The cover and back cover of a well-illustrated and well-written giveaway piece by Goodyear.
M Y C O L L E C T I O N — This is a small promotional piece published by the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, most likely in the late 1960s. The backpage has a letter written by O. E. Miles, Executive Vice President, and by a quick Google search, I've found a few letters with his letterhead, and it seems he held that position in 1968 at least. This piece is 9 x 5 1/2 inches, horizontally laid out, stapled in the center and is 24 pages, including front and back covers. It is full 4-color throughout, and each page has handsome illustrations, so evocative of the best "commercial" artists of the day. There is no credit listed for the artist, and no publication date, copyright or litho mark.
I'm guessing my father picked this up at the Goodyear store while having new tires put on one of our cars. My dad was always incredibly supportive of my love of cars and art, and looking through this piece, aimed at the "new teen drivers" of the day, I'm sure he thought I'd like the synthesis of my two loves. I wouldn't drive until 1973, so he didn't pick this up for my driving education, lol. He was always bringing home printed pieces he found for free in everyday life—calendars, ads, books, magazines, etc, for me to look through and perhaps find some inspiration. For birthdays and Christmas, I'd receive nice books on various subjects, but on a daily basis, he always kept his eye out for something free that I'd like. I absolutely adored that about him. Perhaps some of it came from his upbringing in the Depression, and having grown up in 15-16 dysfunctional foster homes before fleeing to the Navy at age 16. He saw the worth in things other people threw out, but I think a lot of it was just the delight in being able to continually see my eyes light up when he presented me with a new "treasure." He'd hold whatever it was behind his back and have me try to guess what he found that day, lol. I'm more than a little bit my father's son.
A typical interior spread giving tips on how to drive in winter, at night, in rain. Maintenance tips and of course, the value of good tires, is cleverly written into this delightful piece.
A humorous spread describing the stereotypical drivers of the day!
WE FORGET HOW GREAT OUR DADS WERE WHEN WE WERE YOUNG. THERE'S A LONG STORY THERE BUT WILL KEEP IT TO MYSELF. I WILL SAY ONE THING ABOUT MY DAD. HE DROVE TO MY HOUSE ABOUT THREE YEARS BEFORE HE DIED. IT WAS AROUND EIGHT AT NIGHT, NOT LIKE MY DAD TO BE OUT AT NIGHT. ANYWAYS, HE WAS HAVING WHAT I THINK WAS A HEART ATTACK AND DIDN'T WANT MY MOM TO SEE HIM IN PAIN. HE WOULDN'T LET US[GRAMPS] CALL ANYONE. IT SCARED ME TO DEATH.THE PAIN DID QUIET DOWN AND MADE ME PROMISE NOT TO TELL ANYONE ABOUT WHAT HAPPEN. WE BECAME GLUED TO THE HIP FROM THAT NIGHT ON. ALONE WITH A SECRET. HE KNEW HE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH LONGER TO LIVE BUT AT LEAST I LET THE OLD GO AND BEGAN FROM THAT NIGHT ON. HE LOVED ALL OF US BUT NEVER GOT OVER LOSING MY SISTER AT THE AGE OF SEVEN. SEE, WE ALL HAVE OUR HURTS.
ReplyDeleteGRANNY
dads are like that. my dad apparently had 2-3 small heart attacks and didn't tell anyone before it became obvious he needed bypass surgery, he didn't want to worry my mother, but being a lifelong RN she knew something was wrong anyway.
ReplyDeletethanks for the comment, Granny!
My dad taught me how to ride a two wheeler, very patiently holding the back of the seat until I got my balance. He taught me how to fix sprinklers in the yard. He followed us in his car when we were getting our Girl Scout cyclist badge so we would go the proper distance. He taught me how to fish. I could go on and on. And then when I was in high school he cheated on my mom and things were never the same after that.
ReplyDeleteLove the brochure, just printed it out for my granddaughter who will be 16 on Oct. 31, she going for her drivers test on Nov. 1st. She will get a kick out of it.
HOW DO YOU DO THAT ANNIE?
ReplyDeleteGRANNY
GOODNIGHT PAL.
ReplyDeleteGRANNY
Do what, Print? When you click on the picture and get the enlarged version, just click 'print' on your browser. The top line on your screen, under 'file' then click 'print'.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo of the women who is being attended by the gas attendant. My parents would tell me all the stories when they were a lot younger and what the attendant would do for a nickel. Today, the hardly clean you windshield, forget about checking the oil or washing the wheels, etc. 99.9% of the time I fill up my own gas.
ReplyDeletewe have only self-serve stations now. There was a Getty station in town that offered full-service but they closed. I definitely remember when you could get your gas pumped, your windshield cleaned and the oil checked. If there was no one behind you, you could have the kid check your tires also, and you weren't even allowed to tip them at most service stations. Of course, our town was small enough that we knew the kids that worked at the stations, so they got Christmas checks and birthday presents, lol.
ReplyDeleteNew Jersey still has full-service -- in fact, self-serve stations are illegal in New Jersey. I guess full-service isn't exactly accurate -- they pump the gas and take your money -- I've never had one offer to do anything else!
ReplyDeletePaul, NYC
Paul, a few of the station attendants wash your windows automatically and will check your oil if you ask. I have gotten spoiled here in Jersey! And our gas prices are some of the lowest in the nation! :)
ReplyDeletei don't think I've had anyone pump my gas since the 1970s! I didn't know that about New Jersey. Our gas prices are some of the highest around too, not like NYC, but close.
ReplyDelete