Raborn, Earl, 1927-2015

Felkner, Peter H.

Charlotte, North Carolina

J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

1993-10-21

1 audio file (34:35) : digital, MP3 + 1 transcript (11 pages : PDF)

sound recording-nonmusical

spoken word

eng

Earl Raborn was a 65-year-old man at the time of interview, which took place at the Charlotte Pipe and Foundry corporate offices in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina in 1927. He was educated at Harding High School and served in the Army prior to working in the personnel department at Charlotte Pipe and Foundry.

In this interview, Earl Raborn recounts his forty-five year career in the personnel department of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry. He discusses his role as personnel director and the developments that occurred during his leadership in the personnel department. Mr. Raborn describes how the personnel department’s policies evolved over time, from the company's use of simple and unsophisticated procedures in the 1940s, to his efforts in assisting with the development of more stringent company personnel policies required under government regulations in the 1990s. He also discusses the efforts of the company's plastics and cast iron operations to maintain a much cleaner work environment, stating that Charlotte Pipe has attempted to redress many of the environmental concerns of the company, and giving details about their efforts to comply with the federal and local environmental regulations. Lastly, Mr. Raborn discusses the evolving culture of the workforce and he emphasizes the changes in employee camaraderie and workplace social interaction.

MP3 access copy created on ingest from WAV preservation master. Interview originally recorded on analog audio cassette and digitized using a Digidesign 003 rack.

Personnel departments--Employees
Executives

Raborn, Earl, 1927-2015

Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company

Foundries--Environmental aspects
Foundries--Management
Industrial relations
Personnel directors
Personnel management
Personnel departments--Employees
Pipe mills
Pollution control industry
Work environment

North Carolina--Charlotte

Interviews
Oral histories

1940-2000

Levine Museum of the New South

Charlotte Pipe and Foundry

Living Charlotte : the postwar development of a New South city

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Digitization made possible by funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

audio/mpeg

MU-RA0211

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/uncc:245