Spoken interview

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Here’s some background information for starters:

Don Bodey: I  live near where I was born, in  rural Indiana, in places I keep saying I am “fixing up,” like I’ve been saying about places in Florida for awhile, Oregon for nine years, Chicago for another nine. I’m a carpenter, and for most of my life I’ve been making my living by “fixing” houses while  I live there amongst the fixings, then get another one, fix it up.

Somehow I’ve also been a writer and sometimes a teacher of writing. I’ve taught at colleges and universities as a part timer. I got my Bachelor’s degree in 1968 and was immediately drafted into the Army, trained to be a mortar man, sent to Vietnam for 405 days, discharged. I earned  my MFA at Oregon, and came away with the beginning of  what would become F.N.G. 

I spent some years building houses on the coast, then ended up in Chicago, teaching and writing. Within six months, in 1985, my book came out, then won the Midland Award, and my house burned down. That tragedy overwhelmed the book. With two old friends–one was  81 years old–I bought a bar in a rather “tough” Chicago neighborhood and that lasted 3 years, during which I became a father. Full circle:20 years after I left, I came back to Indiana, with my wife and son, and went to work as a carpenter again, for the ensuing 20 years.

Without the mental wherewithal to be a writer and a fixer-upper, I assumed the pragmatic role of a carpenter again, and writing all but disappeared from my life. But it’s a strong pull to want to write, so when a publisher, Victor Volkman, offered to re-publish the book, and suggested I write something to tie it into today, I jumped at the chance. It took about 18 months to put it together, but the happy result is this new edition, which ultimately, consequently, brings me here.

The Coca-Cola Trail [PB]

SKU 978-0-692-84430-4
$26.95
People and Places in the History of Coca-Cola
1
Product Details
UPC: 978-0-692-84430-4
Brand: Modern History Press
Binding: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Author: Larry Jorgensen
Pages: 210
Publication Date: 08/01/2024

The Coca-Cola Trail is a journey for anyone interested in discovering the history and growth of the world's most recognized product. The trail will take readers to the places in America that tell the story - places where you can see, touch, and remember. Whether a serious Coca-Cola memorabilia collector, a person interested in American business history, or simply a fan--The Coca-Cola Trail provides a fresh new look at a trusted old friend. 30 chapters cover each bottling plant location in meticulous detail, including unique and ghost billboard signage.

So, what is a Coca-Cola Bottler? Well, from a legal standpoint, it's a franchisee of the Coca-Cola company, who has been granted the right to bottle and sell Coca-Cola in an exclusive territory. This franchise or contract has been amended and otherwise changed somewhat over the years to add many additional brands, but in the beginning, it was granted for the sole purpose of bottling and distributing Coca-Cola throughout the bottler's territory.

In the early years, it was bottled one bottle at a time, placed in wooden cases, and hauled to the customer in horse or mule-drawn wagons. The bottling plants were crude and the task was difficult but by acquiring these franchises, these entrepreneurs had unknowingly won the lottery. They had settled on investing in a product that would change the world. A fabulous beverage with a delicious, unique taste profile that provided a refreshing boost to the drinker. Even in today's world, with thousands of brands of both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, Coca-Cola remains at the top in providing that unique taste and special experience in a beverage. You combine this great product with brilliant advertising and marketing from The Coca-Cola Company and "voila" you have a brand and company and a bottling and distribution system that has been so successful that books upon books have been written about it for over 100 years. That is unique in itself.

"If you like history of any type, you must read this book. Part history, part travel guide but always interesting, and when you've finished you'll be a master of some particular trivia questions.

The Coca-Cola Trail is chock-full of very interesting - every page brings a new delight of some lesser-known areas of the US. A wonderful book that I highly recommend to all history buffs."

-- Linda Thompson, host of

The Authors Show
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The Coca-Cola Trail [PB]

 

 

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