January 1975, Page 1: Energy costs remained a subject of concern among American citizens and businesses even after the end of the 1973 to 1974 oil embargo by Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Here, The Shield shares the strain placed on the textile industry by rapidly rising prices for fuel of all kinds, including oil, natural gas, and coal. See also: April 1974 Edition.

January 1975, Pages 1, 2, and 3: On these pages, The Shield details new scholarship programs offered by Spartan Mills to students at Converse College and Wofford College. The founder of Spartan Mills, John Henry Montgomery, also helped found Converse University, and served on its Board of Trustees from 1890 to 1900. His great-grandson, Walter Scott Montgomery, Jr., became President of Spartan Mills in 1971, and continued to maintain this connection.

“Converse University Mourns Loss of Walter Scott Montgomery, Jr.” Converse University, 5 October 2023, https://www.converse.edu/board-of-trustees/2023/10/converse-university-mourns-walter-montgomery-jr/. Accessed December 2024.

“Walter Scott Montgomery, Jr.” GoUpstate. Spartanburg Herald-Journal [Spartanburg, SC], 5 October 2023, https://www.goupstate.com/obituaries/pspa0588444. Accessed December 2024.

March 1975, Pages 1 and 3: Here, The Shield explains that Spartan Mills has obtained a new computer and put it to work processing unemployment benefits for workers impacted by shift reductions. Computers at this time took the form of massive, powerful “mainframes” or smaller but less powerful “minicomputers.” Both types relied on special punch(ed) cards to receive instructions and data for processing. Crucially, they were also so expensive that they were only accessible to large organizations – including businesses such as Spartan Mills. The early 1970s saw the introduction of the microprocessor, a technological advance that led to the introduction of personal computers in the mid to late 1970s.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Personal computer.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 19 November 2024, https://www.britannica.com/technology/personal-computer. Accessed December 2024.

Freiberger, Paul A., et al. “Computer – History of computing – The personal computer revolution.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 27 August 2024, https://www.britannica.com/technology/computer. Accessed December 2024.

“Punch Cards – Punch Cards for Data Processing.” The Smithsonian Institution, https://www.si.edu/spotlight/punch-cards/punch-cards-data-processing. Accessed December 2024.

March 1975, Page 3: This page features a message from the president of Spartan Mills, Walter Scott Montgomery, Jr. Events in the early 1970s, including an oil embargo against the United States by Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), caused an economic recession that lasted from December 1973 to March 1975. Manufacturing industries were hit particularly hard, suffering high rates of unemployment. Here, Montgomery acknowledges that economic forecasts have improved, in keeping with the end of the recession, but expresses concern about the state of the textile industry going forward. He references reduced shifts and the need for speedy dispensation of unemployment benefits.

Connaughton, John E. "A Personal View of Five Decades of Recessions *." The Review of Regional Studies, vol. 52, no. 3, 2022, pp. 283-295. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/personal-view-five-decades-recessions/docview/2912036724/se-2.

November 1975, Page 2: Montgomery pens another message, reporting significantly improved demand for Spartan Mills’ products following the end of the recession. He also laments low production and pervasive quality issues with many of these products, especially those manufactured at the Spartan and Beaumont Mills. He further exhorts employees to improve these metrics.