Are You a Looky-Loo...?

The message forum is an ongoing dialogue between classmates.

These are random subjects, topics, and trivia.

Forums work "when" people "participate" so "don't be just a "Looky-Loo"! 

Click the "Post Message" button to add "your" comments to the forum!

You'll be "glad" you did!

Bill Leggett

Rex Booth

OK,  All You Boy and Girl Car Buffs... 

Guess the year, make and model of this car?!! 

What were you doing  that year?  Any memories of cars that takes you back to your Junior HIgh and RHS days?

All Participants have the Chance to Win: 1st Prize!!

Sherry Hester (Trasp)

1957 Chevrolet (Chevy) Bel Air Coupe (Black) 

Cal Turley

Patrick Riley

Yep ... the things we take for granted can, given enough time, turn into "classics".

Last year (2022), my largest client purchased the black '57 Chevy Bel Air you see in this link and the photo below for ... hold on ... $187,000! It's in nice condition but that's a lot of appreciation for a car that cost ~ $1,800 brand new!

https://www.mecum.com/lots/FL0122-487883/1957-chevrolet-bel-air/

This Chevy now resides in a purpose-built sealed nitrogen-filled atmosphere and temperature-controlled car storage capsule in the hangar where he keeps his private jet and multiple other expensive vehicles.

Question ... does Sidney Allen still have his car collection? I'd love to see photos!

John Landess

Pat,

Obviously, your client??? has more money than he knows what to do with. Sad that he bought the ugliest one of the tri-fives, and one that had been ruined by being tubbed and who knows what else!!! Oh well, if you can afford em!

Cal, I think Mike raced his '57 150 Chev out at the base.

Patrick Riley

True ... my client has lots of money which means lots of cars, including:

- Tesla Plaid (his cheapest "ride")
- Mercedes Maybach
- Mercedes G-Wagon
- Ferrari
- Lamborghini
- BMW (V12)
- Rolls-Royce (3)
- Bently (2)
- McLaren
- more ...

Like I said: "lots of cars". The '57 Chevy is his only "classic" ... he's yet to drive it. I love seeing how the other half lives!

He went to the Mecum Auto Auction in Orlando (their biggest) and bought the Chevy on a whim! This was his first and only auto auction; he went at the request of a friend. His friend came to buy a specific Shelby Cobra (I think) ... bid somewhere over a million dollars and got outbid... left with nothing.

Rex Booth

Dickie Harrell was known as "Mr. Chevrolet".  One year, I drove down to visit my cousin in Carlsbad. Along with another friend's '62 409, we went over to Dickie's place to talk about  setting up his 409. Dickie quoted 1500.00 to set up the motor, suspension, tires, you name it. He also "guaranteed" you'd win at the next drag race! If another drag racer's protest resulted in an engine tear down.. Dickie had so many mechanical tricks up his sleeve that even the NHRA officials couldn't find a violation! Unfortunately, in1971, he lost his life in a crash during a race in Toronto, Canada, when a front tire explosion at 220 mph sent Harrell into a light pole.

Gary Poe had a unique  '57 Chevy. It was a 'four-door' hardtop yellow paint white top. Spent many a time "playing it cool" dragging main street.

Grant Crawford had a black '57 Chevy with lakers and tear drop spot lights. His wife Candy also had  a '57 Chevy.  Sweet Cherry Car... looked better than the '55 or '56 and in my humble opine, even the '58.

John Doyal

Rex, my sister bought a 58 chevy that belonged to Dickie.  She was in college at Socorro and a student from Carlsbad down on his luck sold it to her cheap.  She and her boyfriend soon found out it did not run like it was stock.  They went to Carlsbad to see the caverns and promptly got stopped by the police thinking Dickie was driving it.  She had no idea who he was, but soon found out  When she got married, she gave to my dad who later traded it for a pickup.

Rex Booth

~ Well Folks, it's time to hand out the Awards! ~

Prize #3   Award - Patrick for his Automotive "Wish List" 

Prize #2   Award - Cal Turley for Historical Facts, Stories, and (maybe) Folklore (was the Duster car club started out at the Base?)

Prize #1   Awarded to Sherry Hester for naming the '57 Chevy Bel Air (Sherry you still need to tell us "your story" about the '57 Chevy...)

Hornorable mention goes to John Doyal for his sister's story about the '58 chevy previously owned by Dickie Harrell.

Here's some Interesting facts observed by your Administrator: 25 to 30 classmates log on per day to check out the Message Forum. If just five classmates per day chimed in or at least contributed their stories or experiences, what Geat Fun that would be for all!   

"Keep those cards and letters coming right on in"!  (This "line" was borrowed from the Dean Martin Show if y'all remember it)

Sherry Hester (Trasp)

Well Thank You For the Prise!!
My Story, 
My Grand Parents, Robert and Theodica Green lived in Portales. They had the Greens Greens Grocery on Ave. C and 6th. In 1957 they paid cash for a turquoise 1957 Chevy 4 door Sedan for cash $1,700 We thought that was a lot of money and to actually pay cash was something, in the "day"!! My younger (12) brother got in the back seat with the cigarette lighter and burned the back of the drivers side seat! I will never for get those little circles! My grandparents did not get very upset our Mother wanted to "Kill" him. (as Mothers did back then!). Back to the car. When My Grandparents passed my cousin got the car hoping it was worth something. Of course it was a Sedan not a Coupe so had no real value. 

In 1956 my Dad bought the most wonderful green and white Oldsmobile!! I love that car!! 
Linda Dumas and I were taking Robert Holmes home on a Sunday from First Methodist Church. He lived "way out"  on North Main maybe what is now Mescalaro or Berrendo, It was a gravel road and as I was turning east of Main I started fishtailing OMG! I was so scared. If I had wrecked that car I don't know what would have happened!  I was very careful from then on! It was "My Dad's Oldsmobile"!!    

Paula Carl (Cowee Miller)

Love your story, Sherry. You mentioned that your grandparents paid cash for their car; I wonder if that was the norm?  I know my parents always paid cash for their vehicles; it was their norm. 

Paula Carl (Cowee Miller)

I'm asking a question because I have girl grandchildren who are depressed. Ladies, were you depressed in high school?  I don't think I was but I didn't know myself very well back then. Besides I don't think I had time to be depressed but that's another story. But this phenomenon seems to be very prevalent among todays young girls. Harris Faulkner's on FOX news has two teenage girls and she said today that 60% of teenage girls are depressed. How very sad and heartbreaking. What say ye?  

Sherry Hester (Trasp)

Paula, Thank You! You may be right about paying cash! 
 

I don't think I was depressed as a young girl.
I think part of the depression young girls have today has
to do with all the social media young people are expose today!
I also think being raised in such a small town we were some
what protected and naive. 

I use to laugh about how we never heard or learned of
the trends from the East or West coasts until they were 
old news. The new clothes styles or dance styles were
old news by the time we learned of them. When we finally
got a TV we were more aware of new trends.
When I got out into the world my eyes were really opened.
It was a great time and I miss those days. 
 

John Doyal

I know when we lived at the ranch our mail was in a box at the Caprock store which we only went to maybe once a month, so it would have been hard to buy a car and make payments.  At that time a car purchase was a major investment with the thought it would last for at least 10 or more years,(Haggard song).  After we moved to town my dad still bought things with the idea they would last until the next time we went to town.  This buying included (saddle oxfords!!),  which made my sisters depressed.  They lasted long enough to be handed down   as they were outgrown.  Dresswise they were fine as my mom was an excellant seamstress and made most of their dresses with the newest patterns.

Paula Carl (Cowee Miller)

Yes John. My parents kept cars,furniture,appliances,etc forever. My mother made our clothes; she often remade hers for me so they weren't very fashionable!  My dad and brothers were very tall so she made their long sleeve shirts because there were none to buy. They were very frugal at home but that served them well because they traveled the world and we traveled with them through the slide shows when we would come for visits. Very entertaining !  

Rex Booth

I remember the Levi pants my folks bought before grade school started. They were so long leg-wise one had to roll them up about 12 inches so you wouldn't look like Sad Sad or Beetle Bailey! They bought them long so you wouldn't grow out of em in 6 months!

Hand me downs...?  Oh yeah!  That my aunt gave me (from my cousin in Carlsbad).   During those Junior High years my cousin was 6 months older and taller by about 6 inches. After high school things changed....height wise, much to his chagrin !  Hey, some of his shirts were stylin' and pretty cool to wear!

Rex Booth

"Wheels" instrumental by the “String-A-Longs”

Their hit peaked at  #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc!  Written by Stephens and Torres of the “String-A-Longs”, who were called the “Leen Teens” from Plainview, Texas in their early days. The song was recorded at Norman Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico in 1960.  What a cool sound to 'tool around', on a hot summer night! 

What other songs did you like to listen...?

Turn the volume down a little..!

Saundra Bennett (Whiteside)

I have 3 younger sisters, & we were stairsteps growing up.  Every year before school started, we gathered in a room,   I passed the clothes I had outgrown on to the sister 2 years younger than me.  Shd passed hers on to the sister :2 years younger than her.  She in turn passed hers on to our youngest sister.  I often got hand-me downs from a cousin.  Our mom also made many of our clothes!  She taught us how to sew. So we made some of our own clothes.  This system served us well!

John Doyal

Saundra, my wife never got hand-me-downs because she had John for older brother.  So my boys got new clothes every year. Would not have worked with the second boy anyway because he wore his out before out growing them.  How many of you bought new for your kids and did away with hand-me-downs?  Rex, I had wheels on a 45 that between my sister and I literaly wore it out.  My favorite rock song with words was and still is house of the rising sun by the Animals.  Pandora plays it a lot.

Rex Booth

Saundra,

I beleive you said your grandmother and grand-dad were early settlers in Caprock... 45 miles east of Roswell? That would be a story of interest for others including John Doyal. Didn't they travel to Caprock in a covered wagon?

Rex Booth

John D,

You mentioned "House of Rising Sun" by Eric Burdon. One of my fav's.  There is an interesting background story on the song's lyrics that were originally about a 'working girl' in a house of ill repute. Before the Animals recorded it, the record company had them change the word 'girl' to 'boy' due to the Ango-Saxon Victorian influence still present in England at the time.  Here's other 'orginal' lyrics by Joni Mitchell.

https://jonimitchell.com/music/song.cfm?id=635

That song by Merle the Pearl "Are The Good Times Really Over"  Believe it went something like this...

Let's make a Ford and a Chevy
Still last "ten years" like they should
The best of the free life is still yet to come
The good times ain't over for good

Saundra Bennett (Whiteside)

Yes, my mother's parents traveled to New Mexico in a covered wagon from north Texas when my mom was 1 year old.  They settled in the Caprock area.   The kiddos had to walk quite a way to school each day.  My grandmother put a light in the window to help guide them home at night,  My grandparents had s store, and my grandmother cooked for the men who worked on thd highway,  Quite a feat since she had 7 children to care snd cook for, also!  There is s roadside park in the place where they settled named after my grandfather called Waldrop Park.  I think it is sbout 30 or 40 milrs from Roswell, on the way to Tatum,  our family has had picnics there a few times,

John Doyal

Saundra,  my grandparents did come to Caprockin a covrered wagon and homesteaded about 11 miles south on the road that the tv tower  was on.  Do you know where the school was at?  My dad talked about riding burrors to school  when younger and later in a homemade schoolbus.  When I lived at the ranch I caught the bus at our house at 5 in the morning and got home at 5 in the evening with school being in Tatum.  My dad bought the original schoolhouse and had it moved to the south end of our ranch and it was used for a church for several years.  My dad knew the Waldrops and I think they had a store at that location, but it was gone when I lived at the ranch.  We hunted quail all around there as there were always some there.  Just south of there is the east white sands park which can be seen from our ranch.  Forgot to mention I never had hand-me-downs because I was oldest of 8 and cousins were much older.

Saundra Bennett (Whiteside)

We  found the schoolhouse years sgo, but I couldn't say where it was now,  One of my aunts told a funny story about getting in trouble for talking at school!  She was sent outside and had to whip herself!