From Chevelle to retirement

Courtesy photo Steve Haines is congratulated by Brian Cooper, Financial Controller, for his 43 years of work at Cadillac Rubber and Plastics and Avon Rubber and Plastics. Haines thinks the bottom picture dates back to about 1968, after he left the floor to work as the shipping and billing clerk.

When Steve Haines started working after high school in 1963, he wasn’t thinking about building a career. His goal was to purchase a new 1964 Chevrolet Chevelle.

When he reported for work that first summer, his job was to mold the corner frames of Studebaker windshields on the factory floor of Cadillac Rubber and Plastics.

He had one thought after his first day — “This is hard work.”

After that, Haines got the hang of things and enjoyed earning a paycheck. So he ordered the new Chevelle, “the second one in town.”

For five years Haines worked in the shop, never dreaming his factory job would lead to a career in computer programming and management.

When he retired from Avon Protection Systems on May 24, he left as Manager of Information Systems and with the distinction of being the longest tenured employee of Avon in the United States — 43 years and 10 months.

To go from the shop floor to the office and into computer programming and management, Haines said, was an opportunity that probably wouldn’t happen today without a college degree. But his career coincided exactly with the dawn of computerized technology. So when he moved into the shipping and billing office in 1968, it wasn’t long before computers revolutionized his job description.

In 1972, when the company purchased its first computer, Haines took an aptitude test for computer programming. Soon he was at IMB School learning how to run the new IMB System 3 Model 6. That computer, he remembered, “was as big as a desk with two file cabinets on each end.”

“The guys that ran the place had a lot of foresight,” Haines reflected. Cadillac Rubber and Plastics became one of three companies in town to purchase a computer — along with Kysor Industrial and Mid-State Fruit.

During his tenure, Haines was promoted from computer programmer to IT manager. When the company was purchased by Avon in 1989, they kept the same computer systems and Haines interfaced with England regarding systems in the United States and Mexico.

“The people that started Cadillac Rubber and Plastics,” he said, “they were a family-oriented company. From where I started, I was able to put two kids through college. Now you’re looking at a world wide automotive organization. You can go all over the world with the same company.”

Since his retirement party, Haines is looking forward to spending more time with his wife of 40 years, Willee. They enjoy golfing, boating and traveling to Hawaii.

“I was ready to leave,” he confessed. “The technology is so far advanced and these young kids are really good at it. I’m going to relax and play golf and take care of my yard.”

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Life in 1963

Steve Haines put together the following information about his wages and the cost of living for 1963, plus some sports and history trivia as well:

Steve’s hourly wage: $1.80

Steve’s car payment $55 a month

Cost of new home: $19,300

Cost of a Chevrolet Corvette $4,589

Gallon of Gas: 30 cents

Dozen eggs: 55 cents

Dow Jones: 797

Jack Nicklaus won his first Masters Tournament.

JFK was assassinated.

Martin Luther delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Audiocassettes were introduced.

Haines bio

Steve Haines grew up in Cadillac and graduated in 1963. Because of his relationship with the founders of Cadillac Rubber and Plastics, he was encouraged to fill out an application to work in the factory. Marty Paul had been his Boy Scout leader and Bob Harcourt and Jim Frisbie frequented his dad’s gas station.

When Haines retired from Avon Protection Systems in May, he retired as the longest tenured employee of Avon in the United States. His career started on the factory floor and led to a position as a billing clerk. When the company computerized in 1972, Haines was trained as an IBM computer programmer and eventually became the manager of Information Systems.