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The Hallowed Halls of History...
Harry S Studebaker, president of the
Badge of Quality Corporation from 1946 to 1959, was not only founder of the company, but the
greatest builder in our history. Long before founding the Badge, Studebaker achieved wealth as
an inventor, and then increased his influence by a brief, but sterling, record as a Hollywood
producer. This taste of the entertainment industry, plus Studebaker's acknowledged expertise as
an art investor, led to the founding of the Badge of Quality in 1946. Unbeknownst to even his
closest associates, the reclusive Studebaker had long been planning a colossal building ten
miles high, ten miles wide and ten miles deep as headquarters for his enterprises. When he
rescued Mr. Milk Bottle from his unfortunate Adventure with the Steamroller, Studebaker's vision
for his structure was crystalized and he shaped the headquarters in the likeness of his unlikely
corporate spokesperson, the much loved Mr. Milk Bottle.
Upon the retirement of Harry S Studebaker,
the Badge of Quality Corporation was thrown into a period of great internal conflict and turmoil
that seemed to mimic the upheaval America went through during roughly the same period. In fact,
for several years, the Badge had no president as rival factions duked it out deep within the
lower levels of its massive headquarters. This period lasted from 1959 to 1963. Then, in 1964,
Mr. Milk Bottle briefly assumed control of the corporation. Rumor has it that he was only acting
as a figurehead for the "retired" Harry S Studebaker, who was still managing the affairs of the
corporation from a remote location. This rumor was shown to be false during the May 2, 1964
GREAT COTTAGE CHEESE MASSACRE, which effectively ended the Bottle's brief tenure. Another period
of intense internal conflict followed, ending with the emergence of Rudolph Ford in 1965. Ford
(1965-1989) proved a very capable president for the Badge of Quality, leading the company with
judicious compromise, and healing every rift. Rudolph Ford ended the savage in-fighting that had
marred the Badge with the triumphant reinstallation of Mr. Milk Bottle as corporate host and
spokesperson in 1979.
Fred Truck became Acting President of the
Badge of Quality Corporation in 1987, and with approval of the Board, he became President and
CEO of the Badge in 1990. Truck's time as president is, of course, not complete at the time of
this writing, but already he has shown himself interested in and able to expand the Badge of
Quality's influence into very diverse areas of art and entertainment marketing, such as sports
(hockey, baseball, and in the near future, football and racquetball), art museums (the Gadget
Art Museum), and designer clothing. Most likely, Truck's vision will not stop there, as it was
he who set up and carried through the famous Milk Bottle TV Satellite system, the first
privately launched telecommunications satellites in history. |
