I’m sure many of you a familiar with the Ozzie Mobile, our delivery van. We use the van to not only deliver prescriptions all over town but also to deliver lift chairs, hospital beds and other equipment all over the Chicago suburbs. This current version of the Ozzie Mobile is the latest in a long line of delivery cars stretching back to the 1950’s!
My son Alex has been using Google Photos to sort through all of the old Oswald’s photos. We have a huge collection of over 15,000 photos from my Dad, Robert Anderson, Grandpa Kester, Great Grandpa Oswald, and even a few from Great Great Grandpa Wickel! My son has used a feature on Google Photos to search by items in the pictures. So after searching for “cars” he put together a neat collage of Ozzie Mobiles throughout the years.
The first image is actually Louis Oswald’s personal car in the 1920’s. While it wasn’t officially an “Ozzie Mobile” a quick call to my mom Jean Anderson let me know that he did use his personal vehicle for Oswald’s business in the 20’s and 30’s. Mom remembers making deliveries with grandpa Oswald to Caroline Martin Mitchell (Martin Mitchell Mansion) and to the Callendars, residents of what is now Meson Sabika. It wasn’t until the early 1950’s that my Grandpa Kester purchased the first of many official Ozzie Mobiles.
While our current Ozzie Mobile is the largest we’ve had over the years, it makes me think of the smallest, and not-so-favorite one we had in the 1970’s – the Ford Pinto. Anyone remember that marvelous auto? The first delivery car I drove while I was in high school was a Plymouth that had an illuminated mortar and pestle stuck to the roof.
As our DME department continues to expand and deliver more and more large in-home medical products, we’re probably looking to buy an even bigger “Ozzie Mobile” in the near future! To the right you can check out the pictures Alex put together. It’s already been put up on our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest pages. So if you’re not following Oswalds Pharmacy on any or all of the above, make sure to check us out when you get a chance! Alex is always posting something from the archives, as well as new and exciting items in the store, events and so much more.
