Last week I had an inquiry about the toboggan Wally made for me. The craft was made from a round wooden cheese box that the cheese wheels came in. How it came into his possession I don’t know, but I would speculate that he had recognized its value and had stored it in some obscure corner for later use. That opportunity came when, at the age of 12, I asked him to buy me a toboggan. If Wally could construct anything, he would, and the toboggan fell into that category.
He soaked the box in water to make a smaller curve for the nose. Once the curve was ready he attached the plywood and then varnished it all for both looks and speed. I tried it a few times but was disappointed in its performance so I stored it for later use which came when I was 19 years of age up Secrest.
I must speak to Wally’s ability to make things. I wanted a bike at the age of 10. Wally secured a frame, welded a bar onto it to make it a boys bike then painted the frame red. He put wheels and pedals on it as well as a nice set of ” V ” handle bars with white hand grips, and voila! My one speed bike was born!
Wally also had a contribution in the orchard machine called the Kangaroo. His part had something to do with the stability of the boom. I do remember his concern with the Girette in that its’ boom could be maneuvered to swing to the side. But if the machine hit a dip in the ground, it would tip over. It became a safety issue so the Kangaroo’s boom did not swing.
Wally wasn’t interested in royalties for his part, but he negotiated a reduction in price when he bought a Kangaroo of his own.
Wally’s standard of contributing where he could is one of the attitudes he has passed on to me, and for that I am thankful.