D684E51F-3DE7-415D-ABDF-CCE7787391D1.jpeg Huston Shelton ThumbnailsLloyd NicholsonHuston Shelton ThumbnailsLloyd Nicholson
This article is an excerpt from the September 2010 "Bowtie Bulletin"

Eddie & Betty Sewell and a '32 Chevy Named "Puff"

My love affair with vintage automobiles began in 1958 when I was eleven years old. We had just moved to Cleburne and my dad was in the process of buying a home. While he was negotiating with the owner, my twin brother and I went outside. The owner's teenage son was working on a Model A coupe and we talked him into taking us for a ride. I was hooked. I intended to buy a Model A as soon as I could drive.

T. Lindsay Baker, a friend of mine from Boy Scouts, had a 1931 Model A coupe with a rumble seat and a roll down back glass that he had just restored. He graduated in 1965. That summer, my brother and I went with him in the Model A to visit his aunt and uncle in Galveston, a trip that took thirteen and a half hours. I had not had any luck trying to find a Model A to buy. During the trip, he mentioned that he had acquired a 1932 Chevy sedan that he wanted to sell, since he was only interested in Fords. When we got back, I went to look at the car and decided to buy it. Boy was it rough! It had 101,000 thousand miles on it and thirty layers of seat covers, but it was mine !!! I drove it my senior year to high school, while working on it in my spare time.

My car's name is "Puff" as in Puff the Magic Dragon. That may sound a bit strange, but there is a story behind the name. When I first bought the car, the radiator was all but stopped up. The water in it was a rusty red color. Someone had drilled a hole in the fill spout just below where the cap went. One very hot day, I stopped for a traffic light at the courthouse. The car overheated and spewed a huge cloud of red steam out of that hole. It looked like a fire breathing dragon. Peter, Paul and Mary had just come out with the song "Puff the Magic Dragon". My brother said the car reminded him of the song and the name stuck.

I graduated from high school in 1966 and Puff and I went to East Texas State University. There he caught on fire. He was repainted brown with black fenders and top. It was while I was in college that I met Betty on a blind date (the only blind date I have ever been on). On our second date, it snowed. It snowed just as hard inside the car as out. It must have been true love because she went out with me again. If snow was bad, rain was worse. We got soaked every time it rained.

I finally proposed and Betty and I became engaged. We were both studying to become teachers. Her field was Special Education and mine was History. We graduated in 1970 with our bachelor degrees, and in 1973 with our masters. I got a job teaching history at Cleburne High School and she got a job in Weatherford.

We got married on April 10th 197l. A week later, a friend of mine in the Packard Club, Hayden Vandever, stopped by and told us that a group of Chevy lovers were going to meet at Meadowbrook Park in Arlington to form a club on April 25th. We made plans to attend that meeting. When we got there, we did not know anyone. We liked what they wanted to do and joined that day.

We really enjoyed the meetings and the family atmosphere there. We rarely missed a meeting and meanwhile continued to collect parts for the elusive future restoration of Puff. We visited some of the "finest" junk yards between here and Stephenville searching for parts, not counting countless swap meets for the next thirty years.

Over the years we became more involved in the club. I served as assistant newsletter editor, board member, and assistant director. Betty served as membership secretary for five years, has helped with numerous Christmas parties (one for which she provided all the table decorations), and has worked in the registration tent for many swap meets. We sponsored the club's 39th anniversary party this past April, and have sponsored two day tours, one in the fall of 2006 and one in the spring of 2009. We are currently in the planning stages of this year's fall day tour scheduled for November 6, 2010.

Finally in 2001, Puff wore completely out and quit running. By now he was in such bad condition I knew that I could not do all the work required to restore him. So in July, 2001, Puff went to Hatfield Restoration in Canton for a frame off total restoration. By now after thirty-seven years, my garage looked like a Chevy parts house. Everything went to Canton. Thirty five months later in June, 2005, Puff came home fully reborn.

By now Betty and I were retired and started taking Puff on tours. We have been to most of the Southern Fall Tours. We really enjoy touring and the many friends we have made there. In 2006, we made the journey to Grand Junction, Colorado for the 45th Anniversary Meet. We had Puff judged there and he scored 964 out of 1000 points.

We have been married 15 days longer than there has been a Lone Star Region Chevrolet Club. We will celebrate our 40th anniversary next April and have already celebrated our 45th in June of owning Puff.

By: Eddie Sewell, September, 2010
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