Chet Krause at Iola in 2013. Photo courtesy John Gunnell.
Chet Krause spent his entire life in Iola, Wisconsin, where he got his start tearing down Ford Model Ts for salable parts. He bootstrapped those experiences into a long line of books and magazines aimed at hobbyists, mainly of the automotive variety. Krause died Saturday in Iola, having suffered from worsening congestive heart failure, at the age of 92. He left a literary legacy that will endure forever.
It began in 1952 when Krause began publishing a magazine aimed at coin collectors. When that hobby experienced a serious downturn in the 1960s, Krause took a gamble and published several books related to old cars. That, in turn, led to the establishment of his Old Cars Weekly publication beginning in 1971. His publishing portfolio grew to include other magazines including Car Classics, Old Cars Price Guide, Car Exchange and Car Corral. He was best known, however, for his line of standard catalogs, broken out by vehicle make and in some cases, era, which a lot of enthusiasts still use to track year-by-year differences between models.
Krause also gained fame in 1972 by inviting two dozen collector-car owners to a charity pig roast in Iola. It was the first edition of the Iola Old Car Show, which is now the largest collector-car event in the Midwest, drawing tens of thousands of attendees annually.
He collected vehicles prodigiously, at one point having more than 100 in his fleet, and also owned one of the biggest assortments of World War II military vehicles in the country. Krause was the first recipient of the prestigious Meguiar's Award for contributions to the hobby, and his Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 was presented with a Cugnot Award for historical excellence. A register book exists, and online condolences may be posted by visiting VoieFuneralHome.com.
from Hemmings Daily – News for the collector car enthusiast http://ift.tt/292BSp0
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