Upfront: OPE celebrates 50th anniversary
By Steve Noe
In 1959, Alaska became the 49th state and Hawaii the 50th, Dwight D. Eisenhower was president and Richard M. Nixon vice president, Fidel Castro rose to power in Cuba, and Mattel introduced the Barbie Doll.
The cost of a postage stamp was $.04; loaf of bread, $.20; dozen eggs, $.89; gallon of milk, $1.01; gallon of gas, $.25; movie ticket, $1; new car, $2,200; and house, less than $20,000. The federal hourly minimum wage was $1, and the average annual income was approximately $5,000.
Americans were glued to their televisions by “Bonanza,” “The Twilight Zone,” and “Rawhide,” and they flocked to movie theaters to see “Ben Hur,” “Some Like It Hot,” “Anatomy of a Murder,” “North by Northwest,” and “Sleeping Beauty.”
In what is now known as the outdoor power equipment industry, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. was established; Briggs and Stratton Corporation revolutionized the small-engine industry with the introduction of the Kool-Bore aluminum engine; Husqvarna introduced its first chain saw…
…and a 47-year-old Texan named Bill Quinn invested $300 to launch a magazine — strictly for lawnmower dealers who serviced what they sold — called Lawn Equipment Journal. Ten years later, he had the foresight to change the name of the magazine to Outdoor Power Equipment (OPE) to better reflect the industry he covered. With the help of his wife Lennie (a.k.a. “Lynn”), son Rix and other fine folks, he proceeded to make OPE into the “bible of the industry,” with his popular “Partly Personal” column.
I’m pleased to announce that Bill Quinn, who recently celebrated his 97th birthday, was kind enough to grace us with his presence once more as he recalls the rich 50-year history of this magazine and many of his fondest memories during his 30-year reign over it in his “Partly Personal” column in this issue. I had the great honor and privilege of meeting Bill, Lynn and Rix Quinn in Fort Worth, Texas, in February 2001, and have cherished their friendship throughout the years. I’m also extremely proud to have carried on their tradition and serve you as editor of OPE for nearly 12 years and now 140 issues.
As I was scanning many of the covers pictured on the cover of this issue, I couldn’t help but thumb through the back issues and glance back at everything that I’ve witnessed during my tenure. For starters, the magazine has grown from digest size to standard size to its current size. Countless companies have shrunk, merged, or gone out of business. With tightening emissions standards, products have become much more environmentally friendly, contributing to the current “Green” movement. The International Lawn, Garden and Power Equipment Expo (EXPO) and Green Industry Expo (GIE) merged to form the Green Industry and Equipment Expo (GIE+EXPO). And I’ll never forget all of the good-natured and highly spirited bantering that took place between me and the late/great Roger Stewart, editor and publisher of The Southern Lawnmower Dealer’s Newsletter, who regrettably I never met or even talked to on the phone.
During the past 50 years, one of the few constants has been OPE, which continues to be the most frequently published and only monthly trade magazine for dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment. I would like to thank all of you who have contributed to the success of this magazine for its first 50 years.
Here’s to 50 more fantastic years!
OPE Editor Steve Noe
snoe@m2media360.com
