Service Recognition at Upjohn  

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Prior to 1947 there was no uniform service awards program across the company. Here is an example of an early service award for A.J.Cushman, who started on 4th April 1907 as employee number 22. This watch was awarded in 1947.  He retired on December 31, 1952 and died July 27, 1961. His grandson sent me the two photos below.

        

The pins below are examples of the service anniversary awards introduced in 1947 for all employees across the company, the article below being from February 1947. The pins are made of solid gold. See the article below for what the stars and gems mean.

 
          
























In January 1963 the service anniversary pins were changed to incorporate the new Upjohn logo. They were still made of solid gold. I call these the second-generation service awards. Here are some examples below. The number of stars and the gems retained the same meaning as in the original pins. Note it was anticipated that it would take up to 5 years to use up the stock of old style pins. Two of those shown below are made of white gold.

 




At some point, probably in the 1970s, a range of pewter items replaced the gold pins. These were what I call the third generation awards. I can remember getting one of the 10-year plates in 1990 so awarding of these pewter items lasted a long time.


Lastly, in the 1990s the range of service award items expanded considerably. I do remember there was a mountain bike, a clock and a stereo system. Laser-cut wood items were also available, some with the employee name. Here is some information and photos of items from that era.

 

       















 


 

 

 

 

    

 

 



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