38995

Page 71

Page 1 Mr. Joseph Francis - a long time friend of Jack Olsen) I consider this a choice opportunity to write about my father, Seldon J. "Jack" Olsen. You see, he wasn't only a dear, devoted FRther but he was also my best friend. Evidencing Jack waB very human --- he wns both gentle and tough: demanding yet tolerant hal! pessimistic, half opptimistic. He had no use for laziness, dirtiness, social climbing. or wasting time. He lived for three '1uArlp.rr. of n century pluA four yenrR nnd his renponRi· bilities as a youth caused him to mature early. He was born in Mount Pleasant, Utah on July 27, 1900 to a hard working farmer and his wife, Frank and Laura Christensen Olsen. He was lean and spare of build, just over 5' 8". He had black hair,&blue eyes that twinkled; but he was tall in character Rnd in the ~ualitif that bring success. His father died of a sudden heart attack when Jack was 14 years old. The large family of which he was the eldest son regarded him as their helper, their support. He left schoel in the 8th grade and boarded a train that took him to Idaho. Here he worked on his uncle'S ranch. He saved pis earnings mailing the majority of them home to his mother to h'!lr- care for the family she had been left to raise without the help of a husband. Seldon J. "Jack" Olsen (Jack, being the Mme he was most commonly known by) establ ishec: his residence in Morgan, Utah on June 24, 1923. He was twenty-three years old and was at the time a foreman over ten trucks owned by the Ford Trucking Company of Salt Lake City. The trucks were being used to resurface the road from Morgan City to Stoddard. He had to tocate a place to store these trucks during the nights and on Sunday Rnd also a place he could do repairs on them. This is when he became acquainted with Jim Compton who was then owner of an automobil4! repair shop located in the Welch building on New Street. Mr. Compton agreed to let the trucks be stored there and also for Jack to use his place to repai them. Mr. Compton also offered for Jack to stay in his mother's home. So when Jack Olsen entered Morgan all he had waa his coveralls and a small tin tool box with a few tools in. Aft·e r the road work was completed Jim Compton asked Jack to stay on and help him wi th the service work at his repair shop. He became a partner with Jim Compton. He returned to the county in which he was born and married a girl by the name of Ina Beal. He brought her to Morgan to live in 1924 and they lived in one of the Welch apartment. adjoining the repai~ shop. Jack continued in this position until September 1925 when he bought Jim Compton's interest and became sole owner. This first business was operated under the style name of Oloen Motor Service. On October 1925, he signed his first Oldsmobile selling agreement. There was not enough business to justify any additional help so he operated as sole machanic salesman, manager and owner. He sold his first new 61dsmobile to o. W. Rollins of Mt. Gree: In the fall of 1926 he purchased the Parkinson building on main street. He made a few repairs and did some remodeling. In gecember 1926 he moved his repair shop to the newly acquired building and held as a grand opening a dance there on New Year's Eve. Four children were born to he and his wife. A son died in infancy and three daughters survive. Jack mentions in his diary that it was a tougn battle trying to make a living as 8 mechanic for a family and trying to pay for a $12,000.00 building he purchased for his busin In January 1929 he signed his first Chevrolet contract. He says in his doing this made him feel like a 'big shot' but it surely didn't turn out that way ••••• "I sold a few cars but hadn't had enough experience to know how to make money. I worked day and night---studied (h . took several correspondence courses) and somehow kept afloat." At this time in his career the cars were shipped by the railroad and they came in three colors: dark green, dark blue a black. Cars at a later date were also shipped by truck transport. In 1930 ~ack managed to get some help and hired Ray Maxwell as a mechanic. Now, a jolt comes to everyone •••• the great depression came. He was required by the factory to repossess every car that payments were long delinquent on. It necessitated repos · sessing forty-one cars in twenty-one days. "I didn't have a dollar to pay them off ••• the go was getting tougher and tough'r. It seemed as tho' everyone was going broke. I suppose if I'd have been more experienced, more knowledgeable about business I'd have realized I too wa broke, but I didn't know it so I just kept working day and night. " "In 1934, 35, 36, 37, 38 business was on the upgrade but very slow. I would chain a ne~ ctar hto my c:ar and drive allover the surrounding valleys trying to sell it. I never returne' o t e bus1ns8 with the new car •••• always found a buyer some where. " In June 1938 Jack was involved in a very bad car accident and his wife died. He was seriowy hurt and remained in the hospital and bedridden for quite some time. {Comp~ed for