A. E. Harbidge Completes Fiftv Years of Continuou3 Service

Half a century of continuous service to one firm was celebrated July 18 by A. E. Harbidge, 68-year-old bay area resident and machine specialist at the Emeryville plant of The Paraffine Companies, fnc.

At a simple ceremony in the offices of J. T. Coleman, plant superintendent, R. S. Shainr,r'ald, chairman of the board, presented Harbidge with a gold watch. (Shainwald himself trails Harbidge's service record by only seven months.)

W. H. Lowe, company president, gave the veteran worker a three months' vacation check.

If Mr. Harbidge's service record were combined with those of Board Chairman Shainwald, President Lowe. Superintendent Coleman, Research Director Dozier Finley. Watchman John Peters, Box Shop Foreman George Manning, and Assistant Superintendent Ford Tussing-all present at the ceremony-the total record would date back D4 years, or to the beginning of the Manchu dynasty in China. Messrs. Finley, Manning and Peters were asked to attend the fete because they hold next highest honors in point of service years.

Mr. Harbidge was born in Chicago in 1872t-just ten years before a group of San Francisco businessmen organized the Paraffine Paint Co. As a San Francisco schoolboy, Mr. Harbidge earned "candy money" by helping John Alvis, the company's first factory employe, dip the rolls of roofing and make the paint mixture. After graduation, he was given a steady job-so steady that he held it through three wars and a half century of industrial development. He has seen the plant expand from one acre to 40; from one building to 1,10; from one employe to 1500.

Asked how he came to stay so long in one spot, Mr. Har- bidge ansrvered: "f 've always liked it. I've always got along with the fellows swell. As for the 5O years-I don,t know how they ever went so fast."

A milestone in service: A. E. Hcrbidge, right, this month completed his 50fh yecr oI continuous gervice lor The Pqrcrfiine Compcuiea, Inc. At aimple _Icctory cer€mony, President W. H. Lowe (LeIl) presenta three months'vccqlion check. Bocrd Chairman B, S. Shcinwald gcve Hcrbidge crn engrcrved gold waich.

Mr. Coleman says the oldster can do any job in the machine shop. "Heck, he grew up with every piece of machinery we got here," he remarked.

Mr. Harbidge will start his vacation the first of August. He's not sure what he will do with himself. ,,I like to travel, and maybe I'll just go around in my car,', he stated.

He has one son-E. A. Harbidge, a former employe of the company but now a radio specialist with the United States Navy.