10 MAIL TRIBUNE, Medford1, Oregon, Sunday, August 10, 1938
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CARTON ADVERTISING Mrs. Jeanette
Misenhimer, one of nine physically handi
capped employees working at Handicapped
Industries, Inc., 827 West Jackson st. is
silk screening cartons used to ship the
Toy Making Firm
Turns Out 1r200
Units Each Day
By DAN DAVIES
Mail Tribune Staff Writar
Christmas d r e d a r ations
have begun already in Med-
ford at one of southern Ore
gon's newest industries. On
Tuesday. Julv 29. Handicap
ped Industries, Inc., began
production of a toy it calls
the "New X-Plorer Rocket."
The toy manufacturing
firm, drawing its name from
the fact that handicapped
nersons are emoloved to as
semble and package its pro
duct, is turning out about
1,200 units a day, according
to President Eric A. Allen.
Nine physically handi
capped persons are presently
emrjloved to Dut together the
colorful package, which was
designed by Die Walsh of
Medford, vice president and
treasurer of the company.
Assembly Line
The assembly line at the
plant, 827 West Jackson st.,
consists of a large U-shaped
table around which the em
ployees work. As you walk
into the room you would be
unlikely to notice that the
workers include two blind
men and a deaf-mute woman.
"Whenever I feel blue and
down in the dumps," Allen
said, "I go back and cheer
myself up by listening to
those people joking and laugh
ing." Allen said he came to Med-
inrii about a year ago with
the idea of establishing a toy
manufacturing company. Last
February he and Walsh joined
forces and on July 21 they
incorporated. "The idea of
employing handicapped per-
sons came after I was put on
an American Legion commit
tee for the handicapped, he
reported.
Two Showroom
The firm leaiei 2,800
square feet of floor space at
its new home, Allen said. In
addition to the assembly
room there are two show
rooms, a lunchroom, and ad
ditional space for anticipated
future expansion.
One of the display rooms
will be used for exhibiting
the rocket toy and a number
of other items including
things produced at Camp
White, the president said. The
other will house Halliday
company, Inc., Palisades Park,
N- J., products.
Allen readily admits , that
the Halliday company made
his firm possible. He said that
they have agreed to take all
of the toys his firm produces
for the 'next several years.
"They approached us earlier
to see if we could guarantee
to produce one million of our
rocket toys for this Christ
man," he stated, "but of
course we just couldn't man
age that."
By Christmas time, Allen
said he expects to have 30 or
40 employees, the majority
of whom will be physically
handicapped.
Purchased in Medford
Everything that goes Into
the toy is purchased in Med
ford except for the balloons
which are made to order in
Illinois, Allen said.
The assembled package in
cludes three colorful balloon
rockets, a wooden plunger
used as a releasing trigger,
and a 10Vz by 1VA inch card
board with a cut-out for a
launching pad backed by a
piece of spring steel. All of
this is enclosed in a trans
parent wrapping.
To operate, the rocket bal
loon is inflated and placed on
the launching pad. When the
trigger is depressed, the
rocket fires into the sky, pro
pelled by escaping air. The
balloons can be used repeated
ly, Allen said.
John Ragsdale, 55-year-old
Trail native and now a resi
lient of Eagle Point, typifies
the employees in many ways.
Ragsdale has been blind since
he was six years old. He will
be remembered "by many resi
dents as the man who oper
ated a cigarette and candy
stand in the courthouse for a
number of years.
Likes Type of Work
Ragsdale said that he had
been working for the govern
ment for about 10 years when
he started looking for some
thing else this spring. He
heard about the formation of
Handicapped Industries and
applied for a job. "This is the
type of work Ive always
liked," he reported. "I like
to do a lot of tinkering and
work with my hands."
As the present time, he ad
mitted, there isn't too much
variety to his job. He works
at packaging most of the time
although the employees do
swap jobs occasionally.
Allen said the nine em
ployees are paid one cent
If if A - I . . .i ''Jsll
t'j". f I if A si ....".w-jrf,
4 f I f if A . - : yv'"
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firm's toy product in. All materials used by
the new company, except the balloon
rockets, are purchased in Medford, includ
ing the shipping cartons.
(Knackstedt Photo)
ASSEMBLY LINE Sight of the nine handi- Leo Potter, Central Point; John Ragsdale,
capped persons employed by Handicapped Eagle Point; Jack Braziel, Ashland; Miss
Industries, Inc., can be seen around the Donna Nelson, Medford; Floyd Elbert, Cen-
assembly line putting together and packag- tral Point; and George Poore and Jackie
ing the firm's X-Plorer Rocket toy. These Hunsaker, both of Medford.
people turn out about 1,200 of the toys a
day. From the left are Joe Pryor, Medford; ' (Knackstedt Photo)
FINAL INSPECTION Eric A. Allen
(right), president, and Die Walsh (left), vice
president and treasurer of Handicapped In
dustries, Inc., are shown with Miss Donna
Nelson inspecting the X-Plorer Rocket toy
made by the firm. The toys are some of the
first produced by the company since . it
went -into operation July 29.
- (Knackstedt Photo).
Ex-Ashland Edilor
Gets UPI Position
Ashland A former city
editor of the Ashland Daily
Tidings. Willard D. (Bill) Eb
erhart. has been given a news
executive assignment in Port
land by United Press Interna
tional. Eberhart's wife is the for
mer Ernestine Gilstrap of
Medford, and he is the broth
er of Jean Eberhart, local
sporting goods store owner.
The new Oregon executive
news editor is to be trans
ferred from Montreal, Canada,
in September. Before going
to Canada six years ago Eb
erhart held positions in Seat
tle and Portland with the
wire service and was manag
er of the UP bureau in Hono
lulu. The Eberharts have one
son, Richie.
apiece for each completed as
sembly. "They have earned
up to S1.50 per hour each
and are getting faster every
day."
"These people are the darn
dest workers in the world,"
Walsh chimed in. "You just
can't get them to stay away
from the job."
Handicapped Industries is
holding an open house today
between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
for persons interested in tour
ing the plant.
PROTESTING INNOCENCE, Marine Capt. Dean Hans
berry enters San Diego federal court for trial on charges
of embezzling $63,000 from Camp Pendleton Marine Base.
He claims money was taken in armed robbery. With
Hansberry is wife, Jean, who staunchly supports him.
Congressmen Say
Admiral Rickover
Got Official Snub
By JAMES BAAR
United Press International
Washington UPI In
censed congressmen yesterday
roundly condemned President
Eisenhower's failure to invite
Rear Adm. Hyman G. Rick
oer to White House ceremon
ies celebrating the historic
North Pole exploit .of the
atomic submarine Nautilus.
The White House insisted
it was not a deliberate snub
to Rickover, who is known
as the "father of the atomic
sub." Press Secretary James
C. Hagerty said there was a
shortage of space in the room
where the ceremony was held
and hence the guest list had
to be restricted.
The explanation failed to
convince or pacify key mem
bers of the Congressional
Atomic Energy tommittee.
Rep. Melvin Price (D-Ill.)
acidly pointed out that Rick
over has been "slighted re
peatedly" by Navy brass and
high government officials.
Twice Passed Over
Rickover has been in the
ill graces of regular Navy of
ficialdom for some time. He
has twice been passed over
for promotion. Unless he re
ceives Vice Admiral rank by
next year, he must retire
automatically.
One Pentagon source claim
ed that White House advisers
made three telephone calls to
Navy leaders suggesting the
58-year-old admiral be includ
ed on the guest list but that
the requests were ignored.
The Navy disavowed any re
sponsibility in the matter.
Rickover's absence at the
widely - publicized White
House ceremony where the
President pinned the Legion
of Merit on the .Nautilus' skip
per, Cmdr. William R. Ander
son, was' quickly noted.
Space Limitations Blamed
Hagerty said "that because
of the space limitations, only
heads of the top Navy com
mands were asked to attend.
Price responded: "If this
were the first time, I would
give them the benefit of the
doubt. But the Admiral has
been slighted repeatedly. It is
amusing to see people taking
the bow who had little to do
with the creation of the
Nautilus."
Rickover incurred the ire
of the Navy hierarchy by his
overriding zeal on behalf of
nuclear submarines. In press
ing for the project which re
sulted in the Nautilus and a
fast growing atomic fleet, the
scientist - admiral frequently
ruffled the feathers of his
superiors.
Union to Cooperate
With Centennial
Roseburg (UPD Dele
gates to the third annual Ore
gon AFL-CIO convention here
directed J. D. McDonald,
president, .to appoint a com
mittee to cooperate with the
Oregon Centennial commis
sion. The closing session direc
tive issued by the group was
made to assure a successful
centennial and trade fair.
All union members through
out the state were urged by
delegates to support the cele
bration in Portland.
Delegates also voted to in
crease the Council's annual
student scholarships from
$500 to $700. A raise in runner-up
scholarships from $100
to $200 was approved, if fi
nances allow.
Six scholarships are award
ed yearly, three of $500 each
and three of $100 each.
Man Shot While
Fixing Breakfast
Vancouver, Wash. (UPD
Clifton Mamerow, 65, of Los
Angeles, Calif., was . acciden
tally wounded Thursday as he
prepared breakfast for his
wife and a companion in the
Ridgefield city park, Clark
County sheriff's deputies re
ported.
Officers said Mamerow was
shot in the left knee with a
.22 caliber rifle.
Two boys, 12 and 14, who
had been shooting birds in
the vicinity were turned over
to juvenile authorities for
questioning.
Mamerow was reported in
good condition at St. Joseph
hospital.
Frieburg, Germany (UPD
Prisoners at the Freiburg pen
itentiary are going to have
trouble filing their way out
of cells. Prison officials have
decided to make the cell bars
of concrete rather than the
traditional iron.
Safety Avard Presented
To Gold Hill Cement Plant
BY MRS. CLYDE KELL
Gold Hill Employees of
the Gold Hill Ideal Cement
company plant and Marble
Mountain quarry were hon
ored at a Boettcher' Safety
Award picnic given by the
Ideal Cement company Aug. 2
at TouVelle State park.
The picnic was .held in rec
ognition for the outstanding
safety record achieved by the
Gold Hill plant. There were
no lost time accidents during
1957, , and the local unit had
passed its 815th consecutive
day without a disabling in
jury. The day's activities included
a full program of entertain
ment for children and adults.
A roast beef dinner was served
at noon. More than 335 attend
ed the picnic, including em
ployees, their families, local
Ideal officials and guests, re
tired employees of the Gold
Hill plant and quarry, and
several Ideal Cement compa
ny executives from Denver,
Colo.
The welcome address was
given by Frank A. Sutcliffe,
manager of the Gold Hill
plant, who expressed his grat
itude to all who were respon
sible for the safety record.
. Sutcliffe introduced com
pany executives from Denver,
who praised the management
and men for the record
achieved through cooperation
in observing safety regula
tions. One Denver official
commented on the good house
keeping -he noticed when he
visited the cement plant, and
was pleased since this is a fac
tor towards estblishing good
safety habits.
Those from Denver present
were Thomas B. Douglas, vice
president of operations; Frank
Price, industrial relations di
rector; and Ted Johnson, edi
tor of the Ideal Cement Mixer
magazine and director of pub
lic relations.
Other guests introduced by
Sutcliffe were Mayor and Mrs.
Ernie Cooper of Gold Hill; E.
A. Olsen and Bud Green, acci
dent prevention division, state
of Oregon; Ray Murray, sales
manager, Oregon division,
Portland; E. F. Bollinger, Pa
cific regional production man
ager, Palo Alto, Calif.; R. E.
Hussey, labor relations mana
ger, Pacific region.
Retired employees of the
Gold Hill plant and Marble
Mountain quarry were pre
sented by J. Raymond Ritter,
plant chemist and safety di
rector, who was chairman of
the picnic arrangements.
Those present were R. E.
Cook, Charles Kell, John
Hangas, Carl Boye, Clyde
Walker, Bozy Tepovac, S. M.
Christensen, Jim Clement,
Max Schmidt, Joe Pankey,
and Earl Pankey of the ce
ment plant. Those from Mar
ble Mountain were William
Marsh and Hose Brown.
. The Bureau of Mines Joseph
Holmes Award was presented
to the men of Marble Moun
tain quarry for having worked
four years without a lost time
accident. Price made the pre
sentation to Pat Gallagher,
large cat operator at Marble
Mountain, which is located
near Wilderville in the Grants
Pass area.
The State of Oregon Award
of Merit was presented to
Frank Carter, master mechan
ic at the cement plant, by Bud
Green, Medford, who is rep
resentative of the Oregon
State Industrial Accident com
mission. The award was given
in recognition of outstanding
effort and achievement in the
interest of safety.
The Charles Boettcher Safe
ty Award was presented by
Douglas. Receiving the award
was Alva Cook, chief elec
trician, in behalf of the em
ployees of the cement plant.
The Boettcher Plaque is the
highest safety award ever pre
sented to any unit of the Ideal
Cement company chain. To
qualify for the Boettcher
award, the plant must have
completed one calendar year
without a lost time accident.
To win the plaque permanent
ly a plant must have com
pleted two consecutive years
without a lost time accident,
Douglas said. '
The Boettcher Safety Award
is named in memory of the
founder of Ideal Cement com
pany, Charles Boettcher. who
stressed welfare and safety
habits for his employees as far
back as 1898 when he found
ed the original . cement plant
RECEIVES AWARD Alva Cook, chief electrician at the
Gold Hill plant of the Ideal Cement company, receives the
Charles Boettcher Safety Award on behalf of the plant
employees at a recent picnic at TouVelle State park. The
award is the highest a company plant can receive from the
firm for going one year without a lost time accident. (Ideal
Cement Company Photo).
of Ideal in Portland, Colo. The
company is now made up of
15 cement plants and three
terminals throughout the
United State. The local ce
ment plant became a unit of
Ideal Cement company in
1952. Since that time many
improvements to modernize
have been carried out, includ
ing new buildings and equip
ment. Douglas said the Gold Hill
Ideal cement plant is one of
eight to receive the Boettcher
honor this year. Sutcliffe add
ed that to his knowledge this
is the first time in the history
of the local plant that such a
safety record has existed.
Ritter, who also is safety di
rector, said he is pf oud of his
fellow workers for having ob
served rules and achieved the
awards.
Ritter expressed his appre
ciation to all who served ac
tively on the picnic commit
tee. They were Jim Lindsay,
Pat Gallagher, Si Fleming,
Neal Smith, Bill Day, Clyde
Brown, Mrs. Ann Denker,
Frank Carter, Wilmer Bailey,
Sam Jones, Cleo Gilchrist, Al
Finke, Clarence Huntley, Alva
Cook, Bob Vincent, Lawrence
Smith, Donald Ferguson and
Leonard Gascon.
Guests of Ideal officials at
tending from out of town were
J. O. Kingslien, Ideal sales
man, southern Oregon; Joe
Murdoik, chief chemist, Ideal
Cement company, Redwood
City, Calif., Mike Reiley,
Ideal salesman, northern Ore
gon; and Jack Kershaw, own
er of K Lines, Inc., Coos Bay;
John Forrest, district 2 coun
cil representative of the Ce
ment Lime and Gypsum
Workers of America, who
came from Seattle, Wash.
Vancouver Man
Killed In Crash
Vancouver, Wash. (UPD
Henry Harding, 62, of Van
couver, died Friday afternoon
when his car crashed into a
concrete abutment at 33rd
and Freeway.
Vancouver citv Dolice said
that the cause of death was
undetermined.
Clark County Assistant
Coroner John C. Egon ordered
an autopsy.
Police voiced the opinion
that Harding may have died
of a lieart attack before the
crash. Officers said no skid
marks were visible. Harding
was reported to have a bad
heart, they said.
WRONG BAG
New York (UPD Book
keeper Sylvania Youngerman
and a woman companion stop
per at a bank Friday and pick
ed up a $2,000 payroll and
then dropped into a nearby
restaurant to buy a container
of coffee. As they were about
to enter the building of Miss
Youngerman's employer, a
daring payroll bandit grabbed
the paper bag she was carry
ing and fled. He got the cof
fee.
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WESTERN THRIFT
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