PRESS RELEASE

Ransom Eli Olds is generally regarded as Lansing's most famous citizen. In 1897, he founded the Olds Motor Works and went on to invent the famous Curved Dash Oldsmobile, the first mass-produced automobile. Then, in the spring of 1904, Mr. Olds abruptly severed his connection with the most successful automobile enterprise up to that time. On August 16, 1904, he incorporated his second great vehicle company, the Reo Motor Car Company.

Reo grew with the City of Lansing. The plant at 1333 South Washington, Lansing, Michigan, spanned dozens of acres. Hundreds of thousands of automobiles, trucks, buses, military vehicles and other products were manufactured there. The Company is fondly remembered for having built the world-famous Reo Royale classic car, the great Reo Speed Wagon truck and many other fine products. Thousands of Lansing families were supported by good-paying jobs at the Reo. As recently as 1973, Diamond Reo employed between 1,500 and 2,000 personnel. The Reo Clubhouse was a community center for social events and recreation for over 50 years.

Reo flourished as a Lansing community-born and developed company. Stable and profitable until the Depression, car production ceased in 1936, with truck production continuing. White Motor Corporation bought Reo in 1958, and in the 1960's, Reo, Diamond T and White trucks rolled off the assembly lines. But nothing lasts forever. Diamond-Reo truck production ended in 1975. The clubhouse and main plant were demolished in 1979. Almost all of the familiar reminders of Reo have disappeared from Lansing now, but Reo is far from forgotten.

A committee of Lansing community volunteers has begun efforts to prepare to celebrate the 2004 centennial of the founding of Reo. A big homecoming is planned for the third week of July, 2004. It is projected to be a Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 15, 16 and 17, 2004, get-together in downtown Lansing for Reo retirees and those who worked for Reo, Reo car and truck restorers and enthusiasts, local history enthusiasts, and the community. The theme of the event will be a community celebration in remembrance of R. E. and Metta Olds, Reo employees, the products of the Company and the historical sites around downtown Lansing and South Washington Avenue associated with Reo in particular, and the motor vehicle industry in general.

The homecoming celebrants will join with the Greater Lansing community to visit, view and enjoy downtown Lansing's numerous parks, museums and other cultural institutions, and to view the old Reo sites and the commercial areas and residential neighborhoods which developed around the old Reo plant.

For information, contact Jim Neal: evenings - (517) 332-7366.

Dated: February 19, 2001