This page is for posting random historical info (with estimated dates) about the LR plant. Please scroll down to the bottom of this page and add any events you can remember during your career at the plant like employment, projects, funny stories, milestones, etc. 
Click the photo at the left to see a brief history of the Little Rock plant up to 1996. It starts with the beginnings of the Teletype Corporation, the opening of the Little Rock facility and highlights some significant dates for the Little Rock plant. This is a 3MB .pdf file, so it will take some time to download on a dialup connection. Also, you will need Adobe® Reader® which you can download here.
Below are some old issues of Teletopics
Click the image to the left to see the 1986 Teletype Commemorative Calendar we all received.
Click play above to listen as Gayle Roberts and Fred Donley talk about QWL on KARN talk radio in early 1983. I only had a 45 minute tape at the time so only got the first 45 minutes of the 60 minute program.
Here is a copy of the 2000 LRRDC Interoffice Telephone Book. I’m sure you’ll find some names you thought you had forgotten!
Dave Shewmaker passed along this link to the Hawthorne Works Museum which also includes a brief history of Western Electric and AT&T. Thanks Dave.
So let us in on some of the things you remember while at the plant and enter them below! We reserve the right to delete any posts that may be considered to be in bad taste, so keep it clean!
Start date: About 1988
End date: About 1991
Submitted by: Mike Brauer
Description: The “Low Cost Keyboard” line was started. Design was by Teletype R&D in Skokie under Dave Durkee. Department Chiefs were Bob Bader, then Mike Tate. Engineers who worked on the project were John Burlie, Murray Hamilton, Governor Ware, Jim Kindy, Bert Manar, others…Setups were Howard Slaughter, others…
By: Mike Brauer on December 29, 2007
at 4:09 pm
Started at Teletype Plant on 65th St. Nov. 1957. Supervisor was Gerald Middlebrooks, D.C. was Don Small. Started as a Toolmaker Apprentice. One of the first to enter the New Plant on I-30. Still have Copper Plated Shovel I received at Ground Breaking. I was Section Chief over the Tool Room at New Plant.(1963 or 1964).
Plant Manager was Fred Walker. Retired in Feb. 1994. Had I stayed 2 more years I would have opened and closed the plant. There were a lot of Great People and we all seemed like Family.
By: Vernon Red on December 29, 2007
at 10:49 pm
Start date: About 1996
Submitted by: Gordon Harrison
Description: When the West Chicago repair operation moved into the back two buildings in 1994 or 1995 they went through ISO certification with many training sessions. I found this picture which was probably from the 1996-1997 time frame and added captions to them. Thanks Gary, Toby and Mike for your input.
http://ttylr.wordpress.com/files/2008/01/comic-brauer-2.jpg
http://ttylr.wordpress.com/files/2008/01/comic-gary-1.jpg
http://ttylr.wordpress.com/files/2008/01/comic-gary-2.jpg
http://ttylr.wordpress.com/files/2008/01/comic-gary-3.jpg
http://ttylr.wordpress.com/files/2008/01/comic-toby1.jpg
By: Gordon Harrison on December 31, 2007
at 6:05 pm
Start date: 1980 +/-
End date:
Submitted by: Jim Rush
Description: OPEC Award Photo: http://ttylr.wordpress.com/files/2008/01/opec.jpg
Jannette:
Yes, I do remember the photo and the event. Jack Bonney was correct, of course, in that at that time, Jack was our third level Manager (AM) and I was the Department Chief of the Circuit Card Shop. The ten Section Chiefs in the Card Shop were (in order of the photo) Floyd, Gary, Walt, Larry, Jim Crowder, Robert, Ken, Queen, Gerald, and Jim McDaniels. The ten Section Chiefs were referred to as “the A-TEAM,” because we liked to win OPEC Awards and pay high wage incentive bonuses to our people. Bill Uhlemann was the Section Chief of the Circuit Card Stock Room (Marshalling Area); and for celebrations, etc., we always included Bill and his folks as being part of our Team.
The Card Shop won several OPEC Awards, but this one was the first. The event took place about about 1980 (+ or -) one year. The way I remember it, you are correct with the ” Superior Productivity Teletype Card Shop” script. The overall emblem was a depiction of the small Model 40 Printer Circuit Card. The circuit card had electrical symbols on it. One unique situation on the design was that the depiction of the diode was reversed, which was a mistake on the part of the folks who made the shirts for us.
Another thing that I remember about leading up to this event directly involved Walt. We were having a T-shirt contest to decide what to use as our logo. Walt was on the second shift. The second shift was not participating in the contest like I thought they should participate. Therefore, I sort of “chewed on” Walt and the other Section Chiefs about the second shift not participating. Well, be careful, “what you ask for!” The next morning when I walked into my office, it was literally “wall papered” with sheets of easel pad paper with all kinds of designs as to how our shirt should look. Even though, Walt never admitted it; to this day I believe that he orchestrated that exercise. It was obviously a good joke on me; and all had a “good laugh” about it. One of the scripts from Walt and the second shift personnel was “I am an OPEC Winner, without any Dinner.” Obviously, we chose “Superior Productivity Teletype Card Shop” over that one.
Best Regards!
Jim Rush
By: Jim Rush on January 3, 2008
at 9:58 pm
Start date: May 1996
End date: May 2001
Submitted by: Me!
Description: I started in customer service unter the tutelage of Ivory Cannon, Sherry Turley and a great big training binder. Over the course of those few years, I learned much more than could be held in the binder and was able to take an active role in several projects, including the big ISO push and the constant restructuring of the PCARS team. It’s likely this early exposure to process improvement methodology that led me to pursue my LSS black belt certification and Kaizen lead certification. In other words, I always was a nitpicker, now someone actually LIKES that about me!
By: Susan Modica on January 8, 2008
at 3:01 pm
Here is the Arkansas Democrat article about the LM Glasfiber starting production on wind turbine blades at the old Teletype I30 @ Scott Hamilton location. How soon the old legacies are forgotten, with no mention of Teletype in the article. There are a couple more photos and a link to the Fox16 report on the photos page.
http://www.dra.gov/media/article_detail.aspx?articleID=1973
By: ttylr on February 28, 2008
at 9:10 pm
We received an email from Lance Miller who lived in the neighborhood of the Teletype plant as a child. Here is a link to one of his blog posts.
By: ttylr on October 20, 2009
at 3:14 am