The Hytrol Story

players in the merger. In 1914 the growing company entered into the farm equipment business. Over the years Allis-Chalmers was responsible for many innovations in farm equipment and grew to become one of the largest and most diverse manufacturers in North America. Henry Loberg worked as a draftsman in the engine and condenser department of Allis-Chalmers. He had worked himself up to the position of checker and therefore okayed all drawings in his department before they were sent out to be manufactured. A great admirer of his father, young Tom Loberg always wanted to be like his dad. In his grade school years, he constructed his own drawing board and acquired a T-square and set of triangles. Then, he asked his father to show him how he made a drawing. This started Tom on his road to being a draftsman, too. Even at this early age, he had already developed an interest in anything mechanical. He found it easy to visualize things and convert them to paper. Henry Loberg and his family attended a Norwegian-Danish Methodist church. One day, when Tom was about 16 or 17, the minister’s niece came to visit. Tom took one look at the beautiful Rigmor Anna Hermansen, and he was hooked! They fell in love rather quickly, but they would have to wait a while to get married. Tom graduated high school in 1935, right in the heart of the Great Depression. The Great Depression was the worst economic slump ever in U.S. history, and one which spread to virtually all of the industrialized world. The Depression began in late 1929 and lasted for about a decade. Many factors played a role in bringing about the Depression; however, the main cause for the Great Depression was the combination of the greatly unequal distribution of wealth throughout the 1920’s, and the extensive stock market speculation that took place during the latter part that same decade. More jobs were lost, more stores were closed, more banks went under, and more factories closed. Unemployment grew to five million in 1930, and up to 13 million in 1932. It remained like this for most of the 1930’s. Tom got lucky and found a job at Allen Bradley, a manufacturer of electric switches and electronic parts. He was assigned as a “stock chaser;” what we now call a “gopher,” making 25 cents an hour. When someone in one of the assembly departments required more parts, Tom would be assigned to go after whatever was needed. He would get the parts and carry them to the proper floor. His boss made a point of directing young Tom to always take the FREIGHT elevator whenever he was delivering parts, and not the PASSENGER elevator. The company had frequent guests and businessmen who used the passenger elevator to get to the top floor of the company.