Page 10 - July - September, 2017 CityLine

The Founder – Paul Weeks Litchfield
Paul Weeks Litchfield (1875-1959) was an extraordinary man. Born in Boston, he was raised in a family
that were descendants of the Mayflower Pilgrims and a prominent shipping family from Maine. They
were hard-working New Englanders, filled with self-discipline and perseverance. Litchfield was a tall
man, straight backed with striking eyes, and a strength of character and steadiness that was to become a
hallmark throughout his lifetime. Coming of age at a time when transportation was undergoing
rapid changes, Litchfield saw opportunities where others saw obstacles. He was a risk taker when others
were hesitant. As a young factory superintendent at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. in Akron, Ohio, he
encouraged his superiors to come to the Salt River Valley to grow the long-staple cotton needed to
reinforce their tires, making them more puncture proof. After hiring roughly 3000 men, he employed his
first cousin Kenneth McMicken to oversee the new Goodyear subsidiary—the Southwest Cotton
Company. The desert was cleared, water was found, roads were built, seeds were planted, and a harvest of
cotton was reaped by the fall of the very year in which the endeavor had begun (1917). Taking other risks, he
became the President and CEO of Goodyear by 1926 and raised the company to be the leading tire manufacturer in the world. He stepped
down in 1940 to become the Chairman of the Board, but he never lost his ability to envision new and exciting ideas.

Litchfield also overflowed with inventive and creative thoughts. His ingenuity established a company environment that encouraged
new ideas that resulted in numerous patents, and he personally designed the Wingfoot logo, which is still used by Goodyear to this day.

Paul Litchfield was patriotic to his core. He authorized the building of Goodyear Aircraft-Arizona at the foot of Litchfield Ranch
months before America was attacked at Pearl Harbor. He dedicated the entire Goodyear Company to provide whatever was needed for
the war effort during World War II. He was also a part of supplying reconnaissance blimps for the Navy from World War I through the
early 1960s. And in the center of Litchfield Park, he placed an American flag—tall and proud—that could be seen from miles around.

Litchfield was both inspiring and compassionate. He encouraged Goodyear’s employees through the difficult 1920 Great Depression,
established a service pin (and check) program to promote loyalty to the company; and he turned over one-fourth of his personal wealth
to his employees to begin an investment/savings program. He established baseball and basketball teams among his workers to promote
cooperation among the men, and was one of the first to hire the hearing impaired and blind to work in his plants. An avid promoter of Boy
Scouts and their values, Litchfield believed that the brotherhood
of man begins with the brotherhood of boys, and that this would
eventually result in world peace and understanding.

Litchfield was also spiritual. Responsible for the building of St.
Thomas Aquinas Mission and The Church at Litchfield Park,
both congregations are still thriving today. He also established
the Desert Devotional program held on the High Hill of his
own beloved Rancho La Loma. People from all over Phoenix
attended these ecumenical events during the spring months of
the 1950s. Seeking his own times for personal reflection at the
end of each day at Sunset Terrace, the quiet of the oncoming
night reminded him of God’s presence in all things.

Awarded many honors throughout his lifetime, Litchfield
remained a humble and approachable individual, gentle and
kind to children as well as encouraging to young members of
his staff, remembering always what it was like to begin a career
with new and fresh ideas. Litchfield Park serves as a reminder
of a life well lived, and as an honor to a man who altered forever
the way mankind moved forward in the world of transportation.
He was an industrial giant of the first half of the 20th century
in America, with his influence reaching far beyond its borders.
Any individual should be proud to live in a community named
in honor of this very good and decent man.

PHOTO: Paul Weeks Litchfield at the start of the Southwest litchfield-park.org
Cotton Company in the Salt River Valley of Arizona.

10 | Jul-Sep 2017 Issue