Westinghouse Toy Drive
A couple of photos taken during the holiday season at the Westinghouse facility in Trafford, PA, circa 1967. The first photo shows employees posing with Santa during the annual toy drive. The second photo shows the toys being loaded at the dock of either the Micarta Plant or the Printing Division. Can anyone here identify the building exterior at this Trafford location? Identifying any of the people in these photos would be a bonus. Note the Westinghouse radio in the back window of the c1965 Mercury Colony Park station wagon.
In the first photo, a vintage toy collector might spot the Andy Gard toy box on the shelf behind Santa. The perfect gift for the little boy who wanted to wake up on Christmas and “Stage your own all out attack” on a sister’s doll collection. This former toy manufacturer was once located in Leetsdale, PA, and later moved its facilities to Oakmont, PA. The toy manufacturer was started by Andrew Giardina, a 1932 graduate of Perry High School, who coincidentally was employed by Westinghouse Manufacturing & Electric Company prior to his enlistment in the Army during WWII.
Similar photos to this appear in the Westinghouse Electric Corporation collection at the Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center Heinz History Center. Their photos indicate that the Salvation Army was the recipient of the gift drive in 1958. Consulting the expertise and resources of the History Center’s staff is invaluable, and therefore The Trafford Historical Society has renewed its membership for 2022 in the Senator John Heinz History Center Affiliates Program (HCAP).
