year ago.Tentative plan call for expan ion of the manufacturingchedule, with the tran fer of additional hay tools to theBigge t Little Plant .Shelbyville IndustriesIn addition to OLIVER s plant, other indu tries to be foundin the Shelbyville industrial picture includes one of thelargest manufacturers of hair pins and bobby pins in thecountry, the Sta-Rite Ginnie Lou, Inc. Operating in thecommunity ince 1917, the Sta-Rite company plays an ex­tremelyimportant part in the Shelbyville economic struc­ture.Other indu trie making up the indu trial ector of thiplea ant town are a branch of the A ociated GarmentCompany, the proce ed milk branch of the Walgre n DrugCompany, a branch plant of the Middle State Chee andButter Manufacturing Company and a foundry of th Dun­hamTillag Tool Company.Although few in number, it may be aid that the indu -trie in Shelbyville pre ent a diver ification of product ,manufactured by well e tabli bed concern that add a greatdeal to the pro perity and well-being of the community.Progressive School SystemThe Shelbyville chool are an integral part of an up-t -date modern and progre ive community chool y tern.The y tern currently con i t of eleven grade cho 1 andone high chool with a total nrollment of 1,415 tudent .Indicative of the modernization and progre iv a p ctof the community unit y tern i the new high chool, nowin the con truction tage, which, when complet d will ade­quatelymeet the requirement of the higher grade tudent ,allowing the junior high chool tudent to move into thepre ent high chool building, and making it po ible f rfour mall country chool to be tran £erred into the Shelby­villegrade chool .Hospita l to be En la rgedRecognizing the inadequacy of th pre ent ho pital toerve the community need , a fund rai ing campaign harecently been conducted that will provide for enlarging thpre ent ho pital building, and al o modernizing and expand­ingho pital facilities. Recognizing that community better-INDUSTRIES: (Lower, left) One of the largest manufacturers of hair pins, bobbypins, and various beauty aids is the Sta.Rite Ginnie Lou Company. Shelbyvilleindustries are few in number, but diversified and well established. UNION BAR­GAININGCOMMITTEE: (Below) In session with the plant manager and personnelmanager are the members of Lodge 1633- lnternational Association of Machinists.Left to right- Henry Banning; Hugh Wortman; Everett Stirrett; Harold Askins;Arthur Hood, union president; C. R. Rogers, plant manager Robert Sylvester, per­sonnelmanager; and Clarence Eckels, union vice president.MODEL 8 BALERCOTTON MASTER22-A TRACTOR MOWERments are also of benefit to the OLIVER plant and the generalindustrial life of Shelbyville, the plant employes, and thecompany have worked together toward the goal, by meanof both financial and active support. The farm equipmentplant is r ecognized within the town for its ever-pre entsupport of all worthwhile community projects.Many Recreations and ActivitiesTypical of maller community program , Shelbyville ilacking in uch thing a night club , mu eums, art gal­leriesand the like. However, the ab ence i not a eriouone, for the citizen of Shelbyville find the day all too hortto enable them to enjoy the many activitie and recreationalfaciiltie that are available. Lei ure time i well taken byactive participation of the citizenry in club , lodge , andci vie group .A visitor to thi Illinoi town will find the summer nighthighlighted by oftball game , played before crowds thatnumber more than 2,000 per on . The OLIVER Balers, repre­sentingthe Shelbyville plant, boa t of city league cham­pionshipswon in 1947 and 1949, and already the plantmembers look forward to another championship team. Inaddition to softball, many other types of recreation outletmay be enjoyed by the Shelbyville residents during thesummer months. F ishing, picnics, general summer sports,and just plain relaxing, are all to be found within the realmof summer activitie .Winter months find the sports-minded people turning tobasketball and bowling. Although the plant was not repre-entedby a ba ketball t am thi pa t ea on, the bowlerturned out in sufficient number to place even team inthree city leagues. All of the OLIVER teams fared well, withthe Power Mowers winning the championship in the Tue -day night Social League. Runner-up team was also an OLI­VERfive, the Cotton Harvester . The Thursday nightIndustrial League first half title went to the OLIVER Baler ,placing them in the playoff for the league crown. The cur­rentstanding in the city Women s League show threeOLIVER team grouped in clo e order in third, fourth andfifth place .To r eport local, tate and national events, Shelbyvilleb oasts three new paper , one daily, one weekly and onetwice weekly. The weekly paper, namely, the ShelbyCounty Leader, has the distinction of having been pub­lihed continuou ly by the Shoaff family since the year1840. There are older newspaper in the country, but veryfew can claim the distinction of having been publi hed bythe same family for a longer number of year .Commission Form of GovernmentThe city of Shelbyville is governed by a commission formof government, with the representatives being a mayor andfour commissioner . In the last election, Mont G. Howe,assistant purchasing agent at the Shelbyville plant, wasSHELBYV ILLE PRODUCTS: (Upper left)-Pride of The Biggest Little Plant in Oli­veris the new Model 8 Automatic Baler. Combining the ruggedness of olderstyle balers, with many improvements, incl ud ing the simplified automatic wire tiefeatu re, this machine may well be called America s most modern haying machine .(Ce nter)-The sturdy and efficient Oliver Cotton Master. (Lower left)-A true mem­berof the Finest in Farm Mach inery is he 22-A Tractor Mower.FORREST B. PRICE DELORES BAPTISTelected a commi ioner and wa appointed commi ioner ofpublic af ety.It i the opinion of the Shelbyville resident that the citi­zenof a town of this ize take a much more active intere tin city elections than do the people who live in larger citieand who listen to and read the propaganda of the o-calledpolitical bosses and political machine . Machine politic ian unknown element in Shelbyville, where the voters knowthe candidates and poll their vote accordingly.The population of Shelbyville is constantly growing, witha 20 7c increase taking place during each of the pa t two dec­ade. De pite this increa e, the utilitie of Shelbyville, withmoderate improvement , could readily accommodate a citytwice it present ize. Electricity and ga i upplied by ar eliable independent concern, and the water plant is mu­nicipallyowned. At the pre ent time the citys water con-umptiondraw on only 50 of the plants capacity.Well situated from a railroad viewpoint, this home ofOLIVER employee i located on the direct east-west line ofthe New York Central Railroad and is on a direct line ofthe Chicago and Ea tern Illinois, traveling to and from Chi­cago.By virtue of these rail facilities, passenger and freighttravel are as excellent as could be found in any town of aimilar size.One of the newer addition to the city is the ShelbyCounty Airport. Maintaining a well-equipped repair ba eCHURCHES: (Below)-Shelbyville has many beautiful churches, fourteen in number,representing e leven denominations. Pictured is the First Christian church. (Lowerright}-Looking back on the home of The Biggest Little Plant in Oliver, thescene is one of a typical small mid-western town . Many pleasant activities andrecreations may be enjoyed there. Living is comfortable and the people arefriendly and receive you well. HACK WILSON and CLINT BRYSON FRANK PATIENTMEMBERS OF THE SHELBYVILLE FAMILY: Typical of employes of the plant andcit izens of Shelbyville are the men and women pictured above. Forrect B. Price,p roduction control clerk, was employed by the Tollman Company in 1936 as as.hipping and receiving clerk. Enlisting in the Navy in August, 1942, Forrest re­ceivedhis discharge in September, 1948, when he returned to the Shelbyvillep lant. Delores Baptist is the plants general ledger bookkee per. She started withthe company in 1943. Hack Wilson (left) and Clint Bryson (right), two mem­bers of the plant management group. Starting at the plant in 1934, as an ap pren­ticemachinist, Hack is now methods superintendent. Superintendent, th ird sh ift, Clint became an employe in 1936, starting as an asse mbler. Frank Pat ie nt isone of the oldest employes of the plant in line of service . First e mployed at th islocation in 1904, when he was 16 years of age Frank le ft in 1910, return ing in1917. An e ngine lathe ope rator, Frank has the re putation of putting ou t workwith the best in the la the business.and approved as a flying school, this new field boa t four3,000 foot runways and is classified among the better air­fieldswithin the area.Typical TownTo you who might visit Shelbyville for the first time, youwill find it to be a typical small mid-we tern town. Youwill find an old town of historical significance, and withtree lined streets and comfor table homes. The primary thingthat will impress you, however, is n t the beauty, nor isit the history, but the people who live there and call Shelby­villetheir home.These citizens of Shelbyville are neither gullible, nor arethey naive. They are not covered by a lacquer of sophis­tication.Rather, they are practical, hard-working people,intere ted in their community and what takes place there,and they are people who still believe and practice themaxim that the good-neighbor policy begins at horn . Tothose of you who wish to escape the rapidity and tenseneof big-city living, come to Shelbyville, its citizenry will givyou a warm welcome.the8. OLIVER MIRROR • June, 1950Oliver KeglersComplete SeasonFour months of bowling com­ple t ed , the member..s of , }h eOLIVER p lant leagues and cityleagues look back upon a verysuccessful season. Results ofleague competition as reported byplant editors are as follow.ShelbyvilleRolling in two city leagues, thebowlers representing The BiggestLittle Plant in OLIVER boast oftwo city champions.In a play -off for the trophyindicating top honors in the SocialLeague, OLIVER Power Mowerswithstood the challenge of OLIVERCotton Harvesters, claiming the1949-50 season crown. The In­dustrialLeague play- off was wonby the OLIVER Balers , victorsover the A & P five.Individual honors went to How­ardCox, Balers, who was topaverage man, claimed second highsingle game, and both first andsecond high series.Battle CreekRepairs, second half winner, bya slim one-game margin, upsetthe W cod Sh p, first half wi ner ,to capture the 1949-50 BattleCreek OLIVER bowling crown.In the five game roll- off for thetitle , the Repairmen, paced byLyndon Jones and John Matyasic,with 889 and 830 totals, respective­ly,had a comfortable 258 pin mar­gin.Maywood Stebleton, 852, andManuel Martines, with an 815count, paced the Woodmen.South Bend 1Concluding the season at SouthBend 1, the members of theOLIVER League teams gatheredfor a dinner, entertainmen t andthe awarding of prizes.In a red-hot race, the FrontOffice team emerged championsby the narrowest of margins, onegame, withstanding the challengeof the runner-up Gray Iron quin­tet.Election of officers for the 1950-51 season was held in conjunctionwith the dinner. Newly electedofficers are John Guendling, presi­dent;Leon Kingsbury, vice presi­dent;Dick Fry, secretary, andVernon Buck Slack, treasurer.South Bend 2A close race throughou t theseason ended with the LoSwingbowlers, paced by Rollie Schei-South Bend 2Form Golf andSoftball leaguesBy Jack TuoheySOUTH BEND, IND. (Plant 2)-Thebowling season now a matter ofrecord, the more seasonal activi­tiesof golf and softball take overat South Bend Plant 2. Markingtwo firsts in the history of theplant, league competition in bothsports has been organized.Golf, long a popular activity ofthe sports-minded at Plant 2, isscheduled for fifteen weeks ofleague competition, closing with aGrand Slam Tournament. To datethe league consists of eight teams,32 golfers, who will take the linkson Monday evenings for competi­tionbased on nine holes of play.Officers of the newly formedleague are Dick Eager, president;Ot is Apple, vice president andBob Hewes, secretary.Enter City LeaguePracticing daily for the openerin the South Bend City SoftballL gue are the team members ofthe newly formed OLIVER 99 s.Workouts to date give notice tocompetition that the 99 s areprepared to field a strong infieldand a fast, hard-hitting outfield .Current worry of co-captains PatFlanagan and Hoot Gibson is thefailure to come up with a strongpitching staff.Follow this paper for reports onOLIVER S South Bend Plant 2threat to the softball supremacyof the Shelbyville OLIVER Balers.man, ending up on top of thestandings in the P lant 2 OLIVERLeague. Inspection, Tool Roomand Tool Design finished second,third and fourth respectively.Earlier ReportsReported in the May issue ofthis paper were the final stand­ingsfor the Cleveland OLIVERLeague and the Charles CityOLIVER League.Track Frames, finishing strong,n osed out the Tool Room team forthe league title at Cleveland.Sheet Metal and the PersonnelDepar tment fives ended in a tiefor the Charles City crown. Inaddition to league honors, theSheet Metal representatives cap­turedthe city ch ampionship.Robert Schneeberger VisitsSw-itzerland After 36 YearsBy Bob WattersCHARLES CITY, IOWA- RobertSchneeberger, shop trucker at theOLIVER Charles City plant recentlyreturned from an eleven day tripto Switzerland, the country ofhis birth. Thirty- six years sincehe left his homeland, Bob spentthe majority of his time in thecity of Rietwil, located near Bern,Switzerland. Making the trip byplane, Bob was met on his ar­rival by his three brothers andone sister, all of whom, needlessto say, were extremely happy tosee their long absent brother.In talking of his experiences,he relates that conditions seemlittle different now from whatthey were thirty-six years agowhen he left for America. Auto­mobilesare still few in number,but the large number of railroadsand the relat ively short distancebetween towns makes up for thelack of automobile transportation.Few TractorsAs an employe of the CharlesCity plant, Bob naturally was onthe lookout for tractors duringhis visit. He reports that he sawvery few and that most of thefarming is done with horses andoxen largely because of the smallfarms and the steep terrain ofthe farmlands.A survey of the Swiss news­papersrevealed to Bob the factthat the people, and the press,of that country are not at all ex­citedabout the possibility of an­otherwar. The papers carry littlenews relative to military conflict.Querried as to whether or nothe brought back any of that ex­cellentSwiss cheese, Bob said,It isnt any better than ours.But wine, thats a different story,its much better.RE TURN PO STAGE GUARANTEEDTHE OLIVJ:R C-ORPORATIONCharles City, IowaSeparated th irty-six years from his fam­ilyand the country of his birth, RobertSchneeberger, Charles City employee,recently returned fro m a round-trip fli g htto Switze rland . Bob reports on his trip,Swiss cheese an d count ry co nditions inan interview with Bob Watters, CharlesCity editor.?iCHICAGO, ILL. - Repeating thevictory of last year, Steffes Ex­ecutivesdefeated Godfreys Ex­portersin the annual ChicagoOffice Bowling Tournament, heldMay 31, by a comfortable 563 pinmargin. Captain Steffee paced histeam to victory, posting high ser­ieswith 537, including high singleperformance, 209. Top man forthe Godfrey contingent was Ches­terJ acobsen with 486.The Executive Queens made ita clean sweep against the Export­ersby posting a 3370 total, win­ningby 335 pins. Vicki Bauer,rolling a 471 series, led the wo­menbowlers.Doris Wall, a member of theExport Belles, gained individualhonors for the evening when shepicked up the impossible 4-7- 6-10 split.SECTION 34.66 P. L. & R.U. S. POST AGEPAIDSouth Bend, IndianaPERMIT NO. 156
Origin: 1950-06
Publisher: The Oliver Corporation
Source: http://michianamemory.sjcpl.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16827coll9/id/5692
Collection: Business & Industry
Rights: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NKC/1.0/
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Subjects: Business enterprises--Indiana--Saint Joseph County
Labor--Indiana
Oliver Farm Equipment Company

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