As the Company expanded, night shifts became a necessity, and there was a concern that this development would diminish the sense of family nurtured by Sidney N. Shure over the first 15 years of the Company. Mr. Shure took many steps to address this issue, including an employee newsletter, service pins, Company-sponsored sporting events, and touring the factory every Friday to converse with each employee.
The results of the pie-eating contest at the first Shure Picnic, held at Caldwell Woods in Chicago in August 1942. (Left to right, front row) Julie Tenerelli, Chuckie Goldberg, and Skid McNamara; (second row) Helen Rinehart, Lil Jawor, Lois Schiska, Louise Segebrecht, Betty Jane Armstrong, and Bessie Hocking. The winner was Julie Tenerelli, who also won the egg-throwing contest.
Another way of bringing people together during these early years was the annual Shure Picnic, beginning in 1942. In introducing the idea to employees, Mr. Shure wrote: “Because of the hour at which the [Company softball] games are played, it has been unfortunate that the large number of people on the night shift, who also feel that they want to belong, were denied the opportunity of seeing the games. It was primarily to fill this void that the big Picnic was planned.…The success of the event might be measured in the way that all employees turned out and by the way that old and young participated.… I am willing to guarantee that whatever you are trying to do and accomplish at Shure Brothers will be helped by your participation in these social functions.”
A Picnic Committee of employees planned the events—from tickets and transportation to entertainment and refreshments.
The first Picnic, held at Caldwell Woods in Chicago, drew hundreds of people. The festivities, including softball games, a pie-eating contest, swimming, and a barbecue, “kept the crowd busy from 10 o’clock in the morning until 10 o’clock that night.”
“The Picnics were wonderful events,” recalled Dr. Myrna Shure, Sidney N. Shure’s daughter, who attended many of the Picnics. “It was fun to see all the employees and their families. I also remember participating in a lot of the games, like the potato-sack races.”
