Sidelight: Theodore Stevens

SIDELIGHT

For Theodore Stevens, superintendent in Mishawaka, Ind., only one brand of farm tractor matters: a Case. His office walls display Case-themed decor, but the real collection lives in four rural barns where he and his brother maintain 75 tractors — and counting. Stevens’ late father, a Case salesman, helped them start the collection. Now called Case IH, the company was founded in pre-Civil War Wisconsin, and Stevens views his collection as a way to preserve a piece of American history, which is why he’s always on the lookout for more. “It’s a challenge between us and the scrappers,” he says. Beyond collecting, Stevens, an AASA member since 2015, enjoys the camaraderie of fellow Case fans at tractor parades, along with the mental break it offers. “It’s essential to turn off your mind about education for a little bit,” he says.