10-4 Magazine September 2023

10-4 Magazine / September 2023 63 earliest truck photographers. Miss Bette Garber set the tone for today’s new school “hot shots” with a camera phone. In an age when there were not so many women in trucking, she was a trendsetter. Today, we have many ladies bringing pictures of pride to our magazine, and to them I say, “You go girls!” Yesteryear had many men who were also making a name for themselves through the art of photography. Terry Biddle produced the now popular truck photo business cards and post cards, called Photo Card Specialties. He and his wife Linda were fixtures at all the major shows, and their work can be seen in everything from the manufacturers brochures to private collections. They were known throughout the truck show world, and at one time they had their own show in the Wisconsin area. Terry unfortunately passed away this last month in Florida, and he will be missed by many, myself included. When I think of media influencers from days gone past, it’s hard not to mention one of the greats. A man who made an impact with his professional persona as “Lowboy Lucas,” but he was also the single person most responsible for getting NAST (National Association of Show Trucks) off the ground. Behind the scenes, he produced the in-hotel advertising for the MATS and GATS truck shows that were seen in Louisville and Dallas during those events. He was one of the first to take trucking media mainstream to the general public through print and across the air waves with his weekly radio program. Today, he is still active in the public arena, only now he is known as Doctor Lucas Fry, and he is serving a higher purpose. Hey, it’s good to know people in high places. Speaking of high places and truck royalty, I would be remiss not to mention the true king of trucking. This is a man who has been pushing the white line longer than most of today’s drivers have been able to read. If they are smart, they have been reading some of his words of encouragement and lessons from the road. His work appears in Landline Magazine monthly, but he is known across these United States as the guy from Horseless Carriage. He has since retired from there but is still trucking. Not only are his trucks legendary, but his stories, along with his personality, are the stuff dreams are made of. I am of course talking about America’s favorite driver, Dave Sweetman. And what royal court would be complete with only a king? I searched in my bag of long lost memories and sure enough there was a queen hiding in there, too. Many of our current readers may not be familiar with some of these people, so here is what I remember about Cathy Sherman. She was trucking as an independent operator before most of the trucks we consider “vintage” were even manufactured. She was leased to one company and stayed there for more than 30 years. She would have stayed longer, but they stopped using owner operators who had their own trailers. She then spent the duration of her driving career at Badger State Western until 2022 when a broken hip sidelined her from driving the big trucks. What sets Cathy apart from so many other worthy contenders is she did this all backwards. Before her driving career she was a journalist for one of the larger farm publications in the Midwest. This led her to do much promotional work on behalf of the industry, and her objectives were for safe highways and to improve the image of trucking. Lord knows we needed it back in 1993. I asked Cathy about her award as the Independent Contractor of the Year, which she received in 1994. Along with the award was a brand new tractor! Yes, she parked her 359 and climbed aboard her new International Eagle, which was paired with a matching reefer trailer. She and her matching unit were common sights at most of the truck stops between Wisconsin and California. There have been others who started their writing careers at 10-4 then moved on to other positions up and down the highway. I’m thinking of one lady who we have known for many years. She was most responsible for the building of my son’s (Steve) truck – his first attempt at a real working custom ride. That story started in Louisville, KY at the MATS event. We were standing outside in the Pride and Polish competition area when the conversation got around to Steve not liking some of trucks in the contest. Suzanne Stempinski is not one to beat around the bush or side-step an issue, and she simply said to my son, “If you think you can build a better truck then do it!” And do it, he did. And what an education he received along the way. Today he builds custom trucks for some of the biggest names in the industry. These are the people we need to thank for motivating us to be the best we can be, and to remember the lessons they taught us, as we roll into the next 30 years.