Link to Part 1: http://www.fourwheeler.com/project-vehicles/154-1208-the-old-man-and-the-jeep-part-1/

Link to Part 2: http://www.fourwheeler.com/project-vehicles/154-1209-the-old-man-and-the-jeep-part-2/

You’ll definitely want to pick up the August 2012 issue of JP Magazine, along with the subsequent issue, if you like jeep history (I have yet to see the story online). It features 94 year old Don Prine, who has been driving jeeps since the very beginning of the jeep.  Don Prine was a test driver of the prototype Willys, Ford and Bantam jeeps. Seventy-Two years later he is still involved with jeeps and, at age 94, still goes into his shop daily in Lakewood, Wa.

According to the article, a recording of Don describing the day pictured in the photo below in early 1941 at the US Capital is supposed to be here:  http://www.jpmagazine.com/prine, but I couldn’t make the link work.  Also, according to the article in JP, he was driving up the steps in the below picture.  However, according to this link, it is Senator Meade of NY driving the jeep and Representative Thomas, of NJ, in the passenger seat at the time of this photo.  I can only guess that in the photo Don is seated in the rear?

Don has long been a fixture in jeeping and racing in the Northwest.   In 2008 I called Don and had a very nice conversation with him, which you can read about here, about Stainless Steel Parts.  For those that belong to the PNW4WDA, Marty has posted a few pics of the visit with Don, Herm Tilford, and Christian at their forum.