The Concerned Valet
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Danny Peters KBKR in Baker 1950's and 60's Danny is the latest in our remembrance group that are providing interesting stories of Baker and the surrounding area. |
In the mid to late ‘50s’ Henry
F. Phillips. the person who developed the very popular Phillips
Screw, and and Phillips Screw-Driver, was a resident in Baker
County. There was speculation that he was working on a proposed
development, possibly where he was living in the Keating area.
Phillips needed to go to Portland, Oregon on a business trip, and
wanted someone to drive him there in his Cadillac.
Phillips contacted Vern
Manary, manager of the Baker County Chamber of Commerce, seeking
help in finding someone who could drive him to Portland. Vern got
hold of Ves Schmidling, owner and operator of the Baker school bus
system to see if he had any ideas. Ves indicated that he was
familiar with the driving skills of Danny Peters, who was a frequent
substitute driver for him, and proceeded to give Danny a call.
Mr. Peters, who worked at
KBKR Radio in Baker, checked with Ken Lockwood, owner of the
station, to see if he could be made available for such a trip.
Apparently it was easier for Mr. Lockwood to replace Danny, than it
was for Ves Schmidling to find a replacement for a school bus
driver.
Peters reports that he had a very pleasant trip
to Portland, transporting Mr. Phillips and a Valet that he kept with
him at all times. They arrived at the Heathman Hotel located on
Broadway, and proceeded to Mr. Phillips' room in the hotel. After
taking the gentleman to his room, Danny received a $50.00 bill, and
money to cover his trip back to Baker on Union Pacific. This
transaction was accomplished while Mr. Phillips' Valet was making
arrangements in the lobby to get a taxi to take Danny to the
railroad station.
This was not the only trip to Portland that
required a driver, and Mr. Peters had occasion to drive Mr. Phillips
a number of times. On the last trip that he made, Mr Phillips again
handed Mr. Peters a fifty dollar bill. His valet noted the
transaction this time, and he nudged Mr. Phillips, saying, "Don't
you think that's a bit much to give him!" This apparently upset Mr.
Phillips because he reached in his wallet and handed Mr. Peters
another fifty dollar bill. Mr. Peters leaned over to the Valet and
said, "Keep talking, keep talking."
There was one more trip
accomplished, but it was noted that the Valet remained silent during
the monetary transactions.
Just in case you didn't know!!
Henry F. Phillips invented both the screw and
the driver that bear his name. The Oregon businessman patented two
versions of a fastening device for crosshead screws in 1934 and
1936. Phillips intended the screw for use with automatic
screwdrivers and marketed it for mass-production industries such as
auto manufacturing.
The Phillips screw can be driven with more
torque and holds better than slotted screws. The Phillips system is
also self-centering. If you press the tip of the screwdriver against
the screw head, it takes only a little wiggling to seat it properly.
The speed with which Phillips screws can be used was crucial to the
auto assembly line. In addition, Phillips screws are almost
impossible to over screw, which was also very important for
industry.
Phillips persuaded the American Screw Company
to manufacture his screw design, and the company convinced General
Motors to use the screw on the 1936 Cadillac. By 1940, most American
automakers used Phillips screws. When the U.S. needed to crank out
jeeps and tanks for World War II, Phillips screws were an essential
component in the war effort.
Interestingly enough,
Phillips was not the first to improve on the old slotted screw. In
1908, Canadian Peter L. Robertson invented a square-head screw. The
Robertson screw was the first recess-drive fastener that was
practical for mass production. It had all the advantages of the
Phillips, but Robertson was unable to get it used by American
industries. This screw is standard in Canada and is favored by
woodworkers on both sides of the border.
