Press%Release% Story%of%a%Great%American%Innovator%is%Finally%Being%Told (Twin&Cities)&–&Henry&Ford&is&one&of&the&most&famous&U.S.&inventors&of&all&times.&But&did&you&know&he&owes& a&lot&of&his&success&to&another&inventor&@@&Clarence&Leo&Best? Best,&who&lived&from&1878&to&1951,&was&a&pioneering&tractor&company&executive&who&went&on&to&become& the&Mirst&chairman&of&the&board&for&the&Caterpillar&Tractor&Co.&&According&to&Ed&Claessen,&co@author&of& “Making&Tracks:&C.L.&Best&and&the&Caterpillar&Tractor&Co.,”&(Beaver’s&Pond&Press,&2011,&$34.95)&however,& there&was&a&whole&lot&more&to&the&man&than&meets&the&eye.& “C.L.&Best&was&an&innovator,&very&good&at&business&and&a&great&judge&of&character,”&said&Claessen.&“He&is& also&the&man&we&can&thank&for&developing&the&machines&that&built&the&roads&Henry&Ford’s&vehicles&drove& on.”&Claessen&can&trace&his&interest&in&Best&back&&to&1973,&the&year&he&bought&a&Caterpillar&Sixty&tractor.& “Once&I&had&the&machine&in&my&possession&I&wanted&to&know&all&I&could&about&it,&but&dig,&dig&and&dig,&I& couldn’t&Mind&out&anything&signiMicant&about&how&Best&got&where&he&was.” Rather&than&give&up,&Claessen&did&what&any&good&historian&would&do.&He&set&out&on&a&mission&to&Mind& answers.&Off@and@on&for&close&to&20&years,&he&and&his&wife,&Sue,&&poured&through&box&after&box&of& documents,&seeking&out&details&about&a&man&he&felt&had&never&gotten&the&credit&he&deserved.&While&doing& his&research,&Ed&was&introduced&to&the&Best&family&and&they&quickly&became&friends.&“It&was&probably&ten& years&into&their&relationship&when&the&idea&of&setting&the&record&straight&&with&a&book&about&C.L.&came&up.&& I&was&invited&to&come&onboard&and&compile&the&information&that&had&been&gathered,”&said&Sue&Claessen. “Making&Tracks:&C.L.&Best&and&the&Caterpillar&Tractor&Co.”&begins&in&the&late&1800s&with&C.L.&Best’s&father,& Daniel,&making&his&way&West&in&search&of&gold.&Readers&learn&he&eventually&settled&on&a&farm&&in&Yuba& County,&California,&where&he&patented&and&started&selling&&a&machine&that&can&separate&grain.&He&continued& reMining&his&product,&which&eventually&led&to&the&development&of&a&combined&harvester.&&This,&along&with& the&steam&traction&engine,&provided&mechanical&power&to&the&vast&California&farms&while&greatly&reducing& the&need&for&man&and&horse/mule&power.&His&son,&C.L.,&joined&the&company&in&1897&and&continued&the& tradition&of&innovating.&While&this&is&the&"ofMicial"&date,&C.L.&was&always&involved&with&his&father's&company& even&as&a&youth. Minnesota&publisher&Beaver’s&Pond&Press&released&“Making&Tracks:&C.L.&Best&and&The&Caterpillar&Tractor& Co.”&in&July&2011.&The&following&Spring,&the&book&won&Mirst&place&in&both&the&History&and&Biography& categories&of&the&Midwest&Book&Awards,&an&annual&contest&that&recognizes&the&best&books&released&the& previous&year&by&a&Midwest&publisher. To%arrange%an%interview%with%Ed%and%Sue%Claessen,%or%to%request%a%review%copy%of%“Making%Tracks:%C.L.%Best%and%the% Caterpillar%Tractor%Co.,”%contact%Rachel%M.%Anderson,%Publicist,%952N240N2513,%[email protected]. Press Kit C.L. Best and the Caterpillar Tractor Co. Ed and Sue Claessen Testimonials "Being the grandson of C.L. Best, it is my opinion that this book is long overdue. Although Daniel Best and Benjamin Holt both played important roles in California agriculture, it was the genius of C.L. Best that founded the Caterpillar Tractor Co. that we know today. Why C.L. was overlooked all of these years is beyond me, but because of the diligent research and work by the Claessens the true story of my grandfather comes to light. This book is not only an easy read but most informative." - Daniel G. Best II “I particularly enjoyed how you revealed the chapters of a great like of C.L. Best, and turned this into a timeless book for future generations to appreciate. Without C.L. Best we would not know the Caterpillar that is today, and for him I am grateful. Thank you for capturing his legacy!” - Doug Oberhelman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Caterpillar Inc. “The book is easy to read, but it is also scholarly. It is copiously footnoted, showing the source of the authors' authority for various statements made. Anyone who is serious about the history of crawler tractors, or of Best tractors, or of Caterpillar tractors, must have this book in his permanent home library." - Review by George Howard, January/February 2012 issue of the Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owners Club (ACMOC) newsletter “Most histories of the Caterpillar Tractor Co. focus on Benjamin Holt and Daniel Best, giving less attention to Daniel's son Clarence Leo Best. The book starts with the remarkable career of C.L. Best and follows him and the Caterpillar company through his death in 1951. It is filled with vintage photographs and numerous quotes from family member interviews and the notebooks of Daniel and C.L. Best. Making Tracks is to me the perfect mix of personal and product history. We are given a very personal view of the man as well as the machinery he was responsible for. This excellent book is highly recommended.” - Antique Power Magazine; November/December 2011 To arrange an interview with Ed and Sue Claessen, or to request a review copy of “Making Tracks: C.L. Best and the Caterpillar Tractor Co.,” contact Rachel M. Anderson, Publicist, RMA Publicity at 952-240-2513 or via email: [email protected]. Press Kit C.L. Best and the Caterpillar Tractor Co. Ed and Sue Claessen About Ed and Sue Claessen Ed Claessen was always intrigued by things mechanical. From steam locomotives on the Great Northern Railway to Caterpillar equipment and building roads, he never missed an opportunity to watch the action. So in 1973, when the State of Minnesota offered a bonus to Vietnam veterans, Ed spent his money on a Caterpillar Sixty tractor. That purchase has led to nearly 40 years of research and tractor restorations. It is from those projects that Making Tracks: C.L. Best and the Caterpillar Tractor Co. has emerged. Ed is now retired. He used to work in excavating. Sue Claessen is a self-named read-a-holic who will start a novel at 10 p.m. and finish it at 2 a.m. After working for the United States Postal Service for over 37 years, she has joined the ranks of the retired. Sue has dabbled with writing short stories while also penning newsletters for some hometown organizations. Making Tracks: C.L. Best and the Caterpillar Tractor Co. is her first published book. Both native Minnesotans, Ed and Sue have one grown son, Dan, and still live on the same land in rural Waverly, Minn., that they moved to when they were married in 1974. For$more$information$or$to$arrange$an$interview$with$Ed$and$Sue$Claessen,$contact$Rachel$M.$ Anderson,$Publicist,[email protected]. Press Kit C.L. Best and the Caterpillar Tractor Co. Ed and Sue Claessen Suggested Questions ASK ED AND SUE CLAESSEN 1) Why do you think information about C.L. Best should be in American History books? 2) What role did C.L. Best play in what is today known as Caterpillar Inc.? 3) What principles did C.L. Best live by that you think people should live by today? 4) How long did it take you to put this book together? 5) What does C.L. Best’s family think of the book? To arrange an interview with Ed and Sue Claessen, contact Rachel M. Anderson, Publicist, RMA Publicity at 952-240-2513 or via email: [email protected]. Press Kit C.L. Best and the Caterpillar Tractor Co. Ed and Sue Claessen Feature Article The Story of One of America’s Greatest Innovators Has Finally Been Told By#Rachel#M.#Anderson,#Freelance#Writer# (Twin Cities) – Where would the world be without the diesel engine that powers the tractors and work vehicles of today, used to plow fields, build roads, transport logs and more? If it weren’t for the work of California inventor Clarence Leo Best, known as C.L., life would probably be a lot different. Few people realize that the early work of the original chairman of the board of the Caterpillar Tractor Co. was actually the basis for the other engine manufacturers. Best is also credited with developing the design for the modern day track-type tractor in use at construction sites around the world. But who was C.L. Best? Answers are finally revealed in “Making Tracks: C.L. Best and the Caterpillar Tractor Co.,” (Beaver’s Pond Press, 2011, $34.95) a new hardcover biography by Ed and Sue Claessen, tractor enthusiasts from Waverly, Minn. “We wrote this book,” said Ed Claessen, “because we think people in this country really need to know where the machinery they use came from.” Claessen can trace his interest in C.L. Best back to 1973. That was the year he received a bonus from the state of Minnesota for serving in Vietnam and decided to use the money to purchase something he would always have – a Caterpillar Sixty Tractor. “I’ve always been interested in machinery and whenever I get something new I want to know where it came from, its history,” said Claessen. So, he started pulling books from the library and went back into public records; but finding the information he was seeking didn’t come easy.