DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Burlington Commission on Human Rights, 1964-1965

Transcribe
Translate

Burlington Commission on Human Rights, 1964-1965

At Work in Industry Today Page 22

job with  more responsibility and more pay. Since then, it has been a series of promotions for him, and today he holds an important job with an opportunity to utilize the skills he has developed on the job and "at the books."
     He's also found some time to take an active role in community activities--especially helping young people. Mr. Stamper is currently president of the Carver Community Center in Schenectady, a former president of the local chapter of the NAACP, a member of the committee on candidates for the Schenectady school board and a church trustee.
     "What I try to impress on the youngsters is the fact that ability to do a job --and do it well--is the most important thing. At the time, I didn't realize the benefits that extra studying would bring but it certainly paid off for me."

[photo to right]
Vernon M. Stockton

Virginia technician aiming to become application engineer


Vernon Stockton had his future plans clearly in his mind when he graduated from Lucy Addison High School in Roanoke, Va.; he was going to become a lawyer.
     In the fall of the same year, he entered Talledega University, Alabama, to begin his liberal arts studies. Things went fine for him until the end of his sophomore year when he was forced to drop out of college for financial reasons.
     Returning to the Roanoke area, he applied for work at General Electric's Industry Control plant. He was offered the position of Engineering Technician in Standards and Drafting, a unit of the Design Engineering operation. Accepting the position, he found himself in almost constant contact with key engineering people devising elaborate control equipment to be used in nearly every basic industry throughout the free world.
     Mr. Stockton has had two increases in the short time he has been with the Company and has the opportunity to progress to higher grade work based on his ability and performance on his job assignments.
     Less than six months after joining General Electric, Vernon Stockton realized he no longer wanted to be a lawyer. Engineering had captured his enthusiasm. Currently his sights are set on getting himself equipped to work on a product line as an application engineer. He knows it isn't going to be easy. "I'm planning to go back to school," he says, "and to apply for General Electric's Tuition Refund Program. This program is one of the opportunities I didn't know about before I joined the Company. Since I've been here, I have found that several other technicians have followed the same course and have gone on to become engineers." Through the Tuition Refund Program, the Company pays a portion of the student's expenses to help him obtain an education that will be of value to him on his job.
     It will take Vernon Stockton several years to reach his goal, but he is confident he can make it. "I like the work," he says, "and I particularly like the opportunities and the challenges I meet every day. I can chart my own improvement."

[photo to right]
Wood Taylor III

Son of General Electric man rises from low-rated work

Since Wood Taylor III joined General Electric 10 years ago, he has risen from a janitor's job in the Household Refrigerator Department in Appliance Park, Louisville, to be an engineering technician in the Dishwasher and Disposall Department's Product Evaluation Laboratory. Actually, this was accomplished in less than 10 years on the job because the Company granted him three leaves of absence during the period for military service.
     Mr. Taylor's ultimate goal is to be an engineer--with special emphasis on statistical analysis and the design and development of appliance control components. Let him tell how he proposes to achieve this goal:
     "When I graduated from Central High School in Louisville back in 1950, I wasn't really sure what kind of job I wanted. I had fair grades in high school--about a low "B" average--but didn't have a special interest in any particular field. I attended Louisville Municipal College for one semester before volunteering for the Army. After three years in the Army I was discharged as a sergeant. Dad had started to work for General Electric three years before in 1951, and he was so sold on the Company that I decided to apply.
     "I started out as a janitor, the only open job at the time. Within a few months I was a machine operator and had nearly doubled my starting rate. Working with the close tolerances required in the machining operation spurred my interest toward an inspector's job. By mid-1955 an opening as an inspector came through and after a series of tests, the job was mine.
     "The years of 1958 through 1963 were years of change. As an Army Reservist, I attended Officers' Candidate School, attended Signal Officers' Basic Course, and was called up during the Cuban crisis. Thus I received three military leaves, with seniority protected, in four years. GE is one of the few companies that has a liberal policy toward the citizen soldier. I, especially, can appreciate this.

22

Saving...

job with more responsibility and more pay. Since then, it has been a series of promotions for him, and today he holds an important job with an opportunity to utilize the skills he has developed on the job and "at the books." He's also found some time to take an active role in community activities--especially helping young people. Mr. Stamper is currently president of the Carver Community Center in Schenectady, a former president of the local chapter of the NAACP, a member of the committee on candidates for the Schenectady school board and a church trustee. "What I try to impress on the youngsters is the fact that ability to do a job --and do it well--is the most important thing. At the time, I didn't realize the benefits that extra studying would bring but it certainly paid off for me." [photo to right] Vernon M. Stockton Virginia technician aiming to become application engineer Vernon Stockton had his future plans clearly in his mind when he graduated from Lucy Addison High School in Roanoke, Va.; he was going to become a lawyer. In the fall of the same year, he entered Talledega University, Alabama, to begin his liberal arts studies. Things went fine for him until the end of his sophomore year when he was forced to drop out of college for financial reasons. Returning to the Roanoke area, he applied for work at General Electric's Industry Control plant. He was offered the position of Engineering Technician in Standards and Drafting, a unit of the Design Engineering operation. Accepting the position, he found himself in almost constant contact with key engineering people devising elaborate control equipment to be used in nearly every basic industry throughout the free world. Mr. Stockton has had two increases in the short time he has been with the Company and has the opportunity to progress to higher grade work based on his ability and performance on his job assignments. Less than six months after joining General Electric, Vernon Stockton realized he no longer wanted to be a lawyer. Engineering had captured his enthusiasm. Currently his sights are set on getting himself equipped to work on a product line as an application engineer. He knows it isn't going to be easy. "I'm planning to go back to school," he says, "and to apply for General Electric's Tuition Refund Program. This program is one of the opportunities I didn't know about before I joined the Company. Since I've been here, I have found that several other technicians have followed the same course and have gone on to become engineers." Through the Tuition Refund Program, the Company pays a portion of the student's expenses to help him obtain an education that will be of value to him on his job. It will take Vernon Stockton several years to reach his goal, but he is confident he can make it. "I like the work," he says, "and I particularly like the opportunities and the challenges I meet every day. I can chart my own improvement." [photo to right] Wood Taylor III Son of General Electric man rises from low-rated work Since Wood Taylor III joined General Electric 10 years ago, he has risen from a janitor's job in the Household Refrigerator Department in Appliance Park, Louisville, to be an engineering technician in the Dishwasher and Disposall Department's Product Evaluation Laboratory. Actually, this was accomplished in less than 10 years on the job because the Company granted him three leaves of absence during the period for military service. Mr. Taylor's ultimate goal is to be an engineer--with special emphasis on statistical analysis and the design and development of appliance control components. Let him tell how he proposes to achieve this goal: "When I graduated from Central High School in Louisville back in 1950, I wasn't really sure what kind of job I wanted. I had fair grades in high school--about a low "B" average--but didn't have a special interest in any particular field. I attended Louisville Municipal College for one semester before volunteering for the Army. After three years in the Army I was discharged as a sergeant. Dad had started to work for General Electric three years before in 1951, and he was so sold on the Company that I decided to apply. "I started out as a janitor, the only open job at the time. Within a few months I was a machine operator and had nearly doubled my starting rate. Working with the close tolerances required in the machining operation spurred my interest toward an inspector's job. By mid-1955 an opening as an inspector came through and after a series of tests, the job was mine. "The years of 1958 through 1963 were years of change. As an Army Reservist, I attended Officers' Candidate School, attended Signal Officers' Basic Course, and was called up during the Cuban crisis. Thus I received three military leaves, with seniority protected, in four years. GE is one of the few companies that has a liberal policy toward the citizen soldier. I, especially, can appreciate this. 22