In 1941 Granddad Shoemaker started working as a distributor for Phillips 66, a petroleum (gasoline) company based in Oklahoma.  He worked for them up until he died of colon cancer in 1960.

He liked to bowl and sponsored a Phillips 66 team for more than 10 years.

In August of 1949, he took the family on a trip out west to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, home of Phillips Petroleum.  They stopped in St. Louis on the way home. (See the news clipping below.) They would've traveled on part of the historic US Highway(Route) 66.

Phillips 66 has a history with US Route 66. In 1927 during a test drive of a newly developed high-octane gasoline on US Route 66, the vehicle reached a cruising speed of 66 mph. The new fuel was named Phillips 66. Even the Phillips logo was inspired by the Route 66 road signs that dotted the length of the highway. (Information from Phillips 66 website)

Click on the Phillips 66 sign and then click "Tour Our History" in the right margin to find out more about the company.

Click on the news clipping and then click "Route 66" in the right margin to follow Route 66 from Chicago to the west coast.

This is a video of Bobby Troupe performing the song "Get Your Kicks from Route 66."  Route 66 was also a 1960s TV show.