FROM TO THE GEORGE AND JUNE SCHAAF TRACTOR AND TRUCK MUSEUM OFFERING STORY BY BRIAN THALHAMMER he George and June Schaaf Tractor and Truck Museum is one that needs no introduction. The amount of dedication and restoration detail that goes into each and every truck, tractor and item within is clearly apparent to even those fans with limited farm equipment knowledge. With 70 vehicles, 600 pieces of admirable Road Art & Relics and 1,000 toys being offered from The George and June Schaaf Tractor and Truck Museum, fans of properly restored tractors and rare collectibles will have an opportunity to become the lucky winning bidders at an upcoming, on-location auction at the museum’s home base in Frankfort, Illinois, September 30 - October 1, 2022. Hosted by Mecum’s Gone Farmin’ division with expectations of an eager crowd, the inventory is more than ready to impress excited onlookers and interested buyers alike. George Schaaf is a man of many talents who has lived a life full of amazing accomplishments, some of which most people could only dream of achieving. In 1959, George and his late father, Fred, teamed up to establish Schaaf Glass Company, formerly located on the southwest side of Chicago. Throughout the years, the business grew, which allowed Schaaf’s children to join in on the efforts and maintain the burgeoning enterprise 78 // MECUM.COM as a family-run entity, one now operated by his sons, George Jr. and Bob, and his daughter, Barb. Today, the company is called Schaaf Window Company, and it remains rooted in the family values that ultimately made it a success. Outside of his career, Schaaf’s passions extend into the world of both sports and collecting. In his more youthful years, Schaaf lived in Oak Lawn, Chicago, and was a longtime 16-inch softball player whose talent earned him induction into Chicago’s 16-Inch Sof tball Hall of Fame—a feat very few at tain and are honored to achieve. Interestingly, his children seemed to inherit his skill and determination on the field in just the same way as they did his business acumen; one of Schaaf’s sons played for the L.A. Dodgers minor league team, and his daughter was on the U.S. Handball Olympic team. Since 1980, Schaaf has dedicated most of his free time to chasing tractors and other collectibles in an effort to acquire the best of the best, and he’s managed to also establish a respectful restoration process that gently breathes life back into worn vintage tractors to return them to their former glory. As a teenager, Schaaf worked on a farm, and it was during that time when the collecting fever began to creep in as he