Today: "125 Proud Years" (Manville, 1983)

In 1983 Manville Corporation, the former Johns-Manville, marked its 125th anniversary with a special feature in Today, its newspaper for employees. Under the heading "125 Proud Years," four spreads tell the company's history as the company chose to tell it: H. W. Johns's roofing business of 1858, the plants and products that followed, the company's presidents, its safety and community programs, its marketing, and a quiz for employees.

What it says about asbestos

The feature names asbestos among the company's founding products and pictures its asbestos roofing, insulation, brake linings and packings. It also gives the company's own account of its bankruptcy: "On August 26, 1982, the weight of current and future asbestos-health lawsuits forced the company to file for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code." Through that process, it says, Manville aimed to resolve the lawsuits and pay valid claims, including those of people "disabled by excessive exposure to asbestos products." The same spread notes the company's signed intent to sell its Jeffrey asbestos mine in Canada.

About this copy

The copy comes from Johns-Manville's own archive, where it was filed with the J-M News Pictorial. Johns-Manville's earlier employee magazines are in the Library too: The J-M Circle (1928–1930) and the J-M News Pictorial (1959–1972).