I know many of you have already heard or read the story of "Old Sam". It was covered pretty well in a feature article in Antique Power May-June 2016 issue titled "Old Sam Returns" But, for those that haven't, and in the spirit of keeping this post flowing, here we go.
My Dad and Grandpa Bush both had Massey-Harris 44 gas row-crop tractors when I was growing up here on the farm. Dad's was a late 1953 with friction throttle lever on the steering column, and Grandpa's was a 1951 with the throttle lever down between yoru legs. Always had to be mindful of that when going from one tractor to the other! I spent a significant number of hours on both those tractors as a boy. Grandpa tended to name his tractors, and his 44 was called "Old Sam".
After I graduated from Purdue with a Mechanical Engineering degree, and was headed off to the world of Corporate America, my Dad and Grandpa both quit farming. Dad had a farm sale and sold everthing except the Ford Golden Jubilee I grew up on (I still have that tractor). Grandpa sold both of his tractors, Old Sam and a 1962 MF 35, to a good friend of the family.
Years later when the antique tractor bug had bitten me, I was able to get Old Sam back from this family friend. I gave it pretty close to a complete restoration around 1990. (Not the level or restoration for a professional, but seemed pretty good at the time...) It was the first Massey in my collection, and is still very special to me. (I also have Grandpa's MF 35 which I got back in 2004.)
Some photos of Old Sam.