Detore: The legacy of Mr. Davis

Six months after the Miracle on Ice rocked the world, in the same year as the first facsimile machine — or fax machine as they came to be known — was invented, a young man walked into the Akron office of Crain Communications Inc., looking for a job.

It was August of 1980, and the recent graduate of Ohio University, who grew up in nearby Shelby, Ohio, was hired for his first journalism job.

"I thought I'd stay there, a year, two or three at the most, then get a 'real' job," he said recently.

Forty years later, Bruce Davis remains one of the most trusted, tenacious and talented journalists in our organization.

Bruce celebrated the anniversary of his fourth decade at Crain on Aug. 4. During these unprecedented times, we did what we could to mark the significant milestone: we bought him a cake, and we celebrated that afternoon with a group-wide virtual cocktail party on Zoom.

KC Crain, our president and chief operating officer, was among a group of about 40 — how appropriate is that — to drop in and honor Bruce for his service.

As one might imagine, Bruce has had an incredible career covering the tire industry. Since that day in 1980, Bruce has:

• Worked for three publications — sister books Rubber & Plastics News, European Rubber Journal and Urethanes Technology — in addition to being one of the founders of the publication you may be holding in your hand;
• Spent 13 years in Germany, where he was the European correspondent for the aforementioned four publications and met Barbara, the woman who would become his wife and follow him to the U.S.;
• Did a tour of the car factories of Eastern Europe shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall — in a Corvette (try finding unleaded gas in Poland in 1990);
• Visited 36 countries around the world, including a few that don't exist any longer;
• Lived through a bomb scare on a flight over the Pacific;
• Emerged unscathed from two rollover accidents;
• Worked in eight offices and counting — including the one at home in an alcove that most recently was the daytime habitat of his aging dog (nearly 20 years) Wendy;
• Won countless awards for his writing and data-seeking skills (see story on Page 7); and
• Wrote more stories and researched more data related to tires than the proverbial man on the moon.

Oh yes, he's even written stories about tires that were driven on the moon.

I like to tell people that Bruce has forgotten more about the tire industry than most people know.

"Trouble is," Bruce says in a self deprecating way, "I'm forgetting more and more."

I have spent a similar amount of time in journalism, but of course I didn't have the pleasure of staying with one company nearly that long.

When I joined Tire Business at the start of 2018, I quickly learned what a font of tire knowledge ... really most any knowledge ... Bruce is.

Most remarkable is this: I've worked with many people as they neared the end of their careers. I can honestly tell you that Bruce works as hard now, perhaps harder, than most anyone half his age. He never takes a word off, nor skimps on any number.

A trove of industry knowledge has left the tire trade press in the past few years. Here at Tire Business, Dave Zielasko — whose father Ernie founded Tire Business — retired and took on a new job with the Tire Industry Association.

Miles Moore, who spent 42 years as a reporter at Crain Communications, retired earlier this year, as did Bob Ulrich, former editor of Modern Tire Dealer (MTD). Chuck Slaybaugh, who chalked up 30-plus years of experience at both MTD and Tire Business, died recently at age 80. A few years ago, Jim Smith, former editor of Tire Review, died unexpectedly while on a business trip.

Today only Bruce and MTD Publisher Greg Smith remain as longtime tire trade press veterans.

By the way, that facsimile machine that was invented in 1980 proved to be a key piece of equipment for Bruce several years later, when he started piecing together Tire Business' first Global Tire Report. Look for his most recent report in our Aug. 31 edition.

So please join me in tipping your hat to Bruce for the contributions he's made in helping keep you and the rest of our readers so well informed.

While I won't wish Bruce 40 more years of professional success — even I admit that would be a bit much — would it be selfish of me to wish him 10 more?

The readers of Tire Business, as well as the tire industry, win either way.