Page 4 - Equipment Echoes Issue #137

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

of those things which never seem to get • The 2020 Convention has been post-
done}. As many of you have been, we are poned a year. Same place, near Concor-
on a stay at home order in Pennsylvania, dia, Kansas, just in August 2021.
and our local spring shows are cancelled • We remain financially stable thanks in
as is the annual International Watch Fob/ part to our valued membership, hard-
Toy show in Ohio, graciously hosted by working staff and volunteers, and the
Lakeside Sand & Gravel. By the time this recent great effort of staff and a handful
reaches you, we will have had our Spring of Board Members at the recent
HCEA Board meeting via “go to meeting” ConExpo. A good number of new
telephone…not ideal but coping with the members joined us, and many good
Hello! reality of our world. contacts were made in the industry.
Inasmuch as I am crafting this mes- At this writing, the HCEA staff is oper- • The New Museum plans are still going
sage in early April, it is my sincere hope ating from their respective home locations forward, and the next steps will be
that this finds you and your loved ones and calls are being forwarded to them. communicated in a future issue.
healthy and safe. Fortunately, I again had Special thanks to HCEA National Director • As always, please feel free to contact
the privilege to attend the Sunshine State Joe Kotkowski for his great effort in setting me at wannechini@comcast.net with
Chapter’s show at Florida Flywheelers just up the remote work capabilities. Hopefully comments, concerns or suggestions.
before the health crisis broke big time. As they will be back in the office by the time Your membership is truly valued and
always, it was a wonderful event put on by you read this; check the HCEA website, appreciated.
chapter members. www.hcea.net, for updates. • Stay well and safe, and pray that things
Our hobbies seem to pale in the world come back to some semblance of
crisis that is unfolding around us, but I am Operational Highlights: normality.
a firm believer that we can continue take • The HCEA remains functionally opera-
solace in the activities that we most enjoy. tional although the office and museum Cordially,
I, for one, have been spending more time were temporarily closed. Your patience Bill Annechini
in my shop catching up on projects (or as with the inconvenience of the closure President, HCEA
I sometimes say “backfilling” details/tasks is greatly appreciated.

By Larry Kotkowski, National Director

KEEPING IT CLEAN that practice since then. I don’t know if that I hope everyone is healthy and can take
By the time you are reading this, I has anything to do with it, but I have not what we have learned from this to avoid
hope the country is recovering from the used a sick day for many years. future pandemics and improve our health
COVID-19 pandemic. I’m sure no matter I think with the social distancing, hand in general.
where we are, that everyone is tired of washing, disinfecting, etc., that we are As always, time spent to avoid an
hearing about it. practicing now, some of these habits will accident or injury is time better spent than
However, as with a lot of experiences, continue on in normal times. I do miss the reacting to one.
both good and bad, we can learn. I handshake, and hope that it is not a thing Please forward any safety-related ideas
remember back at the time of the first Gulf of the past. However, washing hands and for this column to me at
War in 1991, many of the soldiers were avoiding touching your face will help in Larry@lakesidesandgravel.com or call
getting sick. They figured out that the cold and flu season, even if we do contract me at 330-351-0998. Thank you.
soldiers needed to wash their hands often germs from the handshake. Of course, this
and not touch their faces. That advice made is good safety practice in your shop as well. Safely yours,

sense to me. I have done my best to follow Larry Kotkowski, National Director
On the Cover
As you will read in this issue, The Cat D2 is making a comeback…sort of. Caterpillar, Inc., is undertaking a long-term revision of its model nomenclature that includes reviving this vener-
able designation. This is Arden Olson’s 1954 D2, in the parade at the 2018 International Convention and Old Equipment Exposition. (Gary Munsey photograph)

2 | Equipment Echoes Summer 2020 | #137