The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-06-22
LEAVES FULL MONUMENT

MT. Crockard leaves a monument in the Birmingham district of which any man might well be proud. As vice president of the Tennessee company during the past 10 years he has taken an intimate part in planning and supervision of the vast construction work which has been carried out, so vast that it has involved the virtual reconstruction of all the plants and mines in addition to enor- nous extensions, aggregatng a cost of $32, eco, ,000
 But great as has been this work, there is another phase which he admits Is still closer to his heart. This is the human provement in the living and working conditions of the employees in this dis trict.
 The Tennessee company has set a pace for welfare work in this district which is being felt all over the south, and MT. Crockard has been one of the leaders in the company's great executive organi- zaton responsible for the inauguration and carrying on of this work
 Among the friends who know him best MT. Crockard is looked upon as an ex- ceptionally hard worker-a man with a genuine passion for hard, detailed and exacting work It is not detracting from the credit of anyone in Tennessee com pany affairs to call attention to an ex- ample of how MT. Crockard goes about things. Two years ago the Tennessee company wanted to go into the benzol and toluol industry.
 The product was in enormous demand on account of the war When it was de- cided to build plant at Ensley every minute counted. The engineers who were to do the work said it would take eight months, and finally decided they couldn't do it at all. Then MT. Crockard under took the work. The plant was completed in four months.
 When the job was finished his friends thought he had broken himself down completely, and President Crawford sent him away on an extended vacation. In a few weeks he was back as full of en- ergy as ever and ready for new tasks.
 The policy of the new company to which MT. Crockard is going is not definitely known, but it is understood that development work on an immense scale is to be undertaken. It is under stood that this development is of such extent that as much as year may be required in working out the plans and de- tails alone before any of the actual con- struction is begun.
 The company's operations are located close together and practically everything including the ore fields, is on tidewater.
 RYDING'S LONG EXPERIENCE
 H. c. Ryding, who will fill the posi- ton made vacant by MT. Crockard's res ignation, has been assistant to MT. Crock ard for the past 10 years. He came to the Tennessee company just one month prior to the entrance of the United States Steel corporation in 1907 and has remained with this company ever since.
 MT. Ryding has been in the steel and iron business practically all his life. His work has been not only in the mechan- ical but in the metallurgical and operative branches. He was born in England and was educated in his native country and in Germany.
 For many years he was associated with the late Mack Suppes, who died last year. MT. Ryding and MT. Suppes built the works of the Johnson company at Johns- town. Pa., which were owned by Tom L. Johnson. Later he and MT. Suppes moved and rebuilt the work at Lorraine O., for the Lorraine Steel company. He was with the latter company until he came to Alabama in 1907