The Life of R. G. LeTourneau

The Life of R. G. LeTourneau

Attitude

Two hundred ninety-nine appears to be the best number for patents to be credited to R. G. LeTourneau. His life was spent learning and applying that knowledge to build things to help others move things. The catalyst for his success can be seen all the way back at the beginning of his life in the way his own father showed him unconditional love. When the young “Bob” LeTourneau decided to run away his father, much like the story of the prodigal son, welcomed him back.

I his book (1972) he goes on to say about his father’s response, “What a lesson that has been for me all my life. Discovering my father’s love changed my whole attitude…It’s like that, only more so, when you discover the Lord.” (p.37)

R. G. LeTourneau believed his success in life hinged on changing his attitude. That change in attitude led to his curiosity about how things worked. Down time would find him trying to repair things around the house, or you might even say he was building his foundation for the future. His next step was leaving school having not finished and move into the working world. From his humble beginnings R. G. LeTourneau might never have imagined what was to come, but life was to present challenges that only faith and a strong work ethic could overcome.

Life Happens

The death of a child, moving back closer to God, opening a business, and the stock market crashing would put an end to the road to success for most but not R. G. LeTourneau. Glimpses of Christian History (2007) tells us that life was so tough that, “Often they (R. G. and his wife Evelyn) did without necessities. For years they did not even have running water.” These roadblocks would stop most people in their tracks, but R. G. LeTourneau would go on to invent equipment big enough, and be faithful to the Lord enough that he would be able to move any obstacle. The future was wide open to possibilities, and demand would create a void that R. G. LeTourneau would be glad to fill.

Success Happens

Ironically, his first invention was used only to make a lot of noise but little else. Unemployment, on the other hand, had become the stepping-stone to success. In his book (1972), he says his next step after selling his share in a business and being $5000 in debt and unemployed was to “take the first job I can find that’s good enough to pay my debts,” and that job was his entry point into the “earth-moving business.” (p.94) Eventually his aptitude for inventing would insert itself in a big way. Karwathka (2006) says, “He coupled one (a large farm tractor) to a land scraper and opened a business as a land-leveling contractor.” (p.8) He continued to modify his original design and made it better with each change. He eventually built a plant to manufacture them in 1920. R. G. LeTourneau continued a process of improving on each improvement, which led to more inventions and bigger breakthroughs. His inventions made working time much more effective by inventing machines that could perform multiple task opposed to just being able to do one thing. His second invention, a result of customer complaining, was to replace the steel wheels with rubber tires on his large scraping machine.

The Nation Calls

With the growth of the automobile industry came the growth of the road building industry. Who better to turn to than R. G. LeTourneau? He made equipment large enough to get the roads built more efficiently. Shortly thereafter he was to, as Karwatka (2006) put it, “manufacture nearly 75% of the earth-moving equipment used by American armed forces during World War II.” His equipment was used to build many massive structures such as the Hoover Dam. As he continued down the road of success, he eventually sold the business that brought him that success. Most people would have walked away, but R. G. LeTourneau had more to build.

Moving on

An old government hospital, a desire for a more Godly education, and one dollar were the elements that R. G. LeTourneau needed to move into his next building project that would become LeTourneau University. He believed and practiced the earn while you learn program, and he wanted to integrate the Christian way of life with higher education. His original intent for the school was to help men learn technical trades under the GI Bill. His dream has continued to move forward with LeTourneau University becoming a co-ed, 4 year accredited university, the capstone on a life of building.

Final Thoughts

Though resources are scarce, everything that one can find about R. G. LeTourneau reflects a man who understood the true meaning of life. He knew who God was and who he was. He understood faith, a good work ethic, and generosity would bring success. He had times of pain and times of joy. He saw what could be, and made it happen.

R.G. LeTourneau gives the best definition of how to build a life when he quotes Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His Righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.”

References

Karwatka, D. (2006, May). technology's past. Tech Directions, 65(10), 8-8. Retrieved June 9, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.

Letourneau, R. G. (1972). Mover of Men and Mountains. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.

Kooiman, Helen (2007). No Obstacle Too Big for LeTourneau's God. Retrieved June 9, 2009, from Glimpses of Christian History Web site: http://www.christianhistorytimeline.com/DAILYF/2001/08/daily-08-27-2001.shtml

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