This is what he told me about the item:

Reddy Kilowatt, the renowned corporate mascot of the Alabama Power Company has been around for almost a century. This very rare patch was used during Vietnam by members of the 592nd Engineer Detachment, which was a unit beneath the U.S. Army Engineering Command during the war. The patch is 3.7 inches across and was used in the mid to late 1960s.

Here’s a shirt with the patch on it:

And here’s a closer look at the patch:

Credit: “Sergeant Richard Johnson, author of “Tiger Patterns” and Seeds of Victory.”

Thanks Richard!

Since I spend a lot of time in the Lorain Public Library pouring over microfilm of newspapers from the 1950s and 1960s, it seems that almost every day or so there was an ad for Ohio Edison featuring — who else? — Reddy Kilowatt! I even seem to recall even seeing his image on some of the local electric utility buildings, such as up on the Ohio Edison building on Lake Avenue in Elyria Township.

There’s another Reddy sighting here, from a 1968 Cleveland Indians scorecard. Nice.

I acquired these playing cards a few years back and had forgotten all about them until going through some boxes of stuff this weekend.

Nice.

~~~ A COOL LITTLE REDDY KILOWATT ZIPPO WITH BOX FROM 1963~~~
BRADFORD IN TOP LEFT, PA. IN TOP RIGHT
ZIPPO SCRIPT IN THE CENTER
2 DOTS ON THE LEFT, 1 DOT ON THE RIGHT
PAT. 2517191 CENTERED ON THE BOTTOM
LIGHTER WORKS FINE CONSIDERING THE OUTER APPEARANCE
~~~SUPER CONDITION FOR A COLLECTOR~~~

Also noted: Reddy Kilowatt auction items, including a frisbee, beanie baby, golf balls, cooler, hat, t-shirt and mousepad. Donated by Xcel Energy. Retail value of $250.00.

What do you get when you combine a famous commercial spokescharacter who’s gotta bolt of lightning jutting out from between his legs…dinosaurs…E.C. Comics…and the Hollywood studio responsible for “Woody Woodpecker” cartoons? How about “REDDY MADE MAGIC”, a comic book — that originally bore a cover-price of only a nickel! — starring ODDBALL icon REDDY KILOWATT as he tells us “the amazing true story of electricity”! Shocking stuff, eh?

REDDY KILOWATT IN “REDDY MADE MAGIC” is a glue-bound, 16-page — including pulp-pager “covers” — comic that’s not exactly a “giveaway” due to its “5¢” price tag. It’s the very first of a number of comics starring Reddy Kilowatt published over the years. It bears the description, “Story based on cartoon TECHNICOLOR motion picture, ‘Reddy Made Magic’, produced by Walter Lantz Productions, Universal City, California.”

Big, big thanks to GFHS alum Kari H. for the bit of trivia and for sending in these photos!

A school folder.

A graduating class.

A homecoming pin.

A GFHS sign.

A vintage drawing of Reddy.

Memorabilia from 1978.

When I came home from work on Friday, it was to a surprise package in the mail…from West Virginia…from someone I’ve never met before. Which is weird…that it came to my house, because usually I have things sent to Snap Snap, as someone is usually there to receive packages…so, I was thinking it was someone I knew…

Only it wasn’t…

I opened the package and what did I find?

A Reddy Kilowatt Christmas From the Kitchen vintage cookbook (and holiday decorating idea book) And I dropped dead…OK…I didn’t die, but I did cry.

Oh yes, I did.

I was so very touched that someone thought of me, and sent along something so treasured. Someone I seemingly didn’t even know…There’s not a lot of people who even know who Reddy Kilowatt is…except for one person I didn’t even think of…

“Living off the grid” was the norm, since the grid did not come to Scipio until about the early 1940′s. An early bill features a picture of Reddy Kilowatt and a cost of $2.50 for a month’s service for a house on the then Lake Road — now Wyckoff Road.
And electricity meant that the old hand pump wells could be replaced by a cistern or a dug well. To just turn on a faucet and draw the water you needed instead of pumping and bringing pails full to the house must have been a huge improvement and timesaver.