A Remarkable 51 Years of Service
Originally published in the Roadway Spotlight magazine, 4th Edition 2005
To nine children, he was Dad. To many others, he was Mr. Roadway.
Of course, they didn't understand what that meant when they were youngsters. All they knew was their dad, Otto Rado, drove a truck for a company called Roadway Express.
For a few years, the family lived with Otto's mother one street away from the Akron dock. Then they moved to a house across the street from the place where their dad worked. The kids played in the terminal yard, visited the ladies in the terminal office, and coaxed the man who made tarps for the trailers into giving them his loose change. No one minded things like that in the 1940s.
Eventually, Roadway moved to a larger facility, and Otto moved his family to a larger home. The Rado kids watched their dad go to work every day, saw the display of driving trophies in the living room grow, and gradually realized their dad worked for a company he truly loved. Not only the job, the company.
By the time Otto retired in 1982 with 51 years of service, his sons and daughters had long known Roadway loved their dad, too. Four of Otto's nine children--Norman, Roger, Rory and Riki--share their memories.
Mr. Roadway
Three of Otto's sons grew up to work in the trucking industry. Two worked for Roadway. Gary spent 7 years with Roadway; Norman retired from Roadway with 32 years of service. Roger worked 31 years in the trucking industry as well.
Roger began his career doing local pickups and deliveries in Akron. He quickly found out that drivers from many trucking companies knew and respected Otto. One told him he'd never be able to fill his dad's shoes. "I told him I have trouble filling my own shoes. There was no way to fill his shoes."
Occasionally, Roger would see his dad at a stop. Many of his customers would ask about his dad. When Roger switched from the city to the road, he no longer saw Otto during working hours. However, he'd often pass Roadway trucks on his run to and from Cincinnati. "The driver would come across the CB and ask who I was. I'd tell him and he'd say, 'You're kidding. Your dad's picture is at the Cincinnati terminal. He's Mr. Roadway.'"
Working Side-by-Side
Norman began working at the Akron dock in 1959. Otto had 28 years of service then. "With my dad being my dad, the doors had opened. I had all my dad's friends around me to guide and look after me, both in the office and on the dock. The dispatchers my dad worked with all knew him and loved him and respected him."
For many years, Otto and Norman worked different shifts. Yet they saw each other nearly every day. "I worked the midnight shift, so I was there when he came in. Sometimes I'd load his truck," said Norman.
Near the end of his career, Otto moved from driving to the dock. "I was blessed," said Norman. "I saw my dad when he would come in to get his truck. And when he was on the dock we got to spend some quality time together."
Norman stepped into a new role when Otto moved to the dock in 1977. "I had to show him the ropes on using equipment. He wouldn't drive a forklift. He had driven trucks all his life, but at that point he wasn't interested in the rug pole equipment. He would ask me to unload it for him."
A forklift equipped with a rug pole was about the only vehicle Otto did not drive. Roger explained: "It takes a lot of patience and know-how to operate a rug boom. Even driving a forklift takes a lot of patience. You have to learn that stuff. But he could drive a straight truck blindfolded."
That figure of speech barely hints at the extent of Otto's skills and accomplishments in a tractor cab. He could switch trailers and drive doubles with ease. Otto also found time to compete in truck driving championships. He was Ohio state champion in straight truck in 1952, 1955 and 1957. In 1973, he was the Ohio Trucking Association driver of the year.
Honing His Skills
Roger and Norman both helped Otto and other drivers prepare for the competitions. "I remember as a boy going to the Akron airport with all his fellow workers plus drivers from other trucking companies."
Roger continued, "They would all practice together. My dad would help make equipment for the practice course. He had this line of balls they would try to go through. And as a boy I remember chasing the balls down on a hot summer day at the airport."
"I remember practicing at Roadway," said Norman. "They'd set up an obstacle course to see if they could stop within a certain area, and how straight they could keep their trucks backing up."
Otto put 89,000 hours behind the wheel before he moved to the dock.
Just a kid
Otto actually began his Roadway career on the dock.
Like most of the early trucking companies, Roadway hired owner-operators who drove for a percentage of the freight charges. Otto helped them load and unload shipments. It was the Great Depression, times were hard, and people did whatever they could to earn money. Otto had to work in order to help his mother.
He was put on the Roadway payroll in January 1931. "He was just a kid and yet he had a job that paid money. He grew up fast," said Norman.
Family Man
Otto was earning $6 a week when he married Dorothy Svet in 1936. He worked in the office and on the dock. In 1939, he switched to city driving, which paid more. He needed the extra money to raise his growing family.
"My mother is the one that took care of the fort at home. I give her a lot of the credit for my father because behind every good man there's an outstanding woman. She had a lot to do with making him what he was," said Roger.
His sister Rory added, "That's why our dad drove in town. So he could be with Mom and the kids. I don't ever remember him taking a long-distance route."
Most of Otto's customers, including two department stores, were in downtown Akron. "They all knew him. When we needed clothes or anything, he always got a discount. And with a big family like ours, you buy a dozen of everything," said Norman.
"With nine mouths to feed he worked as much as he could," said Riki. "We had him Sundays. Sundays we would go out for ice cream, and it always amazed us as little kids that no matter where we went he could always find the road home again."
The Rado kids got to know Roadway founder Galen Roush and his wife Ruth during their visits to the terminal.
Norman remembered: "First, we lived on Miami Street just one street over (from the Roadway dock on South and Brook streets)".
Then we got a house on Brook Street, which was where the tarp shop and Roadway were connected. That's where we lived, and that was our playground, not any farther than Roadway.
They'd let us walk around the dock and visit with the office girls.
Of course, we knew Galen Roush when he came around."
Years later, Norman would see Galen on the Akron dock, this time as a Roadway employee. "Galen came up on the dock a lot of times after midnight. Everybody would know because the word would get passed around. I had bosses, but he was the owner."
Otto was on the building committee for construction of the Local 24 union hall in Akron. His photo is displayed in the hall today. "He was a real big union man, but he also was company all the way," said Roger.
Home Away From Home
Dorothy passed away in 1977. Otto retired in 1982 after a diagnosis of cancer and passed away a few months later.
"The Akron dock was our home away from home because we spent so much time there," said Norman. "Dad had a hat he used to wear on the dock. Once in a while I'd get a tear in my eye because I'd see something that reminded me of that hat."
Norman has overcome cancer twice since retiring in 1992. He's also traveled to California several times. On one trip, he stopped at the Roadway service center in Burbank and discovered all the employees there knew about Otto.
On other trips, he's talked to Roadway drivers taking breaks at rest stops or restaurants.
They, too, had heard about Otto and his remarkable 51 years of service.
"Dad was very proud of Roadway," said Rory.
"And he was very proud of his family. I think it worked hand-in-hand."
Added Norman: "Roadway has been a big part of our lives. We really care about Roadway."
As their dad did for more than half a century. Mr. Roadway would be pleased.
