Wenger knife back in Dick Deane's hand

The Wenger Knife Company and Dick Deane have been buddies for years. Of course Dick knew about Wenger, but Wenger didn’t know about Dick until recently.

The Wenger Knife Company and Dick Deane have been buddies for years. Of course Dick knew about Wenger, but Wenger didn't know about Dick until recently.

A few weeks ago Dennis Piretra, the Vice President of marketing for the company's North America Division, was a guest on my radio show. During the show Dick called and told of an unusual location where a Wenger Swiss Army Knife is located. It may be the highest and coldest location of a Wenger knife in the world. But we'll get to the exact spot in a bit.

The history of the company begins with the Swiss Army, which is officially known as the Swiss Armed Forces. It is a unique organization, which is somewhere between a militia and what we know as a regular army.

Beginning in 1874, the federal army in Switzerland includes every able-bodied male. All are required to serve, plus, after serving, they are required to remain in the reserves until they reach the age of 50.

While visiting Switzerland in 1912, Kasier Wilhelm II viewed Swiss Army maneuvers. During World War I, the entire Swiss Army was mobilized and as a result the Kaiser knew what the German Army would have to put up with if he invaded the country, so he stayed away. The entire army, meaning all able-bodied males, was completely mobilized again during World War II and because of the reputation of the Swiss Army being tough and because of their numbers, Switzerland escaped invasion again.

Although there are many facets to serving in the Swiss Army, basically, all Swiss males aged between 19 and 31 must serve, and although entry to recruit school may be delayed due to senior secondary school (high school), it is no longer possible to postpone it for university studies.

In addition, people who become Swiss citizens after the age of 25 are rarely required to serve and instead pay an additional 3 percent income tax. The country claims to be able to mobilize the entire population for warfare within 12 hours.

Switzerland is a neutral country and thus does not take part in wars or other conflicts, but members of the armed forces keep their rifles and uniforms in their home. In the past they were also issued 50 rounds of ammunition, but this is no longer the practice. As a part of prepardiness, members of the armed forces are also issued a folding pocketknife, known as the Swiss Army Knife.

In 1889, the Swiss Army acquired a new rifle. It required a screwdriver to disassemble. They needed the world's first multi-purpose tool, which included a knife, screwdriver, reamer and a can opener. At first the knife was made in Germany, because the Swiss were not capable of mass production.

Once this barrier was overcome, a knife manufacturing company, which today is know as Victorinox, was established and began making Swiss Army knives.

Soon a second company, the company which would become Wenger, also received a contract to produce the knives.

The term Swiss Army is a registered trademark owned by the Wenger and Victorinox knife companies. Wenger history states, "Wenger has been a supplier to the Swiss Army since 1893, and its sister-company, Victorinox, since 1890. To avoid friction between the two companies, the Swiss Government decided in 1908 to use each supplier for half of its requirements. So Victorinox can lay claim to being the "original" and Wenger can state its Swiss Army Knives are "genuine." In any case, both have been manufacturing Swiss Army Knives for over 100 years and both must meet identical specifications defined by the Swiss Army."

These days Wenger and Victorinox continue to supply a combined total of about 50,000 knives to the Swiss Army every year.

Today, Wenger has several varieties of knives, including one with 87 implements and 141 functions, called the Giant. The knife has a price tag of $1400, is nearly nine inches wide and is usually purchased by novelty collectors. But Dennis Piretra tells of one California chef who ordered one and uses it regularly.

The company also markets footwear, watches, outdoor gear, travel gear and business gear.

Now, back to Dick Deane. In 1975, his friend, Don Calbick, stopped by and said, "Dick we need to climb Mt. Rainier."

Dick was all for the adventure. So they trained by walking, running and by other means to get in shape for the climb. They also hired a guide, which is a common practice and guide services usually plan on taking a group of hikers instead of just one or two.

Mt. Rainier is a two-day climb, with a night spent at Camp Muir. The climb is then continued the next morning. Everything went according to plan and the climbing group reached the summit with time to relax for a while before heading down again.

The rim of the mountain crater is lined with rock in places and snow in others. The group was lounging on a rocky area.

The guide needed to cut some string on a piece of equipment, so he reached for his knife. Then he realized he had left it in another backpack at Camp Muir. He asked if anyone had a knife, so Dick offered his Wenger Swiss Army Knife.

The guide opened the knife, cut the strings, closed the knife and was preparing to hand it back to Dick, when it slipped from his hand and fell into a rocky crevice. It lay about three feet down and could be seen, but because of the shape of the rocks it was impossible to retrieve.

Dennis was fascinated with Dick's story and thanked him for telling it on the air. A week or so later a package arrived on my doorstep from the Wenger Company. Inside was a Swiss Army Knife with a note on the outside, stating, "For Dick, to replace the one on Mt. Rainier."

I took it to him last Friday.

"I can't believe it," he said. "I need Dennis' address, so I can send him a thank you note."

Then he opened the box, looked it over and noticed his name was engraved on the handle.

Next time you set eyes on Mt. Rainier, remember Dick's Wenger, the Genuine Swiss Army Knife, is still there, just three feet down from the summit between a few rocks.