New Life for a Legacy: The La Verne Historical Society and Inman Conety’s 1938 International Truck

Abstract

In La Verne, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, residents have partnered with the town’s historical society to rebuild an important item from that organization’s collections: a 1938 International truck. Driven for decades by longtime La Verne resident Inman Conety, this automobile has logged over 900,000 miles since the early-twentieth century. As an expression of the collective identity of La Verne, the International has served the community as a recycling vehicle and supported civic pride with appearances in Fourth of July parades. The La Verne Historical Society recently launched a campaign to fund reconstruction of the vehicle, with the goal of returning it to the Fourth of July parade and affirming the truck’s status as a historical artifact with deep ties to the community. The 1938 International expresses the centrality of community support to the La Verne Historical Society’s collections.