By his own admission, O.B. English had very little to so with the management of Red Ball Motor Freight. Few within the company can say that they really knew the son of Red Ball founder, Henry English, but those who were close to him are quick to tell what a great guy he is.

Born in Cumby, Texas in 1918, it was not long until O.B. was accompanying his father on runs made by the Red Ball Bus Line.

Through the years, O.B. has held jobs ranging from helping the local drivers in Lufkin to the various executive positions, including president, in the Dallas General Office. His full time job with Red Ball began after graduating from the University of Texas in 1939 with a degree in Business Administration. Before long he was involved in the

war effort, in the Army Transportation Corp and was discharged in 1945 after attaining the rank of Captain.

On the national and state level, Mr. English has held positions of leadership in the American Trucking Association and the Texas Motor Transportation Association.

In service to the community, he has been associatied with the Salesmanship Club, Dallas Rotary Club, Dallas Community Chest, Dallas Better Business Bureau, Goodwill Industries, Y.M.C.A., Camp Grady Spruce, Dallas Maunfacturers and Wholesalers, Dallas Executive Association, the Joint Board of Park Commissioners for Dallas and Tarrant Counties, director of Empire State Bank, and the Young President’s Organization.

Some speculate that O.B. English was far ahead of his time in the transportation field. In the 1960’s he attempted to get his dad to change to computerized billing, and he predicted that the future of the air freight business could have been profitable. When Red Ball was sold, he encouraged his father to keep the vast amout of prime real estate that had been accumulated through the years. Looking back it is clear that O.B. English had a keen foresight into the freight business for next three decades.

After the sale of Red Ball, Mr. English has been very successful through investments in and the development of industrial real estate.

He recently came across a large number of photographs and other items that he wanted to share. I feel that many pictures are one of a kind and his willingness to donate these is greatly appreciated. In addition to these items he also made a very generous cash donation to help with the expenses here. Many of the pictures in this edition and in future editions are shared with you thanks to O.B. English.

Mrs. Al Willis recently sent us a nice picture of the Dallas General Office, but Connie Hale’s latest picture is one that may not be pleasant, though still a part of the history of Red Ball. The date on the picture is September 2, 1997 and it shows the razing of the General Office at 3177 Irving Boulevard. Thanks to both of you for your support.

Bill Lawler, Red Ball Line Driver for many years has recently retired. His plans? Traveling in his new pickup and travel trailer. Now maybe he can go slowly enough to enjoy the sights and there won’t be an impatient terminal manager at the end of the trip. Bill recently donated two seniority rosters, a Red Ball tee shirt and windbreaker, a driver’s vehicle condition report book, and other items to the museum. He also made a cash contribution to help with postage costs. It was great to see Mr. and Mrs. Lawler at the annual Couch- Red Ball reunion near Alto, Louisiana again this year. Thanks again.

Along with a nice Christmas card and help with printing expenses, came news that Mrs. Ray Browning was in poor health. At the Couch Red Ball Reunion, we got word that, since then, Ray has suffered a heart attack and, at that time he was hospitalized in Shreveport. Our hope is that both of you are doing better by now and that things are back to normal.

Near Alto, Louisiana the annual Couch-Red Ball Reunion was held again this year on May 16. Coordinated by Mr. Fred Moore, the group included nineteen former employees plus many family members. Everyone enjoyed the meal, fried fish, prepared by Fred and his assistants. Mr. Moore provided the museum with many of his safety awards which represented over thirty years of safe driving with Couch Motor Lines and Red Ball Motor Freight. Thanks again for including me in this year’s reunion and your continued help with the project.

Former Denver Amarillo Express and Red Ball employee, Don Cary died December 10, 1998 due to renal and heart failure. Don was well known and liked by his coworkers and is remembered for his everpresent smile and laughter. He was a heavy hostler in Denver and after his retirement he kept an interest in the history of trucking. I met Don through an advertisement in The Wheels of Time the publication of the American Truck Historical Society. Mr. Cary was also a collector of model trucks. Through the years he has provided us with several unique items relating to Red Ball and D.A.E.

The first two times I attended the Couch-Red Ball Reunion L.R. Williams and his daughter were there. They did their best to make me feel at home and I truly enjoyed visiting with them. Mr. Williams’ seniority date with Couch Motor Lines was April 22, 1944 and he worked into the early eighties. He was very helpful in spreading the word about the museum and, through his efforts some wonderful donations were received. While attending the May 1999 reunion I was saddened to hear of his death. A more complete biography of Mr. Williams will be provided when the information becomes available.

Al Willis began his career with Spector Freight Systems in 1952 and joined Red Ball as fleet administrator after the merger in 1980. After his retirement Al remained active and volunteered his time tutoring students at Morton Elementery School near his home in Arlington, Texas. He was very proud to teach, "those kids that didn’t get much help at home." Al had an interesting talent in that he wrote poetry which he distributed through the internet. Well known for his sense of humor, many of his works were lymricks and he claimed over 1000 covering a wide range of topics. I located Al when I responded to his internet ad asking if anyone had heard of Spector- Red Ball. On several occasions, Al published a newsletter dedicated to Spector Freight Systems, which was his attempt to keep the former employees in touch with each other. After an illness of two months, Mr. Willis passed away November 16, 1998.

Bobby Keene gave many years of his life to the trucking industry, seventeen of those with Red Ball Motor Freight in Monroe, Louisiana. His seniority date with Red Ball was August 25, 1964 and he was a local driver out of Monroe until the bankruptcy in 1982. Next he spent four years as a line driver for Monroe Warehouse and in 1985 he was named maintanence director for Burlington Motor Carriers, retiring in 1995. One of his daughters, Karen Keene, writes, "Bobby took great pride in being a part of the trucking industry." On February 22, 1999 Bobby Keene passed away and will be missed by his family and many friends.

Henry English was said to have had an uncanny ability to buy land for a new terminal which turned out to be near the route of the new interstate highway when it later passed through town. This is an aerial photo of the new terminal in Dallas. In the lower right corner a crew is paving part of the employee’s parking lot and Stemmons Expressway is visible in the top right corner. Notice the undeveloped land surrounding the new (in 1960) Red Ball Complex.

There is no date on this picture of the Beaumont, Texas terminal, but the cars parked out front indicate that it may be about 1950.

The tales told by the drivers include many stories of hauling unusual loads from time to time. I know that my dad never had a good word to say about "Bull Haulers", so I will assume that he was not the driver for this load.

Here is another interesting picture provided by Bob and Ruby Shaw. Red Ball had purchased several new bobtails for the Amarillo terminal and the Dallas "jack of all trades", Bob Shaw and several other drivers were given the job to get them from Dallas to where they were needed. Bob had a new Pontiac, which was loaded into one of the trucks and was used to transport the drivers back home after the delivery.

At times, Red Ball had through trailer agreements with other lines. These pictures show trailers with the logos of both companies. The Navajo/Red Ball was provided by O.B. English and the I.C.X./Red Ball came from Bob and Ruby Shaw.

J.O. Crawford was a fixture around Red Ball for many years. His transportation career began in 1906 when he was associated with the Santa Fe Railroad. After thirteen years with the Missouri Kansas and Texas Railroad he joined Red Ball in 1938 as traffic and sales manager. This picture shows Mr. Crawford at an unknown terminal during the early history of the company.

Pictured here is perhaps a typical day on the dock at the Houston terminal.