By Billy Arthur
The Founding
Of A Giant
After a chance encounter, two Tar Heel natives formed
what later would become one of the country's
largest medical-supply firms.
The blinding Texas sun and the
thoughtfulness of a stranger in
1897 had some unusual conse¬
quences that no one then could have
guessed. The fateful combination
brought together two native North
Carolinians, who eventually would
pool their friendship and talents to
create a company that grossed §1.6
billion in 1988.
The early morning sun was bother¬
ing Fairleigh Stanton Dickinson as he
ate his breakfast in a hotel restaurant.
Maxwell Wilbur Becton arose from a
nearby table and drew a window shade
to protect the stranger from the annoy¬
ance.
Appreciative, Dickinson suggested
they continue breakfast together, and
there began a conversation that dis¬
closed they both were traveling sales¬
men. Dickinson was originally from
Carteret County, Becton was from
Lenoir County, and both were dissatis¬
fied with their occupations.
Considering that both men had been
born on August 22 and less than 70
miles apart, their meeting may have
seemed predestined.
Together, they continued their busi¬
ness trip to the West Coast — and at
the same time started planning a
modest business venture.
They never could have suspected
that Becton Dickinson & Company, a
medical-supply firm, would someday
be one of the nation’s 500 largest indus¬
trial corporations.
Now based in New Jersey, Becton
Dickinson employs 19,000 people at 74
plants in 20 countries. In the Research
Triangle Park, it has a 67 ,000- square-
foot Corporate Research Center with
extensive laboratories, where 144 sci¬
entists and support personnel work
continually to stay on the cutting edge
of new health-care technology.
In Tarboro, a plant employing 300
makesgloves for use in medicine, farm¬
ing, homeand industry. Asimilar plant
is planned for the Treybum develop¬
ment, near Durham.
The public knows Becton Dickinson
because of products like ACE ban¬
dages. thermometers, needles, syr¬
inges, catheters, blood-collection sys¬
tems. home-pregnancy tests and diag¬
nostic systems. The company also is
believed to be the world’s largest maker
of single-use hypodermic needles and
syringes.
When their paths crossed in Texas.
Becton was a salesman and partner in
Randall & Becton of Boston, a surgical-
supply distributor. DickinSon sold sta¬
tionery products for a Saugerties. New
York, company Neither was satisfied
with his occupation. As they continued
their sales trip together, they planned
a modest clinical thermometer busi¬
ness. Dickinson would buy out Ran¬
dall.
Dickinson, an only son. came from
the Core Creek section of Carteret
County. At 14. he had left home and
gone to sea on a square rigger. Two
years of the rigorous, disciplined work
Fairleigh S. Dickinson had energy and vision.
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