James Warren DRIVER

                   High School Year Book - Anchora, 1913
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"Laugh and 'Daud' laughs with you"
"Daud" is one of the most jovial members of the Senior class. He is alwa
ysread to joke and never angry when he receives one. When a fellow
classm ate is "stuck" on a question or a problem, he is ever ready to
lend a help ing hand. But he never forgets that he has a Trig. or Physics
less on to be preparedand recited every day, even when he has been out
ti ll 10 o'clock the nightbefore. The best wishes of the class accompany
him .
News article - MidlandDaily News Feb. 27, 1974
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James W. Driver, 78, retired director of personnel for Dow Chemical Compa
ny and former mayor, died Tuesday at his home at 2408 Pinehurst Court.
He had been in ill health for several weeks.
Mr. Driver had been associated with Dow for 37 years when he retired Ja
n. 19, 1956. Joining Dow on August 18, 1918, he saw the company expand fr
om a small firm to agiant in the chemical industry. Dow had 1,400
employe es when he assumed initial duties and upon his retirement the
work force n umbered 11, 171.
Upon joining Dow, Mr. Driver was assigned to the old phenol plant and lat
er transferred to the company's former lead arsenic plant to become its
su perintendent.
In 1926 he was assigned to the aniline plant, where he took over
productio n. When Dow built a new plant in 1929, Mr. Driver was named
superintende ntof the unit.
In May, 1933 Mr. Driver was appointed to head Dow's personnel departme nt
- a post he held for 22 years until his retirement. This departmentinc
luded these various divisions: plant protection, education and training,
l abor relations, medical, factory employment, women's personnel,
recreation and safety.
Mr. Driver was born Oct. 21, 1895 at Holt. He was graduated from the
Unive rsity of Michigan in 1918 with a degree in chemical engineering.
While att ending U-M, he met the former Miss Pauline E. Warren of Three
Oaks, al so a U-M student. They were married in Ann Arbor Feb. 16, 1916.
She died D ec. 25, 1969.
Besides his Dow responsibilities, Mr. Driver served as mayor of Midland
fr om 1931 until he resigned the post on Sept. 1, 1936. In reporting his
resi gnation, the newspaper cited his record of city expansion whileat
the sa me time being able to cut the city tax rate.
While serving as mayor, he helped start the present City Forest which
resu lted from a Midland Kiwanis Club project. At that time a 580 acre
tra ct of what some observers termed "worthless land" was taken over and
plant ed to trees.
Mr. Driver, as mayor, served on the then Midland County Board of
Superviso rs. For 50 years hewas a member of the Midland Centre Lodge,
No. 273, F& AM and the Kiwanis Club, where he served once as president
and lieutena nt governor. He was a pastpresident of the East Michigan
Tourist Associat ion and Saginaw Valley WaterAuthority.
He married the former Margaret Burts on Dec. 19, 1972, who surviveshim.
O ther survivors include one daughter, Mrs. William (Betty Jo) Heckrodt
of M enasha, Wis, two sons, R. Kirk Driver of Klamath Falls, Ore., and
James R. W. Driver of Midland; and seven grandchildren.
Funeral services will beconducted 2 pm Thursday from the Miner-Bradley
Fu neral Chapel. The Rev. Lloyd Miller, pastor of the Mennonite Church,
wi ll officiate. Burial will be inMidland Cemetery.
Friends may call at the funeral chapel from 7 to 9 pm todaywhen membe rs
of the family will be present.
The Invention of the Ball Point Pen, late 1800's
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The first suitable ballpoint pen was patented by LazloBiro, a Hungarian
l iving in Argentina. His ballpoint pen, commonly called the "biro," beca
me popular in Great Britain dur