Ninety-year old Sidney Richardson was working in the Gadsden’s Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. for 72 years until he retired last week.
Richardson is the longest-serving employee in Goodyear worldwide. His time clock card—No. 0912—is the only remaining card number that begins with a zero.
Richardson began working for Goodyear on June 22, 1943 when he was 17 and started making less than 50 cents an hour. When he was hired, the plant produced around 5,000 tires a day. Now, the plant makes more than 22,000 a day.
“That first day was one of those days were you get up early in the morning and you wonder what the next day holds,” he said in a 2013 interview. “I didn’t even know what I was going to do. I never had been in the plant before.”
In his time with Goodyear, Richardson served in the US Army from 1944 to 1947. At the plant, Richardson worked in the former reclaim plant in the Mix Center, in the calendar/cutters department, and driving a forklift. He worked under 16 plant managers.
“Sid came from our greatest generation,” said Local 12 President David Hayes to Al.com, “one that knew hard work and had to work hard to get by in life, a generation that was grateful to have a good job and took pride in their job by coming to work and doing their job to the best of their ability.”
At Richardson’s retirement, the company presented him with a plaque bearing a quote by Richardson, which will be posted inside the plant as a reminder to employees.
“Put forth a lot of effort,” it reads, “Put one foot in front of the other, and you can get through anything.”