The Humble Bee (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 20, No. 05, Ed. 1 Saturday, May 1, 1954 Page: 4 of 24
This periodical is part of the collection entitled: Humble Bee and Baytown Briefs and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Sterling Municipal Library.
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Ponder Wins Annual Capital Award
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Best Coin-Your-Ideas suggestion of the year brings
alkylation plant operator a total of $1/420.00.
Six Baytown men receive supplemental awards.
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of the settler would automatically operate delicate instru-
ments which transmitted acid level readings to similar
instruments in the unit’s control room panel.
That did it! After reviewing his suggestion, submitted
in 1952, the committee recommended an initial award of
8185 for Mr. Ponder. The idea proved worthy of ad-
ditional merit after being in use a year, so he was
presented with a supplemental award of 8735. When the
Central Coin-Your-Ideas committee met in the Houston
office to select not only quarterly awards for this year,
but also the annual capital award for 1953, Mr. Ponder
was made 8500 richer when that group voted his idea
the best of the year in the refining department.
What did he do with more than 81100 (after taxes)
over his regular income?
When asked that question, Mr. Ponder was painting
the roof of his home at 1512 Utah. “Well, I’m using most
of it to paint the house and do other “fixing up’ around
the • place,” he replied.
Six Bay town men were presented supplemental awards
for the first quarter of this year for four ideas which
“I’LL PAINT my house with it,” is the way J. M. Ponder (sec- Your-Ideas award. Shown with him at aikylation plant control
ond from left) outlined plans to use part of his $500 capital Coin- room are R. H. Smith, Jack Neblett, R. H. Hudnall, W. E. Fayle.
James M. Ponder pondered over the operating principle
of a hydrometer.
“Why can’t the same principle in this small instrument
which measures specific gravity of liquids be applied to
determine the acid level in huge settling drums here at
the unit?” he asked himself as he gave serious thought
to a problem encountered at the alkylation plant. (The
old method of taking readings through glass gauges on
the drums was unsatisfactory, as the glass frequently
became coaled.)
He not only pondered over the idea—he talked to
several people about it—technical service men, instru-
ment men, engineers and other co-workers, all of whom
encouraged him to submit his idea to the Coin-Your-
Ideas committee.
So, Jimmy jotted down his idea on the regular Coin-
Your-Ideas blank form; he made rough sketches and
attached them to the form, showing how a hollow metal
tube could be used to determine accurately the acid
(catalyst) level in settlers at the alkylation plant. A metal
rod attached to the tube and extending through the top
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Mabry, G. A. The Humble Bee (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 20, No. 05, Ed. 1 Saturday, May 1, 1954, periodical, May 1, 1954; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1482280/m1/4/: accessed June 20, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.