GENTRY — While some might wonder why anyone would paint a perfectly-good antique tractor pink instead of Farmall red, Tired Iron of the Ozarks has a good cause.

In a letter to the club posted on the Tired Iron website, club president Glenn Smith explains: “Most of you know my wife Sadie was diagnosed with breast cancer over 16 years ago and, after a lot of radical surgery, she pulled through and is still doing fine today. And most of you know we bought a 1940 Farmall B. With the help of Don Christensen, Don Hevener and some technical help from Johnny Burger, slowly, very slowly, the rusty old tractor turned pink.”

Like one of the club’s other tractors, this refurbished machine received an extra seat and set of controls so that young drivers and others who never drove a tractor before could learn with the assistance of an expert Tired Iron tractor driver on board.

“On June 29th, we started it up and drove it onto my trailer.” Smith wrote. “I hauled it into Gentry and parked it on Main Street. Several people stopped and took pictures. Others got whiplash while driving by. I heard of some relating to friends that they saw a pinktractor on Main Street ... and the replies were ... Yes, that's Tired Iron's latest project. Bob Hosteter stopped by, and we had our picture taken on it. After it had been on Main Street for an hour or so, I took it to Eddy and Sandy Thompson’s home in Gentry so Sandy could start painting ladies’ names on it.

“We are asking for a minimum donation of $5 to put a name on it of someone who has, or who has had, breast cancer,” Smith wrote.

The pink tractor had more than 26 names on it in August, with many more to be added.

“Then I went a step further,” Smith wrote, “and ordered 500 buttons with the pink tractor on it, as well as our fall show dates.”

The club has been selling the buttons for $1, with the profit (about 52 cents per button) going to assist women in their fight against breast cancer.

“The pink tractor made its debut on the 4th of July in the park at Gentry," Smith wrote. “Needless to say, it attracted quite a bit of attention. We picked up nine names to put on it and took donations for buttons too.

“One big guy walked up to me and said I should be flogged for painting a tractor pink. Afterexplaining what it was for, he said, ‘Well, that’s different then.’ He reached into his pocket, pulled out some wadded up money and said, ‘Here, take this,’ and walked off. It was $15. A big thank you to himand many other generous people like him,” Smith wrote.

At last report, the pink tractor is continuing to serve its purpose with the amount raised to assist cancer victims in their fight against breast cancerup to more than $1,000 and growing.

So, next time you see that tractor - it will probably be in the park next month at Gentry’s Fall Festival - instead of wondering why someone would ever paint a perfectly-good antiquetractor pink, remember it has a reason and cause, and it’s a good one.

News, Pages 1 on 09/12/2012