I've always wondered where the terminology "Lubester" came from and I think I finally found out!
A few years back, Jack Sims announced on these pages that the terminology was incorrect and for the life of me, I cannot remember what it was that he called them, as it never stuck with me but "Lubester" has!
If fact, just about every collector that I can think of, has referred to these oil pumps as "Lubesters", for as long as I can remember? Advertisements of Lubesters for sale, continued to pop up on the pages of Old Gas, long after Jack made his announcement, but there was never any mention as to where the name might have originated?
Over the years, I have often asked other collectors about their thoughts on the origin of the name, and the consistent reply was that they couldn't ever remember them called anything else, but had no thoughts as to its origin. Speculation was that someone had used that terminology many years ago and it had become popular enough to stick, and all old oil pumps became "Lubesters"!
Well, it turns out that was exactly happened! According to Jacks book, the S.F.Bowser company made their first General Store, "Self Measuring Pump and Tank" in 1885. That was the first of many, many different designs for the many different uses that kept the company busy with the design and manufacturing of these self contained oil pumps!
Somewhere along the way, probably into the early 1900's, Bowser came out with a model called the figure 56 and called it a "LUBE-STER"! Over the years, that name has become associated with these self contained oil pumps, and has become the standard terminology for these units!
Now of course, the mystery as to why this terminology, and just who in the company had the bright idea to come up with a catchy marketing name, is as yet unknown?
Rumor has it that it was a newly hired young man of Norwegian descent by the name of "Ole" that was put on the payroll as a marketing specialist and his first job was to create a new image for one of the companys most popular products, and he had asked his wife Lena what she thought of the new contraption. Lena had a heavy Norwegian accent, and her answer sounded like "Lubester" to Ole, and being a little dim witted, he was at a loss for any ideas of his own, and used Lena's terminology, hoping he wouldn't be fired for it. The name was an instant hit, and Ole was promoted and he and Lena had a big family because they could afford it now because of the "Lubester" name! Thus was the beginning of a large family of Ole's and Lena's that would become the butt of countless thousands of jokes for the next hundred years!
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Now you know!
