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Tributes
From Art McMillan
I very much enjoyed both volumes of the Richard L. Proenneke Films. If you are not sure of the date of the film clip of the combining of oats, presumably filmed by Richard. I can narrow it down to sometime between 1938, and Dec.7th. 1941. I have personally spent many, many hours driving/operating both of the tractors in that clip. The tractor pulling the Combine is the 1936 Model A, John Deere. The smaller tractor that was used to pull the wagons to either the grain storage room in the South barn, or the adjacent granary that was just West of the South barn, is the 1938 Model B, Allis Chalmers tractor. The Combine is an Allis Chalmers, PTO driven, with a five foot cutter bar. The location is at the William Amos McMillan farm, with my father Dwight H. McMillan hiring the Proenneke boys to help him get the crops in. William [McMillan] being 80 years old in 1938.
The tractor, corn picker and wagon shown, evidently was the Proenneke's, as I was only two and a half months old Dec. 7th. 1941. When I turned 10 years old, I was trained by dad to drive the Model B, Allis Chalmers and was turned loose in the fields, the beginning of those many, many hours in the fields, which ended when the farm was up for sale, and I came to Kansas City in Oct. 1961. What happened to those tractors, and Combine I do not know! They were there when I left!
I am the only one of my siblings, who still considers Harrison township, Lee County, Iowa my home probably because that farmhouse 1/2 mile north of the Proenneke's was my birthplace. But, I had to do a double take when, I seen the choice of Richards films that was used to represent "The Heartland"! There is absolutely no way I can thank you enough for your choice of films. Hopefully, you will have to replenish your supply of these volumes many times.
Another bit of information regarding our association with the Proenneke's. I first saw the bear rug, where it was stretched out on the living room floor, in the Proenneke home in Primrose. I do not recall the occasion, why we were invited, my brother Donald and I, when we were nine, and ten. Were both given airplane rides in Raymond's Piper J3, with him having a runway mowed in the hayfield, just north of their house. for him to land and take off on. My older sister Elaine, maintained correspondence with Florence, until Florence's death in 2003, and Raymond, until Elaine's death 2011.
Your friend of the Donnellson Library, Richard L. Proenneke Museum, in Kansas City, Ks.
Art McMillan
