It was 1995 and I was 16 years old living in Topeka, KS. My brother and I had bought our very first pair of “aggressive” skates the summer before and had submersed ourselves in the culture. Even though we were stuck in the middle of America and the internet was barely working, we were still able to see the culture through Daily Bread Magazine. It must have been in issue #4 where I came across the Senate Ad. If I remember it right, it was an Ad that just had “Senate The Super Company” and had the “Super S” logo on it. Down below it read, “For a sticker, please send $1 and self addressed stamped envelope.” Since I had just recent acquire my first motor vehicle I needed a sticker to show people who I was, a skater.As I searched around the house, I couldn’t find a dollar in cash. However, I did manage to find a lot of change. Being the “smart a$$” I am, I decided to send them dimes instead. In America, dimes represent 1/10 of a dollar. I cut a piece of ridged paper and taped 10 dimes to it, put it in an envelope and sent the letter on it’s way to Senate.
A few weeks past and one day I went out to get the mail. Low and behold there is a letter from Senate in mail. Running inside I couldn’t help but not get excited for a new sticker for my truck. And there it was, the “Super S” in RED!!! Wow, I was so pumped. “Yes, I’m set” I thought to myself, and then I noticed something else in the envelope. I pulled what was a piece of paper that had a copy of a dollar bill and a little “smart a$$” humor from Mr. Brooke Howard-Smith noticing my zip in KS. 66606. Yes, Evil. The Sign of the Devil.
I’m guessing they got my joke with the dimes. Looking and reading the piece of paper, I could just imagine the guys sitting at the office, opening up the letter, seeing the dimes and just shaking their heads in disbelief that someone just did that. One can only hope it happened that way.
Over the years, I sold my truck but managed to keep the “Super S” but it was thrown away several years ago after it started cracking and chipping away. Yet, the letter I received, is just like it was the day I got it. It was well worth the dollar in dimes I sent them.
Many Cheers,
Nick Skelton
