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zeebad1 12-11-2012 20:06:24 69.197.110.79 Report to Moderator

It looks like we got the ball rollin' now!! Good to see we sparked some interest in this. Just a little bit about me..... my Grandpa knew Bill, and I used to tag along with him to the pulls.(Probably 11-12 yrs old) Also a couple of neighbors from that era were Al Beardin & Fred Schmidt. (both passed on now.) These guys all had MM's, and that's what I grew up around. Another friend & I stopped by Bill's house in Prophetstown in '82 or '83, and had a nice visit with him that day. Last time I saw him. I've always had a yearning for power, and it's mostly been satisfied with Camaros, but this is something that has always sparked my interest. I stumbled upon this tractor, sitting in that pasture, about 15 years ago. Never did stop to get the details, but others told me that it was untouchable. Luke was like "a kid in a candy store" when he told me that he learned that it "could be had!" I wasn't much different, and we decided we needed to do this. Since Saturday, when we picked it up, I visited with a couple of Prophetstown residents that knew Bill. I've talked to a cousin of one of the mechanics (Bill Noord) that worked on the tractor for Bill. Left a message for him, but no response yet. Visited with 2 others that worked on it while at Frank's Sales & Service in Normandy, Met Bill's daughter & son-in-law, and visited with them for a hour. Great stories that definitely need to be documented. Tried to contact Gail Franks, who supposedly did the majority of the work @ Normandy. Met with Mr. & Mrs. Fred Mende today, who were instrumental in the Shabbona "Allison Team." (Learned that it's a much smaller world than I ever could have imagined!!!) This is going to be quite an undertaking, but we have the passion to see this through. We sure do appreciate all of the interest, and any info that anyone may have about this tractor, and its owner will be greatly appreciated. [Reply]   [No Email]