I love finding interesting stories about Ford vehicles and their owners. This one about Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, reminded me of my grandpa’s old Ford water truck. Its brakes were shot and you had to reach through the window to open the door but he still drove it to haul water (at the bottom of a hill!), run to town or check the crops. And always with his dog, Bert, in the front seat. I don’t know where this brown Ford truck is today (certainly not a museum!), but it was well loved. Here is the story by Todd Davis about Sam’s Ford:
As founder of Walmart, Sam Walton could have driven any vehicle in the world, yet he chose a Ford F-150 for its practicality, dependability and value. Now slightly dinged and worn, and with 65,000 miles on the odometer, the Ford F-150 Custom was purchased new by Walton in 1979, and he drove it until he died in 1992. It is now in the Walmart Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas, in the exact same condition as when he last drove it. According to the curator of the museum, Walton’s pickup truck is one of the best-known, most recognized trucks in the world.
“Why do I drive a truck?” Walton is quoted as saying. “What am I supposed to haul my dogs around in, a Rolls-Royce?” The quote speaks to Walton’s modesty, despite his incredible success in business. Much like Henry Ford, Walton was an American business pioneer and visionary. Both saw their enterprises as building upon traditional American values and as avenues to improve the quality of life for average Americans through affordable products. Both came from modest, rural backgrounds. Both Henry Ford and Sam Walton grew up on farms, yet both became visionary entrepreneurs through perseverance and hard work while maintaining a rural lifestyle and spending much time outdoors.
“Sam was a practical man, and liked the utility and versatility he got out of his Ford truck,” said Alan Dranow, senior director, Walmart Heritage Group. “He loved that thing, and it embodied the practicality and frugality that was part of his business and personal life.” An avid outdoorsman and hunter, Walton had dog boxes installed in the truck bed, though occasionally his dogs rode in the cab with him. Ol’ Roy, a tricolored English shepherd, was Sam’s favorite dog, accompanying Walton on hunting trips and on visits to stores. The truck’s steering wheel doubled as Ol’ Roy’s chew toy; his teeth marks are still visible.