From telegraphs to telephones, from World War II to the World Wide Web, John C. Vander Haag has seen it all.

With Vander Haag, Inc., locations in Spencer, Des Moines and Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Sioux Falls, S.D., Vander Haag has watched the salvage industry grow and change for nearly 60 years.

His father, a Dutch immigrant, started South Side Junkyard in Sanborn, Iowa, in 1939 with a Model A car, a two-wheel trailer and $48. He purchased his first salvage vehicle, a Model T, for $7. Vander Haag was only 7 years old, but the business already fascinated him, and he helped his father whenever he could.

"When I went to grade school I couldn't wait to get out of school to see what happened at the business during the day," he said.

Young Entrepreneur

Even as a teenager, Vander Haag had ideas to help the business grow. Because cars were made strictly for the government during World War II, auto parts were nearly impossible to find; Vander Haag found a way around this. When customers requested parts, Vander Haag would search the United States using a magazine published by the National Auto and Truck Wreckers Association (now ARA).

"I was the one guy who had enough initiative to get the parts," he said. "I would go down to the depot and send a telegram. That's how I would order those transmissions and rear ends. We were known throughout northwest Iowa; if you needed a part, we could find it. I was a young entrepreneur."

At age 15, Vander Haag dropped out of high school to work in his father's business full time. He finished his education by reading everything he could and by taking courses when he was drafted into the Army during the Korean Conflict.

Sharing Ideas

He took over the business entirely in 1955 when he was discharged from the service and his father started to have health problems. In 1957, he drove 500 miles to Chicago to attend his first NATWA meeting.

"For a little lad from Sanborn, Iowa, population 1,350, this was quite an experience," he said.

As Vander Haag shared ideas with the 75 other participants, he began to realize the importance of associations -- a belief he still holds today.

"They took me in and made me feel at home," he said. "I was just a young boy from a small town. We'd sit there with a pencil and paper, getting information, just like we were hungry. I picked up so much information, it more than paid for the trip."

That same year, Vander Haag started the Iowa Automotive Wreckers Association (now Iowa Automotive Recyclers), and he became NATWA president in 1970. While he attributes much of his success to God, his family and his employees, he said the national association has had the biggest impact on his business. The contacts he has made and the ideas he has exchanged have helped him more than anything, he said.

"I'd go to a meeting, and everyone around me is just like I am," he said. "They're all self-made individuals. Everyone around me speaks the same language I speak and has the same problems I have."

The 'Taj Mahal'

In 1967, Vander Haag moved his business to Spencer, Iowa. The Des Moines and Sioux Falls yards followed in 1985 and 1992, but Vander Haag decided to keep living in Sanborn and commute back and forth.

"It's my home town," he said.

All of the businesses specialize in pickups through heavy-duty trucks, parts and equipment.

"I decided trucks were probably the way to go," he said. "I looked around at the truck end of it and liked what I saw. I've always been intrigued by trucks."

Last March, Vander Haag opened his newest location in Council Bluffs, Iowa. A 9,200-square-foot former steak restaurant is the storefront, and vehicles are dismantled at a farm six miles away. Vander Haag sold the restaurant furniture at an auction, but he kept the plush carpeting, the mirrors and the swirled wallpaper and even converted the bar into his sales counter.

"It's pretty fancy. I call it my Taj Mahal," he said. "Customers kind of shake their heads when they walk in and see the plush carpet and wallpaper. It's a beautiful setup. Everyone that walks in has never seen anything like it."

ARA President Don Cowell, who has known Vander Haag for 15 years, said Vander Haag's success comes from his strong work ethic.

"John's a real hard worker," he said. "When he gets something in his mind, he finishes it. I'd recommend to anyone just starting in this business to visit John's facilities. They could learn an awful lot from John."

Collections, Cars, and Chevy Art

When he's not busy at one of his yards, Vander Haag likes to spend time in his "toy barn," a two-story addition to his house that holds everything he has collected over the years.

Vander Haag had named the first floor, which holds classic cars and trucks, his "Classic Garage." He named the second floor "Yesterday's Memories," and it holds 50 display cases filled with coin collections, photos, souvenirs from his travels around the world and all of the other collectibles Vander Haag has saved throughout his life. His vast collections are protected by security systems and fire alarms.

"I don't care what subject matter it is," he said. "If I like it, I'll save it."

Vander Haag also collects antique filling-station memorabilia and hopes to build a 1930s service station in front of his classic garage.

Another prized collectable, a 1928 Chevy truck, rests in his yard. The old wooden parts have rotted, and the rest of the truck is rusted to the ground. A sign reads, "Yesterday's 1928 Chevy truck ... may it rust and rot in peace." Recently, Vander Haag received a letter from the city asking him to remove it, and he responded with a letter of his own, defending the truck.

"I say it's art," he said. "It's history."

While Vander Haag's collections keep the past alive, he is also looking to the future by passing the business on to his son, John M. (Mike) Vander Haag, who began working there in 1990. Vander Haag described his son as a natural leader.

"I knew from day one that he was going to join the business," he said. "You couldn't have anyone who could be more like I am. I am passing the baton to another generation."