160 In a letter dated February 20, 1953 to Dan Gutleben: Cecil Ferguson shared, “The real success of Western States is due to Mr. Parker’s good management and fair dealing. Their machine has left all the others so far behind I doubt if they will ever catch up. They have given us all their screen business since I talked with Mr. Parker some years ago.” In a letter dated June 28, 1979 to Tony Stuhlreyer, Cecil Ferguson wrote: My first acquaintance with Western States Machine Company was when Roberts, Parker, Echenique and Nelson came to the American Tool and Machine Company when I was an office boy (1920). I wanted to learn more about the actual sugar business and after talking with Roberts, I left the American Tool Company and Roberts got me a job as a mechanic’s helper on the centrifugals at Spreckels refinery in Yonkers, New York. After some time when American Tool and Western States split, I went with Western States, working in sales out of the New York office. CHAPTER 13 Mr. Wirshing, brother in law to the Serralles, and Mr. Junghands (Superintendent of Central Mercedita) came to the office and we closed a deal for three self-discharging machines and six 24” x 40” F.B. belt driven machines on an eight space mixer for their new refinery. I was in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic at the time and went out to Mercedita (These were the first machines manufactured by Columbia Tool). When Mr. Junghands met me he took off his hat and said, “You see this grey hair – well, how a man of my intelligence could let a young fellow like you sell me this mess of junk, I do not know.” The machines would not work. I said, “You get me a pair of shoes, pants and shirt and I will make them work.” So we went to the commissary and got what I needed and found a Puerto Rican