|
Although
they're remembered by very few today, at one time the Hicks Bus Body
Co. was one of the nation's largest manufacturers of school bus bodies,
ranking 5th in total production at the start of the Second World War;
its major competitors being Wayne, Blue Bird, Carpenter, Thomas and Ward.
The firm can trace its history to a small auto top and body shop
founded in 1919 by John F. Cline (b. February 3,
1892 - d. July 5,
1977) and Earl Morrell Hicks (b. Dec. 22, 1895 – d. Aug 16, 1972).
John F. Cline was born on February 3, 1892
in Washington, Boone
County, Indiana to Leroy M. and Luella Cline. Siblings included Arthur
C.
(b.1891) James Milford (b.1896) Cline. On March 3, 1913 John F. Cline
married
to Della O. Whitlow and to the blessed union was born three children;
Irene (b.
1915), Edith (b.1917), and John F. (b. 1919 – d. 2000) Cline (Jr.).
John's
World War One
Draft Registration card, dated June 5, 1917, states he was working as
an
electrician for the Willard Service Co. In
November
of 1926 his wife Della passed away, and soon after he married a second
time to
17-yo Myrtle Davis (b. 1910 – d. 1991), who in 1930 bore him a fourth
child,
Anna Maxine (b. 1930-d. 1965) Cline.
John's father Leroy was a farmer
turned auto top
builder, who established the Cline Top Co., in Lebanon, Indiana, its
listing in the 1922 Vehicle Yearbook, under the Lebanon, Indiana
heading being:
“Cline Top Co. - Leroy M. Cline and C.H.
Steward, part.;
Leroy M. Cline, genl. Mgr. and pur. agt.”
John F. Cline's partner, Earl Morrell Hicks,
was born on December 22,
1895 to William
T. (b.1866 – d. 1948) and Mary Etta (McCoy b.1869 – d.1946) Hicks.
Census records list two siblings; Roy Marion (b.1890 – d.1967) and
Esther M. (b.1901) Hicks. On November 28, 1917 he married Ruth Lodel
Hillock (b.1898 – d.1985) and to the blessed union was born four
sons, Marvin J. (b. 1919-d.1954), Russell C. (b.1922-d.1954); Howard
G. (b.1923-d.1984) andLowell L. aka 'Jack' (b.1925-d.1987)
Hicks.
The 1900, 1910 and 1920 US Census lists the
Hicks family in Lebanon, Center township, Boone County, Indiana, his
father's occupation as 'furniture refinisher' and the 1920 census
listing Earl's occupation as 'furniture repairman.'
Cline & Hicks commenced business in 1919
at 418 W. South St., Lebanon, Indiana, their listing in the 1922
Vehicle Yearbook follows:
“Cline & Hicks (Wh) - John F. Cline
and
Earl M. Hicks, part.;
E.M. Hicks, genl. Mgr.; J.F. Cline pur. agt.
The September 16, 1921 edition of the
Lebanon
Daily Reporter included the following display ad which is reproduced to
the right:
“Auto Tops Built or Repaired – we build or
repair auto tops,
both open and closed. We make or repair side curtains and upholstering.
Auto
bodies of all kinds built for school wagons or trucks. High class
workmanship
guaranteed.
“See Us For Prices; Cline & Hicks,
Lebanon, Indiana, 418
W. South St., Phone 126”
The April 22, 1922 edition of the Lebanon
Daily
Reporter announced the firm was expanding:
“Cline & Hicks Increasing Size of
Their
Factory
“Auto Top And Body Builders Experience
Growth In Business;
Addition Now Being Erected; Will Increase Force To 25 Men With Next 30
Days – Orders Coming In
“Cline & Hicks, auto top and body
builders, whose
factory is located on West South street, are experiencing such a growth
in
their business, that they are under the necessity of increasing the
size of the
plant in order to handle the orders that are coming in.
“C.M. Lenox, who owns the cement block
building they now
occupy, has under course of construction an addition which when
completed will
give Cline & Hicks a structure 64 to 120 feet in size. At present
six men
are employed in the plant. When the addition is completed, which will
be within
the next thirty days, Cline & Hicks will increase their force to at
least
twenty-five men.
“This week the firm built and delivered
four
Reo bus bodies.
J. H. Sample, who is distributor for Cline & Hicks, and also local
Reo
agent, sold a Greenfield company two Reo busses complete and an Oxford
company
a complete Reo bus. Austin Fendley of Southport has also purchased a
Reo bus
which was delivered this Week. Next Sunday Cline & Hicks will
deliver a Reo
bus to Frank Lane of Crawfordsville for use in operating a bus line
between
Crawfordsville and Danville, Ill.
“Many orders have been booked ahead but
owing to the limited
space the firm is not able to turn out the work as rapidly as it
desires. The
new addition will give them facilities for more rapid work.”
The news was announced to the trade in the
May 1922 issue of
The Automotive Manufacturer:
“Cline & Hicks, auto top and body
builders, Lebanon, Ind.,
are building an addition 64 x 120 ft. At present firm is employing 6
men. When
the addition is completed the force will be increased to at least 25.
The firm specializes
in bus bodies.”
The September 7, 1922 edition of the Lebanon
Pioneer reported on the firm's progress, mentioned they constructed 64
bus bodies since February:
“Erecting New Buildings; Cline & Hicks
Bus Body Business
Outgrows Old Location
“The Cline & Hicks bus body business
has
grown out of
all proportions to its present location, and three new buildings are
being
erected on Indianapolis Avenue to take care of the growth. These
buildings will
be ample and so arranged as to take care of the several departments of
the
work.’
“Cline & Hicks have since February
constructed
sixty-four bus bodies, including twenty-eight of the thirty-two being
operated
out of Indianapolis. They have built several cabs for the Yellow Bus
Line in
Chicago. They have just finished two new seventeen passenger buses for
the Lane
Brothers, of Crawfordsville, to be put on the line between
Crawfordsville and Indianapolis.”
Additional progress on the firm's new
factory was reported in the Friday October 13, 1922 edition of the
Lebanon Daily
Reporter:
“Work Progressing On New Factory Building
“First Of the Cline & Hicks’ Buildings
Will Be Completed
Within A Few Weeks
“Work on the Cline & Hicks factory
building on South
Indianapolis avenue is making rapid progress and the first building
will be
completed within a fe weeks. It is a concrete block, one story
structure and
will be used to house part of their bus body making industry. Another
building
will probably be built this fall and another next spring. The buildings
are
being erected on a site that is just south of the new garage built by
E.A.
Brenton.”
The real estate transfers column of the
October 20, 1922
edition of the Jamestown Press (Ind.) reported the partners had
purchased additional real estate:
“Elmer A. Brenton to John Cline and Earl
Hicks, lot 6,
Spencer and Means sub., Lebanon, $3,000.”
Six days later the October 26, 1922 edition
of the Lebanon
Daily Reporter revealed why the property was acquired:
“Cline and Hicks Will Construct Fourth
Building
“Will Add Another Unite to Indianapolis
Ave.
Plant; Sales
Room and Service Station; Firm Takes Over The Oakland Agency –
Construction
Work on Plant In Progress
“Cline and Hicks, local auto bus body
manufacturers, have
taken over the Oakland motor car agency for Boone county and will begin
the
erection of a sales room and service station on South Indianapolis
avenue
within the next three weeks near their other holdings.
“The building will probably be of one
story
brick
construction, and will be 120 by 40 feet in dimensions. It will have
the latest
and most modern lighting system and will be strictly a first class
garage
building. An auto laundry as well as a repair shop will be included in
the
business.
“This will make the fourth building that
the
firm will have
on their holdings when the construction program has been concluded. One
building is already under construction but the work has been held up
for
several days because of the non-arrival of steel shipments. The steel
has
arrived, however, and the work on the building was resumed this morning.
“This building and two others that will be
built upon the
completion of the present building, will house the body making industry
which,
under the skillful management of the present heads of the firm, has
developed
amazingly in the past two years. The three factory buildings are to be
constructed of concrete blocks.
“It now seems that the southeast part of
the
city is destined
to become the factory area, at least if the present trend of things can
be
counted upon as indications. E.A. Brenton has already constructed a
first class
service station and garage just north of the buildings that Cline and
Hicks are
putting up and is enjoying a good business.”
The new factory addition was announced to
the trade
in the November 2,
1922 issue of Iron Trade:
“Lebanon, Ind. - Cline & Hicks plan a
1
story machine shop
at an estimated cost of $40,000.”
An
Reo Speed Wagon-based 'traveling bungalo' constructed by the firm was
displayed at the 1923 Indianpolis Auto Show, the March 15, 1923
edition of the Lebanon Pioneer reporting:
“Attracted Attention; Traveling Bungalow
Build by Lebanon Concern at Auto Show.
“A traveling bungalow, designed and built
by Cline, Hicks & Co., at their shop here, was a great attraction
at the
Indianapolis auto show last week, with the Wildhack display.
“To secure lightness in weight the
bungalow
is built of
airplane spruce on a Reo Speed Wagon. It is designed to meet all the
requirements of a touring trip. The interior, stained and varnished, is
provided with a writing desk, combination buffet and ice chest, Ottoman
bed of
Pullman type, clothes closet, gas stove, sink, with closet for cooking
utensils, hot and cold water, toilet, collapsible dining table, clock,
rearview
mirror, nickel-plated and glass hardware, and some lights. The
ventilation is
by drop windows, screened. Several orders for the bungalow were taken
at the
show.”
By
that time Cline & Hicks had obtained the Lebanon distributorships
for Reo and Oakland motor vehicles, as evidenced by a display ad in the
April 12, 1923 edition of
the Lebanon
Pioneer:
“Cline & Hicks - Reo and Oakland
Passenger Cars &
Trucks; Manufacturers of Bus Bodies, Cabs & Tops, J.H. Sample,
Sales Mgr.
Phone 126, Ind’pls. Ave., Lebanon, Indiana”
Two
motor buses constructed by the firm for the State Normal School were
mentione din the July 26, 1923 edition of the Lebanon Pioneer:
“Busses That Passed Thru Here Were Built
by
Cline &
Hicks
“Two motor buses from the Field Department
of the State
Normal School at Muncie, passed through Lebanon Friday enroute to the
Rock
Mountain National Park in Colorado.
“The buses were manufactured by Cline
&
Hicks, of this
city, one being delivered to the college on July 5 and the other on
July 17,
both specially constructed for this particular trip.
“The members of the party are students in
geography and
geology at the State Normal College under Prof. Fred J. Breeze, who is
in
charge of the research work. His wife acts as chaperone. Twenty
students, two
drivers and Mr. and Mrs. Breeze comprise the party.”
The September 18, 1923 edition of the
Lebanon Daily
Reporter announced:
“Hicks Takes Over Cline’s Interest In
Local
Plant
“The Firm Name to be Changed to Hicks Bus
Body Co.
“To Give Full Time To Body Busses: New
Proprietor To
Discontinue Other Lines Of Work Heretofore Undertaken
“The partnership of Cline & Hicks,
manufacturers of auto
tops and bus bodies, has been dissolved. John Cline retiring from the
firm
because of ill health. Earl Hicks has taken over the body factory which
will be
known as the Hicks Bus Body Company. He will retain his factory in the
present
site on Indianapolis avenue.
“Mr. Hicks will continue the making of bus
bodies and will
sell his entire output to J. H. Sample, local dealer. He will
discontinue the
other lines of work formerly done by the company such as repair work
and the
making of auto tops and will devote his entire time to the making of
busses.
The company has been putting out from ten to fifteen busses a month.
“Mr. Cline, the retiring member of the
firm,
has taken over
the bus line between Lebanon and Lafayette. His father, Roy Cline, has
taken
over the repair and auto work and is
located in a building on West South street.”
The dissolution of the partnership was
announced to the trade in the November 1923 issue of American Lumberman:
“Lebanon, Ind. — Partnership of Cline
& Hicks,
manufacturers of auto tops and bus bodies, has been dissolved. John
Cline is
retiring from the firm because of ill health. Earl Hicks has taken over
the
body factory which will be known as the Hicks Bus Body Co. He will
discontinue
the other lines of work formerly done by the company and will make only
bus
bodies; company has been putting out from ten to fifteen busses a
month.”
Two
grocery stores-on-wheels constructed by the firm were highlighted in
the October 6, 1926 edition of the Hammond (Ind.) Times:
“Lebanon – Motorized grocery stores will
be
manufactured
here by the Hicks Bus Body plant. The first two trucks will be ready
for
delivery this week. Great praise has been given the new model
throughout
automobile and grocery circles.”
A further expansion of the plant was
mentioned in the Indiana Weekly Industrial Review column
of the September
6, 1928 edition of the Hammond Times:
“Lebanon – Hicks Bus Body company enlarges
plant in this city.”
In an article detailing the improving
employment situation
in and around Indianapolis, Indiana, the February 3, 1931 edition of
the Brazil
(Ind.) Daily Times mentioned that:
“Earl Hicks, head of the Hicks Bus Body
company,
Lebanon, believes the company’s business during 1931 may set a new high
mark.
At present the company is busy with an order for forty school buses.”
During
the 1930s Earl M. Hicks
designed, developed and patented several bus-related inventions, one of
which was one of the first driver actuated remote school bus stop signs:
Stop Signal - US1864018 - Filed Mar 21,
1932 - Issued Jun
21, 1932 to Earl M. Hicks
Air Cleaner and Humidifier - US1888001 -
Filed Jun 14, 1932
- Issued Nov 15, 1932 to Earl M. Hicks
Equalizing Chassis - US1893695 - Filed
Mar
14, 1930 -
Issued Jan 10, 1933 to Jesse W. Chenoweth and Earl M. Hicks
Bus Body - US2059866 - Filed Jul 27, 1936
-
Issued Nov 3,
1936 to Earl M. Hicks
Bus Body - US2104989 - Filed Jun 19, 1937
-
Issued Jan 11,
1938 to Earl M. Hicks
Bus Body - US2199101 - Filed Jun 29, 1939
-
Issued Apr 30,
1940 to Earl M. Hicks
Also
included in the forementioned patents was an all-steel bus body. Hicks
built on whatever chassis desired by the customer, a surviving picture
dating to 1935, shows a small fleet of Chevrolet cowl & chassis
awaiting transportation to Hicks' Indianapolis
Avenue plant. The chassis were ordered through the Lebanon Hardware
Co.,
Noble P. Shelby, proprietor, a combination hardware store and
automobile dealer located at 215-219 W. Main Street,
Lebanon, Indiana.
A small
item in a 1936 issue of the Union City (Indiana) newspaper announced
that Robert Peebles had recently taken a postion as chief engineer with
Hicks:
“The many friends will regret to
learn that Mr. and
Mrs. Robert Peebles will leave Union City, Ind. shortly after Christmas
and will
move to Lebanon, Ind., where Mr. Peebles has accepted a position as
chief
engineer of the Hicks Body Co., workers of school buses, passenger
buses and funeral jobs.”
The
school bus business operated on an unusual schedule for most of the
20th century. Although school boards and superintendents put off
ordering new buses for the coming school year until the very last
minute – typically April or May – they demanded the vehicles be ready
in time for the upcoming school year, typically the last two weeks of
August or first week of September.
Unless
the constructor was well-heeled, building school bus bodies was a
highly seasonal enterprise, with four months on, then eight months off.
Money was unavailable until deposits were made in the spring, and the
flow of money ended when the buses were delivered in August.
Consequently many Hicks employees were part-time farmers, relying upon
their bus building income to tide them over during the hot summer
sabbatical.
A rise in fatal school bus accidents
resulted in an April
1939 conference in New York City where representatives from all 48
states
gathered to develop a set of national standards for school bus
construction and
operation. The symposium was chaired by Frank W. Cyr, a Columbia
University
professor and a former superintendent of the Chappell, Nebraska school
district.
The conference was attended by
representatives of the bus
body industry and at the end of the 7-day event the group released a
list of
minimum standards and recommendations. Among them were specifications
for type
of construction, body length, ceiling height and aisle width and color.
Strips of different colors were hung from
the wall and the
participants in the conference slowly narrowed down the colors until
three
slightly different shades of yellow remained.
National School Bus Chrome became the chosen
shade with
slight variations allowed as yellow was a difficult color to reproduce
exactly.
Yellow had been decided upon because it provided good visibility in the
semi-darkness of early morning and late afternoon.
Since then, 12 National School
Transportation Conferences
have been held, giving state and industry representatives a forum to
revise
existing and establish new safety guidelines operating procedures for
school
buses.
For many years the Federal Government
allowed he industry to
regulate itself, but they became directly involved in motor vehicle
safety with
the passing of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of
1966. A
School Bus Safety Amendment was passed in 1974, and since that time the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued 36 Federal
Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) which apply to school buses.
International school bus catalogs of the
late 1930s often pictures Hicks' coachwork, which was amongst the most
attractive of the period, and was offered with the option of
forward-control for customers seeking maximum capacity with a small
footprint.
In 1940 G.W. Gayle, Wayne Works sales
manager, sent out four damning letters (they called them 'Inter Office
Correpondance') to their dealer network, many of which distributed both
firm's products, advising that Hicks (Wayne Works' chief competitor in
the midwest school bus field) was
experiencing some 'manufacturing difficulties' implying they were
knocking on death's door. Two of the letters, which are so
libelous
as to be laughable, are included as appendix 2.
Unsurprisingly Hicks took Wayne Works to
court, whereupon they were awarded a $35,000 judgement. Wayne Works
appealed the decision in 1944, requesting a new trial, which was denied
on June 5, 1944 by State of Indiana Appeals Court Justice Floyd S.
Draper, who wrote:
“It is alleged that these letters were
written and published
with the intent and design that they should be repeated and circulated,
and
that said letters and their contents were circulated by said regional
administrators, their agents, representatives and employees to various
named
persons at stated times and in certain portions of the United States,
'and to
many and divers other persons, boards and prospective purchasers not at
this
time known with certainty to plaintiff but known to the defendant and,
therefore, not alleged.
“That by reason of such circulation and
publication by the defendant the contents of said letters became the
subject of
rumor and trade-talk injurious to the plaintiff in the trade throughout
the
United States of America.
“That said publication irreparably damaged
the credit, business reputation, trade, custom and business of the
plaintiff throughout the United States of America.
“That each of the statements
contained in said letters were false and injurious in and of themselves
to said
appellee and its business reputation, trade, credit, custom and
business, and
the appellee prayed for a recovery of general damages, no specific
damages
being alleged.
“The evidence, including the letters
themselves, shows they
were written and mailed with the intention that their contents should
be
further circulated. The financial standing of the appellee was in fact
good. It
was not in financial difficulties. It had never actually suspended
operation of
its plant. It had made its commitments for materials for further
production,
had obtained its literature for 1940 in April, 1940, which was somewhat
later
than usual, and was able to and did fill all of the orders received by
it in
that year.
“Since the evidence under consideration is
equivocal and
indecisive and would not, in our opinion, render it reasonably certain
that
another trial would bring a different result, other aspects of the
showing need
not be considered.
“Judgment affirmed.”
On December 16, 1942 Hicks won a contract to
produce ST-6 Ordnance Shop Truck Bodies (used in
repair of small arms in the field) for the US Army. During the War they
produced
over 10,000 units and were cited by the government for excellence in
production and other
services. One version, the CF 351, or K18 in Signal Corps parlance,
was used as a
transmitting and receiving station. 367 K18s were constructed during
the War, 258 in 1941 and 109
in 1942.
To
make sure that labor strife did not disrupt the round-the-clock
manufacturing going on all over the nation, the federal government
required that all manufacturers of transportation equipment invite
the United Auto Workers / America Federation of Labor to organize their
work forces, a decision that
later proved devastating to Hicks.
Coincident
with a notable increase in Hicks' school bus orders, AFL
workers struck Hicks in early November, 1945. Continued labor problems
prompted a visit from Charles W.
Kern, the State of Indiana’s Labor Commissioner, the
January 31, 1946 edition of the Kokomo Tribune reporting:
“Kern Will Visit Strike-Bound Plants
“Indianapolis, Jan. 31 - Charles W. Kern,
state labor
commissioner, was to visit strike –bound plants in Lebanon and Gary
today to
determine whether the state department could assist labor and
management in
reaching agreements.
“Kern said he learned the Hicks Bus
Body plant at
Lebanon, closed several weeks by a strike, was to be opened by the
management
today. He said he had received information from Hugh Gormley, a
representative
of the American Federation of Labor, that strikers would attempt to
prevent the
plant from re-opening.”
Hicks opened the plant using non-AFL
members, the resulting tensions often resulting in clashes between
replacement workers and union picketers. During the coming months the
United Press newswire reported the following incidents.
February 15, 1946:
“3 Injured in Clash Of Pickets,
Non-Strikers
“Lebanon, Ind. - (UP) - Three persons were
injured Thursday
in clashes between A.F.L. pickets and non-strikers at the Hicks
Body Co.
plant. Clarence Bishop, a plant worker, and Mrs. Evelyn Park, a picket,
were
hurt when 75 non-union workers tried to cross the picket lines. Later
in the
day William Rosemeyeare, a non-striker, was injured when pickets
overturned his car.”
March 2, 1946:
“Lebanon, Ind. - (UP) - A conference at
Lebanon in the
four-month-old dispute at
the Hicks Bus Body company plants brought forth an announcement. The
conferees
planned to meet again and said a statement now ‘might disrupt chances
of
conciliation.’”
March 7, 1946:
“Lebanon, Ind. - (UP) - A truck driver was
injured and an
automobile overturned in
fighting on the picket line at the strike-bound Hicks Body Co.
plant, Lebanon, Ind.”
April 30, 1946:
“Six Months Old Strike Ended At Hicks
Plant
“Lebanon, Ind. – (UP) - A strike which had
halted production
at the Hicks bus body plant since last Nov. 1, ended Saturday
as AFL
workers voted to accept a new union-management contract.
“About 150 Hicks employees voted
unanimously
in favor of the
agreement.
“President Russell C. Hicks, newly-elected
head of the firm,
said the plant would re-open today. He said company officials hoped to
be in
full production within two weeks.
“Some 350 employees went on strike nearly
six months ago in
a closed shop dispute prompted by the dismissal of a union employee.
The new
contract contained a closed shop clause.
“Frequent violence market the work
stoppage
as back-to-work
movements developed among non-striking workers. Five suits were still
pending
in local courts today as a result of allegedly injuries received and
assaults
made during the labor violence.”
For
many years the system for
school bus purchases varied from state to state. Some state governments
pooled all of their counties' orders together, others published a list
of approved vendors, and a few provided no guidance whatsoever.
In
the days before the government got involved in the purchase of school
buses, more often than not, coaches were sold to third parties
unconnected to the school district. Most were local individuals or
small fleet operators who had won a bid for transporting a certain
number of students to a certain school. The sale of a school bus was
more akin to selling a motor vehicle to a single customer, sometimes a
lot of leg work was involved in order to get a single bus sold and
financed. After the War more money became available for school
transportation and many school districts began operating their own
fleets, buying their own buses and hiring their own drivers on a
non-profit absolute cost basis.
Bids
for bus fleets would be let at a certain place and time, each salesman
knowing that if he could learn the exact amount of his competitors’
bids, he would more often than not win the contract, even if he beat it
by just a dollar or two.
A
salesman for Blue Bird named 'Red Willie' once described a popular
scheme he had used to drum up business, called ‘the pigeon drop.’ It
utilized an ‘inside man’, typically a secretary or assistant
superintendent who was short on cash. Our salesman's ‘friend’ would
place a fictitious too-high bid from his firm in plain sight on top of
his desk just before a competing salesman was due to arrive. The 'mark'
would submit a slightly lower bid, believeing his was now the lowest.
Later in the day, our 'resourceful' salesman would arrive at his
appointeded time with an even lower bid, and if the superintendent
hadn't caught on, would be awarded the contract, as the low bidder was
always awarded the contract.
Several
of the nations 20+ school bus body builders competed in Hicks' home
markets, and as time went on they found it harder and harder to compete
with the larger firms, in particular their Indiana neighbor, Wayne
Works.
In
1953 Hicks entered into an 8-10 year agreement with Conway, Arkansas'
Ward Body Works in which Ward would construct as many as 12,000 Hicks
school bus bodies in their Conway plant using dies, tools and
other equipment supplied by Hicks. The resulting buses would be badged
as Hicks' bodies and sold through Hicks network of established
dealers.
Hicks manufacturing operations in Lebanon were shuttered and the plant
put up for sale, the April 25, 1953 edition of the Anderson
Herald Bulletin announced the upcoming auction:
“PUBLIC SALE
• Complete Plant • 15 Acres of Land •
Machinery & Equipment
•
By Order of the Board of Directors of the
HICKS BODY CO.,
INC., LEBANON, IND.
April 27-28-29-30-10 A.M. to 5 P. M.-6
P.M.
to 10 P.M.
(Terms and Conditions of Sale as Posted in
Plant)
DONT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE THE
EQUIPMENT YOU NEED
AT A FRACTION OF ITS WORTH
All small equipment, tools, and parts will
be sold on first
three days of sale – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, April 27-28-29.
Thousands of items, including:
160 Electric Tools, 110 Air Drills, 28
Hobart Arc Welders,
50 Large Fans, 1500' Monorail Conveyor, 500' Belt Conveyor, 500' Steel
Floor
Conveyor. Also tractors, trucks, hoists, welders, generators, electric
floor blocks,
fluorescent fixtures and many others. PLUS complete set of parts, jigs
and tools
for prefab building.
Heavy machinery, big tools, plant and 15
acres of land to be
sold on fourth day - Thursday, April 30.
1 Bertsch Square Shear, 1 Cincinnati Press
Brake, 1 Bliss 4-Crank
Press, 1 270-ton Wood Cupping Press, 1 Dreiss & Kramp Press Brake,
96 other
valuable items. - ALSO - Complete modern
plant - 135,000 sq. ft. floor space, Floor level box car loading dock
and spur
to New York Central main line, 15 acres - plant and surrounding
territory
Written Bids on Building and Land accepted
up to 10 A. M.,
April 10th
HICKS BODY CO., INC., Lebanon, Ind.”
One year later the Hicks family suffered a
tragic loss when Earl M. Hicks' two sons, Russel and Marvin - both
Hicks Body Co. executives - were killed in Florida, the April 13, 1954
edition of the Anderson (Ind.) Herald reporting:
“Body of Ex-Hoosier Recovered in Florida
“Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP) – The body of
Marvin Hicks, 34,
formerly of Lebanon, Ind., washed ashore here Monday, some 12 hours
after the
body of his brother, Russell, 32, Lebanon, was found.
“The two perished in choppy seas that
capsized their small
fiberglass fishing boat on a reef 500 yards off the beach where they
had gone
on a night fishing trip.
“Both were associated with the Hicks Bus
Body Co. of
Lebanon. Marvin, a vice-president of the company, moved here to
supervise a
firm making the type fishing boat the two were using. Russell was the
firm’s
salesman for the western US district.
“The wives of the two men had planned to
go
fishing with them
but decided that the surf was too rough.”
Personal tragedy was closely followed by the
cancellation by Ward Body Works of it s contract to furnish school bus
bodies to Hicks. Although the move was prompted by increased sales of
its own line of school bus bodies, Hicks sued, the Thursday, July 22,
1954 edition of the Camden (Ark.) News reporting:
“Little Rock, Ark. (AP) – The Ward Body
Works of Conway
yesterday was sued for $885,600 in Federal Court here.
“The suit was brought by Hicks Body Co.,
Inc., of Lebanon, Ind.
“The suit charges that the Conway firm
repudiated a contract
for the construction of Hicks bus bodies.”
The January 5, 1955 edition of the Camden
(Ark.) News reported that Federal Judge Thomas C. Trimble had dismissed
the suit:
“Federal Judge Upholds Company
“LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Federal Judge Thomas
C.
Trimble today
sustained a motion by Ward Body Works Inc. of Conway to dismiss a suit
brought
by Hicks Body Co. Inc., of Lebanon, Ind., to gain damages of $885,600
for
alleged breach of oral contract.
“The controversy, which has been pending
since July 21,
stemmed from an alleged agreement by the Conway firm to supply the
Indiana
company with 12,000 school bus bodies. In a memorandum, Judge Trimble
said:
“1. The written contract between parties,
in
letter form, is
an Arkansas contract, not an Indiana contract.
“2. Act 131 does not constitute a
substitution for Act 887,
nor does it repeal invalidating contracts of foreign corporations doing
business in Arkansas without qualifying as required by law. Hicks
admittedly
had not complied with state requirements.
“3. Hicks, a foreign corporation, is
therefore not in position to enforce such a contract.
“4. The Indiana firm also is not in
position
to enforce any rights
or claims arising from the void contract.”
Unsurprisingly Hicks appealed, the May 16,
1955 edition of the Camden (Ark.) News reporting on the scond verdict,
which once again ruled against Hicks:
“Conway Bus Firm Wins Suit In U.S. Court
“St Louis, Mo. - (AP) – The U.S. Court of
Appeals has upheld
a finding that Hicks Body Co., Lebanon, Ind., is without the right to
sue Ward
Body Works of Conway, Ark., for breach of contract.
“The Indiana firm contended the Arkansas
company failed to
fulfill a contract to manufacture for it 12,000 school buses over a
period of
eight to ten years.”
Although he had suffered both great personal
and finiancial loss, Earl M. Hicks continued to develop safety devices
for school buses and in 1956 was awarded the following two patents:
Vehicle Safety Exit Window Structure -
US2736402 - Filed
Apr 13, 1950 - Issued Feb 28, 1956 to Earl M. Hicks
Sash Latch - US2768852 - Filed Aug 6, 1954
- Issued Oct
30, 1956 to Earl M. Hicks.
In the late 1950s the former Hicks body
plant was leased by Cardair,
a manufacturer of compressors, compression systems, valves and air
purification
equipment. Cardair was a subsidiary of Marmon Herrington. Cardair
Division of
Marmon-Herrington Co., Inc., 502-510 Indianapolis Ave., Lebanon, Ind.
Although Hicks lost the war with Ward, he
did eventually receive a cash settlement of $80,150, the October 11,
1961 edition of the Hope Star (Ark.) reporting:
$80,150 Judgment Is Awarded:
“Little Rock, (AP) - U.S. District Court
Judge Gordon Young
awarded Hicks Body Co. Inc., of Lebanon, Ind., an $80,150 judgment
against the
Ward Body Works of Conway, Ark., Tuesday.
“The order said that the money would
compensate the Hicks
firm for dies, tools and other equipment it furnished Ward in 1953 in
connection with a contract for manufacture of bus bodies.
“Hicks had asked for a judgment of
$150,000.
The firm said
Ward filed to live up to a contract to furnish bus bodies for sale by
Hicks.”
In the late 1960s Marmon-Herrington
relocated its school bus,
trolley coach and Ford four-wheel-drive conversion center to the
Cardair plant.
Earl M. Hicks Obituary appeared in the
August 16, 1972 issue
of the Lebanon newspaper:
“Earl Morrell Hicks was a pioneer in the
engineering field
and gained international prominence for the manufacture of bus bodies
as well
as wartime work, Earl M. Hicks, passed away early this morning in Fort
Lauderdale, Fla.
“Mr. Hicks, who was 76 years of age, had
been in poor health five years
and for
the past four months had been in the Convalescent Home in Fort
Lauderdale.
“He started his career in 1919, developing school and passenger buses.
He was
appointed on a committee of the National Education to write the
National School
Bus Standards and Specifications.
“Mr. Hick's firm, Hicks Bus Body, located
on Indianapolis Avenue and
for many
years one of the leading industrial plants of the community, built the
first
all steel school bus body in 1936.
“Mr. Hicks also designed, developed and
patented the school
bus stop sign, as well as accomplishing many engineering feats. Many of
these
patents are still in existence today and many of Mr. Hick's designs are
incorporated in present bus bodies.
“Always concerned about safety and young
people in general, he gave the
patent
on the school bus stop sign to the school children of America. Through
this
generous gift, the entire industry benefitted from royalty rights.
“In 1942 he designed the ST-6, a mobile
shop unit used in repair of
small arms
in the field. During the war years, his company produced over 10,000
units and
cited by the government for production and other services.
“Mr. Hicks quit the bus body business in
1956, but remained active in
other
businesses until retirement in 1965. He had a very keen, innovative
mind and
his counsel was often sought by other engineering firms. His sons were
in
business with him.
“Also, Mr. Hicks, was very civic-minded
and when residing in Lebanon
helped
many people and took an active part in school and community affairs. He
also
was a family man devoted to his family and their interests. He was a
member of
the First Baptist Church, Elks Club, Odd Fellows, Society of American
Engineers, America Military Engineers and received an honorary degree
from
Columbia University for his contributions and work in the engineering
field. He
had resided in Fort Lauderdale the past 18 years.
“A native of Lebanon, he was born December
22, 1895, the son of William
T. and
Mary Etta (McCoy) Hicks. He was married November 28, 1917 in Danville,
Ill., to
Ruth L. Hillock who survives.
“In addition to the widow, he leaves two
sons, Jack L. Hicks of Lebanon
and
Howard G. Hicks of Fort Lauderdale; a sister, Mrs. Ethel Crawford of
Indianapolis; nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Two
sons, Marvin
J. and Russell C., a brother Roy and two grandchildren preceded him in
death.
“Last rites are set for 3 p.m. Saturday at
the Russell and Hitch
Funeral Home
in Lebanon with the Rev. Clifford Antcliff of Goodland officiating.
Interment
is to follow in Oak Hill Cemetery.
“Calling at the funeral home will be after
noon on Friday.”
© 2015 Mark
Theobald for Coachbuilt.com
Appendix 1 US Patents issued to or acquired
by Earl M. Hicks
Speed Boat Construction - US1858030 -
Filed
May 31, 1930 -
Issued May 10, 1932 to Bernard R. Batty and assigned to Earl M. Hicks
Stop Signal - US1864018 - Filed Mar 21,
1932 - Issued Jun
21, 1932 to Earl M Hicks
Air Cleaner and Humidifier - US1888001 -
Filed Jun 14, 1932
- Issued Nov 15, 1932 to Earl M. Hicks
Equalizing Chassis - US1893695 - Filed
Mar
14, 1930 -
Issued Jan 10, 1933 to Jesse W. Chenoweth and Earl M. Hicks
Bus Body - US2059866 - Filed Jul 27, 1936
-
Issued Nov 3,
1936 to Earl M. Hicks
Bus Body - US2104989 - Filed Jun 19, 1937
-
Issued Jan 11,
1938 to Earl M. Hicks
Bus Body - US2199101 - Filed Jun 29, 1939
-
Issued Apr 30,
1940 to Earl M. Hicks
Vehicle Safety Exit Window Structure -
US2736402 - Filed
Apr 13, 1950 - Issued Feb 28, 1956 to Earl M. Hicks
Sash Latch - US2768852 - Filed Aug 6,
1954
- Issued Oct
30, 1956 to Earl M. Hicks
Appendix 2 Wayne Works Libelous Interoffice
Correspondence of 1940:
Letter Number 1
'The Wayne Works, Since 1868, Richmond,
Ind., U. S. A.
'Regional Letter No. 46, June 8, 1940
'Inter Office Correspondence
'To: All Regional Administrators
'Subject: Hicks' Manufacturing Difficulties
'For more than a month we have been
hearing
all sorts of
rumors regarding the difficulties of the Hicks Company at Lebanon.
Information
has reached us that during the past month there have never been more
than eight
or ten men in the plant, and these have been more or less on
maintenance. It is
our understanding that they have not been in production for at least
that
length of time and that they are not in production at the present time.
'We are told that their difficulties have
arisen from
controversies they have had in connection with the wages and hours act,
as well
as some labor trouble. They have had an election which was supervised
by the
National Labor Relations Board, but even following this election (about
two
weeks ago) production has not been resumed.
'It is our understanding that no
commitments
have been made
for materials for the manufacture of buses for 1940; that no literature
covering 1940 equipment has been prepared, and that the only thing that
has
been accomplished is the manufacture of two demonstrators and the
issuance of a
price schedule.
'We have had no definite confirmation of
the
information
given above. It has been received here in
a
variety of ways
and over a considerable period. All of these rumors and reports are in
agreement as to statements above.
'We felt that this was information that
might readily affect
the interests of your distributors, and, accordingly, we pass it on to
you for
your further use and distribution as you see fit. You will appreciate
that we
would prefer not issuing a general letter regarding this. You, however,
are at
liberty to use it in any manner that may benefit you or your field
organization.
'Cordially yours, Wayne Works, J. W.
Gayle,
Sales Manager.
'JWGayle:ee
Wayne Works Letter Number 2
'The Wayne Works, Since 1868, Richmond,
Ind., U. S. A.
'Regional Letter No. 47, June 19, 1940
'Inter Office Correspondence
'To: All Regional Administrators
'Subject: Status of Hicks Body Company
'Ed Herrmann, of Indianapolis, has very
kindly given me a
report on the Hicks Body Company as of last Sunday afternoon. I quote
from his
letter as follows:
'After learning last week that Hicks had
resumed operations,
I drove over to Lebanon Sunday afternoon and did all the snooping I
could.
'I counted 54 International Trucks in the
parking lot
waiting for body installations. Note, please, I say International.
There is not
a Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge or anything else on the place. According to
the four
Hicks men who are working in our plant, Earl Hicks, in an attempt to
resume
operations, is advising his shop men that he has an order from
International
for 500 bodies (no doubt subject to a lot of discounting) for delivery
to
Texas. These chassis may be part of such an order. I could not get
close enough
to them to read the tags. I might suggest that you have Phil and Jim
Hudson
check into this, because from what I observe Hicks will be a long time
getting
these jobs completed. I did not see any finished assembled bodies at
either of
his plants, and it seems to be a foregone Conclusion that Hicks will
get
nowhere this year.
'I was informed by a local source in
Lebanon
that Hicks
succeeded in putting 12 men back on the job last week. I was told that
two
trailer loads of sheet steel were in Lebanon held for delivery until
cash to
cover the C.O.D. terms was produced. I can well understand that his
vendors
would place him on a C.O.D. basis, because his funds will not permit
him to
meet a 'shut down' situation very long.
'I noticed the large press delivered to
Lebanon last fall is
still outdoors in the yard and has never been set up for operation. All
in all,
it's a sad picture for Hicks.
'One more thing, June, I was advised by a
filling station
attendant across the road from Hicks Plant No. 2 that Bishop &
Bishop, from
Ohio (he could not recall the town), had taken delivery Saturday on one
Hicks
job. This dealer has an order with Hicks for five, and he was given no
assurance that he would get more than one. Sorry I could not get the
town or
the make of chassis, but maybe Dick Stanley or one of the other Ohio
distributors can run this down and resurrect the deal for Wayne.
'If I get any further news I will advise
you
promptly.'
'All in all, it looks as though the Hicks
Company would have
an extremely difficult time in developing any sales volume during the
current
year. So far as we can learn, they do not have any literature issued.
Price
lists have been released for several months. The literature itself has
not been
in evidence -- at least, we haven't received any copies.
'If they are now beginning to start their
manufacturing
program, we feel it is utterly impossible for them to build -- even at
their
fastest manufacturing rate -- as much as a fraction of the number
manufactured
last year. It doesn't seem humanly possible that they could start
production at
this late time and accomplish very much. If so, that means that you and
your
distributors have the opportunity for an even closer cooperation with
International and that you further have an even greater potential for
bus sales
that will be well worth your careful and aggressive cultivation.
'Please do not quote this letter verbatim,
although this
information contained in it is at your disposal for distribution to the
distributors
in your region.
'As further reports are received, we will
advise you.
'Cordially yours, Wayne Works, J. W.
Gayle,
Sales Manager.
'J.W.Gayle:ee
© 2015 Mark
Theobald for Coachbuilt.com
|
