By Roger Eaton, grandson*
*Relation to Andy and/or Flora Lehr
In the 19050s through the 1970s, your car was a way to develop a persona. Some people regarded it as an extension of your personality. “Dragging” Central (Avenue) was a common pastime for high schoolers. They would drive back and forth on Central Avenue, in El Dorado, Kansas. After a few laps they would park in business parking lots and watch the other cars drag Central. Cars were status symbols during that time.
My first car was a white 1964 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu. I purchased it from my sister-in-law, Rhonda (Reed) Eaton for $400. She was my brother Matt’s first wife. It was a clean car with a six-cylinder engine and automatic transmission. There was no air conditioning, electric-powered windows or cruise control. The radio received the AM band and had one speaker. It was mounted in the metal dashboard. This was a good starter car.
The fuel gauge was not functional. Before I learned how to manage without a fuel gauge, I ran out of gas on my way home, one day. At the time we lived about four miles outside of town. I was stranded about two miles from home. The weather was mild and it was in the late afternoon. Mobile phones didn’t exist, so I walked home to phone my brother Joe. He owned a full-service gas station. Joe brought a few gallons of gas. He collected me at home and drove to my stranded car. It was parked on a step grade next to highway US 77. Joe put the car in neutral and rolled it down the grade to a more level area. I poured the gas into the car and started it. I followed him to town and filled the tank.
I installed an eight-track tape player in the glovebox. Being concealed in the lockable glovebox provided some security. Along with the player, I installed four speakers. Two were in the front doors and two were on the rear shelf. It was rare for a car to have quad speakers. Quadrophonic sound was an upgrade from stereo sound. One of my buddies, Curtis Taylor, called it, “The Quad Backseat.” One time we had some girls in the car. He was in the backseat with one of the girls. While playing some Rock and Roll music, he yelled at me, “Hey Rog, do you need these speakers adjusted?”
The speakers had louvers, like an air conditioning vent. They didn’t change the sound, really. It was for aesthetics – to look cool. To reach the speaker louvers, he had to reach his arm around the girl. That was his improvised technique for putting his arm around her. After that, it became the Quad Backseat!
When I was ready for a different car, I sold the Chevelle to my sister Maggie for $200. My next car was closer to the image that I sought to project. It was a 1969 Camaro Z/28. That is another story.
Connie Sandberg, granddaughter*
*Relation to Andy and/or Flora Lehr
Chuck Lewis, grandson*
*relation to Andy and/or Flora Lehr
Diana (Lehr) Phillips, granddaughter*
*Relation to Andy and/or Flora Lehr
Jay Smith, grandson*
*Relation to Andy and/or Flora Lehr
My First Car
by Marcia Eaton, wife of Roger Eaton, grandson*
*Relation to Andy and/or Flora Lehr
I learned to drive in a parking lot with my brother’s 1967 Pontiac Firebird. I drove this to school for a while, but I had problems getting it in reverse because it had a manual transmission. In 1976, I turned sixteen and decided I wanted my own car with automatic transmission. My dad was working in Wichita at the time, so he started to shop for me. He found several cars that he thought I would like. The cars he found were all perfect contenders, however some were quickly getting offers. I was dating Roger at the time, so he went with us to test drive the car. My dad knew the dealer and salesmen, so we quickly drove the car and made the deal. My dad signed the papers, and it was my 1971 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 LT. It had grey interior and a spoiler on the back. I thought it was perfect.
I was working at the Pizza Hut, so every day I emptied my pockets of tips and gave the money to my mother. She took the money and made the loan payments for me. I had my car paid off by the end of the summer. I believe it was $1700.00. I now regret that I sold it for a Volkswagen Rabbit to save money on gas.