Reader Photo: 1914 Ford Model T
A flashback to 100 years ago in Harvard, Ill.
“This is my great uncle, Herman Fredrick (1877-1940). Photo taken in Harvard, Ill., in 1915,” says Mike Peters, of Sharon, Wis. “The car is a 1914 Model T touring that Herman had recently bought new. Herman had suffered from polio since the age of 4, and had very little use of his legs, so he used one crutch and one cane to walk. Model T’s are a foot-pedal-operated car, but Herman had very powerful shoulders and arms, so he simply ran the low gear, brake and reverse pedals with his cane. Cranking the car by hand would have been easy for Herman. Shortly after this photo was taken, Herman smacked the T into a tree. The T was totaled, but Herman survived. I have a ‘15 T and can relate very well to Herman’s dilemma.”
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