Katrina Survivor Wins Bodine's Oldest Motor Contest

Bodine Electric Co., Collierville, Tenn., is pleased to announce that Martin Butirich is the winner of its 100th Anniversary Oldest Motor Contest. His winning entry, a 1927 oscillating spindle sander, took the prize in two of the contest categories: the oldest Bodine product still doing its job, and the oldest Bodine product submitted.

Butirich, a resident of New Orleans, bought the sander earlier this year for $20 at a building-materials resale center. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, he was forced to evacuate his home and relocate to another state. He returned to New Orleans in October and discovered that the sander still worked perfectly. “Bodine had some pretty slick engineers back in the day,” he said.

As the winner, Butirich received a check for $2,000. Additionally, he requested that the Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund receive the contest's matching charitable donation.