| Sources |
- [S926] Find-A-Grave, (www.findagrave.com).
Frederick Pleines, Sr
Birth: Mar. 30, 1917
Forbes
Dickey County
North Dakota, USA
Death: Jun. 2, 2006
Roseville
Placer County
California, USA
Frederick Pleines Sr. was drifting from job to job, barely eking out a living during the Great Depression, when he got behind the wheel of a taxicab at age 21.
He never looked back. Through hard work and smart business deals, the high school dropout rose to become owner and president of Yellow Cab Co. of Sacramento, the largest fleet in Sacramento County.
Mr. Pleines died Friday of a stroke at Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center. He was 89.
After driving for two companies, he and a partner started their own business, Skyline Taxi, with two Dodge sedans in 1946. Following a series of mergers and acquisitions involving other carrier names -- including Checker, Oak Park, Union and Yellow -- he became the sole owner and operator of Yellow Cab Co. in 1960.
He succeeded in the rough-and-tumble taxi industry by taking risks, introducing innovations -- including the first two-way radio dispatching in Sacramento cabs -- and attention to customer service, his family said. He often split with other owners by urging more local regulation of taxi operators, including some who lacked insurance or permits.
He put in 15-hour work days, often walking door to door to solicit business. As service calls increased, he invested in more cars and drivers.
"He worked hard and was very honest," said his son. "He would have been successful at whatever he did."
Mr. Pleines was born in 1917 to a large family on a farm in Forbes, N.D. Financial hardship forced the family to sell the land and move to California, settling near Lodi.
He left home at age 13 and headed to Elk Grove, where he found room and board in exchange for doing yardwork and where he attended school until dropping out of 10th grade.
He moved to Sacramento, taking odd jobs to support himself but often going hungry, his family said. He worked as an elevator operator at the Senator Hotel and the Elks Building, where employees could get a free meal at a club atop the downtown high-rise.
Life changed when he turned 21, old enough to drive a taxicab. Surprised to end each shift with money in his pocket, he found his career as a cabbie and drove until 1942, when he was drafted into the Army Air Corps, serving as a medic in Africa, Italy and France.
"When he started, he might make 75 cents in tips," said his son. "You could buy a meal for a quarter back then, and he never went hungry."
Mr. Pleines returned to Sacramento as a cabbie in 1945. Business boomed after the war, as servicemen poured into town to work at local defense bases, and many families could not yet afford cars. He used his earnings as seed money to start his own taxi service, which he nurtured and grew through mergers with other cab companies.
"He saved his money, and that made him a little different," said his son, who became president of Yellow Cab Co. after his father retired in 1982. "He was not afraid to take a gamble, although he didn't see it as a gamble at the time."
Mr. Pleines found freedom and adventure driving a cab. A passenger he picked up leaving her job as a phone company operator in 1947 became his wife, Joyce Pleines, who died 13 years ago.
One of his earliest fares was a chef at the Rosemont Grill on Folsom Boulevard who had just been fired, said his son. The despondent cook, carrying his own kitchen knives, held the driver captive until Mr. Pleines brought the cab to a screeching halt outside the police station, jumped out and flagged two officers, who arrested the passenger.
Although running a taxi fleet was demanding, Mr. Pleines made time for his children, who eventually joined the family business. He coached his sons' Little League group one year, tapping into his work ethic and demanding practices seven days a week. The team went 16-2 that season, his son recalled proudly.
He also was a tough boss who chewed out drivers when customers complained of poor service or dirty cabs. But the gruff cabbie who didn't suffer fare cheaters lightly could be moved to tears when he saw an injured cat or dog on the road, family and friends said.
"He was strict but fair," said a Yellow Cab Co. driver for 38 years. "He really cared about people. A lot of us are really going to miss him."
Survived by two daughters; two sons; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Except source: Sacramento Bee, published Wednesday, June 7, 2006
Family links:
Parents:
August Pleines (1880 - 1931)
Karolina Bender Pleines (1881 - 1969)
Spouse:
Joyce Lamae Smith Pleines (1927 - 1994)*
*Calculated relationship
Burial:
Elk Grove Cosumnes-Cemetery
Elk Grove
Sacramento County
California, USA
Created by: ResearchRansom
Record added: Feb 18, 2013
Find A Grave Memorial# 105424225
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1917 - 2006 (89 years)