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Ferdinand Hochrein Completes Fifty Years With Gas Company

Ferdinand Hochrein Completes Fifty Years With Gas Company image
Parent Issue
Ann Arbor News, March 4, 1938
Day
4
Month
March
Year
1938
Copyright
Copyright Protected
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
Related
Portrait of Ferdinand Hochrein, March 1938
OCR Text

Fifty years service in the employ of one firm is the record of Ferdinand Hochrein which was recognized by the Washtenaw Gas Co. at a testimonial dinner in his honor last night at the Masonic temple.
Starting in March, 1888, as a plant employe, he became superintendent of the plant two years later and still holds this position. When he started with the firm, the concern was known as the Ann Arbor Gas Light Co., and the plant was located at Beakes and Summit Sts.
In those early days, Mr. Hochrein not only supervised the work at the plant, but he also frequently helped lay gas mains, read meters and collected monies owing the gas company. When the new plant was built in 1900 at the present location on Broadway, he took complete charge of the plant.
Henderson Speaker
Charles R. Henderson, president and manager of the Washtenaw Gas Co., last night discussed the growth of the company during the half century period of Mr. Hochrein's service and presented the veteran employe with a gold watch from the board of directors of the company. Congratulatory letters from men in the industry were ready by Mr. Henderson, these letters including one from the Michigan Gas association of which Mr. Hochrein is an honorary member.
Employes of the shop and office of the company presented Mr. Hochrein with a gold chain and knife to accompany the watch, and his associates at the plant gave him a smoking set with two pipes.
The programs for the occasion included a list of 82 employes of the Washtenaw Gas Co., and the number of years of service. The figures showed a total of 1,350 years or an average of 16.4 years for each employe.
Many Have Records
Mr. Henderson has been with the concern 24 years and others who equalled or bettered this record are: Clarence M. Shankland, 32, Robert Shankland, 25, Ernest E. Gwinner, 37, Frank T. O'Toole, 26, William Hochrein, 34, John Raaf, 42, William Raaf, 40 Herman Larmee, 33, Frank Heck, 36, Wilmer Perkins, 35