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F I R S T 5 0 Y EAR S
They couldn’t sell the watches because the training program,
not Elgin, made them.
Another idea struck West. He had the watches put in a fancy
box with a note: “This watch was produced as a part of South
Carolina’s technical training program by workers in the Cam-
den-Blaney area. The Elgin Watch Company is so pleased with
the quality that they have put their guarantee on this product.
Just a sample of what our technical program is doing.”
West sent a watch to every member of the General Assembly.
Some wanted another for their mothers, wives and/or girlfriends.
That year the technical training program was fully funded by a
unanimous vote of the Legislature, as it was thereafter.
Fred Fore recalls the story behind the story.
“Walter Harper and Governor Hollings and I went to New
York to call on Mr. Henry Margolis, who was at that time head of
ElginWatch. The purpose of the trip to New York was to see if we
could get, or see if Fritz could get, Elgin Watch to locate a plant
in South Carolina and the president of Elgin said, ‘Well governor,
we appreciate your coming up, but we have other plans, and we
do not see how it would be feasible for us to locate this new plant
in South Carolina.’ Margolis also brought up resources and how
would he get his people trained if he put a plant down in South
Carolina.”
“That afternoon coming back, Fritz and Walter Harper got
down to the discussion of what the heck are we going to do with
it,” said Fore. “Of course, Walter had been in North Carolina, and
North Carolina had a strong industrial and economic develop-
ment program, so on the way back to Columbia, Fritz looked at
Walter and said, ‘I want you and Fred to be in Raleigh tomorrow
morning and steal that program from North Carolina.’”
“Walter Harper and I took off for North Carolina early the
next morning,” said Fore, “and had dinner with their programdi-
rector and ultimately talked him into coming down with Walter
to start a training program. And that was the beginning, basical-
ly, of the technical education program in South Carolina and it
all went from there.”
Forty-six miles south of Elgin the 100-day promise brought
Smith-CoronaMarchant, a typewriter manufacturer in San Fran-
cisco, toOrangeburg. “In those days,” said StanSmith, “theywould
sit a frame and tray of parts in front of an experienced craftsman,
and he made the whole typewriter. Somebody else checked to see
if it worked properly. They couldn’t get any production.”
“We had a great team,” said Smith. “Hollings was the point
man. He told us time and time again, ‘Don’t ever let me down,
because I’m going to give my word.’ And his word to Smith-Co-
rona was that in 100 days we’re going to build a plant and move
you in. In 100 days, we’re going to have a workforce trained for
you. The combination of those two things would exceed the cost
of the building itself. Start-up cost was a big industry loser.”
Smith-Corona Marchant came to Orangeburg. Special
Schools staffer, John Hills, made a film loop in a box and set it
beside the workstation so a worker could learn how to assemble
a typewriter. “After about four times of looking at it, he had it and
that was that,” said Smith. “It trained them very quickly, and they
made few if any mistakes.”
Meanwhile, the plant was being built. A plant in 100 days with
1966 1967
1966:
Horry-Georgetown TEC and Piedmont TEC opened.
1967:
Chesterfield-Marlboro TEC was established.
The 1960s
M O B I L I Z I N G A G R E A T R E S O U R C E
