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Westclox History from 1950 to 1959

1950

Corporate

(In Office)

R. H. Matthiessen - Chairman of Board
A. J. Wilson - President of General Time Corporation
A. J. Hasselman - Westclox General Manger
D. G. Mitchel - Appointed Director

Appointments

J. L. Bruce - Industrial Sales Manger

(Other Foreman in Office - E. Farneti - Foreman Foot Press L. Link - Foreman Electric Clock)

Miscellaneous

Quarter Century Club - (end of 1949)

President - Wagner
721 - Active Members - 83 Associate Members

325 - 25 years of service
193 - 30 to 35 years of service
115 - 35 to 40 years of service
59 - 40 to 45 years of service
47 - 45 to 50 years of service
2 - more that 50 years of service

(Above represents - 25,000 years of loyal service

Retired

John King retired with 51 years of service - received $1,000 Government Bond (Assistant Foreman - Buffing Dept since 1920)

W. Kemper (Power Press Foreman) (st. 1902)

Jacob Weber (Tool Foreman) (44 years of service)

Bill Norris (st. 1912) - First Plan Chauffer (First truck acquired in 1913)

Westclox - Hospital and Surgical Plan in effect 10/1/50

Miscellaneous

First Graduates of Westclox Clock and Watchmakers School (Horology) (School stared in 1947)

Wm. Adrian Inspection; E. Aaron, R. Cofoid, F. Yeroc - Engineering;W. Hatton, Inspection; M. Heider - Superintendent's Office, Frank Mahnich, Quality Control.

Introductions

Melody - Electric Wall
New Greenwich - Electric desk
Big Ben Chime - (''First it whispers, then it shouts.'' Springwound)
W. Watch - Wrist Ben (Chrome - curved to fit the wrist) - low priced

1951

Employment

4,000

Payroll

$10,950,000

Quarter Century Club

81 New Members to enter - largest class to date

50 Year Awards - Awarded $1,000 Government Bond -
George Willmeroth (Assistant Foreman Electric Clock)
Charles Ohligschlager (Foreman Vibrating)
Charles Matheiu

Miscellaneous

Westclox offers to pay 2/3 of coast (up to $30,000), towards another cross-town through street - from Peru to LaSalle.

Appointments

Isaac Hatton - Appointed Comptroller (st. Westclox 1920)

1952

Corporate

Goshen (Indiana Plant recently acquired by General Time Corporation

Production of some defense contracts

Russ Kitchen, Works Manager from Scotland - now General Mgr of Goshen. R. Simmons (Canadian Plant) to Goshen as Plant Foreman. E. Ohligschlager, Superintendent of Goshen.

General Time Corporation

(some subsidiaries and divisions) - Western Clock Co. Ltd. Canada; Seth Thomas Division, Thomaston, Connecticut; Stromberg Time Corporation, N. Y.; Haydon Mfg Co., Torrington, Connecticut; Westclox Ltd., Scotland; Westclox (Australia) Proprietary Ltd, Melbourne, Australia; Relogios, Brazil, South America; Westclox Div. LaSalle -and - Athens.

Appointments

M. E. Schlenker - (Chief Engineer Westclox) - General Time Consulting Engineer (st. Westclox 1924) (Appointed Chief Eng - 1940)

Employment

Over 4,000

Payroll

$11,000,000 (Approximately) (Despite 6 week strike)

Quarter Century Club

H. Siebenhiner - Honored for 50 years service (st. 3/31/1902) - Foreman 4'' Finishing (9th Westclox to complete 50 years service)

Miscellaneous

7th Street Road Completed

(Westclox donated $30,000 towards this project)

First Engineering Scholarship Awarded

LaSalle - 100 Years Old (1852)

Westclox - 67 years old

E. F. Cielaszyk

Graduated Horology School - 8th student to graduate

Introductions

Sphinx (Springwound)

1953

Corporate

A. J. Wilson

President of General Time Corporation to retire - Will continue as General Time Director and Consultant.
1932 - 1940 General Manager
1940 - N. Y. - Executive V.P. General Time Corp.
1943 - President General Time Corporation

D. J. Hawthorne

President of General Time Corporation (succeeding) A. J. Wilson. (Mr. Hawthorne started with General Time Canada - 1925)

1932 - Westclox Works Manager
1938 - Assistant General Manager
1940 - Westclox LaSalle - General Manager
1944 - Vice President General Time Corporation
1948 - Executive Vice President General Time Corp.
1953 - President of General Time Corporation

R. H. Matthiessen, Jr.

Assistant to General Time President

H. W. Whitehead

Director of Manufacturing - General Time Corporation

General Time To Build Plant - Athens, Georgia

Plant to accommodate Synchronous Clocks

R. B. Hally - Appointed Works Manager of new plant

Canadian Plant

Now has 150,000 sq. ft (more than three acres)

Payroll

$14,900,000

Vacation

3,551 -- to receive Vacation Pay - 2 weeks

1,219 -- to receive Vacation Pay - 3 weeks

1, 034 -- to receive Vacation Pay - 1 week

Miscellaneous

G. H. Smith - Enters Quarter Century Club - 25 years service

Foreman Appointed

Reul Quick - 4'' Finishing (st. 1929)

J. Wyzgowski - Assistant 4'' Finishing Foreman

Retirees

Henry Siebenhiner (51 yrs service) - 4" Finishing Foreman (st. Westclox 1902)
W. Baker - 43 yrs service (st. 1910) worked- 4" Finishing
H. Z. Cook - Payroll Supervisor (st. 1906) - 43 yrs service
H. Heilstedt - (st. 1902)

Westclox Engineering Scholarship - renewed 1953-54

(4 yr scholarship)

Westclox Adopts Maternity Leave Policy

Social Security Tax

raised to 2% (January 1) - of 1st $3600 (was 1 1/2% of 1st $3600)

W. B. Sampson (st. 1951)

made Administrative Assistant in General Mgr. Office.

Introductions

Glo-Larm (Electric self-starting) - $8.95

Wrist Watches -

Judge - $12.95
Kim 7.95
Troy 8.95
Rocket 6.95 $7.95 Lum.

1954

Corporate

H. W. Whitehead - General Time Vice President

Athens Westclox Division - built in 1954, 115,000 sq. ft. floor space, and molding operation.

Retired

Dr. W. Ream

Plant Physician 32 years - retired - started as Westclox Plant Physician in 1922, June 19

Introductions

Lookout TImer - $3.95
Mascot Alarm - $3.95
Prim - Wall Clk Electric - $4.98 Chrome - Yellow $3.98 (5 3/4" round)
Pittsfield Table Wood- $7.95 Plain - $8.95 Lum. (Bell Alarm)
Sleepmeter - $5.45 Plain - $6.45 Lum.
LaSallita - $4.50 Plain - $5.50 Lum.
Manor Electric Wall Clock
Kendall Electric Table Clk

1955

Corporate

A. J. Hasselman

Retired July 18 - General Manager since 1945
started Westclox 1913 - 42 years of service

M. C. Budlong

Elected President of General Time Corporation - and General Manager of Westclox

Stromberg Time Corporation - now Subsidiary of General Time Corporation

Corporate

Sales G.T. - $49,163,497 + Net Income $2,110,412
Common Stock Share ($4,17) - Working Capital $17,910,676

Promotions

G. H. Smith

Superintendent of Industrial Engineering (a newly created position. He will head up a new department which will be known as the Industrial Engineering Department. - Function of this department will be to investigate and work out better methods of production and handling operations.)
1945 - Assistant Superintendent

Started Westclox July 17, 1928, in the Machinist Training School. In 1931 took a course in Watch and Clock making at the Elgin Watchmakers' College. Returned, upon completion of this course, to work in the Manufacturing Experimental Department. In 1933 - moved to the Inspection where he remained until he was made Assistant Superintendent in 1945.

Entered the Quarter Century Club - 1953.

R. Culbertson -Assistant Superintendent

Started Westclox February 11, 1935, in the Superintendent Office.
1940 - Entered Elgin Watchmakers' College
1941 - Returned to work in Superintendents' Office.
1945 - made Production Engineer
1955 - made Assistant Superintendent

Introductions

Zest Wall Clock - $6.95
Dash - Electric - $5.95 Fortune (electric)
Piper Electric Alarm - $3.98
Spice Wall Electric $4.95 $6.95
Bingo Ivory Springwound - $2.95
Town Crier (Electric) -$4.95
Clock of Tomorrow - Chime Alarm, quiet tick - $12.50
Wrist Watch - Wrist Ben - $6.95 Pl; $7.95 Lum.

1956

Corporate - Directions

(General Time Corporation)

R. H. Matthiessen - Chairman of Board
D. J. Hawthorne - President of General Time Corp.
A. J. Wilson - Consultant
W. C. Budlong - General Manager - Westclox & V. P.
J. H. Schmidt - V. P., Director of Finance and Secretary
A. S. Regula - V. P. - Director of Industrial Relations
M. Lowell - V. P. -
Erord A. Matthiessen
W. W. Wheeler Jr.
C. B. Wilkinson
D. G. Mitchell
R. Taylor - V. P.

Foremen

Clinton King - Foremen Wrist Watch (St. Westclox 1941)
Carl Ostertag - Asst. Foremen - Tool (st. 1921)

Retired

William J. Fitzke - 51 years service - (st. April 3, 1905)

Quarter Century Club

(39th year)

Adam Currie - President Quarter Century Club

Retirees invited to visit Plant (168 Associate members of Quarter Century Club) - Only surviving members of original group of Club (12/18) are Ted Strohm and Bernard Nelson.

Introductions

Snowflake Wall Clock (Electric) - $5.95'
Sheraton (Electric) Table - $8.95
Big Ben Electric
New Bens - Baby Ben & Big Ben
Hustler - Springwound - $2.98
Pocket Watch ''Dax'' - (thin style) - $3.50
Wrist Ben (W. Wa) - $9.95

Westclox LaSalle Plant

Plant covers 18 acres of floor space -

Employment

at more that 4,000

40,000 Timepieces/daily

(springwound clocks, electric clocks, timers, autoclocks, wrist and pocket watches, radio switches, thermostat timers, time delay mechanisms, fuzes)

Westclox Division has been awarded the ARMY - NAVY ''E'' award three times.

Clock and Watchmakers School still in operation.

Patents

Acquired on Automatic Regulation covering clocks & a large segment of the watch field.

Since the first Big Ben was put on the Market in 1910, more than 40,000,000 Big Bens and 28,000,000 Baby Bens have been manufactured.

Open House

at Westclox Plan for Families of employees - they viewed operations of manufacturing - approximately 6,000 people attended this affair.

Corporate

Acquired

Stromberg Division from Hillyer Instrument Company

Haydon Division

70,000 sq .ft. - annex neighboring 20,000 ft. Torrington, Conn. - approximately 500 employees.

Sales (inc. Scotland)

$50,046,672

Net Incone $1,972,148

Working Capital $17,400,083

1957

Corporate

D. J. Hawthorne - President

(3/25) H. B. Whitehead - Appointed V. P. Consumer Products

(3/25) G. H. Smith - Appointed Manager of Manufacturing - Westclox LaSalle

(3/25) J. W. Hawthorne - '' Assistant Comptroller

(3/25) R. Culbertson - Manufacturing Superintendent

J. H. Hoscheit - Production Control Manager

W. Richards - Superintendent Quality Control

C. Y. Pfoutz - Office Manager

R. St. Martin - Chief Industrial Engineer

F. Magee - Superintendent of Parts Manufacturing

I. Batten - Superintendent of Watch Assembly

A. Bierbrodt - Superintendent of Metals Parts Finishing

V. Bubel - (Was forman Miscellaneous now also Assistant to Harold GArdner - Auto Screw Department

Felix Kotecki - Foremen Trade Repair

R. Hornecker - Assistant Foremen Trade Repair

Ohligschlager - Superintendent Clock Assembly

D. Bray - Supervisor Employee Benefits

L. Link - Foremen Industrial Engineering Cost REduction

C. Leshewski - Foremen Electric Clock

A. Metzinger - Foremen Wrist Watch

Barney Cerri - Assistant Foremen - Shipping

J. Mariani - Foremen Mainspring

J. Pienta , Sr. - Foremen Lacquer and Dial Departments

J. Brady - Foremen Staff & Pinion Departments

John Tregonning - Assistant Foremen - Staff & Pinion

J. Wright - Mgr Industrial Relations - Westclox Div.

Miscellaneous

Stromberg Time, Subsidiary of general Time Corporation

acquired exclusive rights to a new Electronic Data Transmission system known as the "TRANSACTOR" system

Haydon Manufacturing Company

was Subsidiary - now Division of General Time Corporation

Automation

Many individuals are concerned with Automation, replacing workers, but Automation started when our Plant started 1885, with our Casting Process.

Automatic Boxing Device installed for Clocks in 4" Finishing Dept

New shipping dock built

Acquired property from Union Coal Company

R. Ristau - Industrial Engineering Department

graduated Westclox Horological School

Westclox Credit Union

Initiated

Introductions

Fawn (Springwound) - $3.25
Leland " 8.25
Glendale Wall (Electric)- 6.98
Frolic (Wall - Electric) - 4.98

Wrist Watches -

Scepter - 7.95 w/strap; $8.95 w.ban
Calendar - 10.95
Shadow Thin- 11.95 w/strap; $12.95 w/band

1958

Corporate

E. W. Jamison

(present Treasurer and Comptroller) Secretary & Treasurer of General Time Corp.

G. G. Ellis

Comptroller of General Time Corporation

C. Budlong

retired June 14

H. Whitehead

General Time Corp. Vice President - Consumer Products, has been assigned responsibility for operations at Westclox.

J. H. Schmidt

(st. 1909) as office boy - 7 years later Paymaster at Westclox - 1936 transferred to New York as Comptroller General Time Corporation, 1942 appointed Secretary Treasurer, 1955 V. P. Finance - Retiring 1958 - but continuing as a Director of General Time Corporation.

R. P. Brown

Elected V. P. and Director of Industrial Relations of General Time Corporation (was Assistant Director of Industrial Relations) - replacing - A. I. Regula, V.P. and Director Industrial Relations since 1942 - is retiring.

F. E. Troy

V. P. General Time and Director of Marketing - Consumer

Westclox

J. W. Hawthorne - appointed Comptroller
I. J. Hatton - Assistant Treasurer

Payroll

$12,300,000

Employees

3,200

Plant Area

17.5 Acres of Floor Space (38 Buildings)

Miscellaneous

Plant Layout

when completed, will move a direct line from the assembly lines to the Shipping Department and then be on the way to our customers via the new docks. New Department is a storage area with room to store 2,000,000 timepieces on floor conveyors.

Westclox Bowling Alleys To Close

Christmas Party

held for children and grandchildren of Westclox employees.

Quarter Century Club

Dudley Diggs elected Club President

814 Active Members - 176 Associate Members
25% of Work Force
418 - 35 years service

Athens Plant

110,000 square feet floor space 430 employees
Production - 6,500 cocks; 2,000 Radio Timers

Westclox LaSalle

Developed first clock unit in this Country for Transistor Clock Radios

Department Names Changed

2'' Material - changed to Watch Assembly (H. Terando cont. Foreman)

Watch Case - changed to Pre-Sub Assembly (J. Kane cont. as Foreman)

Foot Press - changed to Clock Sub Assembly (H. Legget - Foreman)

Promotions

Art Link - Wrist Watch Foreman (st. 11/36)
R. H. Tiggeman - (was Foreman of Stock) - now Foreman of Scheduling (st. 1940)
Harold H. Willmer - Foreman - Parts Control (st. 10/10/23)
Donald J. Baznik - Foreman Inventory Control (st. 1/53)
V. Bubel - Foreman Automatic Screw (st. 1919)
E. Hanson - Asst. Foreman Clock Sub-Assembly (st. 1935)
Paul Kerp - Foreman PAcking Department
R. Hornecker - Assistant Service Manager (st. 1940)
J. Heilman, Jr. - Assistant Foreman Trade Repair (st. 1937)
G. Keith -Foreman- New Fuze Dept. (st. 1924)
W. Cox - Foreman Wrist Watch Sub-Assembly
R. Weaver - Product Mgr. - Electric Clocks
D. Dwonrik - Quality Control Manager - w/following reporting:

John Kane - Quality Control Eng. Foreman
F. Dudek - Process Inspection - Foreman
H. Cohard - Final Inspection (Assembly) -Foreman
R. Gall - Inspection - Foreman

D. M. Lowe - Product Mgr. - Watches
E. E. Connell - Prod Mgr. - Clocks
Bill Curtis - Personnel Director
M. E. Schlenker - Continues and Manager of Eng. w/following reporting:

C.A.Sauter - Chief Eng - Clocks and watches
E. Danz- Supervisor of styling
C. G. McDonough - Chief En. Industrial Products
W. Beck - Supervisor Engineering

Introductions

Calico Horse (Childrens' Clock - wall w/pendulum) $3.98 (red, yellow, blue)
Fawn - Plain $3.50; Lum. $4.25
Monitor Wall 8" - $11.95 tan; $13.95 Chrome

1959

Stromberg - now General Time Corporation Division

August 7 - Worlds Largest Indoor Clock

created at Westclox - (Giant replica of Big Ben) - went into service in Grand Central Station in New York City - Cost to build - over $10,000; Dial Face - 13 1/2 feet - Weight 300 pounds. Numerals 15" High.

General Time Offices - moved to new headquarters in New York

355 Lexington Avenue

Big Ben Clock Sales

Before end of 1900 - 2,800 clocks

1910 - 146,000 sold

1911 --391,000 sold

Westclox Commended by House of Representatives - June 4, 1959 - Produced - 53 millionth Big Bens

Westclox - to reopen horology school

Promotions

L. Cordes - Assistant to Division Manager of Westclox
E. Papke - Packing Foreman (Paul Kerp retired)
R. Shields - Assistant Foreman Scheduling (st. 1941)
K. Brackman - Assistant Foreman Wrist Watch
F. Mahnich - Foreman Rec. and Outgoing Material Inspection
R. Gall - Foreman Final Assembly
Lester Link - Acting Foreman of the Tool on place of A. Faerber(ill)

G. Rottner - Assistant Supervisor of Order Dept.
E. Aaron - Foreman Engineering Model Shop (st. 1936)
D. E. McConaghy - Marketing Research Manager

Introductions

Wrist Watches - Lancer (self-winding) $15.95 Pl; $16.95 Lum. (5) Ladies - Ballet Series $16.95; (2) Shadow Thin Men's $13.95 strap, $14.95 Band; Ladies Coquette Series
Travel Clocks - Travette - $6.95
Children's Clocks - Woody Woodpecker Table $4.98
Springwound - Drowse $5.98 pl; $6.98 Lum - Shelby $5.95 - Cascade $10.95; Legend $9.95; Colt $4.98
Electrics (Wall) - Alhambra $14.95; Mahogany Electric $19.95; Parliament $29.95; Walltone $4.98 (Table Award $14.95; Mahogany Electric $19.95
Cordless - Isotron $34.50

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