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Just a waddling little bird, Artie was only one year
old in 1961 when he waddled onto a cargo plane that
had delivered supplies to a group of scientists stationed
on his home continent of Antarctica. Undetected by the
crew, Artie traveled on the plane to the United States,
where he was finally discovered as the plane unloaded
in Oklahoma City.
Artie was very tired, and just a little warm, even
though it was February, and by Oklahoma standards, quite
cold.
The crew, already quite impressed with the little fellow,
knew that steps had to be taken quickly to assure Artie’s
well-being. And, the cargo plane only delivered supplies
to Antarctica every six months. So the crew placed Artie
in a tub with a block of ice and carried him into their
captain’s office, where they presented the case
to find a home for Artie until he could be flown back
to the frozen world of Antarctica.
Captain Smith pondered the situation, wondering what
one could do with a penguin, for six months, in the
long hot summer months of Oklahoma.
He posed that question to his neighbor, E. J. Drabek
that very night. Now, coincidentally, Mr. Drabek owned
a local air conditioning company and indeed, was an
expert in climate control. Captain Smith’s home
had been equipped with Mr. Drabek’s products and
services, and yes, it was a very comfortable home. But
could climate control technology and Drabek & Hill
handle the needs of a penguin when the Oklahoma summer
began?
Well, yes, Mr. Drabek figured, he could devise a room
in his warehouse that could satisfy the requirements.
And so he and Captain Smith completed the penguin’s
temporary home, complete with icy pool for dipping.
Artie stayed with Mr. Drabek until August, when the
cargo plane returned to Antarctica. It was a somewhat
sad parting, for the little penguin had won the hearts
of Mr. Drabek and his staff. Artie had become adept
at opening the door to his own office and sometimes
waddled right into the very comfortable showroom just
to greet customers!
A few months after Artie’s departure, after several
customers had inquired about the penguin, E.J. Drabek
decided that Artie should become the company mascot.
After all, what better example of his company’s
expertise in the air conditioning arena could there
be than providing a comfortable home for a penguin!
And to this very day, Artie is immortalized as the
Drabek & Hill penguin, a permanent part of their
logo, and yes; a fond remembrance of a brave little
adventurer who made a lot of friends in Oklahoma.
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