FROM TONY THELEN (posted by Cora Thelen): Hello all my fellow Thelen relation. I am proud to report that GRANDPA THELENS JOHN DEERE tractor has been successfully installed at the official John Deere museum in Waterloo, Iowa, and it is expected to open up this fall for public viewing. In May of this year the Deere and Company board of directors had a special preview of the museum, with the highlight being having dinner around a display where the special focus was on Grandpa Thelen’s Model “B” tractor. The officers of the company were given a tour of the museum and last stop was Grandpa Thelen’s tractor, where it was explained by the tour guide that the tractor is owned by a company employee who is a grandson of the original owner, and another grandson (Ross Pudenz) manages a John Deere dealership in Wisconsin. The offices were told the story of the tractor – how it replaced horses and how Great-Grandpa Nick liked the horses better even though the new tractor did not need feeding in the winter and tolerated blue flies better than horses. The group was able to sit on the tractor and also view it next to some of our most modern tractors we manufacture to see how far we have come. It is also a nod to how proud we are of our heritage, not only in manufacturing great tractors but also helping advance agriculture which is the basis of all culture globally. Attached is a picture I received from a colleague of mine this evening who recently toured the museum with his team. Needless to say Grandpa Thelen’s Model “B” tractor is in good hands with museum curators who are telling the story of how important agriculture is to the United States and how family farming fueled a nations growth for many decades. Thanks for all of your help in developing the background material to tell the story of this tractor and of agriculture in the United States. Your stories help others relate to a vital part of our country, and the Thelen connection to John Deere will be forever enshrined for tens of thousands of people to see as the museum opens its doors later this fall. Tony Tony D. Thelen John Deere
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 20:33:01 +0000