CHRISTMAS TURKEYS

A very Merry Christmas to all my readers of this column. Be sure and let your visiting relatives know that these articles are republished on the www.albionmich.com website where you may enjoy them all year long. If you still need one of my Albion history books for that “last minute” Christmas gift, they are available. Give me a call at (517) 629-5402.

During Albion’s boom years of the 1950s, the Albion Malleable Iron Company used to give out turkeys or hams to all its employees at Christmastime. This was a special time which everyone looked forward to and appreciated. For the record, employees were polled, and preferred the turkeys over the hams. As part of the season festivities, the Malleable would hold a family Christmas party in which numerous gifts and prizes were awarded to the kiddies. The Company also would donate $100 to every church in town.

In 1955, the turkey distribution occurred on December 23. That day, the Company gave out over 5½ tons of turkeys, plus 950 cigars. From our Historical Notebook this week we present a couple of sample turkey distribution photos taken that particular day. Our first photo (L-R) shows Richard Dobbins, followed by Robert Damron and Worley Ousley with their turkeys. The boxes read “Brooks Extra Fancy Turkey.” Our second photo shows Charlie Hayes and Leroy Miller walking out of the plant towards home with their hands full.

Does your employer give out Christmas turkeys? Again, Merry Christmas, everyone!

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
	Michigan Prints by Maggie LaNoue Michigan Prints offers limited-edition archival Giclée prints, miniprints, notecards and boxed sets featuring Michigan landmarks, nature, resorts and nostalgia. Each print and card includes a legend on the back with stories about Michigan history. Albion scenes include the Kalamazoo River waterfall and the Blizzard of 1978. Find Michigan Prints online and at local shops. Michigan Prints \| Albion Scenes \| Custom Cards \| Zazzle Gifts
	AlbionMich.net — General Guide to Albion AlbionMich.net is a hub for community life in the greater Albion area, featuring current news, city council updates, river restoration stories, parks and trails. See Albion's beautiful Kalamazoo River waterfall as it looks today — and follow the story of its future restoration. Includes news from The Recorder and stories about Albion's 17 parks. AlbionMich.net \| Albion Blog \| Frank Passic on AlbionMich.net
	General Guide to Albion AlbionMich.net offers two General Guides to the Albion area — one covering community life including city council, veterans, history, youth and wellness resources, and one covering the outdoors including roads, rivers, parks, trails and downtown. Both guides feature stories by local writers including contributors to The Recorder, sorted by topic for easy reference. General Guide — Community \| General Guide — Outdoors
	Robin James — Indices Unlimited Robin James is the editor of the Albion Historical Notebook and has kept Frank Passic's thousands of articles organized and searchable for decades. A trained librarian and archivist, Robin specializes in back-of-book and online indexing, multimedia collection management, and corporate information distribution. He also enjoys strange music and is a contributing editor for Igloo electronic music magazine. For more about his indexing services, visit Indices Unlimited.
AlbionDesign.com — Communications Specialists Since 1981 \| Advertise on AlbionMich.com