Among the items of memorabilia Marv Shippy claims as prized possessions are the refrigerator recipes booklet and the trademark 'Irma Harding' freezer boxes and bags he purchased at an auction near Fort Atkinson some years back. Although many farm homes had a refrigerator or an International chest freezer in their home, such products are rare today. Introduced in 1947, they sold for fewer than 10 years. The refrigeration division was sold to Whirlpool Corporation in 1955. (Janell Bradley photo.)
A lifelong love of Internationals
Janell Bradley
Contributing Writer
info@fayettecountynewspapers.com
As a little boy of 7, Marv Shippy could hardly wait for school to let out so he could run uptown to Lauer Implement. There, he'd climb up onto one of the tractors on the showroom floor and imagine his life as a farmer.
Although Marv's dad, Alvin Shippy, had wanted to farm where he had grown up near Randalia, he made the decision with his wife, Maxine, to move into Hawkeye in 1955. Al had taken a job as a mechanic at the implement, working for Harold Lauer.
If he'd been allowed, Marv would have spent every day in the shop, which sold International Harvester equipment and parts. Even as he grew older, the implement was a favorite hang-out and a source for information about the Hawkeye community.
By the time Marv was in fifth grade, he convinced his dad to help him buy his first tractor, a Farmall B. At a young age, Marv began cultivating fields for farmers in the area to pay his dad back his half of the tractor cost.