Publication Unknown - Gala Industries

ljusiness Is tleQ'un tly "1 he ~rlCJ.{ U I .t'ln
By Mary Bird Rinker
Take three women, all graduate
nurses, and give them a
small idea. Add an engineer,
and that id'ea may turn into
something big. "'.
This is how it is with one family
from Eagle Rock. Two sisters,
Mary Pauley and Alice
Wilhelm, and thelrsister-in-law,
Lucille Dudley, had for years
discussed the possibility of improving
on the age-old way of
diapering a baby by using safety
pins.
It might be said that their
idea was based on the prick of
a pin. For as any mother (or
father) will agree, all too often
a finger, and the baby, too, is
pricked, and it can be painful.
Then, one day, Mary Pauley
had an abcessed finger, caused
by a pin prick. "We decided
then to do something about it,"
she said.
They consulted Vcmon Dudley,
Lucille's husband, and
brother of Mrs. Pauley and
Mrs. Wilhelm. He agreed to
work with them. The three
nurses planned just what type of
fastener would be suitable. It
was necessary to have something
that was easy to handle
and something that would not
stick into a baby or a finger.
After they decided that a type
of clip would be the answer, Mr.
c../rc , :::: 1 9~ / -~z.;
CLIP-MAKER-Vernon Dudley, of Gala Industries,
Eagle Rock, demonstrates the operation of a machine
which stamps out diaper clips. He is a membel'
of the family~owned f irm, - established a few
years when his wife and two sisters, determined to
find a safer way of pinning a baby's diaper than
Dudley began his work. He is b . . ft·
~mployed by Union Carbide, at y usmg a sa e y-plll. -.'

were all satisfied 'that he had of the stoc1\ IS ownea oy Llle ...~ ~UI'U u. ~ V"~" ,~"- • • •• •. " ­
found just what was required. family; ten per cent by several Ea.gle Roc.k for packaging-one
, Testing was n'eeded now. Six doctors. The product was named ~alr each ill a small clear plas­ •
sets of clips were taken to the "Di-D-Klip." tIc case. •
COO ·Hospital at Clifton Forge, Next they set up shop in two Mrs. Pauley describes the
•
where they were given permis- large adjoining buildings. One clips as made of stainless steel, \'
sion to use them in the nursery. they used for office space, the with a plastic coating. Most are 1
They worked!
other for a tool and dye room. made in blue, pink and yellow
. Now manufacturing in quan- Now they needed stamping ma- colors. Others, usually used as
tity .could be considered. "We chines to cut the stainless steel gifts, are gold-plated, and these !
scrapped up twenty thousand for clips. And they needed must be handled by the workers <
dollars between us, "Mrs. Pau- tumblers in which the clips wearing white gloves to prevent ·
ley said, and got to work." could be placed with various smudges on the clear, shiny sur·
First, they incorporated into sizes of compounds so all the face.
a business. Vernon Dudley was edges could be smoothed. Ai- The clips are about an inch
elected president. Harold .H ter smoothing, the clips would long, with a flat underside that'
Wilhelm, Alice's husband, be- need to be tumbled again with slides under the edge of a '
came vice president of manu- corncobs, to give them a shine. diaper. This is clamped into ;
---- place with a curved spring­ .­
hingQd uppel' side.
In 1960, the first year of
production, 40,000 clips were l
sold, according to Mrs. Pauley ~
and this past year half a mi1lio~ ;
were sold.
The plant runs full-time, five '
days a week, closing for Satur- }
days and Sundays. .,
Other than the family, there
are now three full-time employees
who are helped by three
p.art-time employees. It is pos­
SIble for the stamping machine
1 to turn out 300 clips per minute
but is seldom done as it place~
too much stress on the machine.
I "Our clips are not only sold
, in local stores and throughout
) the states," Mrs. Pauley said,
I "but we also sell in Puerto Rico
tl' and Guatemala."
· TMir market in Guatemala
! Iwas opened when a resident
.1 there wrote, asking to . be their
:. representative in that country.
~ i "He has done a wonderful
job," Mrs. Pauley said, And she
~ laughed as she added, "In fact,
~ last year for each baby born
· there, two sets of clips were
' IS01d. We wonder what they're
; doing wi~h them."
'I Accordmg to Mrs. Pauley, Di­
: ~Klips have now completely
· replaced the safety pin in the .
-' nursery at the University of Vir­
, ginia Hospital at Charlottesville,
and some are in use at the Cliff
ton Forge hospital.
National advertising of the Di}1
· D-Klip begins this month, she
said. Her enthusiasm for the
future of the company appears
fully justified,
All because three women stuck !
Itheir fingers with a pin. i
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