My Dad was the Farmall IH dealer in Cecilia, Kentucky: Shumate Equipment Company. The business operated until January 1963 when Dad retired.

As a little girl, I always loved to ride with Dad on the tractors. Sitting on his lap and holding the steering wheel was a great experience for me. He was the greatest and still is.

Every year he would take his new equipment to the Hardin County Fair for display. I would get to help him “drive” each tractor to the fairgrounds. I guess that is why I love the Big Red.

Little did I realize that some 40 years later Don and I would purchase a 1953 Super H that Dad had sold when it was brand new. It was in very bad condition but, with Dad’s mechanical knowledge, Don’s painting and mechanical knowledge, and my cleaning and sanding know-how, we now have a beautiful Super H that I drive in parades. We have since restored a Super M that Don drives.

Not only do we have the Super H that Dad sold, we have the original invoice from International Harvester to Shumate Equipment Co. The price was $1,707.40 . We have a few more dollars than that invested in the restoration.

Thinking about all the wonderful memories of riding on the tractors with Dad, I sometimes wonder if “my” Super H is one of those tractors I helped “drive” years ago.

Carolyn Williams

Elizabethtown, Kentucky

March, 2000