 First
Place Story
1949 Chevy Pickup, Color -
swift red, mileage 66,240 engine size 216 C1
Story by J. R. Rusch, Victoria TX
This
truck has been in the family since it was new.
It was built in Kansas City, Missouri. The
original owner was my grandfather. I am the
second owner. I acquired the truck in 1968 as
it could not be driven because it had an
overheating problem. In 1969, I pulled the
engine in my college auto mechanics class and
repaired it. I drove the truck as my daily
driver until 1978. I had a construction
business so the truck was used to haul tools,
lumber, sand, etc.
In
1978, I parked the truck in lieu of a bigger,
newer pickup. I lost interest in the ’49, so it
remained in my dad’s barn in Kansas. In 2001 my
interest in old vehicles grew and I decided to
haul the truck to Texas and begin a three-year
restoration process. This truck never saw a
paved road while it was in Kansas. The frame
had many years of grease, grime, and dirt which
had to come off in order to paint.
I
began an off-the-frame restoration with
everything being removed for sandblasting, body
work, etc. Most body parts, chrome, sheet
metal, etc. are original. This was my first
project of restoring a vehicle with my
involvement. Was it ever a learning experience
and was it ever a lot of work! The term “Labor
of Love” definitely fits this truck. The end
results have been gratifying for myself, and
others as well, who have enjoyed seeing the
truck at shows. The truck was completed on
November 3, 2006.
Each time I drive and or show my truck, I have
many fond memories of my Grandfather and how he
told me when I was a kid to just get in and
drive it. Being only 10 years old at the time,
I was skeptical at first when I drove his truck
for the first time for fear of doing something
wrong. I remember him saying everything will be
O.K., you can do it. Little did I know I would
some day be the owner of that very truck.
The
sign “For Sale” will never be seen on this red
truck. My grandfather gave me the truck with
one stipulation, don’t make it a hot rod. I
remember his wishes and adhered to it. My son
will be the new owner of this family truck when
I no longer am able to drive it or it’s my time
to pass.
 2nd
Place Story
1960 Cadillac El Dorado
- Two-door, hard top - Red w/ Black Top
Story by Darleen Dolan (Owner)
In
1994, we were in San Antonio and got lost. I
saw this beautiful car sitting in someone’s yard
and it had a small “For Sale” sign on it. I
went to the door and no one was home. We ate
and went back, and this poor little man opened
the door and said he would die soon from cancer
and had just put the car out for sale. He had
owned it since 1961 (2nd owner), and
he wanted someone to get it who would love it
like he did. We look it for a test drive and
just loved the car and promised him we’d take
good care of it and give it a home. The man’s
name was Nylic Tatum, his first name was for New
York Life Insurance Company (NYLIC). This is
who his father worked for when he was born
(we’ve never forgot his name). We drove the car
home and the next day I picked up my daughter
and two-year old granddaughter to go for a
ride. (We live in Cuero, TX.) As we started
up a hill, I told my daughter that her dad said
“Ruby, (name we gave the car) could really move
and she said, “Show me.” I hit the accelerator
and it stuck wide open. Thank God, no one was
in front of me because I would have run smack
dab over them. I was screaming for my
granddaughter to get on the floor board and my
daughter to hang on. I really thought I might
kill us all. It finally came unstuck and I
pulled over and my daughter said, “Mom, everyone
is driving by and staring at us.” I was holding
my head because I had a rush of sudden pain. I
took her, I guess they think I was trying to
show off…WRONG! I told my husband about what
happened and he thought I was exaggerating….
Well, he didn’t think it was so funny when it
stuck wide open on a tour we were on. We had
our ten-year grandson in the back seat and I was
really screaming and my husband yelled at me to
(Please, shut up!). So I put my hand over my
mouth, but the screams still leaked out. He got
the car stopped and I couldn’t wait to get out
of the car and with my knees knocking. I looked
into the back seat at my grandson and his eyes
were about to bug out and he was plastered
against the seat and he said, “Wow, what a
ride! Grandpa can really drive. I can’t wait
to tell all the kids at school.” I told him to
tell the kids that Grandma could really drive,
too! When it happened for the third time, my
“Dear Husband” finally fixed it, he could not
stand my screaming!
My “Big Ruby” can leave the Turkey Ruby Begonia
of Cuero eating Dust….
 3rd
Place Story 
1950 Dark Green Cadillac - 1950 Starlight
Studebaker
Story by Gary East(Owner of Relic One), Red
Kirby(Owner of Relic Two)
The Tale
of Two Cars
This story
begins a long time ago in the small community of
Meyersville with a man named Randolph Drier. He
was born, lived his whole life, and then died in
the same house which, by the way, was struck by
lightning twice, but in an effort to avoid this
irritating event again, Randolph’s father just
up and moved the whole house to another location
on the ranch. Randolph inherited his ranch and
his habit of never getting rid of anything from
his father, who grew Mustang grapes and made
wine for the whole community including the local
priest, all the while collecting all sorts of
machines, including every car they ever owned.
Somewhere along the way, Randolph’s father
acquired two rather striking models, a 1950
light blue Starlite Studebaker bullet-body coupe
and a 1950 dark green Cadillac with a chartreuse
top. The elder Mr. Drier was reportedly a
shrewd businessmen who bought quality and
insisted on paying cash for everything except
one plow disk, which he bought on credit for
$150.00, and sold it 50 years later for $150.00,
so he did okay on that deal, too. Randolph died
at the age of 88, leaving a field of
automobiles, unprotected and rusting in the open
air. This is where our other old relics come
into the story.
Gary East:
“I’ve always been very fond of cars, and now
that I have retired, I have more time to give to
the hobby.” About six years ago, Gary came
across a 1950 two-door hard top Cadillac with
fender skirts and a continental kit that had
been bought from an estate sale by Ray Ferris, a
Victoria wrecking yard dealer, just a few days
before. After purchasing the car for the
bargain price of $1,250.00, he took the car home
to show it to his family. The weather worn
relic was in such bad shape that he was
surprised it stayed all together when he
unloaded it from the wrecker. Gary’s wife
Betty asked in shock, “How much did you have to
pay for that?” Gary answered 1250, and
his wife said in relief, “Now, $12.50 isn’t so
bad!” She evidently didn’t see the potential
that Gary did! Gary spent a whole year
refurbishing the car because, being an
outside-the-barn find, it was full of assorted
nests, acorns, and pecan shells, since squirrels
had been using the old hulk as their
warehouse. It had also obviously been a
trampoline for kids and a place for cows to test
their horns.
Two years
later, Gary decided to join the Golden Crescent
Region chapter of the AACA car club, where he
met many car buffs who shared the same
enthusiasm for his hobby, including Red Kirby
from Blessing, Texas, another collector and, for
this story, owner of Relic Two. Both men
just happened to attend Heritage Days in
Refugio, where car club members linked up their
old cars for the spectators to appreciate and
where the owners could swap stories of where and
how the cars came to be restored. On this
particular afternoon, the two 1950 models just
happened to end up side-by-side in the
line up.
Red Kirby,
who did a double take, asked, “Where
did you get that car?” in amazement and
recognition. “What color was it originally?
since it was now a shiny bright blue with a
silver top. His now shiny good-lookin’ black
Studebaker was sitting just a few feet from the
restored and elegant Cadillac, both
side-by-side, Red’s memory went into overdrive!
Red told Gary
that he had seen the cars earlier at an estate
sale, both in about the same rusted and
abandoned condition sitting side-by-side about
six years ago. He thought about buying both
cars but his wife said no more old cars. Betty,
Red’s wife which is also Gary’s wife’s name,
asked Red after the sale had he bought a car?
Red said you told me not to. Betty said well
you never listened to me before. A few weeks
later Red attended another sale where he saw the
man who purchased the Studebaker. The man had
thought his son might want the car, but no
sale. Red bargained and bought the car for
$100.00 more than the man gave. Red was a
winner. Red worked many long hours out in his
shop at Blessing, a car guy’s dream with barns
full of pieces and parts of many an old car, and
finally had his black bullet ready to take on
the road. What thrill to see the old car going
down the highway again and participating in a
car tour with the club. Never did Red dream he
would see the old Caddy again, much less find it
sitting side-by-side with his latest find at
Refugio, and doubly much less brought back to
life again. What are the odds of these two
“field-mates” finding owners who cared enough to
give them a second chance! Here they sat, two
old relics, side-by-side, and here were the new
friends, side-by-side, and ready to tell anyone
who would listen about their treasured old cars.
From then on,
these two cars have gone on a number of tours,
and Gary and Red have become good friends who
not only share a hobby, they now claim a
history! If for some reason, one of the two
can’t make an event, the “Old Relic” is truly
missed.
Note: The
two old friends, Studebaker and Caddy, were
parked side by side at the Car Festival.
Special Recognition
 1955
Chevrolet, Model 1210 - Two-door with post -
Green
Story by
William Myer (Owner)
Today,
on the way to the Edna Car Show, we hit a deer,
lucky us.
We bought
this car on Father’s Day 2007 and on the First
Day of Deer Season we got our first deer of the
season.
Ha! Ha!
Note: The
story is authentic and validated.
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