I was about 13 years old when this GM product and I became very good friends. It was owned by my Uncle who lived across the road from our home. The car was a two door vehicle, dark green in color and was a special order. The typical model back then had the gear shift on the steering column which he felt uncomfortable using thus the in-the-floor version. The car was purchased from Red Johnson in Rowland, a dealer who provided Chevrolet automobiles for the family for a generation. It probably sold for less than $1000 new.
I of course had no license to drive, but my Uncle Charlie would often allow me to drive his car to the fish pond located near the now Hamer Recycling (Dumpster) site. It seems it was a state fish nursery if that is what it was called. At any rate, there were several ponds and plenty of hungry fish waiting for a free lunch which we generously provided.
The visit was always on a Sunday morning before church, and he and I would get leftover loaf bread from the store where he worked and head for the morning ritual. While it was more of a chore than a joy; still seeing the fish jumping up to nab the bread was mildly entertaining. But that was not the real reason for my participation in the morning outing. As a boy, the raison de’ entre was not satisfying the appetite of the fish, but it was being able to get under the wheel of a car as a driver. Any opportunity was eagerly welcomed.
The car had a manual gearshift which was the only kind I knew back then. It was rare in the 40s for any car to be otherwise equipped. The first car with an automatic transmission I remember was an Oldsmobile that used to come to the Mill Village. We were awed by its mystery: no clutch.
Because I lived on a farm, there were other vehicles that a boy could operate with supervision such as a tractor and even a truck all with manually operated gears one had to shift. I had 3 older brothers who regularly operated these vehicles and often times they would allow me to sit in the driver’s seat.
One of my brothers had a ’37 Ford convertible (with very bad brakes) and occasionally he would allow me to drive it to the Hamer Post office just up the road from where we lived. With no license, I tried to avoid the main highway, US301, and would take the long way/dirt roads to get there, never an inconvenience since it enabled me to drive a longer distance.
There was no such thing as driver’s education back then. You learned by doing and when you reached legal driving age (it seems it was 14 then) you went to Dillon to prove to the license examiner that you had mastered the necessary driving skills which would qualify for a state license. I recall that at one time during that era, the license issued was a brass plate-type license with the necessary information stamped on it. Mine was paper as I recall.
When I was in the 11th grade, I followed in the footsteps of my brothers and became a student school bus driver. Today I realize what an awesome responsibility that was but then, I did not think of it that way.
Being young, I was confident yet naïve and too, I earned my first check: c. $20 each month.
Things have most certainly changed from my early driving days. One feature on my present car tells me via my computer when the air pressure in my tires is low.
‘Big brother’ is alive and well.
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Bill Lee
