The following is my first car story. I had taken driver training in high school but never got my license because of no auto at home. After spending a couple of years in the Air Force, I got tired of having to ask someone to take me to the cities of Tampa or St. Petersburg, Florida, not too far from the base. With the aid of a friend, I bought my first car and then got my license. It was a beautiful black 1950 Oldsmobile with wide white wall tires. I remember washing it every day to show it off in front of my buddies on base. February of 1955 I was transferred from 90-degree heat to below zero cold in Maine. My Olds had no heater or defrost so I had to get an under-the-floor heater and a fan to clear the windshield. The tires were not right for the winter but I didn’t have a clue about that. I had no problem getting to Houlton but just north on Buckley Hill, Mars Hill I tried to pass a sand truck and slid into the side of the truck. There was minor damage to both vehicles but everything metal in the car would give you an electrical shock if it was touched.
The irony in the whole thing was my insurance company canceled my policy because I had another passenger traveling with me to Loring A.F.B. I got the car fixed and was able to make several trips to Boston on weekends. I was still driving it when I went back to work at J.C. Penney in Houlton in 1956. It sure was worth the $895 it cost to purchase in Florida.
Mars Hil
