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Happy Birthday Labor Day 2019!
Do you wonder why I started with a birthday wish for the Labor Day Holiday? Well, it’s a very simple explanation: On September 2, 2019...
Ruth Spayer
Aug 26, 20193 min read


Westclox in the Roaring Twenties
I must preface this article with sincere apologies to those of you who have been anticipating a new Curator’s Corner article. I didn’t...
Ruth Spayer
Dec 11, 20187 min read


Remembering Our Patriarch
A century ago, Westclox lost its patriarch. F. W. Matthiessen, who had faith in a fledgling, floundering clock factory and saved it from...
Ruth Spayer
Feb 26, 20184 min read


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...
Ruth Spayer
Dec 11, 20174 min read


You Couldn’t Get There From Here, but Now You Can!
When the Western Clock Company (a.k.a. Westclox) began producing its world-famous timepieces, about the only way to get from the factory...
Ruth Spayer
Jun 26, 20175 min read


Remembering The Great War
One hundred years ago this week, the United States entered World War I. In the nearly two years that followed, 147 Westclox employees...
Ruth Spayer
Apr 3, 20175 min read


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...
Ruth Spayer
Jan 9, 20174 min read


“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...
Ruth Spayer
Nov 5, 20165 min read


“Woody Who?”
This is the first in a series of articles on “Things You Might Not Know About Westclox”. This first article is written in response to a...
Ruth Spayer
Oct 21, 20163 min read


Where Have All the Kids' Clocks Gone?
Here at the museum, we would never claim to have one of everything Westclox ever made. We're not even close, in spite of the extensive...
Ruth Spayer
Aug 3, 20163 min read


Why LaSalle?
One of the most frequently asked questions in the museum is, “Why does everything Westclox say LaSalle if the company was in Peru?”...
Ruth Spayer
Jun 17, 20163 min read


Mystery Solved?
It seems we are always in “Sleuth Mode” here at the museum, constantly digging through our archives, hoping to solve some of our own...
Ruth Spayer
May 9, 20162 min read


Birthday Greetings and Hankies
As most of you know, I’ve spent a little over a year scanning and reviewing more than 50 years worth of Tick Talk Magazine - the monthly...
Ruth Spayer
Apr 3, 20163 min read


PAYDAY!
I don’t care who you are or where you live or if you work or are retired, Payday is likely to be one of the most important days on your...
Ruth Spayer
Feb 22, 20163 min read


Happy New Year!
As I write this, I find the lyrics of the Al Stewart song “Time Passages” floating through my mind. I guess it could be because it is...
Ruth Spayer
Dec 31, 20152 min read
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...
Ruth Spayer
Oct 31, 20152 min read
Fire!
You might think I’m about to talk about the tragic New year’s Eve of 2011, when arson ignited a roaring blaze in a section of the...
Ruth Spayer
Sep 29, 20153 min read
You Might Not Know
Have you been to the Westclox Museum? Are you even familiar with Westclox? Before you say no to the second question, consider this...
Ruth Spayer
Aug 14, 20152 min read


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...
Ruth Spayer
Jul 23, 20153 min read
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...
Ruth Spayer
Jul 13, 20153 min read
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