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Ruth Spayer
- Dec 11, 2017
- 4 min
December - A Most Wonderful Time of the Year
December has always been a joyous time for Westcloxers. (Except for 1942, but we’ll save that for another time.) I can’t begin to tell you how many “Baby Boomers” have commented on the wonderful Christmas parties the company used to throw for the children/grandchildren of employees. I’d like to talk about another December event that was anxiously-awaited by an elite group of employees – the annual Quarter Century Club banquet. For those who don’t already know, the Quarter C
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Ruth Spayer
- Jan 9, 2017
- 4 min
What’s The Weather Going To Be Like?
One of the first things most of us do in the morning, and one of the last things before going to bed at night, is check the weather report. This means either a quick look at our smartphone, tablet or computer, turning on The Weather Channel on TV, tuning in our local radio station or possibly checking the newspaper. (Your method of checking probably depends a lot on your age, but we won’t get into that.) Whatever you choose, you can count on a pretty accurate and detailed
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Ruth Spayer
- Nov 5, 2016
- 5 min
“The Clock that Caused a Near-Riot”
Little Known Facts About Westclox As Veteran’s Day draws close, I am inspired to write about Westclox during
World War II. Some of you likely remember this era, and even visited our special exhibits last year, but there are some things you probably don’t know – like: “The Clock that Caused a Near-Riot” It was July 31, 1942, when the unthinkable happened at Westclox – clock production ceased! According to Tick Talk Magazine, August 1942, “On July 31 we made our last Westclo
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Ruth Spayer
- Oct 31, 2015
- 2 min
Defense Won’t Wait
For the Nation That’s Late
I’m guessing that the majority of you who read this column are at least one generation removed from World War II, and many of you are two or three generations removed from that troubling time. That’s why I decided that the story of Westclox during World War II needed to be shared now – 70 years after the war ended. I don’t know why, but the 1940’s was the last decade that we had left to scan for our Tick Talk project. When I began 1942, I was stunned. The amount of informa
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Ruth Spayer
- Jul 23, 2015
- 3 min
A Museum Expedition
In my first Curator’s Corner article, I talked a lot about the Tick Talk magazines and our project with them. Today, I’d like to touch on some information from one of the magazines from 1929. About 90 years ago, the Company was already attempting to establish a museum of Westclox timepieces within the confines of the plant, but with little success. In 1929 there was “…a collection of battle-scarred World War “vets”, fire victims, and several other timepieces that were made
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Ruth Spayer
- Jul 13, 2015
- 3 min
You Never Know What You Might Find!
“You never know what you might find at the Westclox Museum!” It seems I’ve been saying that a lot lately, because it’s true. Every day is a new experience – new visitors, new donations and especially new stories. Yes, I’ve read and reviewed the history of Westclox as compiled by the company, and both of my parents and innumerable relatives worked here (I did not.). My husband and co-curator worked here for 17 years, until the plant closed, and his job in the machine and t
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