| Home Surname List Name Index Sources Email Us | 27th Generation199. Dale Arthur BRIGGS was born on 21 May 1927 in Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac Township, Fond du Lac County, WI.36,228 [Published in the Maturity Times, September 2000 issue, of Fond du Lac, WI. Picture on cover page, story on inside cover page.] Dale keeps going as limo, bus and motorcycle driver. By Harvey Moss If he was wearing a Captain’s cap as he sat astride his motorcycle, you might be reminded of Marlon Brando in the “Wild Ones,” or a daredevil ready to jump a row of cars. But if you say him behind the wheel of one of the Johnson School busses he drives, you’d think of him as one of the kindly (older) gentlemen you saw in the movies of the 1940s. Or, in the Di-Man Limousine he drives, he could be the very professional movie-type chauffeur taking Edward G. Robinson to dinner. These are just someof the images you might conjure up when you’re talking with 73-year-old Dale Briggs of Fond du Lac. And when you talk to him, he might be doing any of thesethings. Briggs, who officially retired in 1997, when he was 70, said with asmile, “I’ve worked so long it must have been for love of money.” Clearly, that isn’t the case. “When I lived in California, I sort of had to work, theprices out there being what they were. But I enjoy working.” Would he haveretired sooner if he had not been living in California? “I don’t know, never thought about it,” he said. “I can’t sit around though. This summer I’ve been ‘crawling the walls.’ Working gives a purpose in life besides our family. You can’t sit and watch TV all day, you’ve got to have something productive to do.” Born in Fond du Lac and reared in Lamartine, Dale attended Fond du Lac High School and then joined the Army in 1945. “I served in the Signal Corps during the occupation of Germany before my discharge in 1947. When I returned home, I was employed by the Co-op and then moved to West Bend where I was with the Culligan Water Conditioning Company for 23 years.” His entrepreneurial spirit took over and Dale began a home appliance business in West Bend. “The energy crunch in the 1940’s caused me to change focus and close the business,” Dale said. “But, I knew about a manager’s position with the Carnahan Corporationthat owned the University Apartments in West Bend. I applied and they hired me to manage the apartments, which I did for the next ten years.” It was thenthat Dale and his spouse, Cecilia, who had family in California, decided to relocate. “We moved to San Jose in 1990 and I took a position with the Pinkerton Security Company as a field supervisor. But my wife passed away in 1996 andI moved back to Fond du Lac to be closer to family in 1997. I’d been driving school bus part-time when I was younger and I enjoy being with the kids – although it gets a little ‘exciting’ at times, so I contacted the Johnson people,” Dale said. Over the years, Dale has logged more than 85,000 miles on his motorcycle, 25,000 driving a school bus and 5,000 miles driving the limo. “All of it is interesting although the cycle was something special for me and my wife." The 900cc Honda Dale has owned for 15 years saw most of those miles. “We started small and kept moving up in size and class to this motorcycle,” he said. “I bought my first one from my step-son when he was moving up. I was 60 years old then, about the time most people put things like this away. I like being a bit different.” At first my wife wouldn’t ride. Then on one nice night I sort of talked her into a ride. It was only about a 25-mile-long ride and when we got back she looked at me and said ‘can we go again? Now?” “We loved the mountain riding. You can see a lot more in the mountains when you’re on a bike. The freeways are pretty tough, though.” Dale started his motorcycle riding in Wisconsin and said he thinks more miles were put on the bike in Wisconsin than when they were in California. I don’t. Dale Arthur BRIGGS and Mary DOOLEY were married.36 Mary DOOLEY was born on 15 October 1929.36 Dale Arthur BRIGGS and Cecelia "Ceil" STEIN were married.228 Cecelia "Ceil" STEIN was born (date unknown). |