Story by Jon Stalnaker AKA The Studebaker Dude
I spent some time on Google looking up the definition of the word famous. I would have thought it to be a simple task but I spent quite a bit of time looking for a straight answer. The Oxford dictionary said it was “known about by many people.” a very vague definition and they further confused me by adding a long list of similar words: Well known, Celebrated, Prominent, Famed, Popular, Having made a name for oneself, Renown, Noted, Notable, Eminent, Pre-eminent, Leading, Distinguished, Esteemed, Respected, Venerable, “ Of high standing”, Of distinction, Of repute, Illustrious, Acclaimed, Honest, Exalted, Great, Glorious, Remarkable, Legendary, Lionized, Much publicized, and a couple of negative examples.
That is certainly a lot of words to process and not exactly the answer I was looking for. Some words I could understand, some I couldn’t understand, and some I never heard of before. I read further and discovered a couple more definitions that were more like what I was wanting to see; “having a widespread reputation usually of a favorable nature, renowned or celebrated”, I like this one. Another good one is “when they are well-known by the public and often in the media and public discourse”. ”Widely” can mean lots of different things: Afterall, there is world-famous, internet famous, and barely famous. The closest I come to being famous would have to be the barely famous category, but I don’t even see myself there.
Why am I going on and on about what it is to be famous? Well, let’s go back a few weeks when a good friend named Kristal called after dark one night asking if it was okay to bring her husband and their three children over to see my Studebakers. Kristal was one of the hospice people that helped take care of Yae, Carlene’s mother. One of the hospice crew noticed my classic car and truck and I, of course, gave them the tour of these vehicles. I say “them” because word got out to the others and I ended up showing most of them my pride and joy Studebakers.
Kristal kept saying the Studebakers were famous, as was I, and I reassured them that, while these cars and I have received much attention, it was not my observation that it made me famous. They disagreed, and I let them believe that I was famous because it was easier to smile and accept it than to argue the point. It was all intended as a compliment and, to be honest, it made it kinda fun.
I showed the children all the plaques and awards that were up on the walls and showed them the stories that I had written in magazines. I let them sit in the cars and pretend to drive, and they climbed all over the truck. I’ve been to many car shows and have seen countless signs on these fancy cars asking spectators to not touch these pristine custom cars. I like to let them touch mine and sit in them as my days of looking to pick up another trophy for my Studebakers is behind me.
The newer generations don’t seem to be as interested in cars as I was when I was a teenager. I was at the Department of Motor Vehicles entrance door waiting for them to open up on my 16th birthday. I couldn’t wait to be able to drive by myself.
I probably let the famous stuff get a bit too much in my head, and I began to see that some of what I had to share with these children could fit right into some of the definitions listed in the top paragraph. After all, I had several magazines to show them that contained stories about these cars or featured them on the cover. I had a “best of show” trophy for them to see, a car show poster with my truck pictured on it. I was able to tell them about being on the TV Show “My Classic Car” and gave them some old business cards that I had made when I was Director of the Pacific Southwest Zone of the Studebaker Drivers Club. Gee, could I really be famous? I do write weekly stories for the Sapulpa Times… Okay, I can admit to MAYBE being in the barely famous category. So, if you look at the definition of famous, you could make an argument that I could fit in there, but I don’t see myself as famous nor do I want to be famous. That being said, Thanks, Kristal, for bringing your husband and children by to see something and someone who is famous. I feel a bit embarrassed to tell you that I got a kick out of the attention and I meant it when I invited you back sometime when I can give them a ride in my famous Studebakers.
