Earl C. Smith oversaw hundreds of production machines, as well as electrical and plumbing infrastructure, at General Tire & Rubber Co. plants from 1951 until his death.
In 1929, Henry Baker started working as a calender operator at BF Goodrich. He later became skilled in the mill room, eventually serving as a line inspector.
And Philip Heupel worked nearly four decades in Akron’s rubber factories. At Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., he was a member of the Silent Squadron, a group of deaf workers who learned how to work in every department…