Corsicana Daily Sun, Dec. 22, 1947

CHRISTMAS PARTY OF COTTON MILLS HELD ON SATURDAY NIGHT

EMPLOYEES, MANAGEMENT REPRESENTATIVES ARE FETED, GIVEN GIFTS

By Bonnie Wright Binford

Employees and management representatives of the Corsicana Cotton Mills joined forces to stage a Christmas tree celebration Saturday night at the high school auditorium in which 375 workers received gift checks and 400 children were given toys and cash gifts.

The Mills, following procedures of last year, presented to each employee of one year service or longer, a check in the amount of one week’s salary. Those who had been in the employ of the Mills for less than one year received checks in proportion to their time of employment.

Of the 400 children remembered, 75 were teenagers who received cash gifts in the amount of $3 each. The teenagers were later entertained with a party.

In the mountain mass of toys were metal rockers, atomic pistols, cap pistols, 45 pairs of skates, scooters, pull toys and games.

Check distribution was directed by Ralph Elliott and Otto Smith

Present for the occasion were General Manager J. N. Edens and Mrs. Edens, Mrs. M. E. Woodrow, Miss Imogene Sheehy, Mrs. J. N. Edens, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. E. C. Sears, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Cunningham and son, Jack Edens, W. H. Norwood and other guests.

Plans for the program, arranged entirely by the employees, were directed by Mrs. Ralph Elliott and Mrs. Ernest Jones. They estimated two months’ work had gone into preparing the celebration.

Twin Christmas trees, reaching 11 feet above their snow-banked bases, flanked the stage and framed the accumulations of toys. Eight dozen ornaments gleamed through icicle tinsel and between the white roving, cotton roping which represented a stage in milling just short of years.

Responsible for decorating the trees were James Owens, Elbert Cox, L. G. Coker, Windell Cummings, Jess Richards, Grover Kirksey, Max Demings; Mmes. W. L. Shipp, C. P. Shoemaker, Tommy Hawkins and Lila Tarrer and Miss Velma Brewer. L. G. Dove served as chairman to select the trees, and Charles Barnaby prepared the programs.

The committee to tag toys included Mms. Ethel Cummings, Beula Caffey, Mary Lee Yarbrough, Mildred Low, Grover Kirksey, Nadine Low, Ida M. Pollock, J. H. Spurlock, Emma Farmer, Francis Williams, Nannie B. Yarbrough, Floyd Allred and Elsie Thomas.

Distributing gifts were Clifton Barron, Calvin Barron, Clifton Howard, John B. Spurlock, and Mmes. Albert Jamison, Elmer Marr, and Ted Eastham.

Ushers were W. L. Rutherford, W. L. Shipp, J. C. Howell, Alton Bates and Earnest Yarbrough. Mrs. Hubert Cox acted as leader for the carol singing with Mrs. Billy Turner serving as accompanist. Kathryn Dunagan was narrator for a Christmas play, “In the Shepherd’s Field” in which character parts were taken by Hal Mathews, Jackie Crook, Lemar Crook, Anita Kilgore, Helen Chapman, Peggy Shook, Rayburn Mathews, Morris Melton Jones, Mary Yarbrough, Floyd Farish, Johnny Yarbrough, Zollie Holt, Henry Clay Newman, Billy Elliott and Dewaite Chappell. Readings were given by Minnie Elliott, Anna Louise Byrd and Mary Yarbrough. S. L. McCrary officiated as Santa Claus. The Rev. J. Morris Bailey led the prayer opening.

For the teen-agers’ party at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Elliott, other chaperons were Mr. and Mrs. Shoemaker, Mr. and Mrs. Jones, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Harris and Miss Brewer.

Games were played and bottled drinks were served with sandwiches and iced cake squares to fifty young people.