Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-05-02
BANQUET
TO ALEC R. BROWN
FOREMEN OF JOHN MORREll q
co. HONOR FORMER FELLOW
EMPLOYE AT DINNER.
FELLOWSHIP RULES
Many Speeches Of Friendship and Ex
pressing Regret Are Made; Big
Easy Chair is Presented
as Token.

pCVSSIU0 tCSVSt nv
Easy Chair is Presented
as Token.
One of the prettiest stag social
events of the year was that held Sat
urday evening in the Orchard room OF
the Ballingall hotel when the foremen
of the John Morrell & Co. plant gave
a farewell banquet to A. R. Brown VINO
has Just recently retired from the ser
vice Of the company. The menu was
satisfying. the post prandial program
pleasing and the spirit Of Aud Lang
Syne pervaded the party. making II
one long to be remembered.
Ends Long Service.
The event marked the close Of a
service in the employ OF this concern
for Mr.. Brown for more than thirty
five years. Alec, as he is most COM
monty known by his friends and for
mer fellow employees, was an employe
of the company when 1t was in its
swaddling clothes and has had var
led and useful career in the packing
business during the years he served
it. Few departments in the now truly
vast local institution that he has not
had some experience with and for a
great many years he has had charge
of the foreign packing and shipping
handling all of the I'M
mense export business Of the Morrell
company.
Old Timers Present.
Gathered about the banquet board
were sopee three dozen fellow fore
men and others from the plant. These
included the management and depart
ment heads from all over the plant.
Men were gathered about the board
that have seen almost forty years. ser
vice with the company, notably John
J. Allott, for years foreman of the
beef department who killed the first
beef ever slaughtered in Ottumwa by
John Morrell & Co. G. L. (Dick)
Blundell was another who came about
the same time and throughout all his
long service with the company has
been the head time keeper Maj. T..
P. Spilman, the veteran live stock
man. who for some time past has
been in charge Of the newest depart.
msnt of the institution, the hog chol-
era serum plant, is also an old timer,
having seen some thirty-nine or forty
years service with Morrell's. Those
with less than a quarter century OF
service for a record were not consid.
cred long TN the service.
Post PrandIaI Program.
Following the service of the banquet
the toastmaster, T. Henry Foster in a
few remarks announced the object Of
the gathering and paid tribute to the
service of the honored guest, suggest
ing that such gatherings be held more
often and while the men are all en-
gagged in the same pursuit rather than
when one sewers connections with the
rest Mr. Foster was most happy in
his introductions and his faculty for
finding timely and appropriate story
generally having some personal allus-
ion to the person introduced, made
the after dinner hours fly by very
happily.
Reviews Other Days.
The invocation was delivered by w.
B. Ramsell, one of the most widely
known Of all the pioneers about the
plant. Maj. T. p, Spilman was the
first speaker called on the program Of
toasts and his subject, Memories Of
the Past" was pleasingly blended with
good humor and pathos. He reviewed
at greater length than perhaps could
any other there, the history of the
plant since it's coming here. The
beautiful and touching tributes paid to
the deceased head of the company, T.
D. Foster and the numerous others
dead or having left here for other
fields, who had served the company in
some responsible position, held the
closest attention of the banqueters.
His numerous humorous illusions to
Incidents that enlivened the old days,
were also heartily enjoyed.
Following Maj. Spilman, J. H. Nor
rell responded to the toast, "The Man
agement and the Foreman" In his re-
marks the speaker reviewed the pleas
ant relations that have always existed
between the management and the men
to whom was givn the responsibility
for getting the work done. He told
Of the necessity for such good feeling
and it's value to both company and
employe. -... .. .... .#
Superintendent Ernest Manns fol-
lowed on the subject, THE Superin-
tendent and the Foreman" and spoke
in much the same vein as Mr.. Morrell
only developing the subject farther
and bringing up to the relations be-
tween the general overseer and his
The fidelity Of these
latter was complimented and their
great value to him and to the plant
in making effective his efforts was
told.
J. F.. Denefe, in charge of the smoke
house department., was assigned the
subject, The Foreman and the Com.
pany, and he dwelt upon the pleasant
relations and good understanding that
features the service in the plant. The
Of the two elements that