Diesel Progress Report

One of the great philosophical questions that nearly everyone wrestles with at one time or another concerns each person’s place in the grand scheme of things. Two recent events brought this to mind.

 One was the May issue of Diesel Progress, with which our company’s founding property marked its 75^th year of monthly publication. That’s a milestone for any company, but considering the catastrophic upheaval in the publishing industry over the last several years, it’s an achievement for which many of us take special satisfaction.

 As a company we’ve survived wars, recessions of all types (including the great one that we all hope is waning), depressions (the Great One, founded as we were in the midst of it in 1935) and all manner of market swings and gyrations. It’s been noted that our company was profitable from the third issue onward and I firmly believe that our best days are still ahead of us.

To put together the special anniversary section and poster for the May issue, a number of us went through many of the 899 issues dating back to the very beginning. We saw pictures of Hitler, laughed over engines the size of Smart cars that boasted of developing nearly 150 hp (!) and the goofy-looking – to modern eyes, anyway – machinery and components (not to mention the clothing and hairdos).

Seeing all of the stories and ads were good for a lot of laughs and smiles, but what struck me over the hours of perusing the tabloid-sized archived copies was both how much has changed and how little has changed. We’re writing today about many of the same subjects that we did before and it’s clear, we’re asking many of the same questions, seeking the same information. The technology might be light years more developed, but fuel injection is still fuel injection, hydraulics is still hydraulics, things still need to be cooled, quieted, etc.

What also jumped out at me were the people – both in the industry and here at Diesel. Nearly 20 years here has sent me back through the archives any number of times and so many of the bylines were as familiar as old friends and some I knew or met somewhere along the way. Some, like company co-founder Rex Wadman, were legends and it was clear to see why. The first 20 years of Diesel Progress carry Rex’s imprint and much of his soul. Much of his writing, while perhaps not what would be seen today – “707’d into Peoria to witness the future…” – still delivers the informational goods.

All in all, the look back was fun and especially informative for the younger folks here, as it gave them some perspective on how some things that happened before they were born are still having an impact today. And how a good idea from the 1800s – the diesel engine – can still be a good idea in the 21^st century.

The second event that triggered my philosophic pondering was the opposite of fun, as we noted with sadness the untimely passing of former Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications President Rob Wilson. Rob spent 28 years here, generated nearly 500 feature stories and his fingerprints were all over the issues from 1979 into 2007.

I worked with him from 1990 to 2007 and to say I learned a lot about trade publishing would be an understatement of major proportions. Probably the greatest lesson was his insistence that everyone writing for Diesel develop their own “voice” – their own way of communicating. He didn’t want cookie-cutter coverage, but instead was looking for different perspectives which could be blended into a single, informative, readable package. And I think those who have read Diesel Progress for any amount of time notice that no two stories read exactly the same, no matter the subject matter. And that it’s a good thing.

Through each decade, Diesel Progress and Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications has been built and sustained by people like Rex, Rob, Bruce Wadman (Rex’s son), Bob Schulz, Joe Kane – people who brought their own unique talents and skills and did the job that needed doing at the time. They passed the torch to the next generation, which has included Mike Osenga and your faithful blogger. Within a few years, it will be passed yet again and Diesel Progress will likely be taken to places that I can’t yet even imagine. No, I can’t see the future, but I suspect that as long as people need information on products, technology and news involving engines and engine-powered vehicles and equipment, there will be a solid business case for Diesel Progress.

When they mark the 100^th anniversary of Diesel Progress, they’ll probably again look back and see the role that each of us played to get it to that point. To me, that’s a comforting thought because it shows that we were part of something bigger than any one of us.

And that’s enough of a place in the universe for me.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 at 8:21 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.