Photo of the Week

[Tony Karsnia]

It has been a pleasure to welcome Mr. Jim Tighe back into the PCS fold, so I thought I'd post the following picture, which I came across today.

I took this image, which shows Jim (on the left) chatting with an unknown individual at the PCS International Meet held in Decatur, IL in 1988. That's Jim's beautiful 1973 Superior Cadillac Sovereign combination, just minutes before being examined by the judges. Due to a fairly steady rain that day, each car was brought under the hotel's front portico for judging. If I remember correctly, Jim's car did win an award.

I have previously shared a photo of Dave McCamey and what is now Richard's Lifeliner just after that car was judged on this same day in Decatur.

[Josh Gentry]

That is a beautiful car. Jim, Welcome back to the PCS family. Wonder where that car is today. Thanks for sharing that with us Tony.

Josh

[Paul Steinberg]

That is a beautiful car. Jim, Welcome back to the PCS family. Wonder where that car is today. Thanks for sharing that with us Tony.

Josh

I was told that it was bought by some crotchety old curmudgeon from Ohio... He was last heard grumbling that he couldn't find suction cups in the glove box.. :angel:

[Mike McDonald]

This is one of the few (and very enjoyable) PCS Conventions I was able to attend. I believe the Red Henney-Packard Ambulance "peeking" around the corner in this picture belong to a long time PCS Member who was a UPS Man by trade and brought his Son to the Dinner Banquet that I sat with. MM

[Sarah Snook]

Tony, I'm pretty sure that the "unknown individual" is George Hamlin. I'd guess that's his Henney on the left too.

[Brad Ross]

I agree that the "unknown individual" in the photo looks to be George Hamlin. Thank you, Tony, for sharing this photo.

I think many of us would enjoy seeing more photos from early PCS meets that we may not have attended.

[Sarah Snook]

I think many of us would enjoy seeing more photos from early PCS meets that we may not have attended.
Definitely! I've been involved for well over a decade, but I've still missed a lot.

[Jim Tighe]

Oh my God. All of this because I sold an old car a week ago 2nite to a police chief in Eastern Ohio. Who could have ever imagined all this fall-out?? To set the LP straight, the big Cad did not win a prize. That smiling ( !!!!!! ) person I am seen talking to probably had something to do with that. Bernie called him "George Henney Way Hamlin." The red Henney Junior poking its ox-yoke grille into the scene is one of the nicest cars of any kind that I have ever encountered. The owner said the only problem he had with the car was the build-up of multiple coats of wax on the darned thing. He surmised that the fire house folks must have waxed that rig every week for years. I still have many pix from that meet and from the '87 in PA. Do you recall the sound-and-light parade around the motel? I still have the tape of that event.

The Cad later wound up as a red and silver 2-tone, and then all red, if you can believe that. I cannot remember to whom I sold it or its companions, the '73 Olds combo and the '72 Fleetwood 75 Formal. This was all so long ago, in a land far far away. Back then I could still get Ballantine XXX Ale, and I smuggled some of it into the banquet. Would that I could find it now.

Tony, be glad that I do not remember what you look like, 'cause if I would spot you I would administer 40 lashes with a soggy funeral flag. Seriously, tho, thank you very much for this peek into the past. My wife and I will be at Piqua next month. You should have no trouble spotting me. Still look much the same, just deteriorated. Thank you again. Jim

[Ron Devies]

This has really been great for me. Last week I found a really great car and some really great insight into the past of the PCS. I am really glad Jim is active again.

[Tony Karsnia]

Well, it is probably a good thing you don't remember what I looked like, Jim. I was 17 at the time we met in Decatur. Let's just say the years haven't been the kindest to me...:hide:

As for the red Henney, that was a Junior ambulance owned by a PCS member by the name of Mike Reichenbach.

[Tom Hoczyk]

I had to write to welcome Jim back. I'm certain that the last time I saw him was when the PCS International Meet was held in Marietta OH. I remember joining Jim and his daughter when we went somewhere one evening in his limo. At the time I remember exhibiting my long-gone '67 Superior limousine style 3-way. I look forward to seeing you at another PCS event, Jim. Tom Hoczyk

[Richard Vyse]

Welcome back to the PCS, it is a far better place than ever before. I treasure that picture you gave me Tony of Dave and the Lifeliner. Here it is and one of me and Dave last August as we were on our way to the Int'l Meet in Flint.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i277/RichardV_2006/Ambulance%20Pictures/PCSFlintTrip047.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i277/RichardV_2006/Ambulance%20Pictures/Copy20of20dave20001.jpg

[Jim Tighe]

Thank you, Tom. I remember you quite well. At Marietta, my daughter Jennifer drove the limo while I piloted the '73 coach shown in the photo, but I think it had turned red by then. Jen and I communicated between cars on the road with a set of walkie-talkies. Technology has changed at bit, eh?I also remember that evening when a bunch of us piled into the Cad. Did we go to a pizza place? Amazingly, the '72 Fleetwood won a 2nd place trophy....with an Earl Scheib paint job! The special formal roof on that boat set the orig owner - a funeral home somewhere in mid-Ohio - back an additional $2,500. I still like the looks of the '71 to '76 Series 75's, the only cars I can think of that employ half hardtop and half sedan construction. Good to hear from you again. Are you going to Piqua next month?

[Jim Tighe]

Thank you, Richard, for the welcome. Ron has told me about Dave's misfortunes. Hard to believe. He was really a fireball when I knew him. Do you know the story about the tree that fell on that Lifeliner many yrs. ago? Same thing would happen later to my Bayliff Packard, and both rigs survived. Can't beat an all-steel body.

[Richard Vyse]

Do you know the story about the tree that fell on that Lifeliner many yrs. ago? .

I have not heard that one and certainly would appreciate hearing it.:stars:

[Kent Martinson]

I have not heard that one and certainly would appreciate hearing it.:stars:

After we hear the story, Jeremy will give you $500 for it. :hide:

[Jim Tighe]

Here are the 2 tree stories:

When I met Dave in '87, he told me that the M-M had survived a tree falling on it during a storm. The impact was hard enuf to knock the ball joints out of the front suspension, and there was at least one dent in the roof. But, he put the old girl back together and she is still motoring. Feel free to correct/add to this if I have erred somewhere. BTW, there is another great story for another day about the motorcade of Pro cars from Dayton to Decatur in '87, which is when I met Dave.

Here is the condensed version of the Bayliff/tree tale. One eve in Sept of 2000, my wife and I sat down to supper in Xenia, OH. There was a loud storm going on, but no mention of the dreaded "T" word. Suddenly a rotational force could be felt, so we ran to the hallway in the middle of our small slab house and sat down on the floor. After the noise subsided we looked outside to find a big chunk of the neighborhood gone, and a huge tree on top of the Bayliff Packard in the driveway next to the kitchen. I assumed the car was ruined, but the following day the tree was carved up by chainsawers and lifted off the coach. I opened the driver's door, got in and fired her up and drove away. The only damage was some paint scratches and small tears in the padded top. I still cannot believe it, but that is what happened. Both these accounts argue strongly for steel roof construction, I would say.

[Jim Tighe]

Sigh........Just realized the Decatur bash was in '88, not '87, which was in New Hope, PA. Gettin' too old for this memory game, folks........................

[Richard Vyse]

Here are the 2 tree stories:

When I met Dave in '87, he told me that the M-M had survived a tree falling on it during a storm. The impact was hard enuf to knock the ball joints out of the front suspension, and there was at least one dent in the roof. But, he put the old girl back together and she is still motoring.

.

Well that explains the front left corner of the roofline and the patch work. :snow_smi:

[Paul Steinberg]

Sometimes not even a steel roof will save the vehicle....... :4_11_9:

[Jim Tighe]

That is true, Paul, but whatever that flattened thing in your picture was, it certainly did not have the truss bridge-like roof structure of the M-M or the Bayliff. On the '64 M-M that Ron is buying from me, I like to point out to visitors the difference between the GM steel up front and the M-M iron aft of the windshield. Knuckle rapping on the former yields a sort of ting sound, while the same procedure on the M-M portion results in a dull thud noise, same as you would get from the metal on a '34 Packard. BIG difference.

[John Royark JR]

I have faith in the steel roofs also. A few people here are sure to remember this. At a event in 2004? a big storm came up while touring a funeral home in Mason City, IA a very large branch hit the back of my 85 Superior FWD and the only damage was a badly torn vinyl top and dented rear door. It was only a about a 16 of an inch from going through the back window. A new top, and some rear door reconstruction, some fender crack repair where the force cracked the joining of the roof to the fenders and a repaint and all is like new. If you look very close the only evidence of this that remains today is a small ding in the stainless trim by the window that was unable to be removed.

[Jim Tighe]

Good story, John, esp. the happy ending. Is the little electric railroad still active in Mason City? Many years ago it was the Mason City and Clear Lake. I think "Iowa Traction" or similar is the last monicker I recall being used there. Last I heard they were still using a pair of ancient steeple-cab motors under the trolley wire. Thanks for any info. Oh, one other thing. When that storm came up, did someone start singing "We got trouble, right here in River City....."?