Ever wonder who invented the riding lawn mower?

The credit generally goes to the late Cecil Pond who, at the age of 87, passed away on Dec. 30, 2011. After coming home from the Army, Cecil joined his father, Elmer, in creating lawn tractors from surplus motorcycle and automotive parts.

Cecil was born in South Bend, Ind., to Elmer and Ann Marie Pond on June 4, 1924. Serving in World War II, after his return he married his high school sweetheart, Betty Alber, and he and his father joined forces and began building small tractors out of their garage in 1946.

Cecil’s son, Gary Pond, said the story began in Kansas. “My grandfather came from Kansas,” he said. “Granddad moved to South Bend, Indiana, to work for Studebaker in the 1920s. He was an entrepreneurial kind of guy.”

Elmer didn’t work at Studebaker for too long. “He built furniture and radios, then the Depression came and he started over,” Gary said. During the Depression, Elmer did what he had to do: “He made apple cider and sold it door to door.”

Elmer’s brother, who lived in Ohio, made two-wheel walk-behind cultivators for home gardens. Gary said his grandfather began selling the devices – which had a variety of attachments such as small plows, cultivators, discs and a front-mounted sickle bar mower – and then he decided to expand the design. At about that time, Cecil came home from the war and joined Elmer.

“Dad went to junkyards and got different junk parts,” Gary explained. They used surplus motorcycle parts, angle iron and automotive parts to create their lawn tractors.

The company began with the likely name of Pond Tractor Co., but after finding another family member already was using the Pond name, they changed their name to Wheel Horse Products. Around 1956, Cecil experimented with the design of the two-wheel tractor and began a new four-wheel lawn tractor that changed the lawn and garden industry.

Creating a tractor to cut grass was a revolutionary idea; with suburbs beginning to pop up, demand for the little tractor increased and the company had a difficult time keeping up with orders. At the height of Wheel Horse, the company employed approximately 500 workers at the South Bend plant. According to a Consumer Reports article, “By 1957, sales of Wheel Horse tractors and lawn gear had grown to more than $1 million and two years later, sales topped $4.5 million.”

Besides Wheel Horse, Cecil also owned Skystream Airline, which was formed in September 1973. Skystream was a small commuter airline that served northern Indiana, Illinois and Michigan.

“Dad wanted to be in the Air Corps,” Gary said, “but his eyes weren’t good enough. Over time he owned a Lear jet and planes. His pilot that taught him to fly wanted to branch out. Dad said ‘Let’s do it together,’ and they started up Skystream Airlines.”

In 1975 Cecil sold Wheel Horse to the American Motors Corp. (AMC). At that time more than 3,000 retailers were selling Wheel Horse Products. AMC sold the company later to Toro, in 1986.

After selling the company, Cecil continued to be a busy man. “He bought a winery for something else to do,” Gary said about his dad, who was also an avid golfer and bridge player.

Cecil and Betty purchased the Molly Pitcher Vineyards, the oldest winery in Michigan, and changed the name to Lakeside Winery. The winery was located in Harbert.

His success allowed him to rub elbows with celebrities and be part of an ever-changing technological world. Cecil served as president of the Young Presidents’ Organization and was also the topic of a book written in 2000 by Michael Martino titled Straight from the Horse’s Mouth, which profiled him and the Wheel Horse story. Since 1999, the Wheel Horse Collectors Club has gathered for an annual meeting every June in Arendtsville, Pa., to celebrate the popularity of the little machines.

About 10 years ago Cecil and Betty retired to Palm City, Fla. They had been married for 65 years when she preceded him in death, in February 2010. Gary fondly noted, “They started dating at 15 or 16.”

Cecil is survived by his son, two daughters, Linda Rea and Constance Hubbard, and seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. The creative gene was also passed onto Gary, who invented a suitcase line that is attached to a two-wheel cart. His company is called Portercase, and information may be found online at www.porter case.com/catalog

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication.