February 5, 2013 (Tuesday)
“I often conduct interviews in my truck”–William Shatner
The first truck was built in 1896 in Germany by a fellow named Daimler. (Click here to see Daimler’s 1896 truck). But it was not until 1925 that a brand new pickup truck was offered for sale by Ford. The truth is, however, that ever since the 1908 Model T had been around, people had been tearing out the rear part of the car and replacing it with boxes so that those cars functioned as pickup trucks.
I saw a list of “Ten reasons why every man should own a pickup truck,” and Number One on the list was, “Every man should own a pickup truck at least once during his life.” My computer would call that a “circular reference.” But it probably is the number one reason.
When I was pastor at Oletha in 1951, the parking area in front of the church was filled with pickup trucks whenever we were having church. Very few ordinary automobiles were there. The community had one paved road that led to it from Groesbeck, 15 miles away.* The paving was new, only about a year old when I arrived as pastor. The pickup truck was ideal for the ranchers and farmers of that area. It was a utility vehicle, pure and simple, and no one ever thought of their truck in any other way.
Over the years, however, as cars crowded the roads and pickups aged, the trucks began to assume a new identity and it was “cool” to drive one. Once started, that trend persisted and evolved into a whole new culture today.
I had a pickup for a while, but finally gave it up because it evidently was a little too old to be of much use. I was forever repairing it, so I gave it up. While I had it, someone gave me a license plate frame that said, “Chuck’s Truck.”
Here’s to all the pickups, SUV’s, vans, and utility vehicles of every kind. There seem to be more specialty vehicles on the road than ordinary sedans. So mote it be.
* Things are different today, 62 years later. Lake Limestone covers the area, with hundreds of beautiful homes on its shores. Many modern, paved roads provide ease of travel. Producing gas wells are everywhere to be seen. The year 2013 is different from 1951.