Once in a GREAT while,all of us have people in our memories that are now long deceased.
People whose existence made a difference in the way we thought about some things and
Tom Dawson was one of these.They are about as rare as a football bat to use an absurd
analogy.There was never a time I didn't look forward to seeing Tom and Helen as well
as Tom's father.Raleigh(I think) at Friendship and always was an invitation to have a
great meal with them and then we'd sit and talk until 2AM around the fire.Fine times
with superb people.I am so glad to see Mark Brier following in his grandfather's footsteps
and he's off to a roaring good start.
We visited Tom and his family on their farm in Western Indiana in the Summer of 1972.
I had just surprised my wife(and myself)by buying a new Lincoln and we road tested it
on the trip to the Dawson farm.It was 1000 flat acres divided by the Wabash railroad,
a single track line.500 acres of soy beans on one side and 500 of corn on the other side.
There was a derailment literally in the Dawson yard and a box car was broken and it was
loaded with new Nicholson files of every size and shape and Tom claimed "salvage rights"
and off loaded a bunch of them.He gave me at least one sample of each and I still have them.
Tom told me of another episode involving an old woman,a cow and the Wabash in the days
of steam locomotives.It seems that the old lady's cow was frightened by the harsh whistle of
the engine as it approached Marshfield and she filed a complaint with the railroad and got no
results.It was an uphill pull for the engine and with the heavy loads it moved, traction was at
the edge of breaking.Someone greased the rails and the engine did break traction and slung a drive rod
off and came to an instant halt.Tom was of the opinion that the old lady would never think of such a
trick but then,someone did.
.
Such pleasant,rare memories and it's good to recall them.
Bob Roller
