Dile Manufacturing, Inc., Sav-A-Tool Division, has announced the 50th anniversary  of employment of Hatzell Wagoner.

Hatzell Wagoner

Wagoner began work in the mattress department at Rubber Fabricators, Inc., on Feb. 9, 1959, when he was 22. He worked 3-1/2 years for Pete Zannoni, Ran Flemming and Bob Schnurr.

In 1963, he transferred to Sav-A-Tool/Vee Manufacturing, founded by Rubber Fabricators. It was the same year he married his wife, Bonnie Leach Wagoner.

Numerous products were engineered and made by Hatzell and his 36 employees in the small machine shop located on Rt. 5, near Grantsville.

Included were various inflation systems for life preservers and life rafts, along with tooling, molds and various hardware. You can give him a drawing or an idea and he will take it to the shop and come back with a workable part.

Wagoner designed this paddle to be used in life rafts. It is made with three corks in the handle so it will float.

With hands of a master craftsman, Wagoner can design  and make anything--from tiny bearings to huge pieces of machinery.

Many stories come to mind of events that happened during Wagoner’s career that would take you back to an era of Calhoun history that would both make you laugh and make you cry.

The flood of 1967 is indelibly imprinted on his memory. Life rafts that were manufactured by Rubber Fabricators were used to evacuate employees from the plant located on Russett Road. He has assisted in moving and  clean up after numerous floods.

He fondly remembers many people who he worked with over the years, and some of the antics that were shared by him and his co-workers.

Hatzell, 72, still comes to work at 6 a.m. and leaves at 2:30 to tend his farm of 150 acres. He rarely misses a day of work. He is also one of eight members of the management team formed after the death of Pete Zannoni, his long-time boss.

Hatzell and Bonnie have three children. Kandas is married to Randal Smith. They have two children, Nicholas, 13, and Makayla, 10, and live at Sycamore. Jason is married to the former April Bayle and they reside at Williamstown. Christopher lives at Big Bend.

Officials at Sav-A-Tool and R.P.R. Industries expressed their appreciation for his accomplishments over the decades.