Leroy, Kenneth, Norman, Mary Etta, Paul, Raymond and Edwin, followed by the staff appreciation and newspaper features.
Leroy Brown joins the staff
Leroy D. Brown was the shop’s employee of the week in a May 1967 “Meet Our Staff” advertisement. A native of Trenton, he had joined J. F. Roling & Son the previous September, bringing eight years of experience in similar work. The profile also mentioned his Air Force service in Ohio, Germany and France, and his son, Rickie Lee.
Source: Salisbury Press-Spectator, May 26, 1967, page 5, “Meet Our Staff at J. F. Roling & Son.” View the original profile clipping (saved source screenshot).
Kenneth Linneman’s first years at Roling’s
Kenneth G. Linneman came to J. F. Roling & Son in July 1961 with seven years of experience in similar work. His June 1967 staff profile called him a native of the Forest Green community and mentioned service and training schools in Memphis. It also introduced his wife, Ora Lee, formerly Brockman, and their children Edward and Donald.
Source: Salisbury Press-Spectator, June 23, 1967, page 5, “Meet the Staff of J. F. Roling & Son.” View the original profile clipping (saved source screenshot).
Norman McFadden, the new face at the shop
When Roling’s invited Salisbury readers to meet its staff in May 1967, Norman McFadden was the newest arrival. Born in Odessa, he had joined the shop that January with three years of experience in similar work. The profile also noted two years in the U.S. Army at Fort Carson, Colorado, and in Europe.
The advertisement explained the idea behind the series: during the business’s 75th anniversary and Salisbury’s centennial, a new staff picture and brief sketch would appear each week.
Source: Salisbury Press-Spectator, May 19, 1967, page 9, Norman McFadden staff profile. View the original profile clipping (saved source screenshot).
Mary Etta Renne at the office
Mary Etta Renne was one of the people customers spoke to when they called the shop for help. Her June 1967 staff profile says she joined J. F. Roling & Son on August 13, 1956, and describes her as a bookkeeper with twenty-five years of experience. Her husband, Fred, worked as a meter reader for the City of Salisbury.
Source: “Meet the Staff of J. F. Roling & Son,” Mrs. Fred Renne profile, Salisbury Press-Spectator, June 30, 1967, page 8. Family-held screenshot; publication date and page from the newspaper viewer. View the original profile clipping (saved source screenshot).
Paul Carter joins the staff
Paul Carter joined J. F. Roling & Son in May 1963, bringing two years of experience in similar work. When the newspaper introduced him in June 1967, it also shared a little of his life outside the shop: he was born at Musselfork, was married to the former Erleen Frazier, and had spent twenty-six months in the Army in the South Pacific.
Source: “Meet the Staff of J. F. Roling & Son,” Paul Carter profile, Salisbury Press-Spectator, June 16, 1967, page 6. Family-held screenshot; publication date and page from the newspaper viewer. View the original profile clipping (saved source screenshot).
Raymond Morrison joins the shop
Salisbury native Raymond Morrison had been at J. F. Roling & Son since August 1965 when the newspaper introduced him as employee of the week in June 1967. The profile named his wife as Linda, formerly Gessling, and noted six months of active duty in the Army Reserve at Fort Leonard Wood and Fort Riley, Kansas.
Source: Salisbury Press-Spectator, June 9, 1967, page 9, “Meet the Staff of J. F. Roling & Son.” View the original profile clipping (saved source screenshot).
Edwin C. Bliefnick, the longest-serving employee in 1967
Edwin C. Bliefnick began work at J. F. Roling & Son in June 1938. His July 1967 staff profile described him as the shop’s longest-serving employee, with 46 months away for service. A native of Lockridge, Iowa, he had also attended John Deere machinery schools.
Source: “Meet The Staff of J. F. Roling & Son,” Salisbury Press-Spectator, July 28, 1967, page 10. Publication details from the saved newspaper-viewer screenshot. View the original profile clipping (saved source screenshot).
1976 · Thanks to Mary Etta and Lois
In a July 1 advertisement, J. F. Roling and Son recognized Mary Etta Renne and Lois Weimer. Bob Roling said they “handle the numbers very well,” and the ad thanked them for a job well done.
Source: J. F. Roling and Son appreciation advertisement, Salisbury Press-Spectator, July 1, 1976, page 23. Family-held screenshot; publication date and page from the newspaper viewer. View the original appreciation clipping (saved source screenshot).
September 2, 1976 feature: “Rolings provide service with purchase of new John Deere equipment,” Salisbury Press-Spectator, page 4. Read the original 1976 feature. The heading, layout and text match the corresponding family-held clipping, establishing its publication date. This is a separate article from the 1977 feature below; both reproduce the same staff, early-shop and remodeled-building views. Their publication dates do not establish when those photographs were taken.
February 17, 1977 feature: “Roling owner attributes success to loyal employees,” Salisbury Press-Spectator, page 23, describes the firm in its 85th year and credits its longtime staff. Read the original 1977 feature (Newspapers.com; an account or subscription may be required). Its 1892 founding account is retrospective and does not resolve the 1892/1893 difference discussed above. The feature reproduces the early machine-shop view in the family collection; 1977 is the article’s publication year, not the date of that photograph.