March 8, 1951: Instructions On Business Are Praised - Local Teachers Find Plant Tour Is Educational

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 8, 1951.

Instructions On Business Are Praised

Local Teachers Find Plant Tour Is Educational

Valparaiso’s public and elementary grade teachers had high praise today for “instructions” in business and industry they received Wednesday afternoon from representatives of various factory and business establishments in the community.

And businessmen said they are looking forward to the time when they will sit in on academic proceedings at the local schools.

The whole program was initiated by the educational committee of the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, with the cooperation of the Valparaiso city, St. Paul’s Catholic and Immanuel Lutheran school administrators. It is planned to hold similar meetings, either at business houses or in the schools, in each of the next two years.

Some 80 teachers of the community toured, in small units, five industrial plants, Continental Diamond Fibre company, McGill Manufacturing company, Indiana Steel Products company. The Robert L. Miller Laboratory and Urschel Laboratories; three stores, J. Lowenstine and Sons, Stambaugh Farm Equipment company and J.C. Penney company; two financial institutions, Farmers’ State and First State banks; Hotel Lembke; and The Vidette-Messenger, Indiana Associated Telephone company and Northern Indiana Public Service company plants.

Spends Entire Afternoon

The teachers reported at their assigned tour place at one o’clock and spent the entire afternoon inspecting the facilities and learning of some of the problems of conducting the particular business that they were visiting.

Climax of the day came when 120 teachers and businessmen attended a banquet at Hotel Lembke sponsored by the C of C. Lester Milne, chairman of the education committee, served as master of ceremonies.

Representatives of the 14 firms who acted as hosts during the afternoon were introduced, as were members of the city school board, committee members who arranged details for the day and James Patricn[sic], C of C secretary-manager.

Featured speaker of the evening was Dr. Virgil M. Rogers, superintendent of schools, Battle Creek, Mich. He was introduced by G. Warren Phillips, superintendent of the local city schools.

Stake In Schools

In his address, Rogers reminded the businessmen that they have a stake in the public schools, which he labeled as the nation’s greatest enterprise today. He said all people in a community have a direct or indirect part in the school, and he warned that if America permits public education to die, democracy will die with it.

He pointed out that the growth of education has aided America to build more cars, more homes, more radios and similar advantages than exists in any other nation.

Rogers advised that the schools should furnish their pupils with a more dramatic meaning of American citizenship, that they must appeal to community leaders to help keep the academic standards on a high level.

As a closing warning the speaker asserted that if totalitarianism ever strangles the American way of life it will because education has lost its objective.

TWO OF THE PLANTS toured Wednesday afternoon by local teacher groups during the Business-Industry-Education event sponsored by the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce were that of The Vidette-Messenger and the Continental Diamond Fibre company. In the upper photo teachers are viewing the teletype and morgue operations in the editorial department. In this group were the following teachers: Emma R. Food, Mary Miller, Mary Stoner, Mary Phillips, Francis May and Verna Randert. Shown in the mica press room Burton Conklin, Glen Gierke, Milton Marten, Sister Miriam Loretto and Sister M. Juliette. George Nelson and D.K. Appleby were in charge of the tour there.

Oct. 22, 1955: Die Making Is Thorgren’s Specialty - Nylon Molds Also Used By 20 Employes

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on October 22, 1955.

Die Making Is Thorgren’s Specialty

Nylon Molds Also Used By 20 Employees

By ROLLIE BERNHART

One of Valparaiso’s “smaller industries,” the Thorgren Tool and Molding company, contributes a remarkable amount of its products toward the comfort and convenience of humanity.

The firm located on Evans avenue near Roosevelt road, is operated by the father, Charles, company president, and his two sons, Robert and Ernest, all of Valparaiso.

The art of tool and die making was not new to the Thorgrens when they opened their first shop in a double garage behind the home of Robert, at 900 Oak street, in 1945.

The father, Charles began his career as a tool and die maker for the McGill Manufacturing company here, in 1919, accruing 27 years service at the local bearing and electrical firm. Today the confidence of a good craftsman is placed in the elder Thorgren and his ability by McGills, who order the ball bearing retainers from their employees.

Robert, 38, had 20 years service with McGill’s before the venture had its infancy in the garage behind his home. Ernest, 36, also received his tool and die training at McGill’s before World War II interrupted.

As the father stated it, “That’s why we went into business for ourselves in one tool room.”

Originally starting in the field of metal tool and die making, the firm gradually expanded to another double garage at the Oak street site, with the three men doing work in turning out the increasing orders.

In 1953, Thorgren and his sons built the modern 110 by 40 foot building they now occupy on Evans avenue, west of Roosevelt road, containing 4,400 square feet of space.

20 on Payroll

Today, from a beginning in 1945 with only spare time help, the firm provides a living for 20 employees, all experts in the art of nylon injection molding.

Specializing in die making and injection molding of nylon material, the Thorgren firm produces a variety of nylon parts which eventually find their way into the ingenious devices used daily by the people of the world.

Turn on your radio and television sets and nylon part manufactured by the Thorgren company aids its operation; a housewife snaps on the switch setting a certain make washing machine in motion, and a Thorgren made coilform aids the hot and cold water controls; pull out the gliding shelves in your refrigerator, and the units roll on noiseless roller manufactured by thus Valparaiso industry.

For the pleasure of the movie camera enthusiasts, the Thorgren firm manufactures nylon parts for the Revere Camera company, one of their biggest customers. Parts are made for the cameras, movie projectors, slide projectors and tape recorders.

Other Roles Noted

On a wet and rainy day, the motor vehicle driver can thank the Thorgren company for the nylon valves which comprise the motor parts of some of the windshield wipers.

For our nation’s U.S. Air Force planes, parts are manufactured for installation in pilots headphone sets; electrical coilforms for solenoids on radio speakers; and a vital part used on the jet plane de-icer.

In addition, the coilform in a fuel pump manufactured by the Bendix Aviation company, is produced from the Thorgren injection nylon process; valve seats for the valves in many plumbing installations, and many other parts, probably hidden away from the naked eye, but providing invaluable assistance toward making our daily life run smoothly and efficiently.

Currently, the firm is beginning the manufacture of nylon cams for a sewing machine, a part which simplifies the process of zig-zag stitching, button-holes and other intricate patterns by controlling the stitch.

In the experimental stage, is a nylon double-sided plate, to be used by Proctor and Gamble for the stamping of trade names on its soap products.

Five Ton Die

The largest die ever made by the Thorgren firm was a “five ton three-section” die made to produce the parts for a plastic fishing tackle box. It was built in the Oak street factory and cost $22,000 to produce.

The smallest part molded from the economical nylon molded material today, is a cam follower used in the parts of a movie projector. “A total of 5,000 of these tiny cams weigh one ounce.”

The elder Thorgren reminisced that in an inventive mood one day, he conceived the idea of a plastic windshield frost scraper, but he did not succeed in patenting the idea when it was revealed that it somewhat infringed on a previous patent for a floor scraper.

The firm employs no salesmen for its products. Since all of the nylon material used in the injection molding process is purchased from the DuPont company, Thorgren stated that the chemical firm was his best salesman, with their representatives recommending them for many of their eventual orders.

For as Thorgren so proudly put it, “If you get a reputation for doing good work, it gets around.”

THIS MODERN, 110x40 foot cement block building was built by the Thorgren Tool and Molding company in 1952 moving from a double garage structure located in the rear of Robert Thorgren’s home at 900 Oak street.

THE THREE THORGRENS, father and two sons, Robert, left; Charles, the father, center, and Ernest, right, are shown in the moisture and dustproof die vault in the Thorgren Tool and Molding company, at Evans avenue near Roosevelt road.

THE INJECTION molding process, a specialty of the Thorgren firm with DuPont nylon material, is shown being used by two employes of the local “small industry,” George Singleton, and Gil Hammersbach.