An 85-year-old farmer was given a beautiful surprise when his son purchased a small, vintage tractor that he had used as a teenager and reminded him of his youth.
Tom Jordan was 13 years old when his father, Howard, purchased a 1953 Ford NAA tractor, dubbed the Golden Jubilee, which Tom then used in his teenage years to plow, mow, crimped, raked and baled hay, and spread manure on the family farm.
The tractor was the first Golden Jubilee sold in Lorain County, Tom’s family said, and throughout the 1960s, Tom formed a special attachment to his family’s all-round tractor.
But when the farm grew in the early 1970s, Tom’s father traded the Golden Jubilee for a larger Ford 4000, despite Tom asking Howard to keep his beloved vehicle as a spare tractor.
For the decades that followed, Tom was often heard saying he wished he had a Golden Jubilee again, but such a tractor was never in the family’s budget.
But this year, Tom’s son Wayne and his wife Kanina happened to have a little extra money and found a Golden Jubilee on a farm about an hour away, which they then purchased.
Wellington, Ohio, near the Huntington Township, where the Jordans are based, has an annual antique engine show, which Wayne thought would be the perfect event to surprise his father.
For Tom’s 85th birthday, on September 20, the family headed to the show, where Tom was taken around to admire the vintage tractors.
Having stopped at a 1953 Golden Jubilee, Tom was happy to see his favorite tractor, at which point Wayne then handed his father the keys.
A confused Tom initially thought the vehicle was Wayne’s, but when he then took a look at the sign and saw his name as the owner, the 85-year-old didn’t know how to react.
The emotional moment was captured on video by a family friend, Carrie Benton, whose husband, Chip, had given the tractor a quick tune-up before the surprise.
Tom now plans to drive the tractor around the farm, and the family are also setting the vehicle up so he can brush hog with it.
Tom will also have a proud moment when he gets to ride the tractor in a local parade.
Wayne said: “I drove him around to see the tractors, before pulling up to a 1953 Golden Jubilee.
“He was excited to see the Jubilee.
“Then I handed him the key, but he thought it was mine until we got him to look at the whole sign with his name on it.
“The look of confusion and shock made the whole thing worthwhile.
“This had been his favorite tractor before it was traded in, as he mostly drove it as a teenager.
“Dad is looking forward to just driving the tractor around the farm.
“He says it just feels good to sit on the tractor again.
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