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I have been around
many men in my 40 years in the trucking industry. I knew many that
were dishonest. The honest ones were my Dad, Marshal
M. ENGLAND, Ralph
ENGLAND,
Mays ENGLAND, and Raymond ENGLAND. They were all honest and fair,
even when it hurt. I admired and respected them so much. I owe all my
good luck to my Dad, Ralph,
Mays, and Raymond ENGLAND, also Erma (Ralph's
wife).
Ralph
ENGLAND
lived with his brother, Marshal
M. ENGLAND most of the summer months
working on his farm. When Ralph
was 17 years old, Marshal
loaned him $30.00 to go to California. Ralph
had found a job with a dairy before he left Arkansas. The job at the
dairy paid $30.00 a month and his room and board. This was in 1928. Ralph
paid his loan back in 3 months.
While Ralph
was in California, Mays and Sherman England started ENGLAND Brothers
Truck Line with one truck. They wanted Ralph
to come back to Fort Smith and join them because Ralph
had $200.00 and they needed the money to make a down payment on
another truck. Ralph
came to Fort Smith in 1932. He had a new wife, Erma,
and a yellow Chevrolet convertible.
The first terminal
was a service station located on Townson Avenue. It had a small dock
in the back side where they loaded and unloaded freight. Ralph
took care of the gas pumps and helped handle the freight. I believe
it was in 1935 that Ralph
bought out Mays and Sherman for $1,100.00. Mays stayed with Ralph
as a salesman until 1938 or 1939, then Ralph
helped Mays financially to purchase a new car dealership.
ENGLAND Brothers
grew fast under Ralph's
leadership. Ralph
was well-liked in Fort Smith. He was a natural salesman. When the
company needed more freight from another terminal, Ralph
would make the trip there and within a few hours, he would call Fort
Smith and have them send more trucks. He knew how to get business.
I graduated from
high school on a Friday and began working for ENGLAND Brothers Truck
Line on Monday as a city driver and dockman on May 15, 1940. In
November, 1941, I told Ralph
that I was going to get married. He told me if I would get married in
the terminal, he would pay the preacher, pay for the marriage
license, and give me $25.00. I took him up on that. Ruby STILES and I
were married at the terminal on November 27, 1941.
I left ENGLAND
Brothers for almost 4 years to join the Navy. After I was discharged
from the Navy in January of 1946, I started driving for England
Brothers. After about a year, Ralph
asked me if I would quit the road and help him with the equipment and
supervise the drivers. I told him that I wanted to drive a while
longer and learn more about the business. In June of 1951, at age 40, Ralph
was killed in an automobile accident, leaving his wife Erma
to run the business. After Ralph's
death, Erma
asked me if I would quit the road and be Safety Supervisor, and
handle labor relations. I took this job and traveled to all the
terminals when needed. I also worked in sales. Erma
later put me on the Board of Directors. I served on the Board until
the company was sold in 1959. |
