100 Years of Chevrolet

Bill Burns1948

El Bauer1953

Miles Schnaer1979

Pat Dawson1994

William Frede1922

Don Fehrenbach1971

BillBurns

ElBauer

MilesSchnaer

PatDawson

WilliamFrede

1994: Keeping the Miles Chevrolet name,Pat Dawson takes over as owner and generalmanager. Under his leadership, the business isrecognized as the biggest downstate dealershipoutside Chicago based on revenues. Dawsonsays a reinvigorated Chevrolet is now makinghigh quality, innovative cars and trucks thatpromise a bright road ahead as the iconic carbrand accelerates toward its next century.

1979: Miles Schnaer buys the dealershipfrom Fehrenbach in January 1979. At 32,Schnaer is billed as one of the four youngestChevrolet dealers in Central Illinois.

1971: Bauer dies in April 1970 and inFebruary 1971 the dealership is sold to DonFehrenbach and renamed FehrenbachChevrolet.

1953: Burns dies in April, 1953, and thedealership is bought from his widow by Elvis H.“El” Bauer of Columbia, Mo., in August of thatyear. In September 1958, Bauer moved thedealership to its home at 150 W. Pershing Roadwhere it was hailed in 1964 as the “largestindoor showroom in the nation.”

1948: Frede Chevrolet Companywas sold to Bill Burns and became theBill Burns Chevrolet Company. Burnshad started as a sales manager withFrede and worked his way up toownership. The business was laterrelocated to 300 E. Eldorado St.

February, 1922:The dealership opens at 321 N. Main St. as the

William Frede and Son Chevrolet Agency, with4,000 square feet of space for “office, show andsales room.” The opening line-up of newvehicles included a light truck chassis, a 490touring car, a 490 sedan and a “large modelsedan.” The dealership was later known as theFrede Chevrolet Company.

DonFehrenbach

By TONY REIDH&R Staff Writer

DECATUR — If you find something youlove, stick with it.That’s been the philosophy of diehard

Chevrolet owners like Jim Gogerty andcommitted dealers like Pat Dawson ofDecatur’s Miles Chevrolet. They’ve stuckwith the iconic Chevrolet brand, which iscelebrating its 100th anniversary, throughgood times and some decidedly not sogood times. The carmaker that sold itselfas the “Heartbeat of America” hasexperienced bouts of arrhythmia over theyears and suffered a near fatal cardiacarrest with the bankruptcy of its top-heavycorporate parent General Motors in June,2009.But the slimmed down, reconditioned

and retooled GM that emerged is adifferent beast, however, and its Chevroletheart, goosed with new line-ups of top-selling models and a reborn reputation forquality and dependability, beats asstrongly as it ever did. For the friends whonever deserted it, like Gogerty and Miles,a steady diet of “Baseball, hot dogs, applepie and Chevrolet” (an actual carcompany advertising slogan from 1975) isstill the food of champions.“The first time I walked into that

dealership was 1972,” said Gogerty, 64,who lives in Decatur. “And I’ve been goingback there ever since. I like the cars, topof the line, and I like the dealership. Mr.Pat Dawson has always been completelyoutstanding to me. I believe that if youfind what you like, stay with it, and thebetter life will be for you down the road.”The history of what became known as

Miles Chevrolet, now with Dawson as bothgeneral manager and co-owner withinvestor partner Cecil Van Tuyl, goes backalmost as far as Chevrolet itself. Foundedin Decatur as a “Chevrolet agency” byWilliam Frede and Son in 1922, thedealership arrived in Soy City only 11years after the founding of Chevrolet onNov. 3, 1911. The company was named forheart-throb racing driver Louis Chevroletwho designed the brand’s first model, apowerful six cylinder, and whose heroiccachet helped sell the idea of the few-fangled horseless carriage to a whip andbuggy audience.The Decatur dealership went through

many changes and names but acquired thetitle that stuck when Miles Schnaer took itover in January 1979. Pat Dawson wasalready on board, having joined thedealership in 1972 (when it was known asDon Fehrenbach Chevrolet) to sell newcars. And that was the same year Gogertybought a shiny brown Camaro right off theshowroom floor — the first of 80 cars hewould drive home from the dealership overthe next 40 years.“Mr. Gogerty has been one of the

highest volume Miles Chevrolet customersever,” said Dawson. “For him, and a lot ofdrivers like him, Chevrolet has alwaysbeen America’s sweetheart car. Hey, theydon’t write songs about other brands, theywrite songs about Chevys.”The brand became so interwoven with

the American psyche even its’ potentengines had songs written about them:remember the 1962 Beach Boys hit“Nothing can touch my 409.” Don McLeandrove his “Chevy to the levee” in“American Pie” and when Elton Johnlooked back fondly he was “dreamingof my Chevy and my old blue jeans” in“Crocodile Rock.”Dawson says it’s a case of my Chevy ‘tis

of thee I sing because the car maker hasalways sought to give Americans whatthey want with vehicles that appealed tothe whole family. Affordable and yet witha trim level for everyone, Chevrolet wasoriginally conceived as the entry levelrung on the General Motors ladder byGM’s innovative founder, William C.Durant. The idea was customers, as theygrew in means, would climb up and on toother more prestigious flagships like Buickand Cadillac.And they did just that but, over the

years, Chevrolet developed its own loyalfollowing and added to its allure with theexcitement of ever more potentperformance options and, of course, thedebut in 1953 of the ground-breakingCorvette, America’s first and some wouldsay only true mass production sports car.As Chevrolet and Ford slugged it out for

the soul of Joe Sixpack America, placesbecame known as either Ford or Chevrolettowns and blue collar Decatur was alwaysChevyland through and through.Dawson had grown up here and knew

that reputation better than anyone. Sowhen he came here looking for a job after

Dawson, predecessors go the distanceto be premier Chevrolet dealers

22 HHeerraalldd && RReevviieeww -- CCHHEEVVYY 110000 YYEEAARRSS NNoovveemmbbeerr 1122,, 2200001111 wwwwww..hheerraalldd--rreevviieeww..ccoomm

college in 1972, he drove straight to theFehrenbach dealership. He had graduatedIllinois State University with a degree inbusiness administration and had cut histeeth in car sales by fixing-up old jalopiesand selling them at auction, which is howthe football player helped pay for school.“I had found out I was pretty good at

selling cars and I really enjoyed it,” herecalled. Over the years he would steadilywork his way up through the ranks until hewas ready and able to step into the dealerownership role himself in 1994. He says hehas never forgotten the basic ingredient ofsuccess, and looks for it in others whowant to work for him. “To sell cars you’vegot to be a good listener, that’s the mainthing,” he explained.“Talkers don’t sell. Listeners sell. You

got to put yourself in the customer’s shoes,listen to what they say they want. Youcan’t process it unless you get the correctinformation.”There were times over the years when

General Motors stopped listening and madesome mistakes: using the same vehicleplatforms with different cosmetic optionsand marketing them as supposedlydifferent cars, for example. Quality alsosaw some dark days: the Citation model ofthe early 1980s was ranked by some expertsas one of the worst vehicles in automotivehistory. Then came the steep slide intoeconomic recession at the end of 2008 andthe bankruptcy of GM six months later.Schnaer said watching all that go down

was ugly but he likes the looks of whatcame out of it. “As far as their productsare concerned, they’re on the right road,”

added Schnaer, whose Crown Automotiveoperation now runs major Toyota andVolkswagen dealerships in Lawrence, Kan.He describes Decatur as a “great Chevy

town” and likes the fact his old dealershipis in good hands and doing well. “I will runinto people all over the country and when Iintroduce myself they will say ‘So, you’rethe Miles from Miles Chevrolet in Decatur,huh?’ You know, I’m still pretty proud ofthat.”One of the dearest keepsakes in his

office is a silver and gold model of a 1937Chevrolet convertible with diamondheadlights and ruby taillights that was adealership reward. He keeps it on displayand doesn’t worry about odd looks fromany visiting Toyota or Volkswagenofficials.Much like Chevrolet, Miles Chevrolet

has a lot to celebrate. It ranks as thebiggest downstate dealer in revenueoutside of Chicago and a consistent top-seller of vehicles. New statistics show that,out of some 6,500 new car dealerships ofany brand up and down the country andcoast to coast, Miles ranksaround 314th in terms of new carsales and overall revenues.That’s an extraordinary recordfor a dealership that doesn’t havea big city to plug into for salesprospects.“We have to sell to the same

people over and over again,”Dawson explained. “And sobuyers have to trust us.”He says people put their faith in

a company that puts its faith in the

communities it serves. Miles Chevrolet hassupported worthy causes ranging from St. Mary’s Hospital to St. Teresa HighSchool (Dawson’s alma mater) to theproject to build the new YMCA and an A toZ of local charities. “We’re here for thelong haul,” Dawson added. “We’ve beenfortunate and we want to give back.”Looking down the road to the next 100

years, the dealer likes what he sees interms of the new models emerging to caterto a driving public who increasingly wantto see the USA in a Chevrolet that doesn’tneed much gas.Dawson points to the new Chevy Volt, a

plug-in gas-electric hybrid offeringastonishing mileage: TV talk show hostand car nut Jay Leno has yet to put gas inhis after 10,000 miles. Dawson says it’s thecar of tomorrow available now.“If you drive it around Decatur you

would hardly ever buy gas,” he said. “Butyou can take it to California, too. We’vealready sold our first three — thecustomers were on a waiting list — andthey all love ‘em. There’s exciting

changes in the car business and forChevrolet and Miles Chevrolet, the futurelooks real good.”Dawson won’t get any arguments from

his long-time customer Gogerty. Theretired CSX Railroad yardmaster andArcher Daniels Midland Co. elevatoroperator’s 80th Chevy ride is a silver 2006Colorado crewcab pickup which he can’tfault for rugged reliability. He says a goodbrand isn’t a lot of good without a gooddealership to back it up, but the twotogether is a winning combination thatstands the test of time.“If you are satisfied with the product

and you are treated well, you come back,”Gogerty added. “I believe in America, andI also believe in American products.”

[email protected] | 421-7977

CongratulationsMILES CHEVROLETon Chevrolet’s 100th Anniversary

236 N. Water • Decatur, IL • 428-5383

H & THUGHES & TENNEY, L.L.C.

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"99 In the Shade," ....................................Bon Jovi"All the Best," .......................................John Prine"American Pie," ..................................Don McLean"Amy’s Back in Austin," .........................Little Texas"Ball and Chain," ..........................Social Distortion

"Blitz," ........................................Audio Adrenaline"Blue (Da Ba Dee) (Remix)," .......................Eiffel 65"Blue Jeans," ..........................................Silvertide"Captain Jack," .......................................Billy Joel"Chattahoochee," ..............................Alan Jackson"Chevrolet," ................................................ZZ Top"Chevy Van," ....................................Sammy Johns"Chrome," ..........................................Trace Adkins"Contact," ..........................................Citizen Cope"Crazy About Her," ...............................Rod Stewart"Crocodile Rock," ..................................Elton John"Dare to be Stupid," ....................Weird Al Yankovic"Don’t Forget to Remember Me,"... Carrie Underwood"Dr. Feelgood (Live)," ...........................Motley Crue"Drive South," .......................................John Hiatt"El Camino," .................................................Ween"El Tejano," ........................................Cowboy Troy

"Every Time It Rains," ........................George Strait"Fall in Love," .................................Kenny Chesney"Family Reserve," ..................................Lyle Lovett"Fightin’ Words," ................................Trace Adkins"Girls with Guitars," .........................Wynonna Judd"Go ‘Head," ..............................................Mystikal"Go Lil’ Camaro Go," ..........................The Ramones"Going Back to Cali," ...............................LL Cool J"Here I Am," .........................................Lyle Lovett"Here’s to You," .................................Rascal Flatts"How Bizarre," ...............................................OMC"Hustlin’," .............................................Rick Ross"I Can Only Think of One," .................Dierks Bentley"I Go Back," ....................................Kenny Chesney"I Got You," ....................................Dwight Yoakam"I Learned That From You," ....................Sara Evans"I Won All the Battles," ....................Tracy Lawrence"I’ll Be Your Johnny on the Spot," ...................Ween"I’m Customized," ................................The Cramps"I’m Just a Girl," ................................Deana Carter"I’ve Got a Rock ‘N’ Roll Heart," ...........Eric Clapton"If I Stay," .............................................Tracy Byrd"Jesse Went to War," ...................Marcy Playground"Joe Rey," ................................Fountains of Wayne"Keeping the Faith," .................................Billy Joel"Less Than Zero," ..............................Elvis Costello"Let You Go," ........................................The Clarks"Little Red Corvette," ...................................Prince"Lost in the Flood (Live 2000)," ....Bruce Springsteen"Lucky 4 You (Tonight I’m Just Me)," ..........SheDaisy"Make Me a Chevy," ....................The Promise Ring"Metropolis," .....................................Trace Adkins"Miss Popularity," ..............................Jordan Pruitt"Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)," .................Billy Joel"Mud On the Tires," .............................Brad Paisley"Natural Beauty," ...................................Neil Young"Neutron Dance," .......................The Pointer Sisters"Night Moves,"....................................... Bob Seger"One Bud Wiser," ...........................Gretchen Wilson"Paint the Town Redneck," ...........J.M. Montgomery"Pickin’ Wildflowers," ......................Keith Anderson"Picture Perfect," ..............................Nelly Furtado"Putting the Damage On," ........................Tori Amos"Racing In the Street," ................Bruce Springsteen"Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy)," .............Jim Croce"Real Gone," .......................................Sheryl Crow"Renegade," .......................................Tim McGraw"Repetition," ......................................David Bowie"Ridin’ In My Chevy," ...........................Snoop Dogg"Riding With Private Malone," .................David Ball"Right Time of the Night," ..............Jennifer Warnes"She’s In Love With the Boy," ..........Trisha Yearwood"Small Town Girl," ..............................Kellie Pickler"Something On," .........................The Tragically Hip

DunnCo.com217-429-4444

We saluteMILES

CHEVROLETfor their

commitmentto excellence.


American popular music is filled with car references. But Chevrolet may top them all. “We came up with over 500 without breaking

a sweat,” the company proclaims on its website. To celebrate Chevrolet’s centennial, the list was whittled down to 100 songs and made

available for free on Pandora Internet radio —www.pandora.com/chevy100. Pandora doesn’t have the rights to Beach Boys songs, so

you won’t find “409.” Here’s what you will find, alphabetically by title:

We Salute Miles Chevroletin Their Celebrationof Chevrolet’s 100th

Anniversary

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"Song of the South," .................................Alabama"Still Love You," ..................................Rod Stewart"Superstar," ........................................Sheryl Crow"Suzy and Jeffrey," .....................................Blondie"Tannin’ Bed Song," .........................Shawn Mullins"The Greeting Song," ..............Red Hot Chili Peppers"Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man," .Rolling Stones"Three Marlenas," ..........................The Wallflowers"Thunder Road," .........................Bruce Springsteen"Thundering Hearts," ....................John Mellencamp"Tim McGraw," ....................................Taylor Swift"Twentieth Century Fox," ........................38 Special"Unappreciated," .......................................Cherish"Uneasy Rider," ...............................Charlie Daniels"Union Sundown," ..................................Bob Dylan"Water," ..................................................The Who"West Texas Highway," ...........................Lyle Lovett"When I Think About Leaving," ..........Kenny Chesney

"When You Close Your Eyes," ...............Night Ranger"Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?" ......Paula Cole"Why Do We Want What We Know We Can’t Have?" Reba McEntire"You Never Know Just How Good You’ve Got It,"...............Tracy Byrd"You Win My Love," ............................Shania Twain"Young Blood," .............................Rickie Lee Jones

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C U S T O M C A T E R I N G

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1911: Race car driver LouisChevrolet and GM founder William C. “Billy” Durant co-foundthe Chevrolet Motor Company inDetroit on Nov. 3.

1912: Louis Chevrolet’s $2,150 Series C“Classic Six,” a luxurious high-performance six-cylinder model, hits the streets of Detroit.

1913: Louis Chevrolet parts company with BillyDurant, leaving behind the rights to producecars bearing his name. The Chevy bowtie logo,designed under Durant’s auspices, appears forthe first time in an ad.

1914: The firstcar wearing theChevy bowtielogo appears. It’sthe Royal MailRoadster.

1915: The Chevy Model 490 debuts as a 1916model with a list price of $490. The first “value-priced” Chevy, it puts Chevrolet in directcompetition with Henry Ford’s Model T.

1916: Billy Durant, who had been forced out ofGeneral Motors in 1910, regains control of thecompany he founded.

1918: Chevrolet introduces its first truck, basedon the Model 490 car chassis. Also this year,Chevrolet becomes part of General Motors.

1924: A Chevrolet plant is opened inCopenhagen, Denmark. It’s the first Chevyplant outside the United States.

1927: Chevrolet overtakes Ford for the firsttime, with sales of more than 1 million vehicles.

1929: The Chevrolet Six debuts. It’s called “asix for the price of a four” because majorAmerican competitors at the time offered onlyfour-cylinder engines at about the same price.

1934: Chevy introduces the “knee action”independent front suspension on its 1935 modelMaster Series. It’s revolutionary engineering fora “value-priced” car.

1935: Chevrolet introduces the SuburbanCarryall, the original SUV. It invents a new

segment. Today the Suburban name is thelongest-running continual nameplate in theindustry.

1942: Production of civilian Chevrolets ceasesdue to the war effort. Production of trucks formilitary use continues.

1945: Chevrolet’s civilian car productionresumes.

1948: The all-new “Advance Design” pickuptrucks are introduced, Chevy’s first all-new trucksince before World War II. This classiceventually would become the design inspirationfor 2003-2006 Chevy SSR.

1950: Chevy becomes the first manufacturer tooffer an automatic transmission on a low-pricedAmerican car when the Powerglide transmissiondebuts on 1950 models.


Like a rock: A timeline of the Chevrolet brand

1953: Corvettedebuts with theindustry’s firstregular-productionfiberglass body.

1954: The 50 millionth General Motors car is agold, 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air.

1955: Chevy’s legendary small-block V-8debuts on the all-new 1955 Chevrolet. Also thatmodel year, the Cameo Carrier pickup – a“gentleman’s truck” – debuted with its uniqueand highly styled cargo box.

1956: Dinah Shore, the first woman to host herown TV show, concludes her opening broadcastsinging “See The USA In Your Chevrolet.” Thesong subsequently closes each show.

1957: The Chevrolet Bel-Air of 1957 goes on tobecome an American icon. Also, Chevyintroduces fuel injection as an option on someChevys and Corvettes, a first for an Americanproduction car, while Chevy trucks for the firsttime offer four-wheel drive.

1958: The Impala nameplate debuts.

1959: The car-based El Camino pickup debutson the full-size Chevy sedan chassis. Alsoarriving in 1959 as a 1960 model is the Corvair,the first and – to this day – only American carboasting a rear-mounted, air-cooled, six-cylinderengine.

1962: The Beach Boys record “409,” an ode toChevys powered by the brand’s 409 cubic-inch V-8.

1963: The now-legendary Corvette Sting RaySplit-Window Coupe debuts. The only modelyear for the split rear-window design, the car ishighly coveted today by collectors.

1964: The Chevelle debuts. It’s an“intermediate” car slotted between the full-sizeChevys and the compact Chevy Nova.

1967: Camaro debuts. It’s Chevy’s answer tothe Ford Mustang.

1970: The 450-hp 1970Chevelle SS454 arrives.Today it’sconsidered bysome car buffsthe greatest muscle car ever. Also that year, the“personal luxury coupe” Monte Carlo debuts. Its6-foot-long hood secures its fame as the carwith the longest hood in Chevy history.

1975: The “Baseball, Hot Dogs and Apple Pie”Chevy ad campaign is born.

1979: The 100 millionth Chevy – a 1979 Monza– is built.

1983: This year is significant for what it wasmissing: a 1983 model-year Corvette. The all-new C4 Corvette was to debut in the fall of 1982as an ‘83 model, but production delaysprevented the car from bowing until January1983, so Chevy dubbed it an ‘84 model. 1983 isthe only model year with no Corvette since thelegendary icon debuted in 1953.

1986: The “Heartbeat of America” adcampaign debuts.

1988: The first all-new Chevy full-size pickupssince 1973 arrive with a newly available

“extended cab” body style.

1991: Chevy trucks launch a new ad campaignbased on the Bob Seger song, “Like A Rock.”

1992: The millionth Corvette is built.

2009: The 638-hp Corvette ZR1 is the fastestand most powerful production car in GM history–a distinction it retains today.

2010: The reborn Chevy Camaro, which hadbeen discontinued after the 2002 model year,arrives and soon outsells Ford’s Mustang.

2011: The Chevrolet Volt “extended range”electric car debuts. Also, the Chevrolet brandcelebrates its 100th birthday on Nov. 3.

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Congratulations Chevy on your 100th Year


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100 Years of Chevrolet