James Wood Motors in Decatur Celebrates Decatur, Texas • Wednesday, November 16, 2011 2 WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, Decatur, Texas, Wednesday, November 16, 2011 CHEVROLET | 100 YEARS Making The Wood Way Work for You... Managers for James Wood’s Decatur dealerships include (standing from left) Mark Sanders, Cecil LeMond, Eddie Hale, Roy Young, Judy Tait, Ted Moore, Mark Dobbs, Tom Keenan, Chad Huddleston, Roger Hitt, Rick Bramlett, Raymond Wood and Cody Burkhart. Seated are Randy Bounds, Robin Garrett, Audra Rhine, Greta McDaniel, Amanda Williams, Susan Miller, Carey Williams and Asa Johnson Jr. Not pictured are Richard Flynt, Rusty Ford, James Ray Garrett, Jeff Horn, Andy Hudson, Nick Huff, Melanie Jones, Judy Lewis, Rusty Rice, Brandt Wicker, and James Wood. !""#$%&'(#)*#+,,)-&.+),/ 01&2+,%#34&.#3%#5&,#6)#.)1)'')3/# !"#$"%&' !"#$%&&& !"#$%&'%'($#)*('%+,%#-./, !"#$%&%# !"#$%&'#&()&*&+#,,$-.'/&0*"'-)"& 1.'2&3*,)4&5##%&6#'#"4&7& 82)9/:4&;.-)4'&<)*=)"> WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, Decatur, Texas, Wednesday, November 16, 2011 CHEVROLET | 100 YEARS 3 Mr. Chevrolet M ost people know the name Chevrolet, but few people know much about the man behind the Chevrolet brand. The Chevrolet car company is actually named for one man — Louis Chevrolet — a dare-devil who came from France to America and became famous as a racing driver. SOME FACTS ABOUT LOUIS CHEVROLET: ! As early as July 16, 1895, Louis Chevrolet was the winner of a French cycling race as reported in the “Journal de Beaune.” ! In May 1905, Chevrolet’s name first appeared in press reports in connection with motorized races. Driving a massive Fiat racer at Morris Park, N.Y., Chevrolet broke the track’s flying-mile record with a 68-mph run. He then went on to win a three-mile flying-start race at the same event. ! During the 1906 speed trials at Ormond Beach, Fla., Chevrolet drove a French-built Darracq race car, powered by what was at the time a spectacularly powerful 200-hp V8, to a then world-record speed of 118.7 mph. ! On March 5, 1909, Chevrolet was engaged as a driver for William C. “Billy” Durant’s famed Buick racing team. Subsequently, Chevrolet’s successes as a race car driver multiplied. While brothers Arthur and Gaston would also race professionally, Louis generally lead the Chevrolet team when they competed together. ! Despite all of the spectacular successes, Chevrolet paid a price for his racing career. Celebrated in the American press as “the dare-devil Frenchman,” he is said to have spent nearly three years in hospital beds as the result of various accidents. When the youngest Chevrolet brother, Gaston, died as the result of a racing accident in 1920, Louis vowed to never race again. Congratulations to James Wood from One Community Leader to Another Member F.D.I.C. • Equal Housing Lender Like James Wood, we are proud Wise County is Our Home www.northtxbank.com LOOK LOCAL TO NORTH TEXAS BANK FOR YOUR NEXT AUTO LOAN 4 WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, Decatur, Texas, Wednesday, November 16, 2011 CHEVROLET | 100 YEARS Chevy Runs Deep in Wise In the beginning, James Wood Motors was the competition to Chevrolet. On Labor Day in 1978, James and Shirley Wood bought John Porter Motors, a GM dealership in Decatur offering Buick, GMC Truck, Oldsmobile and Pontiac. It had been assembled as Country Motors with franchises that had been at several smaller dealerships. Not that the Woods’ purchase was a giant in North Texas automobile retailing. The dealership had an inventory of two dozen new vehicles. It sold as many cars as it did trucks at its location on US 81/287 on the south side of town. James Wood Motors didn’t stay small very long, as it pioneered selling pickups and Suburbans in large numbers to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. In 1983 the dealership moved down the highway to a new facility on 20 hillside acres, a location that really showcased vehicles. James Wood’s strategy included accepting the risk that would come with building a large selection of cars and a vastly larger inventory of truck-based vehicles. He saw that as essential to drawing customers from nearby metropolitan counties as well as surrounding rural areas. Coupling huge inventory with a genuinely friendly, no-pressure approach to selling, he set out to prove that the James Wood Difference would indeed be worth the distance. “You’ve got to have the goods to sell them,” James recalled in the yearbook that was published for the 15th aniversary celebration in 1993. “In this day and age, people want to buy something they can see.” That same yearbook chronicled James Wood Motors’ selling more GMC Trucks than any other dealership in the United States in both 1988 and 1989. Lower GMC Truckbrand sales for the next three years reected a major addition to the James Wood lineup: Chevrolet. The dealership added a second showroom, doubled its parts department and expanded the shop to 40 service bays. At the grand opening, U.S. Senator Phil Gramm was keynote speaker. Chevy had a long local history, but sales of its vehicles really took off after Wood became its dealer. For several years, Wood had resisted expanding beyond Wise County. But he saw a dealership in nearby Denton as too good an opportunity to pass up. On Valentine’s Day in 1991. Wood re-opened a closed Buick-GMC dealership and soon added Pontiac to the lineup. Three years later he bought Denton’s North Texas Autoplex, making Wood a Chevrolet dealer in adjoining counties. Cadillac and Oldsmobile also came with the deal. In both cases Wood thoroughly established his reputation as the leading GM dealer before buying out his Chevy competitor. In November 2009, Automotive News honored Wood as one of America’s 50 visionary dealers for putting Silverados and Tahoes into city folks’ driveways. While inventory, location, good luck and a strong faith have surely helped, Wood tells everyone the real keys to his success are the 400 Decatur and Denton employees who believe in making the low-pressure “Wood Way” work for their customers. Managers have always come from Wood’s own ranks. He has turned many of them at both dealerships into community leaders. Few of his salespeople have have auto-selling backgrounds. What they have in common is a genuine fondness for dealing with people. “James sets the example for all of us,” said Carey Williams, executive manager of the Decatur dealerhip. “He is very friendly, and we have a hard time keeping him from being distracted from his managerial duties by the opportunity to sell a vehicle to someone.” A major General Motors awards ceremony was once delayed for several minutes because Wood was out on the lot, selling a Chevy passenger van to a preacher. Seventy-ve percent of James Wood’s sales are to repeat customers or to those who are referred by satised buyers. As Wood puts it: “If we’re not making our customers happy, they won’t be back. “I just believe in taking care of folks the way I want to be treated myself.” Parked at the remodeled Buick-GMC building is the much-admired Chevrolet Equinox (cousin to the Terrain). James Wood has set the pace for selling SUVs and pickups for three decades. In its rst 100 years, Chevy has sold 200 million vehicles! In its rst year the well-equipped, gas-saving Cruze zoomed to second place behind Silverado pickups in Chevrolet sales. Cruze was the 10th best-selling vehicle in the United States and was sixth among cars. It replaced the Cobalt in Chevy’s line-up. WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, Decatur, Texas, Wednesday, November 16, 2011 - 5 CHEVROLET | 100 YEARS Chevy in Decatur: It Happened One Night t e James Wood bought a opiece of Wise County hisytory when he acquired the Chevrolet dealership for eDecatur in 1990. s Although it didn’t sell Chevrolets until 1932, the gdealership had existed in tsome form since 1911, when Jay Ingram established Ingram Motor Company in the Ford and Weakley Building on the northeast corner of the Square. Chevrolet was created on November 3 of that same year. Dr. Ingram sold his dealership to Decatur Motor Company in 1915, Among its owners was W.A. Helm. It was a Ford dealership. In 1922, he and his son, Hiram M. “Skinny” Helm, bought the building. On the second oor, the Helms assembled Model Ts shipped in crates. In that same space, the Ingram family had assembled an airplane in 1914. The Helms became Chevy dealers literally overnight during the Great Depression. Henry Ford forced unneeded inventory on his dealers, causing the Helms to cover their windows and store their Fords one Wednesday night. Out of storage came new GM vehicles, along with the usual banners. The next morning, Decatur had a Chevrolet dealer. The Helm family remained General Motors dealers until they sold to Chester Morris in 1951. Morris sold to Otto Ferrill in 1955. He moved out to the new US 81/287 bypass in 1962. Subsequent names on the dealership’s sign included John Poppell, Tom Rattan, Chaparral Chevrolet (owned by Roy Eaton, Jim Richards and Ken Reed), Charles Bounds, Eddie Walker and R.D. Ryno. Wood had operated a used-car lot, Tanwood Motors, in the 1970s on the Decatur bypass. Melinda Burkhart and James Wood show off the Chevy 100th anniversary poster available at the dealership. 6 WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, Decatur, Texas, Wednesday, November 16, 2011 CHEVROLET | 100 YEARS What’s up with the bowtie? CHEVROLET'S FAMOUS EMBLEM IS AN ICON OF AMERICAN ADVERTISING, BUT ITS ROOTS ARE SHROUDED IN MYSTERY C hevrolet's bowtie emblem is one of the most widely recognized logos in the world, but where did it come from? Even General Motors isn't quite sure. The bowtie logo was introduced by company co-founder William C. Durant in late 1913. But how it came to be synonymous with the brand is open to wide interpretation, with four versions of the story cropping up. IT CAME FROM WALLPAPER Durant’s version of how the logo came into existence is well known. The long-accepted story, confirmed by Durant himself, was that it was inspired by the wallpaper design in a Parisian hotel. According to The Chevrolet Story of 1961, an official company publication issued in celebration of Chevrolet's 50th anniversary: “It originated in Durant's imagination when, as a world traveler in 1908, he saw the pattern marching off into infinity as a design on wallpaper in a French hotel. He tore off a piece of the wallpaper and kept it to show friends, with the thought that it would make a good nameplate for a car.” DINNERTIME SKETCH In 1929, Durant's daughter, Margery, published a book entitled, My Father. In it, she told how Durant sometimes doodled nameplate designs on pieces of paper at the dinner table. “I think it was between the soup and the fried chicken one night that he sketched out the design that is used on the Chevrolet car to this day,” she wrote. HOTEL STAY IN VIRGINIA More than half a century later, another Bowtie origin was recounted in a 1986 issue of Chevrolet Pro Management Magazine based on a 13year-old interview with Durant's widow, Catherine. She recalled how she and her husband were on holiday in Hot Springs, Va., in 1912. While reading a newspaper in their hotel room, Durant spotted a design and exclaimed, “I think this would be a very good emblem for the Chevrolet.” Unfortunately, at the time, Mrs. Durant didn't clarify what the motif was or how it was used. THE SWISS FLAG One other explanation attributes the design to a stylized version of the cross of the Swiss flag. Louis Chevrolet was born in Switzerland at La Chaux-de-Fonds, Canton of Neuchâtel, to French parents, on Christmas Day 1878. Whichever origin is true, within a few years, the bowtie would emerge as the definitive Chevrolet logo. An Oct. 2, 1913 edition of The Washington Post seems, so far, to be the earliest known example of the symbol being used to advertise the brand. CHEVY’S BOWTIE THROUGH THE YEARS 1916 1940s 1957 1960s 1977 2000 Today Your Income Is Your Credit Neighborhood Español AUTOS BRIDGEPORT1209 Hovey ~ 940-683-9663 DECATUR US 287 South ~ 940-627-2177 BuyHerePayHereTexas.com WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, Decatur, Texas, Wednesday, November 16, 2011 7 SOLID COUNTRY SAVINGS ON LEGENDARY SILVERADOS, BRAND-NEW SONICS AND ALL THE OTHER 2012 CHEVYS THAT REPRESENT AMERICAN CARS & TRUCKS AT THEIR FINEST 0.0% APR 72 MONTHS PLUS $500 BONUS CASH on 2011 Silverados, Tahoes, Suburbans, Avalanches & Traverses* CAMARO: Move over, Mustang! SONIC: Economical CAN Be Stylish and Roomy! LOOK FOR THIS SIGN TO FIND TOP DOLLAR FOR YOUR TRADE-IN! jameswood.com • 940-627-2177 *72 payments of $13.89 per $1,000 financed. GMAC financing with approved credit. Also includes Sierras, Yukons, Yukon XLs, Acadias and Enclaves. ENDS JAN. 3, 2012 8 WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, Decatur, Texas, Wednesday, November 16, 2011 CHEVROLET | 100 YEARS “See The USA in Your Chevrolet...” – Dinah Shore PANDORA’S TOP 100 CHEVY SONGS “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 “Everytime 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 “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 WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, Decatur, Texas, Wednesday, November 16, 2011 9 CHEVROLET | 100 YEARS A true pioneer BEFORE THERE WERE SUVs, THERE WAS THE SUBURBAN 1936 ! 1951 ! ! 1966 ! Today 1981 ! T oday's most popular family vehicles are SUVs, or some variation on them. These sport utility vehicles rose to prominence in the 1990s and are largely replaced by the more nimble, efficient crossover vehicles of today. Still, SUVs remain a popular choice with many drivers who need off-road capability, versatility and lots of interior space. And the true pioneer of the SUV category is the Chevy Suburban. In 1936, Chevrolet introduced the Suburban, a vehicle that fundamentally changed the automobile market. With a focus on functionality, the credo of the new concept was “to carry all.” At long last, the whole family was to find sufficient space in one car — and preferably the fishing equipment, too. To build this automobile, engineers used a conventional truck chassis, but instead of installing a loading floor, as in the case of pickups, they had designed a generous passenger compartment in which up to eight people could fit on three rows of seats. A 90 horsepower engine provided the necessary power, and the world’s first station wagon was born. The Suburban had changed only very little by the time production was stopped in World War II. After the war, it underwent continuous improvements. In 1955, the basic model was delivered with a 100 horsepower engine, and in 1956 a V8 became the standard. In 1957, the Suburban was available for the first time with four-wheel drive, which made it a truly practical vehicle. It was no longer defined a station wagon, but a car, and as such the prototype of the SUVs seen on our roads today. ZERO APR 72 MONTHS Your local choice in new & used vehicle loans. Serving Texas for Over 120 Years DECATUR ALVORD 1706 FM 51 South Decatur, Texas 76234 940-627-1553 Fax: 940-627-7410 110 Franklin St. Alvord, Texas 76225 940-427-5575 Fax: 940-427-5573 www.legend-bank.com on 2011 Suburbans, Tahoes, Silverados, Avalanches, Traverses, Enclaves, Acadias, Sierras, Yukons and Yukon XLs PLUS $500 Bonus Purchase Cash 72 payments of $13.89 per $1,000 financed. GMAC financing with approved credit. ENDS JAN. 3, 2012 10 WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, Decatur, Texas, Wednesday, November 16, 2011 Happy Anniversary, Chevy. Thank you for helping to make a century of american dreams come true. Thank you James Wood Motors for helping to make Decatur’s dreams come true. ©2011. Ally Financial. All rights reserved. Ally is a registered service mark of Ally Financial. Chevrolet is a trademark of General Motors Company, used under license by Ally Financial. WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, Decatur, Texas, Wednesday, November 16, 2011 11 CHEVROLET | 100 YEARS Marking 100 years 2012 CHEVROLET CENTENNIAL EDITION CORVETTE RELEASED C hevrolet, founded by a racing pioneer 100 years ago, celebrates its performance heritage with the 2012 Chevrolet Centennial Edition Corvette. This special edition features a sleek black color scheme, unique design elements and Corvette’s trademark sports car technology. The 2012 Centennial Edition package is available on all Corvette models. The special package was inspired by Chevrolet’s racing-bred foundation, which continues with Corvette’s international racing excellence and production sports car prominence. “Racing and performance are the roots of Chevrolet, a tradition carried forward today by Corvette,” said Rick Scheidt, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. “The Centennial Edition not only celebrates our 100 years, it once again pushes Corvette forward for a new generation of sports car fans.” The Centennial Edition package comes exclusively in Carbon Flash Metallic, with satin-black graphics and unique Centennial Satin Black wheels and red brake calipers. The wheels are constructed of lightweight cast-spun aluminum and include a thin red outline around the perimeter of its surface on the Z06. A NOD TO HISTORY The Centennial Edition also features special badges that signify Chevrolet’s racing history. A graphic logo fea- turing an iconic image of Louis Chevrolet appears on the B-pillars, the center caps of the wheels, and the center of the steering wheel. The seat headrests also carry an embossed centennial logo. Aficionados will note one other small detail: The historic crossed flags badge contains a small adaptation, with “100” in place of the traditional fleur-de-lis symbol. INTERIOR The exterior color scheme is reinforced inside the car, with the Ebony leather-wrapped instrument panel and doors complimented by red stitching on the steering wheel, seats, console and shifter. Microfiber suede accents on Centennial Edition seats, steering wheel, shifter and armrests were first used on the 2011 Z06 Carbon Limited Edition. STYLING The Chevrolet Centennial Edition Corvette expresses racing heritage, but does so with a sleek, modern, even sinister-looking appearance. Congratulations Chevrolet on 100 years and James Wood Motors for your Great Business & Community Service. Voted Best Insurance Agency in Wise County by 2011-12 Readers Choice. BUSINESS OWNERS: A New Vehicle could provide You a Significant Tax Benefit. Ask us about the 2011 Tax Stimulus Package 12 WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, Decatur, Texas, Wednesday, November 16, 2011 CHEVROLET | 100 YEARS PROGRESS TO REPORT As We Celebrate Chevrolet’s 100th Anniversary and The Completion of Our Remodeling, Entering Our 34th Year of Being Your General Motors Dealer The Car & Truck TruckCapitol Capitol of Texas is on US287 South in Decatur! Thank You, James and Shirley Wood, for Your Lifetime Commitment to Our Community You Can Now Find Us at www.ffin.com BOYD 609 E. Rock Island Ave. 940-683-8760 BRIDGEPORT 909 Stevens St. 940-683-8700 DECATUR 608 W. Hale Ave. 940-683-8780 YOU FIRST
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