Images courtesy of Author
Digging Through the Archives:
Construction Memorabilia W
His family moved to Arizona in the early 1950s. In 1955, Favro was hired by Arizona Machinery Co., which later became Empire Machinery Co. He helped open offices for Empire in Kingman, Flagstaff, Morenci, and Show Low. Favro’s favorite color was “Cat yellow,” and he collected the pyramid of caps featured in the above image. The larger “tall” or “trucker” caps were the style from the 1970s to early 1990s. These caps featured a patch or silk screen logo with a foam inner cap liner. Several companies manufactured these caps. Included in the Favro collection: K-Brand by the K-Products Co., Orange City, IA; Custom Designed Headwear, Mequon, WI; Louisville Mfg. Co., Louisville, KY; and Tonkin Inc., Woodinville, WA. It was common for vendors to hand these,
Images courte
sy of Renee Fav
ro
hen we launched Arizona Contractor & Community magazine almost a decade ago, I knew I eventually wanted to feature old mementos and collectibles that were distributed by construction-related companies over the years. A personal source of many Caterpillar-related mementos was Dave Favro, the father-in-law of Mike Wilson, who I worked with while at Ace Asphalt. Wilson has worked in the industry locally since he started with Pulice Construction in 1983. I had asked Wilson to send any interview leads my way. This led to a few phone conversations with Mr. Favro. Favro was born in 1936 in Cadyville, N.Y., and enjoyed playing the violin and ice skating.
William Horner
NINETY
and other items out to customers while visiting the jobsites. In 1956, he married Arline, and they had two children, Curt and Renee. Favro played semi-pro baseball as a catcher for the Air Research team in his younger years. He retired as the parts and service manager in Show Low after 44 years with company in 2000. I recall Favro as outgoing and peppy when we chatted over the phone in 2012, and I told him of my interest in the swag that Caterpillar provided its employees and customers. “They would load us up with all the latest hats, buckles, and pins before we visited customers,” he said. “Over the years, you just hold on to a few leftovers and start a collection of your own.” Sensing my enthusiasm, Favro subsequently sent me a box of his collectibles. The package contained Caterpillar ephemera and a note indicating he was glad to pass the memorabilia on to someone who would appreciate it. I later learned from Wilson that Favro died at the age of 78 in Show Low in 2014. Bottom left: Dave Favro, 2000s. Left: Dave Favro (bottom row, second from left) with other Arizona reps, visiting Empire Machinery in Peoria, IL, late 1970s. Top left: A pyramid of caps from Favro’s collection. Top right: A Tonkin windbreaker. MAR-APR 2020