This is Dan Mostek and worked at Nora Oats for 8 months and paid into the 401k and never got any of the money

Contact the plan administrator for your 401(k) plan. Phone contact information should be available on the statements you receive from them each quarter. If you have not been receiving statements it's either because (a) you moved and didn't provide a forwarding address so you're considered "lost," or (b) if the value of your account was less than some minimum amount (typically $5K) they may have closed out your account and sent a check to you - this would have happened within a year of your leaving the job.

By the way - 401(k) were not introduced until 1980, and most companies didn't begin to adopt them until a year or two later. I suspect back in 1979 your invested in some sort of an "employee savings plan," not a true 401(k), and the rules varied widely between plans. If you are sure that you still have money in this plan you should contact the HR department of your former employer and ask about it.