Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Edsel Owners Club Inc . Volume XLVI, Issue 1
January 2014
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :
Bledsoe Motor Company Dealer Story
1
Editor’s
Message
2
Bledsoe Story continued
3
EOC National Edsel meet agenda and registration
4—5
Registration for Laughlin Nevada regional event
6
Calendar of Events and wel-come new mem-bers
7
Green Line Edsel Action Ads
8-9
About The Edsel Owners Club
10
T H E B I G E
In July 1957, residents of Shreveport, LA had their first introduction to the Edsel when broth-
ers William Raines Bledsoe (above left) and Matthew Colquitt Bledsoe Jr.(above center) met
with Peter Nunez (above right), the zone manager from Fords New Orleans district office.
The Shreveport Times published an article featuring the Bledsoe brothers who had just
signed their Edsel dealership contract with Ford.
Bledsoe Motor Company was among the first dozen or so dealers to be authorized by Ford—
early enough for Ford to feature the Bledsoe brothers in corporate literature to encourage
(Continued on page 3)
Bledsoe Motor Company: One Dealer’s Story (Part One)
Written by Jonathan Fox
Fords’ “Smart Car for Growing America” was sold at approximately 1,500 dealerships throughout North
America and Europe. In August 2013, I had the special privilege of meeting with one of these dealers,
Mr. M. C. “Sonny” Bledsoe, III. Mr. Bledsoe, one of the last surviving Edsel dealers in the country, kindly
recounted his experiences with Bledsoe Motor Company nearly sixty years ago. The following account
highlights just one individuals story—a story that could easily apply to countless men and women across
the country who fell into hardship after Fords’ $250 million experiment.
The Big E Page 2
From
the
Edito
r’s
Desk
! Hello Edsel Folks!
My name is David Fleischer from Utah. For those of you who do not know me, I am 52 years old and have
been an active Edsel enthusiast for 40 years.
On my 12th birthday, I received some money as a gift and I walked about a block to the neighborhood Rexall
Pharmacy and purchased a game in their small toy department. The game was called, “Dealers Choice”. In
this game there was a deck of cards with pictures of cars on them. One card had a picture of a 1959 Edsel
Corsair. This picture gave me a flashback to the early 1960’s, when I was a little boy, when I would occasion-
ally see an Edsel on the streets. I had forgotten about them until I saw this picture.
I went to the library to do some research on Edsels and fell madly in love and have been hooked on Edsels
ever since, and I bought my first Edsel when I was 14 and bought another one when I was 15. I was a news-
paper boy at the time and used my earnings to buy these Edsels. Since then, I have owned about twenty
Edsels and right now have seven in my collection, five of them which are currently registered and driven.
As your new editor, it is my goal to provide an informative and entertaining newsletter to deal with the chal-
lenges of owning and maintaining an Edsel. However, I cannot accomplish this alone. In this issue is part one
of a two part story on the Bledsoe Family who ran an Edsel dealership in Shreveport, Louisiana. The story
and photos were graciously provided by fellow member Jonathan Fox. This is just the thing I need — from the
members of this club — sharing your research findings on Edsel dealers in your towns, sharing historical
information about Edsels, discovery of any Edsel “barn finds”, etc.
Also, please share any technical tips on restoring and repairing Edsels and please do ask for help if you are
encountering difficulties in your restoration efforts and finding parts. I will post your questions and problems
here and hopefully others in the club, who have experienced similar situations, can respond and give advice
on dealing with these challenges related to Edsel ownership.
Included in this issue of the Big E is the registration form for the annual Laughlin event which will take place
on May 1 - 4, 2014
Tentative plans have been laid out for the EOC 2014 National Meet which will take place in Dayton, Ohio
from July 30 to August 3 this year. The plans and the registration form are included in this issue of the Big E.
One last thing - I regret to announce the passing of a long time member of the club, Neil Bradley. He passed
away in Owensboro, KY on November 19, 2013 at the age of 57.
David Fleischer Your Edsel-Editor
Volume XLVI, Issue 1 Page 3
other dealers to join the new Edsel division.
The Bledsoe brothers were veterans of the automotive industry having operated a successful Nash franchise in Shreveport since
1939. Their dealership at 1401 Texas Avenue was truly a family affair: no fewer than five members of the Bledsoe family worked
there in various capacities as president, vice president, manager, and secretary. As director of the Louisiana Automobile Dealers
Association, M. C. Bledsoe Jr. undoubtedly weighed the risks of foregoing his DeSoto-Plymouth franchise (which had replaced his
earlier Nash franchise) by signing on with the new Edsel division. After careful consideration (and in light of the imminent closures
of the Nash and DeSoto brands), the Bledsoes concluded the Edsel was “the greatest automotive opportunity in many years.”
However, this opportunity later proved disastrous - and tragic - for the Bledsoe family.
Troubles at Bledose Motor Company began with their very first shipment of Edsels. “Sonny” Bledsoe (the subject of the present
article) surmises that the driver who unloaded the cars was probably unfamiliar with the arrangement of the Teletouch buttons. As
such, one of the brand new Edsels fell from the top of the double-decker car hauler. Unbeknownst to the Bledsoes, this mishap
was definitely a sign of things to come.
On Wednesday, September 4, 1957, Shreveport residents (some of which had lined the sidewalk of the dealership as early as
5:00 a.m.) caught their first glimpses of the highly anticipated car. The Bledsoes cordially invited the public to the showroom floor
to see what had been hidden behind the papered plate glass windows. Music and refreshments were also on hand for those who
attended the E-Day festivities. A mischievous teenager, though, helped himself to a set of keys resting in the ignition of one of the
display models in the Bledsoe showroom. This was most certainly a source of consternation for the Bledsoes who were in the
midst of launching their new venture. As well as the dealership, new Edsels were also displayed at Selber Brothers (one of Shreve-
port’s popular downtown department stores) and at the 1957 State Fair of Louisiana held in Shreveport that October.
(A photo presumably from the 1957 Louisiana State Fair held in Shreveport (October 1957). Note Sonny Bledsoe on stage as well as the Edsel pennants and banners. A
new Corsair is barely visible among the crowd.)
Sonny Bledsoe recalls that despite the looks of the “toilet seat” grille, the cars sold well the first month. However, Edsel sales
across the nation dropped after the initial flurry of the introduction. Sonny soon learned a life lesson when it comes to owning and
operating a dealership: “Do not trust the manufacturers.” He recalled, “The Edsel was supposed to be a ‘new-world’ car but was
only a Mercury with a different grille.”
(To be continued in the March 2014 issue of the Big E)
(Bledsoe story continued from page 1)
The Big E Page 4
46th ANNUAL EDSEL OWNERS CLUB CONVENTION
DAYTON, OHIO
July 30 – August 3, 2014
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Wednesday, July 30, 2014 9:00 AM Registration Desk and Hospitality Room open
Craft Sale – Raffle Tickets – Model Car Contest
(Bring Craft Items to Sell)
Touring on your own
Thursday, July 31, 2014 9:00 AM Registration Desk and Hospitality Room open
9:00 AM Bus Tour – United States Air Force Museum – Oldest & largest military aviation museum in the
world. Exhibits include over 300 aircraft, Missiles, and aeronautical displays. Presidential Aircraft
Hanger Includes the Air Force One used by Presidents Kennedy through Clinton and fighter-jets, as
well as the new NASA Space Shuttle Crew Compartment Trainer.
Lunch at the Spaghetti Warehouse
Packard Museum – Admire Packards in this original 1930’s Showroom. See a restored service
area. The museum houses the world’s largest collection of “Packard only” Automobiles
Carillon Historical Park – The 28,000 square foot Heritage Center of Dayton Manufacturing and
Entrepreneurship joints the 30 historical buildings spread across the 65 acre campus devoted to
history, heritage and progress. The highlight of the park is an original 1905 Wright Flyer III biplane,
the world’s first practical airplane, designed and flown by the Wright Brothers, Dayton-made cash
registers, train cars, automobile and bicycles.
7:00 PM Social get together
Funny Money Auction to Follow
(Don’t forget to bring items for the Funny Money Auction)
Friday, August 1, 2014 9:00 AM Registration Desk and Hospitality Room open
9:00 AM Judging of Cars Begins
(You must be a member of the Edsel Owners Club to have your car judged)
9:30 AM EOC Board Meeting
2:00 PM EOC General Membership Meeting
7: 00 PM Parts and Edsel-Related Items Auction
(Bring Items for sale by 6:30 PM)
Saturday, August 2, 2014 9:00 AM Hospitality Room open
10:00 AM Edselcade to the Blad Boys Custom Hot Rod Designers – Approximately 60 cars on display
6:00 PM Awards Banquet
Sunday, August 3, 2014 9:00 AM Breakfast on your own and Goodbyes
Page 5 Volume XLVI, Issue 1
.
The Big E Page 6
Page 7
Doug Knight - WA
Calvin Copeland Jr -WV
Roger & Pat Wellenkamp - IL
Steve Edwards - FL
Dewey & Maribel Lineberry - TN
Ron Ellman - PA
William Baker - VT
Roselle Crow - CO
Doug Shackles - MO
Dan Davis - NV
Frank Waraksa - OH
Richard Zimmerman - IL
Volume XLVI, Issue 1
EOC MEMBERSHIP DRIVE 2014:
WATCH THE SPEEDOMETER CLIMB!
WELCOME NEW
MEMBERS!
We need your Edsel photos for the 2015 Calendar! Please submit a picture either
4x6 or 5x7 .....with a nice background setting. Digital photos are fine. Color cop-
ies of a photo do not reproduce well.
Send to Jeannine Phipps 2500 NE 187th Ave Vancouver, WA 98684 e-mail
[email protected] or send to Lois Roth 1740 NW 3rd St Gresham,
OR 97030 e-mail [email protected]
Edsel Calendar of Events
We need to know what the local chapters are doing, let us know if there is
anything in your area that deserves to be noted in this calendar.
Email your event info to [email protected]
2014 EOC Membership Dues are due!
This will be your LAST newsletter unless your dues are paid.
May 1 – 4: Rolling to The River, 7th Annual Regional Meet in Laughlin, Nevada. See page 6
July 30—August 3: National EOC Meet in Dayton, Ohio
See pages 4 and 5
Ads in the Green Line are free to members. $10
fee to non-members. They will be run for 3 issues,
on a space available basis. Ads should be kept to
35 words or less and sent to:
Green Line Action Ads
David Fleischer
1156 North 350 West
Centerville, Utah 84014
or
Email me at: [email protected]
EDSELS FOR SALE
1958 Edsel Pacer 2 DR HT
W8EG 700928 63B KNN T O1H 4 A
79,000, Loaded with options-needs complete res-
toration (some rust) Believed to be a PRESS CAR
for National Press Introduction on August 26 - 28,
1957 -see Love-Fords.org for details. SERIOUS Buy-
ers , $5,000 Inquiries Roland Houde @978-685-
2641 Eastern Standard Time 8 am - 6 pm
1959 Edsel Ranger 2 DR Needs motor and
transmission, but has very good body $2,500. Bill
Yelton Lawrenceburg, IN 513-218-5406 Delivery
Available
1959 Edsel Ranger 4 DR SD, 6cyl ONE OWN-
ER Vin#A9UF740950. Standard transmission.
4,000 miles on rebuilt engine. In storage for over
25 yrs. Probably fair condition. Does not run at pre-
sent time. It is a great car just waiting to be re-
stored. Best Offer Located in Brock, Texas, please
contact - Clifford and/or Sally Hummer,
6816 Chickering Road,Fort Worth, Texas 76116
ph: 817 304 4026, email: [email protected] (2)
(note: photo sent to editor shows a very solid look-
ing car sitting inside a barn or shed)
1959 Edsel Ranger 4 DR SD, . No power steering
or power brakes. V8 engine, 44,000 actual miles.
Very nice condition. Garaged in winters. Parts car
included. $7,000. Contact Marie Pierce 218-440-
1230 or 218-969-1698 Hibbing, MN (2)
(note: photo sent to editor shows this car to be in
EXCELLENT condition)
PARTS & LITERATURE MEMORABILIA FOR SALE
Complete Super Express 303HP V8 (E400) and
Dual Power Automatic Transmission Setup. This is
an engine/transmission package deal including
everything from air cleaner to oil pan and from fan
blade to transmission. Motor runs fine. Entire set
up for $950. Located in SE MN, may be able deliv-
er for gas money. Mike Erickson,
Edsel literature for sale:
'59 owners manual, original, excellent cond. $ 65
'60 owners manual, original, fair cond $25
'60 Sales brochure, new-nifty-thrifty-good cond
$25 (dealer stamp on cover)
'60 Sales pamphlet, 70 reasons to go Edsel in '60
$7
'60 Maintenance manual $25
7"x9-1/2" '60 Edsel colors and upholsteries
3 ring binder...Binder only, no contents $20
Contact John Anderson 928-517-8137 Fountain
Hills, AZ [email protected] (2)
The Big E Page 8
ED S E L AC T I O N AD S
Page 9 Volume XLVI, Issue 1
I have a lot of parts for a 59 Edsel that I need to
sell. A complete front end of 2 fenders, hood and
3 grills with all the trim. Also 3 instrument clus-
ters, tail light lens, a big plastic container full with
rubber parking light housing and lots of other
things. I'm asking $600 for everything."
Contact Jim White Dallas, TX, phone: 214-363-
4632, email:[email protected] (2)
DVD’s for sale ---1998 EOC Convention in Dear-
born Includes 38 Edsels on the Ford Test Track,
Roy Brown’s “How we designed it” presentation,
Edsel intro to Ford management, TV ad, Edsels on
Vacation and Edsel crash tests. Runs about 4
hours. $20 Reg Brown at reg-
[email protected] 843-693-3331 (3)
GOLD PLATED CLASSIC KEYS & N.O.S. (Original)
KEYS for all Edsels and Ford models. Many of
those hard to find keys and lock cylinders. Keys
cut by code, please inquire with year and model.
JESSER’S CLASSIC KEYS, 26 West Street, Dept
EOC, Akron, OH 44303, Phone 330-376-8181 *
24 hr FAX 330-384-9129 VISA
Pacer NOS chain link seat material, red and
brown. Also have some rib cloth and silver welt.
Contact Jerry Lasseigne, 300 Coulon Rd.,
Thibodaux, LA 70301, PH: 985-446-6487.
Edsel parts; new, used & rebuilt, 1000’s in stock,
parts list with SASE. Jerry Lasseigne, 300 Coulon
Rd, Thibodaux, LA 70301, PH:985-446-6487
Get your E.O.C. “Horse collar” key chains! All
funds benefit the Edsel Owners Club. Only $7.00
each. Contact: Jeannine Phipps at 360-892-8943
email: [email protected]
Reproduction appliqué plates, hood ornaments
and bumper guard pads. Contact Jerry Lasseigne,
300 Coulon Rd., Thibodaux, LA 70301, PH: 985-
446-6487
Rear Window Rubber Seal (New) 1959 Edsel 2/4
Door Sdn/Hrdtp $130.00 each. Add $15.00 ship-
ping/ins. Dave Houchin, 145 William Bartram
Drive, Crescent City, FL 32112.
1958-1960 Edsel Fuel Pumps. Have 6 Cyl and 8
Cyl pumps for vacuum and electrical wiper models.
Factory rebuilt. Contact Blaise Kendzioiski, 1408 S.
Wenona, Bay City, Michigan 48706, 989-892-
2652.
EDSEL/EDSEL PARTS WANTED/TRADE
WANTED—1959 Ranger Front and Rear BUMPERS
for my 59 Ranger. I don't need show quality, just
everyday driver. “Location in the South West would
help” Contact Ivan Korneychuk ,1200 Pueblo Dr.
Lake Havasu AZ 86406 [email protected] (1)
WANTED—1959 Ranger seat cloth in black, either
new or good used. Need enough to redo both front
and back seat. Contact Peter D. LaChapelle 19
Union St, Salem, MA 01970-5109 Ph: 978-744-
9198 email [email protected] (2)
___________________________________
2014 EOC Calendars If you want extra copies of the 2014 EOC
Calendars please contact Lois Roth 503-
492-0878 or [email protected]
$15.00 each includes shipping
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Edsel Owners License Plate frame They are $20.00 each plus $5.00 shipping US.
Canada and International would be $10.00 ship-
ping. Make check payable to EOC, 1740 NW 3rd
St Gresham, OR 97030 contact info:
Lois Roth 503-492-0878
e-mail [email protected]
President - George Foran, 1614 Wilcox St,
Crest Hill, IL 60403. [email protected] 815-
919-3570
Past President -
Vice President - Regions - Carolyn Fakeley, Prai-
rie Chapter #97 53051 Range Rd. 211,
Ardrossan, AB Canada T8G 2C6.
[email protected] 780-922-3777
Treasurer - Lois Roth, Or-E-gon Chapter, 1740
NW 3rd St., Gresham, OR 97030,
503-492-0878
Secretary - Maye Gulley, Heart of America Chap-
ter, PO Box 587, DeSoto, KS 66018-0587
[email protected] 913-583-1822
Vice President - Chapters - Kathye Higdem, 9211
Portland Ave S., Bloomington, MN 55420-3839.
[email protected] 952-884-3091
Vice President Membership - Jeannine Phipps,
Or-E-gon Chapter, 2500 NE 187th Ave., Vancou-
ver, WA 98684, [email protected]
360-892-8943
Public Relations - "Shamrock" Shelley Cleaver,
North Texas Chapter, 35998 US Highway 69 N,
Jacksonville, Texas 75766-7578,
903-586-4311
Big E/Greenline Editor– David Fleischer, 1156
North 350 West, Centerville, Utah 84014,
Head Judge - Carroll "Higgie" Higdem,
[email protected] (952) 884-3091
Historian - Mike Hinsch, Or-E-gon Chapter, 31010
NW North Avenue, North Plains, OR 97133-6145,
[email protected] 503-647-5376
Founders:
Edsel Henry Ford, b.1925—d. 2013
Perry Piper - b.1911- d.1999
Mike Read - b.1943 - d.2005
David Sinclair, Eagle, ID [email protected]
(208) 939-5534
Other Contacts:
Webmaster - Greg Corcoran - Columbine Chapter
Big E Publication Dates
January, March, May, July,
September, November and
Calendar Issue.
Copy deadline is 30 days prior to
above publication dates.
Submit copy and pictures to:
David Fleischer
1156 North 350 West
Centerville, Utah 84014
Page 10 The Big E
We’re on the web at www.edselclub.org
Edsel Owners Club Editor
David Fleischer
1156 North 350 West
Centerville, UT 84014
Edse l Owners Club Inc .
Text: 801-698-9035
email: [email protected]
Edsel Owners Club Inc.
The “BIG E” is the official
publication of the Edsel
Owners Club. The Club is
dedicated to the preserva-
tion of the Edsel, with mem-
bers in all walks of life help-
ing each other in their labor
of love. The “BIG E” is edit-
ed and published by Mike
Hinsch. The Edsel Owner’s
Club, Inc. was founded by
Edsel Henry Ford, Perry E.
Piper, Michael Read and
David Sinclair and was in-
corporated as a non-profit
organization under the laws
of the State of Illinois on
February 3rd, 1969. Annu-
al membership dues: Unit-
ed States $35 ($25 if Big E
is received by email), Cana-
da $40 (US Funds)($30 if
Big e is received by email) ,
all others $45 (US
Funds)($35 if Big E is re-
ceived by email) per year.
Of this amount $30 is ap-
plied as an annual sub-
scription to “The Big E”, the
official club publication. All
dues should be forwarded
to the club treasurer, Lois
Roth. An Associate Mem-
bership (someone presiding
in the same household) is
available for $15.
Mailing Address Line 1
Mailing Address Line 2
Mailing Address Line 3
Mailing Address Line 4
Mailing Address Line 5
