Working-Class Heroes

In honor of the the Labor Day holiday, Letterology is officially honoring workers of all stripes today. These worker's badges of honor are from an impressive collection on Boston Bill's Flickrstream. Most are dated from the 1950s and earlier, and with few exceptions include just the name of the company and an employee number. Some have logos and titles, and all feature the faces of the many workers who have contributed years of their lives to give value and meaning to others. Work is not just a four letter word, and I wish that you may all be fortunate enough to have work and to find work which gives you great personal comfort, financial stability and pleasure.     

This Frigidaire badge is one of my favorites of this collection for the Frigidaire crown and logotype. It is even in the shape of an old refrigerator.

The Electric Boat; also known as a nuclear submarine.

Nonconformist

An Apollo era badge issued to NASA employees and contractors who worked at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas during the Apollo era (mid 1960s to early 70s). Mr. Priff worked for Lockheed Missiles and Space Company (LMSC) and was one of several hundred thousand individuals who contributed to the American space effort to put a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth. 

This guy looks right out of Central Casting.

An interesting controversy arose over the logomark of this badge in the 1980s when Procter & Gamble received unwanted rumors linking it to the Church of Satan. The accusation was based upon a biblical interpretation and what appeared to be a mirror image of the number 666, (where the curls of the beard meet the circular border) or the number of the beast. Proctor & Gamble officials denied these allegations and later successfully sued Amway for propagating the false rumors. The P&G moon and stars logo seen below was discontinued in 1985 as a result of the controversy.