In 1958 I was not yet even a twinkle in my father's eye. However, I have
amassed a fair amount of historical information about 1958 events - listed
at length - ad nauseam? - on my own imperial site. One tidbit was that
Boeing began the mass manufacture of the 707 in the propitious year.
On the fringe of San Antonio International airport, a company called 7-Q-7 -
and groggy as I am I just finally realized what that means as it is spelled
Seven-Q-Seven on the building - you'd think the various 707's dotted around
would have been a hint - anyway, this company seems to specialize in 707's.
What I want to do is contact them when the one with the big 707 on the tail,
which is currently sticking out from a hangar, is showing any sign of
movement to see if they will allow me to get some pictures made of my 1958
under or near the plane. I spoke about this with a newspaper man and the
airport authorities and both liked the idea in terms of a good publicity /
historical interest item. You'd think, seeing as it's their plane I'd
already have spoken with 7-Q-7, but I haven't. I had cause to be speaking
with the other folks but not the refitters, if, indeed that it was they are,
and I think it is.
Our Imperials have become historical time pieces and I think it's delightful
to get pictures of them with other stuff from the same era. I am working on
a history of San Antonio transportation, from earliest prairie schooner days
to the present - and have yet to find a significant 1958 event or structure
which will allow me to include a picture of the car. I am going through
records to see if I can find any good buildings built that year, for
example.
One must have multiple obsessions and it's great fun to integrate them if
possible. If I do arrange for the picture of the Imperial and the 707, the
car's patch of awful paint will have to have been addressed first. I'm sure
my wife will buy the urgency involved if I put it into an historical
context. Or, at least, it's worth a shot.
Hugh
----- Original Message -----
From: <Imperial59crown@xxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, September 04, 2002 1:22 AM
Subject: IML: The exciting years
> 1957 was the year I really stood up and noticed Imperials, and began my
> immediate love affair with a car I was too young, and too poor to own.
From
> 1957 through 1959 I watched the Imperials progression, and even started my
> own Imperial club with the neighborhood kids, making myself the appointed
> president, since I liked them the most! Needless to say, that club didn't
> last too long, but my love of the Imperial did. I finally own one of these
> elusive mysterious cars, and am still in awe of it every time I look at
it.
> Something else happened in those years which was also to change my life.
One
> day one of my friends parents took us out to the airport to see American
> Airlines brand new shiny Boeing 707 jetliner. It was one of the most
> memorable childhood experiences seeing this brand new plane, and actually
> getting to walk through it, I had never seen anything so big. This started
a
> whole new love affair with the 707, and to this day it is still my
favorite
> airplane. I was finally able to acquire the Imperial of my dreams, but the
> 707 is a still a bit out of reach! John Travolta, where are you when I
need
> you! (John Travolta owns his own 707 for those of you that don't know, and
it
> is appointed better than Air Force One!)
> Bill '59 Crown, still working on the 707
>
>
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