3 Feb 2021 Garand Picture of the Day

[Bob Womack]

You know, a lot of surplus actually went to good use. Back in the 1950s and 60s there used to be a "bicycle" system where large lots of surplus were shipped from college to college and the schools were encouraged to pick what they wanted and pass on the lot. The University of Tennessee College of Engineering was the terminus, the final stop, on that bicycle. They had instructions to pick through and throw anything away they didn't need. You'd be amazed at the stuff they were able to use... and the stuff my dad, a Tennessee professor, picked out of the trash can!

There were also surplus sales, "as-is, where-is." In the late '60s my father's projects needed a four wheel drive vehicle to put their boats in the water. He searched the U.S. military surplus publications and found a 24 volt Navy Jeep sunken up to its axles in mud somewhere in the south. Apparently it was involved in maneuvers and got stuck, so the Navy just walked away from it. After the wars, someone had the duty to dispose of that serial number. My father bid on it and won it for something like $200. He led an expedition to the site with a flatbed trailer. He and his grad students dug it out, winched it onto the trailer, and took it home. There, he rebuilt the engine, converted it to 12 volts, replaced all the rubber and canvas, installed an ignition key, and was off!

Bob