The Learning Years, by Dick Votaw (part 7)
(part 1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
My senior year at CMC was absolutely the best. It started the fall of 1950. Aunt & Unc gave me an early graduation present, a new 1950 Buick. It was a two door and green and had those big ‘teeth’ for a grill. I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. They drove it out for me from Indiana and arrived about a month after school started. What fun I had taking my friends everywhere in my new Buick. On occasion we even went to Victorville for breakfast. At first it was rather hard to study because I was always wanting to drive somewhere in my new car.
Unc’s letter to Dick about Buying a Car
Aug. 22 -50
Dear Kids:
I just called the Chevy dealer in Danville and they were not interested enough to even ask my name. They said they had only had 3 Bell Airs this year and had a lot of orders ahead so no chance at all soon.
We saw Bill & Babe Sun., and didn’t get much out of them only that Bill has a new Buick and wants to sell you his ’49. They thot their daughter might be able to help thru her “Boss” but he is on vacation and won’t be back till the end of this week. They said they would try but it doesn’t sound too good to me.
I was in the Monarch Buick yesterday and talked to a salesman that I know and he thought he could get one in about a month. Am enclosing model & prices. Then I went to the Johnson Chevy place across the street and they showed no interest but said it would take at least 3 or 4 months to get one.
The Bell Air is 1819.85 stripped, heater 67.00, back up lights 12.50, direction lights 20.00, radio 81.00. They didn’t even ask my name either.
Now don’t know whether the Buick man knows his stuff or not for I talked to another salesman that seemed doubtful about getting one that soon. In case you decide on a Buick you had better not loose any time in letting me know for he meant a month from yesterday. Conditions could change.
Love, Unc
Unc (Frank Jessup) shown here with the 1950 Buick Special he and Tirzah purchased for Dick’s early college graduation gift. When he was told about the gift, Dick was working at Sequoia in the summer before his senior year at CMC.
I think that this is the car that my parents still had when I was a small child. If not this one, then it was one very similar to it.
This is the Buick brochure that Frank sent to Dick. (Click to enlarge for viewing.) As you can see, the car that Dick received is similar, but not exactly the same. It’s clear from the letter at left and this brochure that the car-buying experience isn’t what it used to be.
Here Mildred stands next to their new Buick, bought in 1951.
Frank (shown here on the farm in Indiana) and Tirzah got their new Buick in 1954.
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