Antique Tractor Auction to Fund Hillside School Scholarships for Students with Learning Disabilities
On October 5 and 6, 2017 at RM Sotheby’s annual Hershey auction at Hershey Lodge, a seldom-seen, Pennsylvania-built tractor and rare find for collectors will be on the auction block, with the proceeds benefiting The Hillside School, an institution with which the 1929 Worthington Model A tractor’s consignor, Fred Duckloe, has a special connection. Fred’s son Greg Duckloe is an alumnus of The Hillside School, and now works for RM Sotheby’s in its research and editorial department. For the Duckloes, this year’s Hershey auction is clearly a family affair.
In 2000, Fred and his wife Joan enrolled Greg, who was struggling with attention deficit disorder, at The Hillside School, an independent school in Lower Macungie serving students in kindergarten through grade 8 who are experiencing learning and attention issues. Speaking at a Hillside School event, Greg reflected on how his education at The Hillside School changed him. “Without Hillside, I wouldn’t have been able to do well throughout the rest of my academic career. I used the tools I learned [at Hillside] to slow myself down at Moravian Academy, as well as at Franklin & Marshall, and I use them at RM Sotheby’s on a daily basis. It was that firm foundation of a Hillside education, just two years in my case, that allowed me get where I am today.”
The tractor, a 1929 Worthington, is built using Ford Model A parts and is designed to pull gang mowers created by The Worthington Company in Stroudsburg, PA. Charles Campbell Worthington took over The Worthington Company, a business founded by his father for manufacturing steam pumps, in 1880. Starting in the 1890s, Worthington spent an increasing amount of time at his summer home in Shawnee on Delaware, Pennsylvania, expanding the property to include a hotel and 18-hole golf course, which eventually became Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, birthplace of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA).
Mr. Duckloe acquired the 1929 Worthington approximately 15 years ago, around the time that Greg was transitioning from The Hillside School to Moravian Academy. Described as “robust, easy to drive, and easy to maintain” and as the vehicle on which Greg and his sister “learned to drive a manual transmission…both at age twelve,” this rare model is sure to surprise and delight visitors and collectors at Hershey this year.
Mr. Duckloe is pleased to donate the proceeds of the tractor’s sale to The Hillside School Scholarship Fund, which helps families with demonstrated financial need afford a Hillside School education for their children.
“We have enjoyed this historic tractor for 15 years and it’s time for someone else to add it to their collection. We are so grateful to The Hillside School for helping Greg and see the way the school changes lives,” said Fred Duckloe. “We are delighted to give back this way.”
“When Fred Duckloe approached me with the idea of auctioning the tractor to benefit Hillside, I was thrilled. It is such a creative and generous way to support our scholarship fund,” said Donna Henry, Head of School at The Hillside School. “On behalf of all of our students and families, I am grateful to Fred for his leadership on our board and his family’s steadfast support of Hillside.”
Additional information on the tractor and RM Sotheby’s Hershey sale is available at www.rmsothebys.com.
Founded in 1983, The Hillside School is an independent school located in Lower Macungie, PA serving children in kindergarten through grade 8 who experience learning and attention differences, including language-based learning disabilities like dyslexia (reading), dysgraphia (writing), and dyscalculia (math). The Hillside School draws students from 9 counties and more than 20 school districts and private schools, and offers individualized instruction and learning strategies that allow students to experience success. A maximum class size of eight students allows teachers to offer academic experiences focused on students’ individual strengths, helping them to understand how they learn and how to utilize technologies that can assist them. The result is greater confidence and awareness of their abilities, enhanced self-esteem, and the ability to be successful self-advocates. The Hillside School is accredited through the Middle States Association Commission of Colleges and Schools. Visit www.hillsideschool.org for more information.
Founded in 1859, Frederick Duckloe & Bros., Inc. is a family-owned and operated company that manufactures time-honored handcrafted furniture for home and business, from classic Windsor chairs and early American reproduction furniture to more contemporary designs. One of the most respected names in American furniture for more than 150 years, Duckloe’s Windsor chairs have been commissioned by the Smithsonian Museum and featured in many leading publications. Visit www.duckloe.com for more information.
RM Sotheby’s (formerly RM Auctions) is the world’s largest auction house for investment-quality automobiles. With more than 35 years’ experience in the collector car industry, RM’s vertically integrated range of services, from private treaty sales and auctions to estate planning, and financial services, coupled with an expert team of car specialists and an international footprint, provide an unsurpassed level of service to the global collector car market. In February 2015, RM formed a strategic partnership with Sotheby’s, uniting the two companies for the full calendar of future automobile auctions. For further information, visit
Information Provided By:
Stacy K. Shillinger
Vice President for Advancement
The Hillside School
www.hillsideschool.org
2697 Brookside Road, Macungie, PA 18062
