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Burlington Commission on Human Rights, 1964-1965

At Work in Industry Today Page 9

[photo to right]
Otis George

Florida dropout regains lost ground, wins responsible position

Seeing Otis George walk through the employment office door at General Electric's Pinellas Peninsula Plant of the X-Ray Department, the interviewer's first inclination was to refer the 6'3", 218 pound man to the defensive line coach of a professional football team.
     Mr. George had followed the advice of another Negro employee of GE and the director of his local YMCA to apply for a job at GE. Otis George was a school dropout; he had experience only as a laborer and a U.S. Marine MP. Yet,the plant in St. Petersburg, Fla., was to be technically oriented.
    Nevertheless, Otis George was hired, in March, 1958, and was impressed by the opportunity. His first job for GE was that of a laborer. Since that March, 1958, start, he has made several strides forward with the Company and he is pleased with the progress he has made. From an environment where a young Negro had to fight to keep off the unemployment rolls, he has directed his energy toward gaining solid work experience and a better future.
     During his six GE years, Mr. George has earned four promotions. He is now the functional work leader of the plant's receiving area. Five employees receive work directions from him and he earns $40 per week more than he did when he first joined GE.
     He is the first one to admit his mistake in dropping out of school before completing his final year at Gibbs High. "Quitting school was a poor decision," he admits, "but I plan to begin working this fall toward finishing high school. Then I hope to enroll in St. Petersburg Junior College's two-year course because I realize I"ll need more education before I can make any real progress." He says, "Without education, you're lost! It's like being out on a desert without water." This has developed into a philosophy which he and his wife, Mollie, have for the future of their four children.
     "We realize," Mr. George says, "how important an education is for anyone --Negro or white--and we plan to do everything in our power to provide the opportunity for our children to have college educations so that they will be good citizens and contribute to our society."
     He is so convinced of the need for a solid education that he is now urging his wife to complete the 2 1/2 year start she has on an education degree at Florida A&M.

[photo to right]
Edith Grundy

Her husband persuaded her to come to General Electric

Many businessmen will tell you that a good secretary is the mortar that holds an office together. Mrs. Edith Grundy is such a secretary. In the year she has been with General Electric, she has come to play an important role in the Relations and Utilities Purchasing Operation at the company's major appliance manufacturing complex in Louisville, Ky.
     All this did not come about automatically. She developed a solid background of secretarial theory and experience through a combination of schooling and extensive work experience.
     Educationally, Mrs. Grundy attended Central High School in Louisville, making better than average marks. Following high school, she went on to complete two years' work at Indiana University. Her goal at that time was toward a teaching degree in elementary education.
     Between high school and college, she worked for a time assisting int he night school program of her high school. After her college career, she applied and was accepted in a job as secretary in a local insurance company --this was the job she was on prior to coming with General Electric. Before that, Mrs. Grundy was employed as a clerk by the City of Louisville.
     She applied for a job at Appliance Park because her husband, Norman, has been employed in the Park's central warehouse for almost ten years.
     "My husband encouraged me to apply," she recalls, "because he likes his job and I felt that I could do better at General Electric."
     The nature of her work is such that Mrs. Grundy is called upon to meet many non-General Electric vendors seeking to do business with the Company. She enjoys this. "I like people and this job keeps me in constant contact with people, both on the phone and in person," she says.
     On the job, she keeps busy working with all types of office equipment. She types well, operates adding equipment, and takes direction.
     Hired as stenographer, Edith Grundy's background made her a natural for a secretary's position when the job opened up in the same office not long after she came with GE.

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[photo to right] Otis George Florida dropout regains lost ground, wins responsible position Seeing Otis George walk through the employment office door at General Electric's Pinellas Peninsula Plant of the X-Ray Department, the interviewer's first inclination was to refer the 6'3", 218 pound man to the defensive line coach of a professional football team. Mr. George had followed the advice of another Negro employee of GE and the director of his local YMCA to apply for a job at GE. Otis George was a school dropout; he had experience only as a laborer and a U.S. Marine MP. Yet,the plant in St. Petersburg, Fla., was to be technically oriented. Nevertheless, Otis George was hired, in March, 1958, and was impressed by the opportunity. His first job for GE was that of a laborer. Since that March, 1958, start, he has made several strides forward with the Company and he is pleased with the progress he has made. From an environment where a young Negro had to fight to keep off the unemployment rolls, he has directed his energy toward gaining solid work experience and a better future. During his six GE years, Mr. George has earned four promotions. He is now the functional work leader of the plant's receiving area. Five employees receive work directions from him and he earns $40 per week more than he did when he first joined GE. He is the first one to admit his mistake in dropping out of school before completing his final year at Gibbs High. "Quitting school was a poor decision," he admits, "but I plan to begin working this fall toward finishing high school. Then I hope to enroll in St. Petersburg Junior College's two-year course because I realize I"ll need more education before I can make any real progress." He says, "Without education, you're lost! It's like being out on a desert without water." This has developed into a philosophy which he and his wife, Mollie, have for the future of their four children. "We realize," Mr. George says, "how important an education is for anyone --Negro or white--and we plan to do everything in our power to provide the opportunity for our children to have college educations so that they will be good citizens and contribute to our society." He is so convinced of the need for a solid education that he is now urging his wife to complete the 2 1/2 year start she has on an education degree at Florida A&M. [photo to right] Edith Grundy Her husband persuaded her to come to General Electric Many businessmen will tell you that a good secretary is the mortar that holds an office together. Mrs. Edith Grundy is such a secretary. In the year she has been with General Electric, she has come to play an important role in the Relations and Utilities Purchasing Operation at the company's major appliance manufacturing complex in Louisville, Ky. All this did not come about automatically. She developed a solid background of secretarial theory and experience through a combination of schooling and extensive work experience. Educationally, Mrs. Grundy attended Central High School in Louisville, making better than average marks. Following high school, she went on to complete two years' work at Indiana University. Her goal at that time was toward a teaching degree in elementary education. Between high school and college, she worked for a time assisting int he night school program of her high school. After her college career, she applied and was accepted in a job as secretary in a local insurance company --this was the job she was on prior to coming with General Electric. Before that, Mrs. Grundy was employed as a clerk by the City of Louisville. She applied for a job at Appliance Park because her husband, Norman, has been employed in the Park's central warehouse for almost ten years. "My husband encouraged me to apply," she recalls, "because he likes his job and I felt that I could do better at General Electric." The nature of her work is such that Mrs. Grundy is called upon to meet many non-General Electric vendors seeking to do business with the Company. She enjoys this. "I like people and this job keeps me in constant contact with people, both on the phone and in person," she says. On the job, she keeps busy working with all types of office equipment. She types well, operates adding equipment, and takes direction. Hired as stenographer, Edith Grundy's background made her a natural for a secretary's position when the job opened up in the same office not long after she came with GE. 9