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Some of you may remember the white 1957 Chevrolet convertible bought new
by Bill Joe and John Johnson's mother. Top of the line white Bel Air
convertible with every option except a Wonder-Bar radio. It had a 283 V8
"Power Pack", 4bbl carb, dual exhausts, dual antennas, dual mirrors,
spinners, skirts, Chinese red with silver interior and a power top. I
don't know where or to whom she sold the car, but in 1963 it ended up on
the showroom floor of a used car dealer in Union, actually sitting in what
is now the NAPA store in Union. At that time I had a little
Harley-Davidson and was out riding when I spotted the car, made a u-turn
into the parking area and found they were asking $1895 for the Chevy. I
made a $900 offer (the amount of my bank balance), and of course they
laughed me out of the place. To shorten this story, 3 months later the
salesman brought the car to Greenbrier Milling Co, where I was working and
offered it to me for $1200. I told him my original offer still stood, and
kept working. He left 3 times before returning and accepting my $900, and
I was the extremely proud owner of my dream car! I loved that car, and
kept it until it was rear-ended by a drunk when traffic was stopped at the
entrance to the Greenbrier in White Sulphur. (remember when the Greenbrier
Security would stop traffic on Rt.60 to allow cars from the Greenbrier to
enter?) I even took my Virginia driver's test with the top down in a
drizzle. The trooper testing me asked me if it wasn't about time to put
the top up, and I told him it had not been up for two weeks, and it would
be a couple more before it went up. He passed me anyway, even though water
was dripping from his hat.
Now to the unusual circumstances
pertaining to ownership of that Chevy;
The car was traded to that
dealer by a Parker, who had just gotten married. (I have long forgotten
his first name).
I was married before I owned the
car 3 months.
When I traded the car in
Covington Va., it was bought by a Ronnie Parker, and he too was married
within a few months of owning the car, and he traded it for a more family
friendly car.
Sadly, I lost track of it, and
we will never know how many other marriages may have taken place! |
