Gentry man stays true to history

Smith seeks authentic details in the restoration of his World War II era truck

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

— Glenn Smith’s serious about his automotive history.

When he was restoring a 1945 Chevy 2-ton truck, not only did he want the paint job to be in the original factory color, he sought out 1945 automobile license plates from each state in the union.

Assembling that collection was no easy feat, even if there were only 48 states back then.

During World War II, Smith said, metal was in short supply because the war effort consumed most of those materials.

A half-dozen or so states didn’t even make plates in 1945. They used decals or other forms of license renewal. Smith has been told that a license plate he has from Illinois is fashioned from soybean-based fiber board. (He said he was told that method worked OKuntil livestock determined that the plates might be edible.)

In spite of the challenges in locating all of those plates from more than 60 years ago, patience and persistence paid off for Smith. Side boards on histruck bed display licenses from 48 states and the District of Columbia. Not all are from 1945, but they are from the 1940s.

Authenticity doesn’t stop there.

His key ring for the truck holds what was actually a 1945 driver’s license - a small piece of metal containing the height, weight, date of birth and other information for Juanita Plowden of New Zion, S.C.

His fascination with machines and tools from bygone eras dates to childhood when he was growing up on a farm in western Kansas.

“I’ve always liked old machines,” he said.

He was instrumental in the organization of an area group known as Tired Iron of the Ozarks, which hosts antique tractor and engine shows twice a year at a location outside Gentry. He’s a past president and has assumed those leadership responsibilities again.

He enjoys the role of helping inform others about history. For example, various tools hang on a board inside one of the buildings at the Tired Iron show site; each item on the What Is It? board isnumbered. A printed list hangs nearby that shows the name for each tool (at least each that’s been identified). Items include an egg separator and a bag used to hold water, either for drinking or for a vehicle.

Smith never expected to locate a 1945 truck because few vehicles wereproduced for the public during the war years. He actually was looking for a 1946 vehicle when he found the former fire truck listed in an Oklahoma ad.

It had been sitting idle for years, but when he got it home and cleaned the engine, it started right up. The mileage at the time he bought it was only 2,160 miles.

His wife, Sadie, encouraged him to restore it.

For the past several years, he’s driven it in local parades.

It’s not just the restored truck that draws attention. The full display includes a wooden casket draped with a United States flag with signs on the sides of the truck noting “All gave some” and “Some gave all.” The back panel says “Lest We Forget.” Those are important sentiments to the Korean War era veteran.

The message seems to resonate with at least some in the parade audience. People often stand up and salute, he said.

Bev Saunders from the Gentry Chamber of Commerce said the display is quite thought-provoking.

“We’re always glad to have it at all of our festivals and events that Glenn shows up at,” Saunders said. “It’s one of those things that stirs up the feelings deep inside us that remind us freedom is not free. You can’t look at it without having that deep, deep felt appreciation for the service men that serve our country.”

Family and Friends, Pages 3 on 07/07/2010