Though other countries have examples as well, the United States of America probably has the largest collection of ‘rags-to-riches’ stories in the world. Having been gifted by our forefathers with the freedom to attempt anything we want to do, with the understanding we accept responsibility for our actions, this nation has been blessed in so many ways with people who took a chance and reaped a bountiful reward in the process – a reward which not only the doer, but the American public as a whole, benefited from in some way.
Very possibly one of the most amazing of these ‘rags-to-riches’ stories began on November 30, 1888 when the dean of earthmoving, Robert Gilmour LeTourneau, began life in Richford, Vermont. Born to parents who lived by strong Christian principals, Robert followed the path of many young people by rejecting what he was taught for a time; however God’s promise in Proverbs 22:6 later came to fruition - Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it (KJV).
As a youth, LeTourneau had little interest in traditional education and left school at the age of 14. With the blessings of his parents, he left home, moved to Duluth, Minnesota and then on to Portland, Oregon. Here he was employed by the East Portland Iron Works as an apprentice ironmonger. During the time he spent learning the machinist and foundry trades, he also began a correspondence course in mechanics. He never completed any of the assignments involved, but gained the knowledge available from the lessons.
San Francisco, California became LeTourneau’s next destination where he learned welding. It was here he also began learning about the application of electricity. In 1909, he made his home in Stockton, California and studied a variety of manual trades – carpentry, mining, wood cutter and farm hand – which would play a valuable role in his life later down the road. While in Stockton, LeTourneau also worked at the Superior Garage. Here he learned about vehicle mechanics and in time became half-owner of the business.
Due to receiving a permanent neck injury as a result of a car-racing accident, LeTourneau was rejected for military service during World War I. Determined to do his part, however, he worked in the Mare Island Naval Shipyard located at Vallejo, California. Here he honed his welding skills and learned to be an electrical machinist.
LeTourneau returned to Stockton after the war and learned the Superior Garage had gone out of business. As half owner of the company, he repaid his portion of the debt. He did so by repairing a crawler-tractor built by Holt Manufacturing Company. The tractor’s owner then hired him to level 40 acres of land using this machine. In doing so, he developed a strong interest in earthmoving equipment. In January 1920, he bought a used Holt tractor, hired a scraper and began his business as a regrading contractor. The following year, he purchased a piece of land in Stockton and erected an engineering workshop in which he designed and built a variety of scrapers. His business expanded as he combined the production of earthmoving equipment along with contracting work. In 1929, R. G. LeTourneau, Inc. was born.
Throughout the 1920s and ‘30s, LeTourneau had a hand in a number of large earthmoving projects, such as the Orange County Dam, Marysville Levees and the Newhall cut-off in California, along with Hoover Dam and Boulder Highway in Nevada.
In 1933 LeTourneau’s contracting business ended as he began to devote his attention in the direction of manufacturing earthmoving equipment. Peoria, Illinois was the location of his first manufacturing plant in 1935, with an expansion location opening in Toccoa, Georgia in 1938. 70% of the engineering vehicles and earthmoving equipment used in World War II was built by LeTourneau’s company. The variety of equipment turned out was years and sometimes decades ahead of its time, resulting in LeTourneau being recognized around the world as a leader in his field.
He also acquired 300 patents. Among the collection of inventions included in LeTourneau’s portfolio were the bulldozer, scrapers of all sorts, portable cranes, rollers, dump wagons, the electric wheel, dredgers, bridge spans, logging equipment, and mobile sea platforms for oil exploration.
In 1953, LeTourneau took a sabbatical from earthmoving equipment and sold his complete line to Westinghouse Air Brake Company. He then devoted his time to developing the concept of the electric wheel drive. He returned to his love of the earthmoving industry in 1958. Coupling the electric wheel drive system (wheel hub motor) into the heavy-duty equipment, LeTourneau offered contractors a new variety of machines.
Fifty years after he took courses in engineering, I.C.S. awarded LeTourneau his engineering diploma in 1965. He was 76 at the time and to executive assistant Nels Stjernstrom he jovially replied, "So now I've got a diploma. Now I'm educated.”
Shunning the spotlight sought by a number of successful businessmen, LeTourneau found satisfaction in spending time with his engineers at the drawing board as new equipment was developed, or on the factory floor with his workers. Working from a modest office, he was seen attending to corporate matters as needed; however, he preferred being at the controls of one of his machines. From 1929 to 1966, he held the office of president and chairman of the board, in addition to chief engineer. In 1966, at the age of 77, he stepped down and turned control of the company over to his son, Richard. He was still seen, however, at the drawing board on a daily basis, always in search of a better way to move large loads quickly and more economically. Throughout his career, he received 30+ awards and honors related to manufacturing, engineering and the development of heavy equipment.
Though an active businessman, LeTourneau was also a busy Christian layman. For a period of 30 years, he would fly thousands of miles each week for Christian speaking engagements around the country and overseas. He served as president of both Gideons International and the Christian Business Men’s Committee. A devout tither, LeTourneau tithed 90% of his profit and kept 10%. He was heard to tell people on a regular basis money would come in faster than he could give it away. Convinced he could not outgive God, he stated, "I shovel it out, and God shovels it back, but God has a bigger shovel."
For a man who had little interest in formal education as a youth, one of his greatest accomplishments is said to be LeTourneau University, which he founded in Longview, Texas with the help of his wife, Evelyn Peterson LeTourneau. In 1946, the couple flew over the sprawling complex which had previously been an Army hospital. When Evelyn learned Harmon General Hospital was now vacant, the couple bought the acreage and the 200 buildings on it. Most of the buildings would later be removed, but the hospital chapel remained and was later refurbished as a memorial to the patients cared for and personnel who had worked there.
The school began as LeTourneau Technical Institute. When it opened in 1946, the institute based its philosophy on education and work, combined with Christian testimony, and taught an all-male student body. The school offered mechanical and technical courses, coupled with traditional college courses to train missionary technicians. In 1961, the institute became a co-educational four-year college and later obtained ‘university’ status. LeTourneau University now offers degrees in aeronautical science, liberal arts and engineering, while still maintaining a strong Christian influence, including mandatory chapel attendance by students three times weekly.
During 1969, LeTourneau suffered a severe stoke from which he never recovered in March. He died on June 1, 1969 at the age of 80 and is buried on the university’s campus.
Two years prior to his death, LeTourneau wrote, “Within the next few years, construction machinery will grow bigger and bigger, and more and more powerful. Instead of 'tons' of capacity, they’ll all be in 'hundreds of tons' and instead of hundreds of horsepower, they’ll all be rated in 'thousands' of horsepower. We’re already seeing it in big hauling units in the mines, and believe me, when the contractor and mining companies start looking for bigger and more profitable hauling units and earthmoving equipment, I’m going to be right there, the firstest with the mostest.”
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“I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20
“You will never know what you can accomplish until you say a great big ‘Yes!’ to the Lord.” Robert G. LeTourneau
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