From Generation to Generation: A Historical Profile of Dallas’ Oldest Dealerships

The introduction of the automobile has probably effected more changes in the American lifestyle than any other single item in history. Introduced in Dallas in 1903, eighteen years after its invention by Carl Benz, the horseless carriage began its slow transformation locally of a lifestyle that was echoed nationwide. One hundred one years later, many of the cars now sold in Dallas come from dealerships that are in their second or third generation of family ownership. As enduring as the Ford family fortune, these businesses have been serving Dallas consistently for many years. Weathering the Depression, the recession, and the oil crisis, these dealers have withstood the test of time, and built up a loyal clientele along the way.

Their contribution has been a remarkable one, for the automobile brought more than just a new mode of transportation, it brought a new way of life. Farmers were some of the earliest customers, and the automobile changed their rural life for the better. But lifestyles were also changed for urbanites. The two-week vacation was introduced once people had a convenient mode of transportation, expanding the range of recreational activities, creating the motel, AND causing a boom in ski resorts and beachfront amusements. Workers were no longer forced to live near their place of employment and businesses could consider locating some place besides downtown. For the migrant worker families, the car became a necessity.

The Dallas car dealers’ history has been a colorful one. When the first automobile arrived in Dallas, there were no paved streets, perhaps explaining why the speed limit was seven miles per hour. And strangely enough, the first automobile owners did not drive their cars but hired chauffeurs to do so, often keeping the cars in garages downtown. By 1915, both Ford and Chevrolet had plants in the area, though Chevrolet’s was shortlived. Ford remained until 1970 when the advent of three-tiered railroad cars made it just as cheap to produce cars elsewhere and ship them by railroad across the country. General Motors returned in 1959, opening their Southwest plant in Arlington.

The Depression of the ’30’s ended some car dealerships and World War II in the ’40’s brought changes to others. With the Detroit plants shitting gears to support the war effort by producing tanks instead of cars, local dealers were left with no new models to sell, only old inventory, used cars, parts, and service. Besides, only government officials, doctors, lawyers, and preachers were allowed to buy new cars. Traveling salesmen were also included in this group if they sold supplies to farmers. Still, the dealers survived. Then, immediately after the war came a boom in car sales making the two-car family commonplace.

By the ’50’s, the car was king and cruising was all the rage. Convertibles were the preferred choice and hotrods began to make their appearance with the all-essential customized look. Drive-ins proliferated about this time producing the one unique aspect of our culture not found anywhere else; people can do just about anything without getting out of their cars. From drive-in restaurants, liquor stores, movies, and cleaners to drive-through funeral parlours and banks, the car influenced them all.

In 1960, downtown Dallas began changing and car dealers began seeking other locations. Some cite the exodus as a result of downtown banks closing on Saturday. Many relocated off of LBJ Freeway, not knowing that twenty years later they would be sitting on the very prime of primest real estate.

The ’70’s were the beginning of the end (or large cars that were so much a part of the Texas image. Imports of small, fuel-efficient cars became best sellers prompting American manufacturers to scurry to begin producing their own. Now, many local dealers who previously dealt only in American-made cars have added a small import to their dealership. Finally, into the Eighties, Dallas has become more user-friendly toward German cars, but the pickup truck is still the most often viewed vehicle on these Texas highways.

Following, a historical account of some of the oldest automobile dealerships in Dallas.

A special thank you to the New Car Dealer Association of Dallas and its president, Drew Campbell, for providing a list of the oldest automobile dealers in town. They are:



W.O. Bankston Lincoln-Mercury Doran Chevrolet Eagle Lincoln Mercury R.O. Evans Pontiac Ewing Buick Freeman Oldsmobile Friendly Chevrolet Goode-Taylor Pontiac Bob Hayes Chevrolet Horn Williams Ford Huffines Chevrolet Lee Jarmon Ford Lone Star Cadillac Modern Oldsmobile Newman Chevrolet Ken Pruitt Buick Sewell Village Cadillac Steakley Chevrolet



The second and third family generation of car dealers are:



Jim Allee Oldsmobile W.O. Bankston Lincoln Mercury Billy Barrett Volkswagen John Boswell Chevrolet Henry Butts Oldsmobile Doran Chevrolet



Eagle Lincoln Mercury R.O. Evans Pontiac Ewing Buick Freeman Oldsmobile Friendly Chevrolet Goode-Taylor Pontiac Bob Hayes Chevrolet Horn Williams Ford Huflines Chevrolet Lone Star Cadillac Rodger Meier Cadillac Newman Chevrolet Precision Volvo Sewell Village Cadillac Don Snell Buick Treadaway Toyota Young Chevrolet



SEWELL VILLAGE CADILLAC



The Sewell family’s long history in the car business began back with the Model T. Carl’s grandfather, Edward, sold Model T Fords alongside tools and farming equipment at his hardware store in Crum, Texas. The Fords arrived unassembled and Edward’s son, Carl Sr., would piece them together to sell to rural customers outside the store.

During World War II, Carl Sr., still in the car business, moved to Denton. Carl realized that in order to sell cars to the farmers in this rural area, he would first have to teach them how to drive. So for $25, redeemable as part of a down payment, Carl drove to the farms and gave driving lessons to the farmers.

Moving to Odessa about the time oil was discovered there, Carl began selling cars to the workers on the rigs for $695. Often, three or four workers would pool their money to buy a single car so they could drive into town for ’good food, good drinks, and good women.’ In 1941, Carl finally arrived in Dallas, opening Sewell Lincoln Mercury on Pacific Avenue. The dealership later moved to the present site of the Fairmont Hotel and by 1952, there were lour Lincoln Mercury dealers in Dallas county.

In 1957, the Sewells purchased Village Cadillac at Mockingbird and Preston from Dick DeSanders Jr. and in 1980, Carl moved the dealership to its present Lem-mon Avenue location. From a beginning of piecing together Model T’s from boxes in a hardware store, the Sewell family now owns four Cadillac dealerships as well as Ford, Rolls Royce, and Hyundai dealerships scattered throughout the Southwest.



DORAN CHEVROLET/PEUGEOT



Doran Chevrolet represents the classic family business. Felix Doran Jr. founded the company in 1946 at 3916 Main Street with his son, Felix III (Mike). His other son, Ed, joined the business in 1957. Mike now has two sons, Pat and Jim, who have been working at the dealership for the past ten years and a third, Edward Jr., is also part of the car family lineage.

Felix Jr. started out as a regional salesman for a rubber company, but the car business held no surprises for him as he had already worked for Chevrolet for many years. In 1919, Chevrolet had asked him to become a roadman and sell to the area dealers. Felix remembers his wages to be $233 per month plus traveling expenses.



When Felix opened his own dealership in 1946, there were already five Chevrolet dealers clustered in the downtown area along with five Ford dealers. Because the city itself was so concentrated in one area, so were the businesses. Not until the mid-fifties did dealers begin moving out from the downtown area towards the suburbs that could support them. They changed locations once in 1949, moving just down Main Street, before venturing out north in 1968. Now located at LBJ Freeway at the Tollway, Mike remembers North Dallas being nothing but farmland with horses and rabbits instead of traffic and buildings. At that time, I-635 did not extend beyond Preston Road and the Tollway ended at Lovers Lane. Now his dealership rests in the hub of activity in North Dallas.

TREADAWAY TOYOTA



In 1917, J.A. (Ted) Treadaway began his career in the auto industry as sales manager at Rose Motor Company. By 1926 Treadaway had his own dealership at Main and Hawkins selling Hudsons and Essex. After a stint in the used car business Treadaway became a Chrysler/Plymouth dealer and then a Lincoln-Mercury dealer by 1953. Soon after, he retired and sold the dealership then decided to get back into it with his son Ted dealing in wholesale used cars. In the late 50’s they went into the retail import car business. By 1962 the Tread-aways relocated to 5130 Lemmon with Toyotas becoming the primary focus in 1967.

Ted’s son Mike began working lor the company while still in his early teens, spending his afternoons after school and his summer breaks at the dealership. In 1972 he became a full-time employee. After learning the ropes he moved into the position of general manager in 1979. That same year Treadaway Toyota moved to its current location on I-75 in Richardson.



HORN-WILLIAMS FORD



Horn-Williams Ford, which opened January 1,1939, is one of the oldest dealerships in Dallas. The only other existing Ford dealership at the time was Ed Maher Ford. Opened at 701 North Pearl by J.J. Horn, Sr. and W.H. Williams, the dealership continued to run in the family tradition under Horn’s son, J.J. Jr.

Eventually wishing to sell his part of the dealership, Williams sold to Bill Bright who had worked for GMAC in Longview. Bright’s son Al has been running the business with his father since 1977. As is the case with most sons in the business, Al started working in the business much earlier (1970) doing everything from washing cars to selling parts.

The dealership has expanded several times since they moved in 1965 to their current location, 2060 South Buckner at Burton. In 1973 and 1979, they expanded to cover a ten-acre car facility.

HUFFINES CHEVROLET



In April of 1927, J.L. Huffines Sr. opened the Lewisville Motor Co. when Lewisville was only a small rural area outside of Dallas. He began his business in the days when customers traded livestock for cars and the dealers had to hire livestock managers. His son, J.L. Jr., grew up in the automotive business, opening Hutfines Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Buick in 1951 in Commerce, Texas. In 1972 after his father’s death, he moved back to Lewisville to assume ownership of his father’s dealership.

Today only one of Mines’ sons, Ray Huffines, is working in the car business. Ray opened Ray Chevrolet in Piano at Coit and Piano Parkway. The Huffines empire has expanded over the years to include Huffines Dodge, Huffines Chrysler Plymouth, Ray Chevrolet, and of course, the granddaddy of them all, Huffines Chevrolet, growing from an initial staff of three to over 120 full-time employees.



GOODE-TAYLOR



L.O. Taylor opened Taylor Pontiac on Lancaster Blvd. in 1956. Taylor was committed to fine service and care for his customers and passed this on to his family. His daughter Barbara married Glen Goode in 1962 and he became vice president and general manager and then a dealer in 1972. Glen’s sons, Mark and David, still carry on the family tradition. Mark can usually be found at the new Honda facility while David keeps the Pontiac store running smoothly.



EWING BUICK/VOLVO



Before the Crescent Hotel and before the deepest hole in Dallas was dug, the plot of land at Pearl and Cedar Springs was home to Orand Buick. Owner Bruton Orand moved to Dallas in 1938 from Waco where he had a Chevrolet dealership. Orand’s daughter, Gail, married Samuel Finley Ewing Jr. in 1954 and the name later changed to become Ewing Buick. Ewing worked at the dealership which later relocated to its current location, 14345 North Dallas Parkway, in 1976.

As one of the oldest dealers in town, the Orand-Ewing family has become an active and vital asset to the Dallas community. The next generation, Ewing sons Jim and Finley III, are continuing the tradition of individual customer care in the automobile industry. Jim-bought Metroplex Mitsubishi in 1985 while Finley oversees Ewing Buick and Volvo. In 1972, the Ewing family added Autohaus and Volvo to their empire, with Ralph Gaden as partner and general manager. The legend continues to grow with a new entity, Ewing Mitsubishi, recently opening with Ivan King as general manager.



MODERN OLDSMOBILE



Waller C. Boedeker started this company at 9th and Lancaster in Oak Cliff thirty-three years ago and it has remained in the same location ever since. “It’s a very nostalgic building, built in 1900,” says assistant manager Horace Suwal. “We have nice, old-fashioned Oak Cliff people here. It’s like a homey place in a small town.” When Boedeker started his automobile business, he owned several distributorships, including Downtown Dodge and Downtown Lincoln-Mercury. Today he owns Modern Oldsmo-bile, where many enjoy visiting the turn-of-the-century building with tin ceilings as much as buying a car.



FREEMAN OLDSMOBILE



Jerry Freeman began Freeman Olds in Garland in 1955, deciding to move to Dallas in 1961 where he joined a host of other dealerships at Lemmon and Inwood. Freeman moved to their present location, Airport Freeway East in Irving, to gain more space. The large acreage they now have allows for consolidation of all their lots and services in one area. Jerry’s two sons, Jerry Jr., and James, are actively involved in their father’s business. Freeman was one of the first start-up dealers for Mazda in 1971 and will soon be adding a Hyundai franchise next door.



EAGLE LINCOLN-MERCURY



Bob Eagle’s career began in the used car business in Kansas. In 1963 he moved to Dallas, opening Eagle Lincoln-Mercury at 6116 Lemmon. “At that time, Lemmon Avenue was considered North Dallas. Forest Lane was a two-lane street and LBJ wasn’t even built yet,” explains his son, John Eagle. They took on Honda in 1970. “It wasn’t a very popular car then but we knew if they built them as well as their motorcycles, it had to be a good car,” says Eagle.

The introduction of the Civic, a bigger car, did very well. Pontiac, GMC, Isuzu, and Excalibur were added to Eagle’s holdings in the early ’80s, then Hyundai.

John began working full-time lor his father in 1969. Before that, he put in time shining hubcaps on weekends, then worked his way up through every department. Today he is president of the companies, his brother Darren is vice-president, and his father is chairman ot the board.



BOB HAYES CHEVROLET



The CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) shows Bob Hayes Chevrolet to be in the top ratings for the city. That’s not surprising when their slogan is “Come out our way and trade your way.” Both Earl Hayes and his son Bob have earned the national Time Quality Dealer award at various points in their careers. Their history begins with Earl Hayes as a GM executive who moved to Dallas in 1945 to buy Roy Hill Chevrolet on 9th and Lancaster. It had formerly been a Model T dealership with a single elevator to run extra models upstairs. Next door, Hayes built what was at that time the largest showroom in existence and later formed Earl Hayes Chevrolet.

His son Bob is now chairman of the board, building the present location on Marvin D. Love Freeway. The president, Clarence Seed, is approaching twenty years working with Hayes, and Dick Crisp, vice president and general manager, has been there twenty-seven years.



HENRY BUTTS OLDSMOBILE



Henry Butts worked as a zone manager for twenty-four years with Oldsmobile before opening his Oldsmobile/Cadillac dealership in Arlington in 1952. At that time, the shop consisted of a three-car service and gas station and Arlington’s population reached only 7,000. Henry’s son, Henry III, started working at the dealership when it opened. In 1972, they relocated to North Dallas Parkway and quickly became the largest Oldsmobile dealer in Dallas, growing from ten employees to more than two hundred.

Running the dealership today are Mrs. Dorothy Butts and her children; Henry IV, Mary Ann, and Susan. All have been associated with the business for years. A new, just completed twenty-five acre facility, with Durrell Russell as general manager, on Piano Parkway, features a car wash and gas station – a long way from Henry’s original three-car service station. The title now is longer too: Henry Butts Oldsmobile/ Isuzu/Suzuki/Hyundai/Sterling.



RODGER MEIER CADILLAC



Rodger Meier always knew he wanted to sell and service Cadillacs ever since his best friend’s father worked for a Cadillac dealer in their hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. He opened his Cadillac dealership in 1969 against formidable opposition from those who doubted Dallas could support yet another one. But his LBJ Freeway and Welch Road location has become legendary-the body shop is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment for auto repair. The company has received the Cadillac Master Dealer Award thirteen times and was honored with the Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award. Meier was also one of the first inductees into the Cadillac Hall of Fame.

Rodger’s son Todd is now president and general manager of the company, having willingly chosen to make his father’s choice of career his own after working five years as an assistant district attorney. Todd is also current chairman of the New Car Dealer Association.



LEE JARMON FORD

August 26, 1956, marks the inception of Lee Jarmon Ford. Lee Jarmon was originally a Ford dealer in Sudan, Texas and a Studebaker dealer in Levelland. Having previously been affiliated with Ford’s finance company, Jarmon has spent his lite in the automobile industry.

Jarmon opened his Ford dealership in Carrollton when the population was under 5,000 and his I-35 location was then known as Harry Hines Boulevard. The company has expanded from an original eight employees to over one hundred twenty today. Sam Pack, in partnership with Jar-mon, says they have been successful because of their consistent professionalism and the fact that “we treat you like I would like to be treated.”



BILLY BARRETT VOLKSWAGEN



Billy Barrett graduated from Texas ASM as a petroleum geologist but his interest in the used car business was eventually piqued in Lancaster in the ’50s, prompting him to move to Dallas as an independent used car dealer. In 1972, he established Billy Barrett Volkswagen, acquiring Subaru in 1981 and Mazda in 1982. He has since sold Subaru to Bob Gunthrie at Heritage Olds/Subaru and now carries solely Volkswagens and Mazdas.

Barrett’s children, Gena and Bradley, both grew up as active participants in the dealership. Bradley now has his own dealership. Bradley Barrett Volkswagen in Irving, while Gena is general manager at her father’s dealership. She is one of the few women general managers in the city.



PRECISION VOLVO



Williams Webb Browning Jr. had a very unique reason for his start in the automobile field. As an entrepreneur, he had many financial interests as well as hobbies, one of which was road-racing Alfa Romeos. That was the catalyst for starting Precision Motor Company. Browning could not find adequate services or parts for his race car, so he started his own import store in 1961 on North Akard and Ross.

The Precision Motor Company eventually moved to North Pearl then Southwestern Boulevard and Central, and finally to their present location on North Central in Richardson. In 1964, Will III, at the age of seven, started working with his Dad picking up Coke bottles for a penny a piece. By age thirteen, he was on the payroll and today he runs the dealership. Not surprisingly, Will is also very interested in auto racing and now has all the parts at his fingertips.

In 1983, Precision became exclusively Volvo and was the first Volvo dealer in Dallas as well as being the largest in the Southwest. Today, they celebrate their twenty-fifth anniversary.



NEWMAN CHEVROLET



In 1925, Jackson-O’Linger Chevrolet opened in downtown Garland, making them the oldest Chevrolet dealer in Dallas county. The original bill of sale for their first car, sold for a mere $620 and is proudly displayed at the current dealership. O’Lin-ger sold out his interest in the company in 1929 but Benjamin Jackson kept his and renamed it Jackson Chevrolet. Elmer Newman, Jackson’s son-in-law, started working in the dealership in 1951. Jackson died in ’63 and Newman Chevrolet was born in 1968.

The family continues to grow and Elmer’s son, Richard Newman, now runs the dealership with his brother-in-law, Mike Matelick. Three children between them ensure that the family tradition will be carried on.



R.O. EVANS PONTIAC

R.O. Evans started in the car business in 1948 with Evans Buick Company in Kaufman, Texas. After World War II, he moved to Arlington and worked at Vander-griff Buick as general manager before buying Daniel Yarborough Pontiac on Garland Road in 1961. On November 21 of that same year, R.O. Evans Pontiac/GMC Trucks opened for business. They moved to their current location on Northwest Highway eight years later.

The importance of family is obvious at R.O. Evans Pontiac. Both of Evans’ sons, R.O. Jr. and Steve, as well as a son-in-law, Martin Turber, work at the dealership. With Steve as general manager and Randy and Martin as managers, the Evans’ keep a close eye on how customers are treated, making sure the Evans name maintains its fine reputation.



STEAKLEY CHEVROLET



The Steakley family has been a Texas dealership institution with stores across the state for over fifty years. In the late ’20s Bill Steakley and his brother, Bob, had Chevrolet dealerships in Dennison and Sherman, Texas. They were among the first to locate in farming communities on the outskirts of Dallas.

In the ’30s, Bob’s son, John, opened a dealership in Oklahoma continuing the family tradition of car buying and selling. Bob also bought a Chevrolet dealership in Waco, currently R.W. Steakley Chevrolet. Moving from Oklahoma to Dallas in 1962, John opened Steakley Chevrolet, now on Northwest Highway. His son-in-law, Michael Reeder, works in the dealership as well.



DON SNELL BUICK

Donald Snell’s background is a classic example of one man’s love of the car business and the desire to learn the ropes under different owners. Snell started out in the car business selling used cars in Waco, Texas in 1946. In 1960, he worked at Steakley Chevrolet in Waco before moving to Dallas and Calhoun Chevrolet in ’62. The next year, Don went to work at Steakley Chevrolet as general manager. Ten years later, Snell bought Roberts Buick Opel and the existing dealership was born-Don Snell Buick.

Snell has three sons, one of which has chosen to work with his father at the dealership. Jim Snell is now learning the ropes that are so important to the continuation of the family business. Since the Snells bought Roberts Buick in 1973, they have expanded several times and become a Dallas name in the auto industry.



YOUNG CHEVROLET



Originally Taylor Chevrolet, built by Floyd Taylor in 1969, the name was changed to Young Chevrolet in 1973 after being purchased by Keith Young Sr. Prior to the car business, Young was an entrepreneur of sorts working in the dairy business, as a stockbroker, and as an investor. His son, Keith Jr., now runs the dealership with his father. Upon Keith’s graduation from Stanford (a Young family tradition) and a short stay in Boston, he moved back to Dallas with his wife Mary. Their two children, Mary and Keith III, may carry on the family tradition.



JOHN BOSWELL CHEVROLET

The end of World War II catapulted John Boswell into the car business in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. He bought his first dealership (Dodge) in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955. But Texas was to attract him yet and seventeen years later, he bought out Vandergriff Chevrolet in Car-rollton. Renamed John Boswell Chevrolet, it is now fourteen years old and still in Car-rollton on I-35. John has since retired but the company is in good hands with his son, Jack, as president since 1984.



FRIENDLY CHEVROLET



Before being Friendly, this dealership was “Parish” and was located on Mockingbird across from the Dr Pepper plant. It changed hands several times but was finally bought by Mr. Eddins, the present owner, in the early 70s. Another car dealer who moved to Texas from Memphis, Tennessee, Eddins’ first bought Chuck Horton Dodge downtown on Ross after working there several years. Renamed Hutton-Eddins, it was relocated to what was then tar north Dallas- Lemmon Avenue, and as luck would have it, was right next door to Friendly Chevrolet. Strangely enough, Friendly went on the market and Eddins bought it, trading in his Chrysler Dodge for Chevrolet. Five years later, Eddins former dealership was not doing well under new owners and he bought back the land in order to expand Friendly Chevrolet.

Eddins’ son, Mark, began working part-time in the business at the age of fourteen, learning firsthand about the industry. “I knew I wanted to go into the car business from the time I was young,” says Mark. He has since become the spokesperson for the company in all their ads, propagating their slogan, “We’re a legend in our own town.”



LONE STAR CADILLAC



Though they’ve only been at their present Northwest Highway location just over a year, Lone Star Cadillac can boast an impressive fifty-two years in the industry in Dallas. A longtime tenant of downtown Ross Avenue, Lone Star was the last dealership to leave the area which had been the original hot bed tor car dealerships in the city. The company represents three generations of the DeSanders family’s involvement, being started by current president Lee DeSanders1 grandfather. Representing impressive state-of-the-art facilities, the service and body departments are fully computerized and located underground.



FRANK PARRA CHEVROLET



Frank Parra purchased an existing dealership in the summer of 1971 along with fifteen acres on the Airport Freeway and there built his Frank Parra Chevrolet dealership. His son Tim displays the characteristic family involvement in the business beginning at an early age. Tim worked in sales part-time while he was going to school, then spent three years as a used car manager. He has been general sales manager for the last six years. A younger brother, Mike, is general manager of the new Frank Parra Mitsubishi. Tim and his wife, B.J., have two young sons, Chris and Michael who may be on the floor selling with their Dad before too long.



JIM ALLEE OLDSMOBILE



As one of only two female car dealers in Dallas, Henri Allee is now considered just “one of the boys.” Three years ago, she made a bold decision to not sell but takeover her husband’s dealership after his death in 1983. She now presides over the successful Oldsmobile, Jeep, and Honda franchises.

As CEO of the Allee dealerships, Rusty Wallis has helped his mother in the company’s success. They have given each of the three auto makes their own store; the Jeep dealership on Garland Road is rated in the top ten for national sales and Olds-mobile has a new showplace at LBJ and Shiloh Road as of last year. Because of a strong commitment to hold on to the family business as well as faithful employees, Henri Allee persevered and won it all in the end.



KEN PRUITT BUICK



Retiring from the army in 1953 as a colonel, Ken Pruitt was ready for another challenge and so began the Ken Pruitt Buick Opel dealership in Garland. Thirty-three years later, Garland has grown by leaps and bounds and Ken Pruitt’s dealership is still going strong, having moved only once in their three decades of business in the community. Ken remains very active in the company’s operations along with his wife Sherry who handles day-to-day business.



W.O. BANKSTON



During the height of the depression W.O. Bankston moved to Dallas. Determined to make his way, his first job was as a steel worker at the Ford plant. After this stint in steel he moved on to the Sparkman Funeral Home as an employee.

Bankston didn’t enter the automobile industry until 1934 when he got a job as a salesman on a used car lot. He knew he had found his profession when he outsold all the salesmen on the lot during his first month. By 1937 he had gone into the used car business himself.

It’s this determination and drive that has put W.O. Bankston at the top of his profession. And these traits have been passed on to his son Jimmy-who began as a mechanic to learn the business which is exactly what he did. Jimmy is now an integral part of W.O. Bankston Enterprises.



LOCAL TRIVIA



QUESTIONS:



1. Where is the “Money-Saving Mile?”

2. How many auto dealers are on the”Mile?”

3. What dealership uses a dog as itslogo?

4. Which dealer has Tom Landry as aspokesman?

5. Who has “BIG” before his name?

6. What does NCDA stand for?

7. Which dealer did Stanley Marcuspromote?

8. Presbyterian Hospital has a wingnamed after this local dealer.

9. What two dealerships are owned andoperated by women?

10. Which dealership has a bird in flightas its logo?

11. What dealer rode into Dallas on arailroad boxcar looking for work?

12. What dealership in town carries aFrench made automobile along withtheir Chevrolets?

13. How were cars shipped to localdealers before use of trucks and howmany could be shipped at once?



ANSWERS:



1. Northwest Highway and GarlandRoad

2. Thirteen

3. David McDavid

4. Rodger Meier

5. Billy Barrett

6. New Car Dealer Association

7. Sewell Village Cadillac

8. Finley Ewing-Ewing Buick

9. Jim Allee Oldsmobile and Henry ButtsOldsmobile

10. Eagle Lincoln-Mercury

11. W.O. Bankston

12. Doran Chevrolet-Peugeot

13. Train-4 cars could be shipped at one time