Rudolph Halicki

Rudy Halicki was born in Dunkirk, New York on August 10, 1919. He has never married and is the oldest of thirteen children born to Mr. and Mrs. John Halicki who, in the year of his birth, moved to Dunkirk from Ohio and opened a blacksmith shop. Two of his brothers, Frank and Ron, are engaged in business with him at the same location on South Roberts Road under the name and style of “Halicki’s, Since 1919.”

Halicki’s blacksmith shop, in its early years, was located on an unpaved road, and customers often found their vehicles stuck in the mud. At first Rudy, who began working for his father at an early age, would use his team of horses to drag in the vehicles being taken to his father’s shop. This led him to think that there had to be a better way. He designed and fashioned his own tow bar, and then an under-reach which was powered by the cable, over the boom, to a hook on the stinger arm. As his experience grew, Rudy home-built some units and purchased others; his reputation for fairness, honesty, and ability caused his reputation to grow as a reliable operator in light and heavy duty work. When word got out that he had been nominated for consideration by the Trustees at the Hall of Fame, letters of glowing praise came attesting to his qualifications, from competitors as well as friends.

Perhaps the best testimony to a person’s prominence can be found among his competitors and customers. Rudy Halicki ranks high in their esteem.