Noel Johnson discusses his career at REO Motor Car Company and Diamond REO Trucks, Inc. 10/13/2004 Shirley Bradley: This is October 13. This is Shirley Bradley. I’m at the REO’s Museum and I’m going to be talking with Noel Johnson about his REO Motor Car memories. Noel Johnson: I may not remember everything but… Shirley Bradley: Oh, don't worry about it. Noel Johnson: Okay. Shirley Bradley: Um, just whatever, you know, comes to your mind. And you don’t, we don't have to stick to the questions either. Noel Johnson: No. That’s okay. Shirley Bradley: Whatever, if something occurs to you, just, you know, shout it out. Noel Johnson: Okay. To start out, you know, I went to school at the Middleton Perrinton, which is in Fulton, and I used to live out in the country. I rode a bus into town for kindergarten through eighth, no, seventh grade I think it was. Then, we left the farm. My dad was working for another guy and so we left the farm. My brother bought a house in Middleton and we moved into Middleton. And I finished out my school years in Fulton and during that time I met my wife. She was on the north end of town and I was on the south end of town and… Shirley Bradley: [laughter] You must have gone to the middle of town. [laughter] Noel Johnson: Yeah, yes, we did. Shirley Bradley: Oh. [laughter] Noel Johnson: They had what they called the Ground Observer Corps… Shirley Bradley: What was that? Noel Johnson: …back in '55. Ground Observer Corps was something the volunteers would go up on a roof, they fixed up a roof right there for us to do that on, uh, you would watch for airplanes coming over. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: And you would try to guess what kind of plane it was, how high it was and the direction it was going and the time of day or night. Then, we would call Grand Rapids and notify them that there was a plane in that area. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: And that's what our job was to do. Shirley Bradley: That was the Cold War then wasn’t it? Noel Johnson: Yeah. [vibrating sound] That's how I met my wife. Shirley Bradley: She was an observer also. Noel Johnson: She was one of the observers and her dad and another guy was the one who got [click sound] through this one evening and when we closed up, because during our school years we had to close at a certain time, you know, so we’d go home. So all 3 of us rode on my scooter and I took her home, so then we kind of started things off. Shirley Bradley: And… Noel Johnson: That was in ’55. Shirley Bradley: Oh, that's neat. That's a neat story. Noel Johnson: So after I finished school in ‘57, I worked for the Shady Nook Farms for a little bit there, which was a poultry and eggs plant. And my girlfriend [click] was one of the people that was working there and I would ride out on egg routes with them and whatever. Anyway, I got a little money in my pocket then but I had went to different, I had done different jobs through the high school years. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: And, in fact, I just lost a good friend of mine that I worked for out on the farm in ‘55. So anyway, [throat clearing] um, one day my brother-in-law, [Byron Campbell 3:16] was working at Diamond Reo and he called me one day and wanted to know if I wanted a job and I said yes, you know, at the Reo. And he said that they were hiring because they got a new military contract and they were hiring more people. I said I’ll be down there, so I’m not sure what day it was I went down, it was probably on a Friday or something, but I do remember the day I got hired in was September 2, 1958, and so that started my career with Reo. Shirley Bradley: [3:53] And what did they have you do? What was your first job there? Noel Johnson: My first job was, um, running spot welders. They would be on a balance wheel and we’d just, you know, put the parts together. It was on military trucks… Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: …that I was working on. And I would help all the people, uh, assemble some of the parts too, plus I had my own duties to do, which was putting parts in the fixture then spot welding them. Shirley Bradley: [4:23] And this was part of the wheel? Noel Johnson: The what, the…? Shirley Bradley: What you were spot welding that was… Noel Johnson: No. It was, what these were was the cab, up in Cab Build. Shirley Bradley: Oh, you were working on the cab portion and you’re… Noel Johnson: Cab Build, yeah. Then I’d load up the what they called the cowl… Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: …and the firewall. Shirley Bradley: Called the firewall. Noel Johnson: Cowl, firewall, and door posts, they go all together. Shirley Bradley: Oh, I see. Noel Johnson: And then I helped another guy which was kind of a German, had a German accent. And anyway, he was a real nice guy but I’d help him put it into another fixture and then I’d go back and start all over again. Shirley Bradley: Now when you say fixture, you mean the frame of the cab. Noel Johnson: Hm? Shirley Bradley: [5:03] That’s the fixture? Noel Johnson: Uh, the fixture means, um, a 4-post thing that you would put your parts into and then clamps would come in and clamp it in place. Shirley Bradley: Oh, okay. Noel Johnson: And then you do some more welding on that. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: That’s a fixture. Shirley Bradley: [5:17] Did you know how to weld or did they train you to weld? Noel Johnson: Well, all you got to do to spot weld it’s nothing more than 2 points coming together on the metal. All you do is push a trigger and… Shirley Bradley: Oh, I see, okay. Noel Johnson: And that’s all that is. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: And so we did that for I’m not sure how many years I was doing that. Shirley Bradley: [5:38] What department would that be? Noel Johnson: That would be 115, Cab Build, and that was up on the third floor. Shirley Bradley: Up on the third floor. Noel Johnson: And later on, uh, I got reduced from that job because, just like all the factories, you never get put on one job and stay there the rest of your life. You’re always being moved around, especially if you got low seniority. And so I ended up over on they call another line, moving line that the cabs would sit on a dolly and run down a track. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: And there were numerous little jobs I had to do there. I had to help a guy install some bolts along the bottom. I’d have to lie on a creeper. Shirley Bradley: Oh, underneath, you’re working underneath. Noel Johnson: Right. Working over my head with, uh, an air wrench to tighten up the bolts and, uh, then we would, the next step up would be to put the drip molding on the cab. Shirley Bradley: The what? Noel Johnson: Drip mold. Shirley Bradley: Drip mold. Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: Just above the door there’s a little trim they put on to let the water run down. Shirley Bradley: Oh, so it doesn’t come inside when it rains. Noel Johnson: Right. So we weld that on. Then, from there on to the next step would be to hang and align the doors. Now the doors were brought to us by a stock chaser. They were in a rack. We got to take them off the rack, put them on a suspended hook which was the automatic balance pulley and then we’d line it up with the door post, put the screws in and you could position it to where you would tighten those up and then you’d have to align it in order to – and then we also did, uh, the commercial, you know, the regular truck cab. That was commercial along with militaries. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: And I’m not sure how many we could run in one day, maybe 13, 14 cabs. Shirley Bradley: [7:50] Was there a difference between doors on a military as opposed to commercial? Noel Johnson: Oh yes. Commercials were the regular doors, you know, it had the window in them and there was the framework, you know, [inaudible 8:02] just like it is on the trucks now. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: With military it was nothing more than a square box, rectangle box I should say, and that was all that door really consisted of because they were like a convertible truck. They didn’t have a hard top over the top of the cab. There was a canvas top that they put on, so the door was made differently. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: Um, that was made out in the other room and, like I said, they put those in a rack and bring them out to us and so they would intermittently put these military trucks or cabs in with the commercials so we run them… Shirley Bradley: Oh, so they were both coming down the line. Noel Johnson: Yes, we ran both of them down the same line… Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: …at the same time. Shirley Bradley: So you reach for what you needed… Noel Johnson: Right. Shirley Bradley: …for which door. Noel Johnson: Yeah. And, uh, so that, uh, and aligning… Shirley Bradley: That’s interesting. Noel Johnson: …the door itself was quite a feat… Shirley Bradley: Was it? Noel Johnson: …to do. Shirley Bradley: Was it? Noel Johnson: But once you learn how to do it, it wasn’t that bad but... Shirley Bradley: [9:04] Was it heavy to pick up and take off that rack? Noel Johnson: Uh, the military door weighed quite a bit… Shirley Bradley: Did it? Noel Johnson: …and to put it in a rack and the, um, hook from the balance wheel. And the military, like I said, was a rectangle door, so in order to line that up right we would have to use, um, a screw jack that they made for us. You put it in there and you’d force the door opening… Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: …open one way or the other to allow that door to fit. Shirley Bradley: So you’re actually stretching that doorframe so that that door is going to fit. Noel Johnson: Right. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: And the same thing with the commercial. The commercial we used a different type of crank jack at it to open it up so we could fit that door. Shirley Bradley: That’s interesting. Noel Johnson: And you had to do all of this and get back and work on the other ones yet. Shirley Bradley: And this is… Noel Johnson: But the lines moved fairly slow. Shirley Bradley: [10:09] Did it? I was just going to ask. Noel Johnson: So you was able to do this. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: Uh, you made, it made you work a little fast at it but time went faster when you were busy. Shirley Bradley: True. Noel Johnson: And, uh, there was, um, well, we did all three of those operations but if they would step up the production, then some of the parts would, positions would drop off down to somebody else so you wouldn’t have so much to do. But when it got down to when it was going slower, because this is like any other industrial place, uh, we didn’t run the same amount all the time. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: And, uh… Shirley Bradley: Different production figures… Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: …per. Noel Johnson: And so… Shirley Bradley: …per day or whatever. Noel Johnson: Yeah. So we, um, would, uh, run, um, I’d say 13, 14 cabs, commercial cabs, and maybe about the same of military. Shirley Bradley: In a day. Noel Johnson: In a day. Shirley Bradley: In a day. Noel Johnson: Eight-hour day. And so that was what that consisted of. And then production got down low enough again to where they would start moving people and I got transferred down to the main line. That was down on the main floor. Now that line what I had to do there was build up gas tanks. You know what I mean by building up the gas tanks? I had to take a whole plate out the top of it and put a sending unit in. Shirley Bradley: A what? Noel Johnson: A sending unit where they put the fuel tank. Shirley Bradley: Sending? Noel Johnson: Sending unit. Shirley Bradley: Sending unit. Noel Johnson: And, uh, then pick, uh, pick up the tank, which you couldn’t pick it up by yourself but you used a 2-wheeled dolly and then you wheel it over to the main line and it must have been 40 feet or more from where you was building that up that you’d have to take it over to the line. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: Now some of the trucks took 2 tanks, 1 on each side. Shirley Bradley: Oh, saddlebag like. Noel Johnson: Uh, and then, yeah, we had what they called the saddlebag tank. That was put on in another spot so you had to keep track of that cab when they got down to that point ‘cause you used an overhead hoist to put that tank on, you had to drop it in place and start the bolts, somebody else down the line would finish up. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: You have to run back at the other point and put tanks, you know, like the ones that took it on both sides. You’d have to take up the tank because you just leave it there and you go back and get another one and bring it back. You slip the other one over on the other side of the line, put it up into the brackets that’s on the truck, and put the bolts, big long bolts that they used to crunch it together more or less between the brackets. You had to do that on both sides. Shirley Bradley: Boy, you had to hustle. Noel Johnson: Yes, you did. Shirley Bradley: My goodness. Noel Johnson: In fact, I had to hustle so much that, uh, they didn’t have the safety stuff they have nowadays. Shirley Bradley: I, I wanted to ask you about that, [13:16] so tell me. Noel Johnson: They had overhead line, uh, tracks and they had these baskets that would hang down that you, they would put their, now I’m going to call it a gong but it’s more or less a steel box is what it is. It sits up in there and that would carry it on down from one point to another which was down along the main line and people would get parts off from. Shirley Bradley: Oh, I see. Noel Johnson: It held – it came down slow that, uh, I turned around one time to go back and get another tank and I run right smack dab into it and I got a nice scar right there. Shirley Bradley: Oh, you do, don’t you? Noel Johnson: Yeah. In fact, that scar was there from a stone my brother threw first when I was a kid. Shirley Bradley: [chuckle] Oh, and you reinjured it. Noel Johnson: Yes. It happened to hit the same spot. Shirley Bradley: [chuckle] Now this, this box that you talked about coming down the line overhead, [14:16] how, is that 2 or 3 feet wide or? Noel Johnson: Uh, I would say it was probably about, uh, 4-foot wide. Shirley Bradley: Oh bigger. Noel Johnson: Maybe 5-foot long. Shirley Bradley: Bigger than I thought. Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Wonder it didn’t knock you out. [chuckle] Noel Johnson: Uh, it knocked me to the floor. Shirley Bradley: I imagine. Noel Johnson: And I, what I did was I run into the, uh, platform that the box sits on. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: But like I say, the safety, uh, features that we had in that shop wasn’t really up to date to what they should have been, but anyway, that happened. Shirley Bradley: So you’re cut and bleeding. Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. I had to go… Shirley Bradley: [14:51] Did they take you down to First Aid? Noel Johnson: Yeah, I went to First Aid and they just put a butterfly bandage on it. Shirley Bradley: And said go back to work. [chuckle] Noel Johnson: [Inaudible 15:00]. Shirley Bradley: I bet you had a headache. Noel Johnson: Yes. Shirley Bradley: [15:02] And these boxes were [inaudible 15:03] moving? Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: With parts in them. Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: You could reach up and take out what you needed. Noel Johnson: I – well, it got to another point to where they used a fork truck to pick’m up and out of there. Shirley Bradley: Oh, I see. Noel Johnson: But why they chose this area for that, the route for that, uh, trolley car I’d call it, to go through I don’t know. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: I mean at that time… Shirley Bradley: They figured it was [inaudible 15:24]. Noel Johnson: Yeah. That was the only way they could get it there I guess. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Noel Johnson: Our plant wasn’t really all that big. So anyway, I was on that job for quite a while and then I had a chance to go back to my old department which I, yes, when? [chuckle] Shirley Bradley: Oh, you went back up on third. Noel Johnson: I went back on the third floor and, uh, I did some work up there. Well, it was the same thing and that may have been when I started doing the door hanging because I didn’t go back to the first job that I had. And, uh, anyway I went back up there and worked on the same job, on the same line and everything for another period of time. And then we had, uh, they cut back some more where they’d have to put more people on or more jobs on a person and so I had to do a little bit of metal finishing and, uh, on top of the cabs but that wasn’t all that great because I never done that before, you know, so. Shirley Bradley: Oh, this was a brand new challenge. Noel Johnson: Yeah. That was a new challenge. And they had a hood that they put over, you could put over your head, you know, so you don’t get the dust and stuff and had an air tube running up to it. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: And I think the air tube all it was is from a compressed air system that they had there because it smelled. [chuckle] You had to... Shirley Bradley: And you were underneath that hood. Noel Johnson: Yeah. So you got that to contend with. Shirley Bradley: [16:56] Did that actually keep some of the, or did you get dust and stuff up in there anyway? Noel Johnson: Uh-uh. No, it kept the dust out. Shirley Bradley: It kept it out pretty well. Noel Johnson: Mm-hm, yeah. Shirley Bradley: Good. Noel Johnson: But, you know, you had to smell the compressed air rather than any filtered, uh, air that they would use today. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: Back then, you know, they’d done what they could… Shirley Bradley: Sure. Noel Johnson: …with what they had. Shirley Bradley: Nobody heard of OSHA yet. [chuckle] Noel Johnson: Right. There you go. And so, um, I worked at that for a while and we had another cutback and then that time they put me down in Export. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: Now Export, uh, what I did was build up the wooden crates that we tore, they built the military truck… Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Noel Johnson: It’s a deuce and a half. Shirley Bradley: Deuce and a half. Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: 2 ½ ton truck is what they were. They built the truck up, no, no box on it. All they had was the cab, the frame, wheels, and they had it so it would run. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: And then they would bring it in to Export and tear it all apart and put it in boxes and send it to, um, I’ll think of it after a while. [laughter] One of the foreign countries and anyway that I’m not sure how long I was there on that. There again, I injured myself there too. Shirley Bradley: [18:23] What did you do? Noel Johnson: On the boxes they had when we got the big boxes put together and then, uh… Shirley Bradley: And these boxes were huge, must be. Noel Johnson: Yes. And what they do is they build it up on a conveyor. They put the base on it, put the parts in it, and put the walls up. And the walls is what I built off to the side. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: And we’d carry’m over, set’m up, and nail’m on. Shirley Bradley: Oh, I see. Noel Johnson: And you’d nail all this stuff together, not screws, nails. And then once you put the top on, on each corner you would cross a band that was probably about a foot long, an inch wide, and it had holes, a series of holes in it and you would cross’m over the ends and then you nail those. Shirley Bradley: Around the corners. Noel Johnson: Yes. Shirley Bradley: To put the box together. Noel Johnson: But, you know, you got to hold the nail with one and hit the hammer, you know. [chuckle] One time that thumb really took a beating. Oh, that hurt. Shirley Bradley: [laughter] Oh God. Noel Johnson: But anyway, um, that lasted for a while. I can’t tell you how long each of these jobs lasted. I was there a total of 17 years. Shirley Bradley: Oh, you were? Noel Johnson: The last 10 years I can remember where I was at, and that was when I – again from Export I went back to the Cab Build and, uh, I was there for a while again and then they were, uh, talking of putting on more people down on the repair floor. Repair floor consisted of people putting the trucks together the rest of the way because we had out of the maybe 20 cars, 20 trucks that we built a day, maybe 1 or 2 you could drive off the line. The rest of them had to go into a repair hole to have more parts put on it because they didn’t have time to put them on… Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: …down the line. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: Or they didn’t have the parts… Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: …to put on. Uh, just like any other industry, they run it so fast, you know, that… Shirley Bradley: Not possible to get every single thing. Noel Johnson: That’s it. Shirley Bradley: Did – so they had an area where they would drive the trucks into… Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: …for this repair, this… Noel Johnson: Right. And the repair floor consisted of quite a few bays that, uh… Shirley Bradley: Oh, just like in a service station where you… Noel Johnson: Yeah. They would take – you drive down an aisle and then drive it in parallel… Shirley Bradley: To a bay. Noel Johnson: …to a bay. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: Now they would, like I said, the trucks, very few of them was able to be drove off and be sent out the door. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: In fact, none of them could be sent out the door until it got the hood and fender fit. Shirley Bradley: [21:10] Until they got what? Noel Johnson: The hood and fender. Shirley Bradley: Hood and fender… Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: …fit on. Noel Johnson: And that was my job. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: That’s what I applied for, see, because they were going to put on some more people doing this or somebody was leaving or whatever, a job opened anyway. And so I put in for that and they kept postponing me leaving the department to go down on that job and so I finally did get down there. The committee man finally got me down and, of course, there was a little bit of back pay because they were doing overtime down there, which was another thing I liked… Shirley Bradley: You bet. Noel Johnson: …to get into but, um, it – as the truck come off the line, that would come over and come through two other lines that we had and that’s where we would do the hood and fenders at, right after it came off the line, and we had maybe four or five people doing this. Some, some of the times we had two people on each truck, one on each side, and we could run a truck through faster that way but… Shirley Bradley: I imagine. Noel Johnson: But it was – some of the trucks, um, we had enough bays ourselves for hood and fender fit that one person could work on a whole truck… Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: …doing the hood and fender fit. Shirley Bradley: [22:40] Was there a time limit, like [inaudible 22:43] production line to get so many done when you’re in repair or you’re just there until it’s done? Noel Johnson: Um. Shirley Bradley: You don’t have to have it done say in an hour or…? Noel Johnson: No. Shirley Bradley: …a day or…? Noel Johnson: No. You mean in the repair floor [inaudible 22:54]? Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Noel Johnson: No, um. Shirley Bradley: I didn’t know if there was like a production amount there. Noel Johnson: No. Because if the truck, um, didn’t have – it had a lot of shortages on it, it would take a lot longer to get these parts down to us. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: And we had what they called stock chasers. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. They’d have to go bring you something. Noel Johnson: They would have to go get the parts for us. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Noel Johnson: Um, there was numerous things that we had to do to each one of the cabs or trucks I should say. Uh, you can say that Diamond REO was hand-built because of that. I mean it was not a bang-bang production line thing and it was done when it come off that line, it was not. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: We had to literally put that thing together with the parts we had. Shirley Bradley: All the missing parts. Noel Johnson: Right. So we’re putting it together whenever we got the parts to do it. Shirley Bradley: So you got 20, say 20 trucks coming down the line that day and maybe 18 of them need to go into the bays. Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: [23:58] Were they stacking up someplace when…? Noel Johnson: Yes. If there was an overrun on them, we had a parking lot that they would take them to. Shirley Bradley: Okay, okay. Noel Johnson: And we had a trucker, uh, um, a wrecker I should say, and there was two guys that ran this wrecker… Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: …and they would hook on to the truck… Shirley Bradley: Take it out there. Noel Johnson: …haul it outside and put it in the parking lot. Shirley Bradley: And bring it back in when it was… Noel Johnson: Right. Shirley Bradley: …when there was space. Noel Johnson: And another thing with, with our trucks, very few of them was built for stock, very few. A lot, most all of them were ordered, so we had a deadline in a way… Shirley Bradley: So that’s… Noel Johnson: …to get them out. Shirley Bradley: Yeah, yeah. Noel Johnson: So we had to take then in, in [inaudible 24:39] as to what ones go first. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: So whenever one got done out of one of the bays, whichever one was next in line you had to get that one into that bay and they would have to work that one off. Shirley Bradley: ‘Cause that customer is waiting for that truck. Noel Johnson: Right. Shirley Bradley: He’s ordered it. Noel Johnson: And, uh, [throat clearing] as far as the militaries, they went over to, uh, another building and another guy over there fit the hoods and fenders on that, which I was glad of because they were harder. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: They had what they call a brush guard on the front and… Shirley Bradley: A brush guard? Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. A brush guard goes around the front of it, uh, and that had to be bent sometimes because it wasn’t formed just right and everything has to be, for military it has to be right on the line. Shirley Bradley: Is that so? Noel Johnson: And it has to be lined up good. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: But this guy was good at it but there was once in a while, once in a while, they would have to send somebody else over ‘cause he didn’t show up for work or whatever, you know, and I had my share at it. Shirley Bradley: [chuckle] And you were hoping he’d stay healthy, huh? [chuckle] Noel Johnson: Yeah, yeah. Don’t take any time off Blake. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: That was his name. And [throat clearing] anyway, on the other trucks there was numerous models and they weren’t all the same. Um, they had one what they call a 990. Now that took longer to do, to put the, make the hood fit and fit the fenders. And, uh, anyway, [throat clearing] one person could work on it but it would take longer. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: Especially if in lining up the hoods you have to go from one side to the other. Now this is on the metal hood of the trucks. We started building trucks that had fiberglass hoods and then there were some other trucks that took what they called a Royalite. It was a thick material that had a foam thing in the middle of it. Shirley Bradley: Like a sandwich. Noel Johnson: Yeah. And it had laminations on both sides of that. Shirley Bradley: Huh. Noel Johnson: And that, um, that hood was, part of the fender was attached to that hood and, uh, it would take 2 people to handle that to put it up on… Shirley Bradley: To get it up on. Noel Johnson: …to get it up on there and get the pins in so it would, ‘cause that one rotated out so they can work on the engine. Shirley Bradley: Oh. It came out this way. Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. Tilted toward the front. Shirley Bradley: Tilt forward like on the big semis. Noel Johnson: Right. And, um, then we’d have to fit that to the cab and then finish up with the other part of the fender. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: And that also took time to do that. Shirley Bradley: I bet. Noel Johnson: And sometimes you’d have to, uh, tilt the cab one way or another. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Noel Johnson: So the lineups would be – you don’t want something like this. You want it like parallel to each other. Shirley Bradley: They got to line up right or it isn’t going to fit. Noel Johnson: That’s right. And it, it took time to do all these, so each truck had its own characteristics as to what you had to do to it, um. Shirley Bradley: [27:58] Which [inaudible 27:59] be kind of interesting, wouldn’t it? It wouldn’t be as monotonous as the… Noel Johnson: It is. Shirley Bradley: …same, same, same… Noel Johnson: And I… Shirley Bradley: …all the time. Noel Johnson: And I liked doing it and, like I said, I was there for the last 10 years that was, that’s what I was doing. Shirley Bradley: Oh, did you? Uh, let me go back a minute, um. Noel Johnson: Sure. Shirley Bradley: [28:12] Um, did you have any relatives working there? Noel Johnson: My brother-in-law was the one that… Shirley Bradley: Oh, he’s the one that got you in. Noel Johnson: He’s the one that called and he set up time with Al Ashland which was the personnel manager. Shirley Bradley: Paul Ashland? Noel Johnson: Al. Shirley Bradley: Al Ashland. Noel Johnson: Al Ashland. And I went… Shirley Bradley: And he was the personnel manager. Noel Johnson: Right. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: And so I went in and talked to him and, uh… Shirley Bradley: And you were in. Noel Johnson: More or less. Shirley Bradley: Started the, like, Monday morning or something. [chuckle] Noel Johnson: Uh, I think it was, yeah, something like that. And then, uh, uh… Shirley Bradley: [28:42] Do you remember who you worked with in some of the different departments, like...? Noel Johnson: Um… Shirley Bradley: …working with or a foreman of? Noel Johnson: Okay. The first foreman I had was, uh, [Vance Disbrow 28:52]. Shirley Bradley: [Vance Disbrow 28:53]. Noel Johnson: [Vance Disbrow 28:54]. Shirley Bradley: D-i-s-b-r-o-w something like that. Noel Johnson: Something like that. Shirley Bradley: Vance. Noel Johnson: [Disbrow 28:59]. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: Vance. Yeah. Shirley Bradley: I say this because people are going to be listening to this and trying typing it, so I try to get the names… Noel Johnson: Right. And so… Shirley Bradley: …clear. Noel Johnson: Some of the people I worked with, um, [John Zalite 29:13] was the one that had a German accent. Actually, he was from the country next to Germany. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Austria maybe or something? Noel Johnson: Lebanon, no, that wouldn’t be Lebanon. I don’t know what it was now, but anyway. Shirley Bradley: At any rate. Noel Johnson: He, he was a good worker. Shirley Bradley: And what was his name again? Noel Johnson: [John Zalite 29:31]. Shirley Bradley: [Zalite 33]. Noel Johnson: [Zalite 29:34]. Shirley Bradley: Z something. Noel Johnson: With a Z, yeah. Shirley Bradley: Okay, [Zalite 29:37], okay. Noel Johnson: And so, um, another guy that I worked close by was, uh, okay, [chuckle] names I got to stop and think about. Shirley Bradley: Oh, that’s okay. I just… Noel Johnson: Um, [Alan McAtee 29:55]. You may know him. I don’t know. He… Shirley Bradley: What’s his name? Noel Johnson: [Alan McAtee 30:00]. They called him Stub. Shirley Bradley: [McAtee 30:02]. Noel Johnson: Uh-huh. Do you know the Jaycees? He was involved in, uh, in the Jaycees around town here. He, he’s a friend of Bob and... Shirley Bradley: Oh, is he? Noel Johnson: Oh. Shirley Bradley: I’m – oh, okay. What’s his first name again? Noel Johnson: Alan. Shirley Bradley: [Al McAtee 30:24]. Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: Okay. [Vance Disbrow 30:27]. Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: I heard Vance’s name before from probably somebody else had worked in his department. Noel Johnson: He was, he was kind of an ornery guy to work for but he was a good, uh... Shirley Bradley: He was… Noel Johnson: …good foreman. Shirley Bradley: Good foreman. He was fair. Noel Johnson: Yeah, most of the time anyway. Shirley Bradley: Okay. [chuckle] Noel Johnson: When his neck got red, look out. Shirley Bradley: Oh, is that right? His blood pressure was rising. Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Everybody scurried away. [laughter] Noel Johnson: Yeah. But I liked him and, you know, they – if you like the person that well, you’re going to do more for them. Shirley Bradley: You can, and you can go with the flow… Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: If something happens, you understand. Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: [31:07] What were kind of working conditions? You talked about the box, you know, some of the safety issues. Uh, I’m thinking of safety, what kind of breaks you got, what kind of shift you worked. Noel Johnson: Okay. Well, we had, uh, I was on days. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: We only had a day shift. Shirley Bradley: Days were 7 to 4 or something, 8 to 5 or 8 to 3. Noel Johnson: 7 to 4:30 I think it was. Shirley Bradley: 7 to 4:30. Noel Johnson: I think so. We had half-hour breaks, lunchbreak. Uh, either 12 or 15-minute breaks. Shirley Bradley: In the morning and in the afternoon. Noel Johnson: Morning and the afternoon. And, uh… Shirley Bradley: [31:43] Was there a room nearby where you could go and eat or you went to the…? Noel Johnson: It was more or less our same department we were in had picnic tables set up on the side. Shirley Bradley: Oh, so you could… Noel Johnson: Plus we had a locker room that you could go back and sit and relax there too. Shirley Bradley: Oh. A place to put your stuff. Noel Johnson: Yeah. We, we all wore coveralls. Shirley Bradley: You did? Noel Johnson: Because… Shirley Bradley: And heavy shoes, I imagine. Noel Johnson: Yes. Shirley Bradley: Safety. Noel Johnson: Um, yes, I did get some safety shoes. Shirley Bradley: They have a toe cap or something. Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. A steel toe. Shirley Bradley: Steel toe. Noel Johnson: Yup. Especially working around those doors they wanted us to have… Shirley Bradley: I would think so. Noel Johnson: Yeah. Because you drop one of those. Shirley Bradley: [Inaudible 32:18] slip. Noel Johnson: Yeah. And so, um, some of the other guys, uh, there was quite a few of them in that department. Shirley Bradley: That’s okay. Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: [32:35] Um, they just had just, did they have 2 shifts? Noel Johnson: No. Shirley Bradley: They had a night shift. Noel Johnson: They only had 1. Shirley Bradley: Just the day, just the day shift. Noel Johnson: The only 2-shift place they had was in the press room which was over in another building. Shirley Bradley: Oh, okay. Noel Johnson: And that was the only one that run 2 shifts that I know of. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: I know they didn’t in the, in the rest of it. Shirley Bradley: [32:55] Uh, can you remember what kind of wages you were, when you started in and when you…? Noel Johnson: $2.50 an hour I started out with. Yup, I ran across some of my stub, check stubs here, oh, a year or so ago. [laughter] Shirley Bradley: Is that right? $2.50 an hour. Noel Johnson: [laughter] Yeah. Shirley Bradley: [33:12] Now was that your starting when you first hired in? Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: [33:15] And what was it when you left? Noel Johnson: Around $8, $7, $8. Shirley Bradley: About $8, $7 or $8 an hour. Noel Johnson: Yeah, I believe so. Shirley Bradley: And you were there 17 years. Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. And they were a close, we were close to GM’s contract, you know, the wages and benefits, so. Shirley Bradley: Oh, yeah, that’s a good thing to talk about. Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Benefits. Noel Johnson: It was the same. Benefits I don’t really remember what benefits we did have [inaudible 33:50]. Shirley Bradley: [33:51] Some kind of retirement benefit you were paying into? Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: And you had health. Noel Johnson: Yeah, we had health insurance. Yup, um. Shirley Bradley: Everything was handled through the REO if you, if you got sick and had to go to a doctor or got hurt. Noel Johnson: I think it was, I’m not sure if it was Blue Cross Blue Shield that we had. It seems like that’s what it was. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: Um, but I know I did have some insurance, yeah. Shirley Bradley: Some kind of hospitalization. Noel Johnson: Yeah, right. And of course, we had our benefits, pension benefits because I did get some out of that. Shirley Bradley: Did you? [34:29] Did you, um, speaking of pensions makes me think of the end of REO. Were you there when the shop closed? Noel Johnson: Yes. Shirley Bradley: [34:35] Did you know it was coming? Noel Johnson: Um, partly. We were hoping that somebody was going to buy it and take over and run it. The buildings were more or less condemned because the roofs leaked like crazy. Shirley Bradley: They did. Noel Johnson: They had people in there to fix the roofs, um, but they just didn’t last. Shirley Bradley: Just like patching up a patch. Noel Johnson: Yeah, well, they went right ahead and done the whole roof. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: But still later on it… Shirley Bradley: Would leak again. Noel Johnson: …would leak some more. Uh, Frank Cappaert – when I first started working there it was White Motor Company. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: In ’58. Shirley Bradley: It was. Okay. Noel Johnson: White Motor Company and then a little later on they bought Diamond T and so the Diamond, they then used the Diamond T name although it was the REO. Now this is my understanding of the whole thing. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: Maybe somebody else has another story but it’s the White Motor Company owned the REO, that’s where my paychecks come from. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Yeah, they bought the… Noel Johnson: And then Diamond T, they bought Diamond T. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Noel Johnson: And then for some reason, how they come about getting the Diamond REO I’m not sure but that’s what it ended up being, Diamond REO. And even after that, uh, name come about, we had quite a few of the, of the trucks that came through with different names on them. Shirley Bradley: Oh, they did? Noel Johnson: They had what they call a Rogue for one. Shirley Bradley: Rogue? Noel Johnson: Rogue. Shirley Bradley: R-o-g-u-e, Rogue. Noel Johnson: I think so. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: Um, that, if I remember right, that truck was similar to what you see out on the road now that Ranger has to go around picking up. Shirley Bradley: Oh, big ones. Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: Well, see all we built was the cab and the frame and, of course, the wheels. Shirley Bradley: And then they could put… Noel Johnson: They put whatever kind of box they wanted on the back of them. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: Uh, but anyway, the, the Rogue was one of them. Uh, the Raider, which the Raider was one that used the Royalite hood and fenders. Uh, you know, the Diamond T, uh, I think they, I’m not sure if they used the Diamond T after they bought it. I think they did. Anyway, [inaudible 37:19] was the Diamond REO. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: Uh, like I said, I can’t remember all, all of the models and stuff… Shirley Bradley: That’s all right. Noel Johnson: …that they had. Shirley Bradley: [37:28] Were there, in between contracts, were you laid off between a military contract or did you have enough commercial to keep…? Noel Johnson: We had commercial stuff. Shirley Bradley: You had enough so you didn’t get laid off. Noel Johnson: And we had enough. I don’t know if there was much time spent between the contracts. Shirley Bradley: Good. Noel Johnson: Yes, we did have different contracts that we fulfilled. Shirley Bradley: Good. Noel Johnson: Um, we had, um, – I lost my train of thought there. Shirley Bradley: I’m sorry. I think I interrupted you. Noel Johnson: No, that’s fine. Uh, we – I don’t think we was without work. I don’t remember having any time off because we didn’t have the work. Shirley Bradley: Okay, I just wondered. Noel Johnson: There was always something. Shirley Bradley: ‘Cause I know the military contract would end and I just didn’t know what... Noel Johnson: Right. Shirley Bradley: …but the commercials [inaudible 38:21]. Noel Johnson: We almost had another – yeah, but we almost had another contract to take right over on it. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: Another was about the contract, the military, is when Frank Cappaert bought the place… Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Noel Johnson: …and he was going to make a big deal out of it, you know. Shirley Bradley: He was. Noel Johnson: He was going to make it a real nice place and all that, well… Shirley Bradley: He had good plans. Noel Johnson: Yeah. It didn’t work. Uh, all of a sudden we got notices from the bankruptcy courts that they were going to foreclose. The reason for foreclosing was Cappaert, it’s my estimation, this is that’s my idea. Shirley Bradley: It’s your opinion. Noel Johnson: My opinion. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Noel Johnson: Cappaert took the money off the top as he was making it and never paid his bills because the place went in debt $43 million in 1975. Shirley Bradley: $43 million. Noel Johnson: So we had a lot of trucks out in the parking lots besides we had the military contract and that was a definite had to be done for the military. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: And so, yes, I was one of the last ones there because we had to run all these trucks through and I was hood, on hood and fender fit and all these trucks had to be done that way, plus to be repaired, and the hood and fender fit was done on the repair floor. Shirley Bradley: [39:49] Did you have enough parts to finish these trucks? Noel Johnson: Yeah, well, they had to produce them. Shirley Bradley: Oh, they, they made them, okay. Noel Johnson: Oh yeah. Shirley Bradley: They were made there. Noel Johnson: They made enough parts. Shirley Bradley: You didn’t run out of them. Noel Johnson: Most – this was what happened is the vendors stopped sending parts and that’s where the whole thing started into bankruptcy. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: Because they weren’t being paid but then when it went into Chapter 11, Chapter 11 is you can continue working at it but it’s still going into bankruptcy… Shirley Bradley: Bankruptcy. Noel Johnson: …that we, they were able to somehow send us the parts because we would guarantee them their money. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm, I see. Noel Johnson: We didn’t, we didn’t build any more, any more trucks. Shirley Bradley: Anything new. Noel Johnson: No new trucks. We had to work off what trucks we had out in the parking lots, so we were more or less assuring them that they were going to get their money. And I’m not sure when, when they did close in ’75, for sure I’m not, we got a lot of it paid back by, you know, fixing those, getting those trucks ready and selling them. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: Plus all the militaries, we got those all done and got those to the government. Shirley Bradley: So the money coming in from those sales. Noel Johnson: Right. And we had it almost all paid back as I understand. Shirley Bradley: Really? Noel Johnson: And that’s why we thought, you know – Cappaert was out of the picture because he was the one that they foreclosed on, so it was Duncan seems like his name was [inaudible 41:26] him and another person we thought they was going to buy the place and keep it going. Shirley Bradley: Oh, they had… Noel Johnson: You had to have, I think at that time they had to have I don’t know if it was $12 million or what it was in capital [inaudible 41:47]. Shirley Bradley: In order to make an offer. Noel Johnson: Whether they couldn’t come up with the money or what, I don’t know. The last day that they had the courts down in Grand Rapids, any of us was able to go to it if we wanted to. Shirley Bradley: Oh, to the hearings? Noel Johnson: Yeah. We assured ourselves that these guys were going to step forward and take over. It didn’t happen and the judge asked if there was anybody, you know, that wanted to buy it, take over on it. Nobody stepped forward so, of course, they have liquidators there and that’s what happened. It got sold to a liquidator. Shirley Bradley: Sold off everything… Noel Johnson: Yup. Shirley Bradley: …they could sell. Noel Johnson: And so we were hoping – and that was in September of ’75, that was when my, my last day of working there and it was after that that they had their last hearing and we was hoping that they would come through and… Shirley Bradley: Still hoping against hope. Noel Johnson: Yeah, yeah. But it just didn’t happen. [coughing] A liquidator took over on it. Um, we were out of a job. Now, the liquidator did have to have a few people and, of course, I don’t know how they got chosen to stay… Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Noel Johnson: …and liquidate all the parts and stuff out of there. Shirley Bradley: Pack stuff up. Noel Johnson: Yeah. Um, I had a real nice toolbox that they had made for me and I had a chance to take it home before all that happened. Shirley Bradley: And so you got it. Noel Johnson: And – no, I didn’t. Shirley Bradley: Aw. Noel Johnson: No. Uh, because I figures, well, you know, we had real hopes of them buying, excuse me… Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Noel Johnson: ….the place and keeping it going and my toolbox all filled and ready to go would be there. It didn’t happen. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: So there was a few of the guys that got chosen to stay and work and I went back in there the one time I was able to get back in. Um, they had guards there too. Shirley Bradley: They did? Noel Johnson: Yeah, uh... Shirley Bradley: Like plant… Noel Johnson: Plant [inaudible 44:11]. Shirley Bradley: As protection. Noel Johnson: Yeah. But the one guy… Shirley Bradley: And they wouldn’t let anybody in or… Noel Johnson: Not supposed to. Shirley Bradley: That wasn’t supposed to be there. Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: But they did. Shirley Bradley: But they did. Noel Johnson: I went looking for my toolbox and I couldn’t find it. Uh, there were a lot of toolboxes all pushed in to a pile more or less and I went looking for mine and apparently the liquidator or whatever, somebody, his regime or whatever, you know, come in there and seen some toolboxes and stuff or whatever and they took the ones that they wanted. [laughter] Shirley Bradley: Took what they wanted and yours was one of them. Noel Johnson: I guess so. Shirley Bradley: Gee, that represented a loss to you, didn’t it? Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Not just because it was yours. Noel Johnson: No. Shirley Bradley: But because it was a good one and… Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: …had good tools in it. Noel Johnson: But yeah. Shirley Bradley: Gee whiz. Noel Johnson: So anyway, we… Shirley Bradley: Well, golly, did, how, [44:56] how did you make out with the pension then after everything went? Noel Johnson: Okay. The pensions through the years, um, I’d gotten with different people. Uh, Charlie Smith used to have a secondhand store and bicycle shop down on South Washington. I got to talking with him and, and he said apply for, you know, getting my, get the pension, take it out in a lump sum. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: Well, when they closed like that, the pensions got cut in half because I knew of one other foreman, he was the general foreman at the time I believe in the motor plant and that’s where my brother-in-law, [Byron Campbell 45:42] was the foreman in the motor plant. Shirley Bradley: In the motor plant. Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: Now that’s a separate building than the rest of it. Shirley Bradley: Oh, it was a separate building, wasn’t it? Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. And so he, um, had, he’d already been retired… Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: …but when they cut the pensions in half, he had to go back to work. Shirley Bradley: Oh, I imagine. Noel Johnson: So he got in at Oldsmobile. I was out 11 months. Shirley Bradley: I was wondering. Noel Johnson: I was out 11 months. Shirley Bradley: Without work. Noel Johnson: I went right down and applied for, um… Shirley Bradley: Unemp-. Noel Johnson: …to Olds, um, I believe it was in, well, it was September our last day at, at REO and after that it must have been about November, October, November when they had their last hearing. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: And I knew it wasn’t going to happen, the job. Shirley Bradley: It wasn’t going to happen. Noel Johnson: So then that’s when I went down and applied I think it was in December of that year that I went down and applied for, to get into GM. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Noel Johnson: And I kept waiting for them to call and they never did. Uh, in the springtime, of course, I needed some work because I at that time I was drawing unemployment yet. We were able to do that. Shirley Bradley: Good. Noel Johnson: And I had a little side job that I was doing. I don’t know if you remember it, the Homemaker Shops. Shirley Bradley: The what? Noel Johnson: Homemaker Shop. Shirley Bradley: Homemaker Shop. Noel Johnson: That was in… Shirley Bradley: I think so. Noel Johnson: That was in the malls. Shirley Bradley: I think, yes. Noel Johnson: They did linens and draperies and stuff. Shirley Bradley: Yeah. Noel Johnson: Well, I, I did their drapery hanging. Shirley Bradley: Their drapery hanging. Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Oh, you did? Noel Johnson: I did that for about 6 years. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: Go out and hanging [inaudible 47:36] drapes, um. Shirley Bradley: Yeah, that’s a job. [chuckle] Noel Johnson: Yes. Shirley Bradley: I think so. Noel Johnson: Someone got to do the job but I was doing that on the sideline too. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Noel Johnson: But that wasn’t bringing in much. Shirley Bradley: No. Noel Johnson: So I did apply, well, it was – I also got a part-time job at Plywood Sales. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Noel Johnson: And I was working with them. Shirley Bradley: South Pennsylvania there. Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Noel Johnson: I got, I was working with them for a while too, well, through all the summer until August. And that’s, uh – I had a friend across the road from me that was, uh, watching the lineups at GM because he had an office up above and he was watching every time they’d have a lineup at the employment… Shirley Bradley: In the – oh, okay. [Inaudible 48:34]. Noel Johnson: …he would call his wife. His wife would call my wife. My wife would call me. He said they may be hiring, so I’d get, I’d go right down and I’d get in line and I got up there the one time and, and they said “Well, where’s your application?” And I said “You got it. You’ve already got my application. When do you want me to come to work?” Shirley Bradley: [laughter] Good for you. Noel Johnson: So, uh, I don’t think it was too long after that and I got a call one evening that says you want to, still interested in working for GM and I said “Yes! When do you want?” They said “Well, can you be here tomorrow afternoon at 4:00?” And I said “Sure.” So I was there, went through the physical. I was in and out of there in an hour [inaudible 49:14] I was hired. Shirley Bradley: Great. Oh, that must have been a wonderful feeling. Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Now you’re going to have security. Noel Johnson: Yup. So that was in ’76 on, uh, August 2, ’76, is when I started working. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: And you started in REO didn’t you tell me on the 2nd. Noel Johnson: 2nd of September. Shirley Bradley: The 2nd is a lucky day for you. [laughter] Noel Johnson: I guess so. Shirley Bradley: [49:40] Did you get married on the 2nd? Noel Johnson: No. 25th. [laughter] Shirley Bradley: [49:44] Looking back on REO, any last thoughts that I haven’t even thought to ask or what kind of place it was to work? Were you glad you had been there all those years? Noel Johnson: Oh yes. I got a lot of experience out of it. I met a lot of nice people and I still am in contact with some of them. Um, I don’t regret being there. I only wish that they would have continued because I would like to have had my whole career there. Shirley Bradley: Oh, I see. Noel Johnson: But when I got hired at GM, the jobs I was doing there, where the heck have I been, you know. And money just kept raising, you know, I was getting more and more all the time. Shirley Bradley: Better benefits. Noel Johnson: Right. And getting back to the pension, though, of Diamond REO. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Noel Johnson: Um, they, uh, was offering some, some of the people I guess, I wasn’t one of them, that they could take their money in a lump sum. Shirley Bradley: Really? I hadn’t heard that. Noel Johnson: And, uh, I called, well, I just sent a letter to them or something. Anyway, I’m not sure what year it was but they sent me a letter back stating no, you had too much in there that they couldn’t pay you a lump sum, that I’d have to wait until I’m 65, 62 I could draw $69 I think a month. If I waited until – no it was $89. If I waited until I was 65 I could get $124 a month and that, that was the last letter I remember even getting. Shirley Bradley: Hm. Noel Johnson: And so a year ago January, my birthday is in January, I got a letter from the Diamond REO pension stating that I was approaching 65 and what did I want done with my pension, that I would start receiving it. So I called them up and I talked to them and I says “I’m eligible for the pension now, right?” “Yeah.” “Well I tried getting the whole amount out a few years ago.” And they says “We sent you a letter one time that you could have done that.” And I says “I’ve must have missed that letter.” So I says “Well, I’m applying now, can I take it now? And they said “Sure.” So all the interest that was being paid up all this time… Shirley Bradley: It was [inaudible 52:17]. Uh-huh. Noel Johnson: …I got $16,000 out of it. Shirley Bradley: Good for you! Noel Johnson: So I got something. [chuckle] Shirley Bradley: Yes, you did. Noel Johnson: Something, something. Shirley Bradley: I’m glad to hear that ‘cause a lot of people didn’t that I’ve… Noel Johnson: No. Shirley Bradley: …been able to… Noel Johnson: But, um, that’s… Shirley Bradley: So all in all it was worth it to spend most of your working life there… Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: Or at least half of it. Noel Johnson: Yeah. I was… Shirley Bradley: And at the REO lunches every year, it’s nice to see the folks come back together. It’s like, when I see it, when I’m there, it’s like seeing a family come together. Noel Johnson: That was the only one I’d ever been able to go to other than the other ones that, you know, I could have probably taken off time but I never knew when it was... Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: …or where it was at. Shirley Bradley: Oh. Noel Johnson: Uh, I did know of the one that was out in Coral Gables. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Noel Johnson: And – but another guy and myself went out there but it was right at the tail end of it and I didn’t get to see maybe… Shirley Bradley: Oh, you didn’t get to see… Noel Johnson: …couple three of the guys. Shirley Bradley: That you wanted to see, oh. Noel Johnson: Yeah. Um, anyway, uh, yeah, it, it was good to see as many people as I did. The only thing was right after our dinner, you know, a lot of them took off and left before I could even get around to talk to them. Shirley Bradley: Yeah. When they’re done, they’re done aren’t they? Noel Johnson: And I didn’t… Shirley Bradley: I think most of the socializing is done ahead of the dinner. Noel Johnson: Well, I guess next time I’m going to have to go two hours early or something. Shirley Bradley: Yeah. [laughter] ‘Cause when I got there, they had a lot of people there and they, you know, had all been… Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: …having time to chat but I did notice that when it was over, boy, they were out of there. [laughter] Noel Johnson: Yeah. I didn’t really like it that way because, you know, I wanted to talk to some of them. Shirley Bradley: Sure you did. Noel Johnson: But, uh… Shirley Bradley: Well, hopefully you can go next year. Noel Johnson: Oh yeah. Shirley Bradley: It’s always in July. Noel Johnson: Yeah. Shirley Bradley: You, you’re on the mailing list now. Noel Johnson: Yeah. I’m on the list there now, so. Shirley Bradley: Great. Well, I sure do appreciate… Noel Johnson: [Inaudible 54:09]. Shirley Bradley: …your sharing your memories with me. [54:11] Is there anything else you’d like to…? Noel Johnson: I’m just trying to think if there’s any other things, you know, [inaudible 54:15] REO. Uh, there are so many things, you know, I could probably think of afterwards here. Shirley Bradley: Mm-hm. Noel Johnson: But, uh, I guess I went through the main things. Shirley Bradley: Well, I’ve never, um, interviewed anybody before that did the jobs that you did. Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: So, uh, that’s valuable. Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: And just your overall impressions and your, uh, the aftermath with you getting pension. Uh, uh, this is all interesting. It’s all part of the, part of the history of it. Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. [Inaudible 54:49]. Shirley Bradley: Um, so, but you made enough when you worked at REO to raise your family and have a nice… Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. Shirley Bradley: …house. Noel Johnson: Mm-hm. In fact, I, I had an English Austin car when I first went to REO. Shirley Bradley: Oh, an Austin. Noel Johnson: Yeah, English Austin. Shirley Bradley: Uh-huh. Noel Johnson: When I first started working there. Shirley Bradley: You did? Noel Johnson: And it was a little convertible. Of course, it wasn’t all that good of transportation, so. And I lived up in Middleton and I had my sister and my brother-in-law lived out here on [inaudible 55:19], that’s east of Okemos. Shirley Bradley: Oh, okay. Noel Johnson: And I had riders from up there coming down and back, you know. Shirley Bradley: So you commuted. Noel Johnson: Yeah. So um, a little later on, though, I had to get a better car, so my brother ran across a ’54 Plymouth and I bought that and I sold the little car to one of the guys that I worked with. So anyway, after a fashion, this was in ’59, I wanted to get a different car. ’57 Chevy was really a sharp car. That was a used car and my brother-in-law talked me out of buying a used car. He said “Why don’t you put a little more with it and buy a new one?” So I went looking around and, you know, driving around, ’59 Fords, the only Ford I ever owned. That’s what I bought. I ordered a new ’59 Ford, 2-door hardtop. That was, I wish I hadn’t have sold it. I wish I would have kept that thing. But anyway I had, uh, I had that at the time and about $1000 in, in the bank and I asked one of the guys down in the shop, I says, you know, I, I’m getting to the point, my wife graduated in ’59 so she was out of school, and so I says “Do you think that would be enough to start a family or whatever? And he says “Whatever turns you on, I guess.” Shirley Bradley: People started with a lot less. [laughter] Noel Johnson: Yes. And I had a nice car and by chance I, I’d went, well, I proposed to her probably around Christmastime of ’59. And come toward spring I was listening to the radio and one furniture store out in the north end of town, Bell’s, Bell Furniture… Shirley Bradley: Oh yes. Noel Johnson: …was advertising, uh, furniture and stuff, you know, so I stopped in there one day and I got to talking with Ma Bell and next thing you know I had a house full of furniture, no house. [laughter] I told her, I says “If I buy all this stuff, I have no house to put it in.” “I’ll fix you right up.” So she gave me a phone number and I called this woman that worked for Long’s Realtor. Shirley Bradley: Oh yes, Gordon Long, mm-hm. Noel Johnson: Yeah. And they found a house out on the south end of town on Meese Drive, brand new, 3 bedroom ranch. And I don’t remember what I paid for it at the time. It didn’t have a basement in it or anything but… Shirley Bradley: Oh, prefab, yeah. Noel Johnson: No. It wasn’t prefab. Shirley Bradley: No. Noel Johnson: No. Shirley Bradley: No, it wasn’t a prefab? Noel Johnson: No. They didn’t have prefab stuff in those years yet. Uh, this would have been in ’60. It was just, just finished up being built and I borrowed some more money from my brother for a down payment and stuff until we got that house, so. Shirley Bradley: Wonderful. Noel Johnson: Eight years later, uh, we decided, well, we need a bigger house. We got married in June of ’60, ’61 we had our first son and in ’64 we had another one. In fact, he was born on my birthday. Shirley Bradley: Oh, what a nice present. Noel Johnson: [chuckle] Well… Shirley Bradley: Of course, you had to share the… [laughter] Noel Johnson: My wife says I didn’t have anything else to give you, so. Shirley Bradley: [laughter] Well, that’s quite a gift. Noel Johnson: We, um, uh, [Dick Mann 59:31], Dick lived across the street from, kitty-corner from [Donna Kays 59:38]. Shirley Bradley: [Inaudible 59:40]. Noel Johnson: Used to anyway, next to Bob’s. Shirley Bradley: Hm, oh. Noel Johnson: Anyway, they were neighbors in the place in the south end and they moved. Two years before that, they had built this house out there and, uh, they talked us into coming out there [inaudible 59:57]. Shirley Bradley: [59:58] By then you were working for GM? Noel Johnson: Oh yes. Shirley Bradley: Okay. Noel Johnson: No, [pause] no, no. Shirley Bradley: No. You were still, you were still at REO. Noel Johnson: Right. I was still at Diamond REO, yeah. I was still at Diamond REO. Shirley Bradley: And hoping for a good future there. Noel Johnson: Yeah. So, uh, we had a house built out there and, uh, I’ve been there ever since. It’s been over 36 years so, uh, we’ve done pretty good. Shirley Bradley: I think so. Uh, and I’m glad that you have. Thank you so much for the interview. Noel Johnson: Okay. /mlc