JOHN M. STUART age 78, of Volant R. D. #1, died on June 17, 1977
at his home of an apparent heart attack.
Mr. Stuart was a member of the Church of the Living Word, and a
member of the Northwest Steam and Gas Engine Historical
Association. He was one of the organizers of the steam show of this
area, therefore, his passing will be of great loss to the many who
which he took much pride in displaying. He was a retired lumberman
and farmer.
Submitted by Mrs. Charles McMurray, Sec, Northwest Steam and Gas
Engine Historical Association, R. D. #3, Slippery Rock,
Pennsylvania 16057.
CARL E. MILLER, 68 of Adams, Tennessee, died June 6,1977, after
a lengthy illness. He was a retired millwright and welder. He
hailed from Pennsylvania in the Roaring Springs area. He was most
familiar with Keck-Gonnerman engines, but had repaired other kinds.
He worked at a steam powered sawmill as a boy and was closely tied
with the various shop work of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Carl’s property adjoined the Tennessee-Kentucky
Thresher-men’s Association show grounds and several of the
members parked their engines on his ground before and after the
show, using his water and electricity for which he would never take
anything. He was always willing to help in any way he could.
He was a member of the United Methodist Church and
Tennessee-Kentucky Threshermen’s Association and will be
greatly missed by his devoted family and many friends and the
fellows of the Threshermen’s Association that he was so good
to.
Submitted by Billy Byrd, 369 S. Harrig Street, Madisonville,
Kentucky.
KERMIT HOLCOMB, 70, Route 1, died recently at Plum City,
Wisconsin. He was a farmer and a farm machinery repairman. He had
lived in Pleasant Valley for over 60 years. He was a charter member
of the Chippewa Valley Antique Club.
Submitted by Nancy Kent, 1130 N. Eddy Street, Eau Claire,
Wisconsin 54701 – Secretary of Chippewa Valley Antique Engine &
Model Club.
RALPH J. VINCENT, 76, of Dover-Hartly Road, Dover, Delaware,
died April 22, 1977 after a short illness.
He was a self-employed house and building mover and contractor.
Mr. Vincent owned a 1918 Holt U.S. Ordnance Dept. Crawler Artillery
Tractor and a 1920, 25-45 Crossmotor Case Tractor. He used the Case
tractor, along with a Case threshing machine for custom threshing
operations years ago.
He was an exhibitor of his tractors at the Delaware State Fair
Antique Machinery Show held each July, the Eastern Shore
Threshermen & Collector’s Association Show, and the
Tuckahoe Steam & Gas Engine Association Show. He was a member
of the Delaware Agricultural Museum Association, as well as other
steam and gas engine associations and regularly attended the Old
Threshermen’s Reunion at Rough & Tumble Engineers Museum,
Kinzer, Pennsylvania, along with other shows in Maryland,
Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Mr. Vincent will be missed very much by those he associated and
worked with at these various steam and gas engine shows. He
possessed a good personality, along with a good sense of humor, and
a fine attitude of cooperation in working with the various
activities that are held at the shows.
Submitted by a close friend, Mr. Bert Bryant Young, Route 1, Box
704, Dover, Delaware 19901.
OLAV R. OLE ASLAKSON, age 74, passed away at City Hospital at
New Rockford, North Dakota, May 8, 1977, of an apparent heart
attack.
Ole as he was known to his friends, was one of the few remaining
charter members who formed the Central North Dakota Steam Threshers
Association of which he served as president for nine years. At the
time of his death he was a member of the Board of Directors.
Ole was very active in the threshers organizations, not only at
home but in organizations in other states and Canada. He was a
steam engineer of very wide experience, and an expert on compound
engines, having owned several and operated others of various makes.
In the past years he has written many letters and articles on
various subjects regarding steam engines, both instructive and
informative, and has always very emphatically stressed SAFETY.
Besides owning and restoring several traction engines he built two
beautiful models. A 1/3 scale model of a 25 HP Nichols and Shepard
double cylinder, and a 40% scale model of a 25 HP George White
which he completed just shortly before his death. This model has an
ASME Code boiler, which he built in his shop, and is the only ASME
approved boiler ever built in the state.
As a young man Ole became interested in flying, and with a set
of blueprints he got from Piedenpol Aircraft Company, he built his
own little plane which was powered by a Henderson 4 cylinder
motorcycle engine, and in this machine he taught himself to fly. As
flight instructor during World War II, he trained many cadets for
the Air Force. After the war he moved to New Rockford where he
formed the New Rockford Flying Service. Here again he trained young
men to fly. He also did charter work, and did a lot of fox and wolf
hunting by airplane, and for some 20 years did crop dusting and
spraying. He was also an excellent A. & E. mechanic. He retired
from all flying activities some three years ago. Ole is leaving a
big gap in the North Dakota steam threshers, and will be greatly
missed by his friends of which he had many.
Submitted by A. L. Rennewanz, New Rockford, North Dakota.
