Story and photographs by Tim Gallagher
KINGSLEY, Iowa - Bob Plendl describes himself as a player.
If there's something in your garage with Phillips 66 on it, let him know.
If you have a Corvette (red, preferably), or an old Coca-Cola machine gathering dust, give him a buzz. See an old John Deere that needs some tender loving care? Plendl might be your man.
He is a farmer/businessman, first. He's a collector, second.
But the avocation is moving up fast.
Plendl's tour of the farmstead near Kingsley begins in a machine shed constructed five years ago. It's not any old shed: It's darn near a house. There's a galley kitchen, living room, washer/dryer set and bedroom with a vaulted ceiling. One-third of the structure is used by Plendl and wife Ann for office space.
People are also reading…
"We have 11 grandkids, so we host the birthday parties here," he says. "They have a ball out here."
Why wouldn't they? Walk through a door into the shed's showroom and see Plendl's prized possession: a 1917 farm truck his grandfather, William Plendl, ordered new and received in June 1918.
"It came to Kingsley and my granddad rode it from Kingsley and kept it in his shed on the farm for years. He thought it rode too rough," says Plendl, 66.
The truck sat idle until the mid 1960s when Plendl's parents sold it to Irving F. Jensen of Sioux City, who restored it to perfection. Not long ago, Jensen sold it back to Plendl for what he called an extremely reasonable price.
"I always kept the original title," says Plendl, who plans to drive it this summer when Kingsley celebrates its 125th anniversary with a parade. The Plendl grandchildren will be on the back that summer day. His brother, Wayne Plendl, now mayor of Kingsley, drove the truck during Kingsley's diamond jubilee celebration in 1959.
"There might be six or seven of these in existence," he says, examining the cab. "It probably doesn't have 200 miles on it."
Behind the truck are a pair of restored 1972 John Deere 4020s. Plendl returned these "Green Giants" to their original condition four years ago.
"We've always run Deere in our family," he says, glancing at John Deere items that line the shelves in this shed. "If it doesn't say Chevy, Peterbilt or John Deere, we don't have it."
Phillips 66
Another brand name synonymous with "Bobby" Plendl is Phillips 66. Just outside the John Deere shed is a 1932 cottage-style Phillips 66 station Plendl built three years ago. He ordered the blueprint for the 12-foot by 18-foot station and erected it with a cunning eye for detail.
The place is framed by two giant gravity fuel pumps out front.
The "station" is a trek back in time. Dozens of unique Phillips 66 mementos and real articles such as sparkplugs and livestock poultry powder line the shelves. The place has a table for an old-time game of checkers or playing cards, those featuring the Phillips 66 name.
Plendl's place is heated by a 1918 wood-burning store manufactured by Moore's. It was nickel-plated in Chicago.
"It burns wood, paper or coal," says Plendl.
The corner has a 1951 Vendo 23 Coca-Cola bottle dispenser that charges a nickel and rotates the cold pop once one is sold. It's next to a 1950 candy machine that Ann stocks for their grandchildren. Again, the machine only takes five cents. It holds 120 candy bars.
On the chimney of this all-too-real tribute to a time gone by is a big "P" metal decal, which stands for Phillips or Plendl, you decide.
"I just always wanted Phillips 66 things," he said. "I really can't explain the attraction."
Near the antique cash register is a bottle of actual Oklahoma crude from Phillips 66 Well No. 1, drilled far below the Oklahoma State Capitol on Aug. 1, 1977.
Since his Phillips fetish formulated years ago, he and Ann have become experts on the brand. They've stopped at various auctions and farm sites throughout the Midwest to inspect and value Phillips collectibles. Plendl doesn't mind when friends or visitors ask him to look at the goods they've unearthed in grandpa's long-forgotten corner of the barn.
"No, we don't mind at all," he says.
And if someone wants to sell?
"Hey, I'm interested. I'm a player," Plendl says with a smile.
Player, too, begins with P.
Video
See video of Robert "Bobby" Plendl showing the Phillips 66 station he built at his farm near Kingsley, Iowa.
