The Ball Line

I love old company newsletters, not only for the major stories, but for the everyday chitchat. It’s so easy to get lost in the little stories. Every now and then, I pull out a copy of The Ball Line just to see what was going on with the company and employees. The Ball Line was started by John W. Fisher in the early 1940s, and, of course, those issues from the World War II years were full of news of both the home front and the people in service.

The front page of the October 1944 issue featured the Miller family. Paul Miller, a corrugated stockman in the box department, had six sons in the military. According to the editor, Mr. Miller’s only regret was that he was past military age and “unable to get in there with his boys and help rid the world of dictatorship.” Other people in the service who were featured include Charles Ogburn, who was “in the thick of the fight in the South Pacific,” and Jimmie Love, who just completed basic training. Just about every issue also had the sad news of someone killed in action. Infantry sharpshooter Robert Collins was killed while with General Patton’s army in France. On the home front, the good news was that Ball Brothers Company won first place in the Counter Display division of the annual point-of-sale display contest held by the National Food Distributors Association.

Along with news of the war, there are the tidbits of everyday life. We learn that George Tom went to Winamac to hunt rabbits, to Attica to hunt pheasants, and to Lafayette to hunt squirrels. Weren’t there enough squirrels in Muncie? There was lots of vacation news also, but most everyone didn’t journey too far from home – maybe as a result of gas rationing. Any good company newsletter also includes news of the bowling league. The Machine Repair division was in first place, while the Machine Shop division was in last.

The Ball Line was full of news and just a little bit of gossip, a few jokes, and a dash of helpful information – just what a company newsletter should be.