In the July-August 1976 issue of the IMA we gave you the life
story of WILLIAM F. HOVETTER, and now we must add his name to the
Golden Roll. He died April 16 at 100 years of age and could bask in
a successful life of satisfaction.
He was born January 20, 1881 in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.
At 12 years he was operating his father’s threshing rig. Soon,
between the threshing seasons he would be working as a part time
mechanic in the Frick shops at Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. In 1910 he
sold his rigs to become Frick branch manager in Harrisburg. As the
gasoline engines started to replace steam in powering a thresher,
their rpm was sometimes irregular, thus reducing the performance;
however, the thresher got the blame. Bill Hovetter was not to
permit such a small item to reduce his thresher sales. He had a
tacro-meter made to fit a Frick thresher which he sold as optional.
The true source of trouble was soon correctly established.
Mr. Hovetter traveled far and wide as branch manager, mechanical
consultant and goodwill ambassador of Frick Company. In 1916 he
helped to organize the Pennsylvania Thresher-men and Farmers Mutual
Casualty Company. In 1941 he reluctantly resigned from Frick
Company to become general manager of the insurance company he
helped to found. He supervised the construction of a new insurance
headquarters building, and he retired in 1956. The company is today
known as Pennsylvania National Mutual Casualty Insurance
Company.
With his 6th grade education, he was also a valued member of the
board of the Dauphin Deposit Trust Company of Harrisburg. In his
retirement years, he attended all the reunions in the area, where
he could reminisce. He made it a point to attend every reunion at
the Kinzer R&T Old Threshermen’s Reunion until 1979 when he
called to say sadly that for the first time he would be unable to
be with us. He lived in retirement at his home in Walnut Bottom
near Carlisle. His life conforms to the example as set forth in
Longfellow’s poem, ‘A Psalm of Life.’
Submitted by W. J. Eshleman, 722 East End Avenue, Lancaster,
Pennsylvania.
JOHN FLOYD KING, 70, Kings, Illinois, died March 28, 1981, from
a massive heart attack in his lifetime home where he was born. His
sudden death came as a great shock to family members, neighbors,
friends, and his steam show associates. He was a member of First
United Presbyterian Church of Kings, Illinois and a charter member
of North Central Illinois Steam Power Show, which he helped
organize. The annual steam show was held on the King farm several
years prior to 1974, at which time the annual show was moved to a
permanent site at Hickory-Oaks Farm, two miles east of Davis
Junction, Illinois.
Mr. King, commonly known as Floyd, was a lifetime farmer until
his retirement from farm work about four years ago. He was the
fourth King generation farmer tilling the King Centennial Farm. His
son, Dale, is now farming the ground.
Early in life the King families farmed with steam engines and
did their threshing that way. Floyd always enjoyed the sound of
steam engines and the whistles. He was the operator of George
Hedtke’s 50 HP Case steam engine annually at steam shows since
1962. Floyd will be greatly missed by family members, the North
Central Illinois Steam Power Show membership group, and others who
learned to know him through steam show reunions throughout many
states.
Submitted by Emil Svanda, Box 111, Davis Junction, Illinois
61020.
FRED C. HASZLER, Tonica, Illinois, passed away on his 92nd
birthday, April 27, 1981. He was a farmer and thresherman all his
life as was his father before him. He retired and moved to Tonica
in 1959. For a while in his younger days, he was a licensed
engineer in Montana. He had a variety of engines during his
lifetime but the Reeves and Port Huron were at the top of the list.
He was one of the original founders of the Central States
Threshermens Reunion at Pontiac. He operated his 19 horse Port
Huron there until he was 87 years old.
Submitted by grandson, Gary Lee Haszler, 312 N. Chestnut,
Toluco, Illinois 61369.
DAVID R. MILLER, 22, of Geneseo, Illinois, died June 2, 1981 in
an accident at a construction site in LaFayette, Indiana, where he
was working.
Miller, the son of Ronald E. and Lora Lea Cowan Miller, of
Geneseo, was a 1977 graduate of Geneseo High School. He was
employed by Mohawk Pile Driving Company of Geneseo, and was a
member of LIUNA Local 852. David was a member of the 1976 State
Champion Football team and coached Little League football.
He was an avid steam engine and tractor enthusiast. David
attended various steam shows throughout the Midwest with his family
from the time he was a small child. As he grew up, David became an
accomplished engineer under the patient teaching and guidance of
some of the best engineers in the Midwest. His biggest ambition was
to own his own steam engine.
Submitted by brothers, Russell and J.D. Miller, Geneseo,
Illinois.
MELVIN ANDERSON, Okanogan, Washington, died May 8,1981 in
Spokane, at the age of 78. He was a retired county road employee
and member of Okanogan Senior Citizens, Western Steam Friends,
Inland Empire Steam and Gas Buffs. He moved his family to
Washington state in 1937 and lived at 25 Mile Creek where he taught
mechanics to 150 CCC boys. In 1939 he moved to Okanogan where he
worked as foreman for the county shops for 30 years before
retiring. He and his son, Raymond, spent the last 12 years
collecting and restoring steam and gas engines. They put on 12
engine shows and last year Mr. and Mrs. Anderson rode one of the
antique steam tractors as grand marshals of the ‘Okanogan
Days’ parade.
He also took an interest in the Okanogan County Chapter of the
Old Time Fiddlers.
His passing is a great loss to the ‘steam friends’ and
gas engine collectors of the Northwest and it is hoped that his
many friends in these organizations will continue the tradition in
his memory just as they’ve done for other veteran ‘engine
men.’
Submitted by Walt Thayer, Wenatchee, Washington
98801.
ARTHUR SCHROCK, 73, Rural Lake, Michigan, passed away May 21,
1981. He was a member of the Saginaw Valley Live Steam Association,
the National Threshers Association and the Frick Engine Club. He
was an ardent live steam enthusiast and had displayed his 1912
Frick engine as late as last year at the Saginaw show in
Ithaca.
He was a devoted husband, father and friend to all.
Submitted by wife, Annabel Schrock, Lake, Michigan
48632.
