Jim Narens achieved a rare milestone recently with 50 years of service to Cooper Tire in Texarkana, Ark.
Narens retired from Cooper Feb. 5 during a retirement celebration in the plant cafeteria.
He was hired by the Texarkana plant Feb. 4, 1969, as a general laborer. Within a year, he moved to a "mixer operator position."
Narens completed Cooper's Electrical Apprentice Program in 1978, and served as a multi-craft electrician/electronics tech.
"Jim has served as a union steward for the United Steelworkers Local 752L for the past 16 years, a position that is elected annually. Not only has Jim spent half a century with Cooper, but had perfect attendance for more than a quarter century," said Megan A. James, Cooper Tires communications manager.
Narens had doubts about working at Cooper Tire.
"I had no intentions of working 50 years for Cooper Tire after my first night of employment. I was 18 years old, the work was hard and dirty in the mixing department," said Narens.
"Cooper Tire presented opportunities to better myself and family, and I took advantage of them. The electrician apprenticeship program was one. The availability to work overtime was a great help in raising my family of five children," he said.
"Cooper has a program to reward perfect attendance, it was enough incentive to keep me coming to work at times with a broken arm, broken leg along with broken toes, all on different occasions.
"I had some quotes in our dry erase board in our home which said, 'Education is the key to freedom' and 'Knowledge is Power,'" Narens said.
"I had been elected union steward for skilled trades an unprecedented 17 consecutive years, also serving on Skilled Trades Committee for same number of years.
"When you grow up working in a factory, one can use what made the company a success in your everyday life," Narens said.
Narens has been a positive influence to his family.
Catherine Narens Yount, who is Narens' oldest daughter, said her father is the strongest person she knows.
"Words cannot describe how proud I am of my Dad. He is the strongest person I know," Yount said.
"Something he would always tell me growing up was to 'rise to the occasion.' As a teenager, I didn't quite understand what that meant. But hearing those four words from him as I've grown older have kept me strong through some tough times and I have proudly passed his words of wisdom onto my children," Yount said.
David Narens, who is the youngest of Narens' children, said his father established goals for the children.
"Dad didn't want us to grow up the way he did with only a few shirts to wear to school and an empty stomach. He wanted to change that for us and a change was only going to happen through hard work day in and day out," David Narens said.
"He imparted this same work ethic in us because we saw his example as he taught us the value of it. The mentality that you dedicate yourself to something, stick with it no matter what, and work hard is the American dream. Dad made his dream a reality," said David Narens.
Colleen Narens, who is his youngest daughter, said her father was a teacher of life's lessons.
"My dad is my favorite teacher, because he leads by example. I learned to dig my heels in and fight for the things I believe in. Dad taught me doing the right thing is never wrong. And, education is the key to success. I wholeheartedly believe I would not have the work ethic, positive attitude, and perseverance if it were not for his ever-present influence," she said.
Narens served in the U.S. Army for 14 months beginning in 1970 and was part of the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute infantry Regiment, commanding soldiers who had experienced Vietnam.
Narens and his wife Carolyn have five children and 14 grandchildren.