Futurliner to Dave Garroway's "Today Show"
In a message dated 6/9/2008 9:56:31 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, donscar@centurytel.net writes: Rennie, "....as I recall you told us the story of you taking the Futurliner to the Dave Garroway show in NYC. Can you again tell that story via e-mail so that I can get it down accurately?"
New York City, July 1956
Don Don! My memory of 52 years ago is not like it was yesterday or even this morning for that matter. After the Parade of Progress terminated in the West -- Seattle I believe -- all Futurliners, support vehicles and their crews came back to Detroit and many of us went our separate ways. Because of the popularity of Our American Crossroads exhibit throughout the shows in all major cities of the U.S., word came down that Dave Garroway wanted to have this feature on one of his Monday morning’s Today Show. Having had the assignment given to me to maintain the exhibit by Joe Zell and Bill Higley, who followed as Exhibit Maintenance Supervisor while on the Parade, I was given the opportunity to drive the Unit to NYC about the last week in July. This particular display was by tape controlled strowger switches -- those used in automatic telephone switching stations at the time, which flipped dioramas as the narrator talked about the changes to the country because of the advent of the automobile. I was experienced in this equipment thanks to the U.S. Navy. We had automatic telephones on the Aircraft Carrier the USS Oriskany CVA - 34 in 1950 which I as an IC (Interior Communications) Electrician, was responsible for as part of my duties.
As I recall, there were no expressways, not Route 80 or 90. I don't think I took the Pennsylvania Turnpike either, though it was in operation I believe. It was a matter of getting the proper road maps and designing a course to reach Time Square in time for the morning show three of four days hence. One must know that our Futurliners were not Greyhounds. Maximum speed was about 50 maybe 52 MPH on the straight and level highway (main roads), meaning it would take us 14 hours to do the 700 miles if we could maintain 50. So, I figured four days. The second day out about 5 or 6 PM, Crossroads and I was limping through a little town in PA I'd call "Pennsyltucky"! It was evident we were not going to get out of town. This "Liner" had seen its last mile as I coasted to a Service Station with a Repair Garage on the side. Recall this vehicle had left Detroit in the Mid 1953 went to the East Coast, down to Florida, back up through the Ohio Valley through upstate NY, through Canada back to Florida for the winter of '54 back up through the Midwest, down through Texas and to San Angelo for the winter of '55 to the West Coast, down to San Diego up to Seattle and back to Detroit by July of '56. Many, many faithful miles for this little transmission that died on us in the hills of "Pennsyltucky"
A phone call to Bill Rodewig, who was in charge of all vehicles for the Parade, gave us assurance someone would be there in the morning with a new Tranny. (Because you have my Confidential Address Book Don, I am not able to look up the names and cannot recall the names of the two Technicians who came to our rescue. I can see their faces but names aren't coming out of the brain chip). The men showed up early Saturday morning with the new Transmission and with the help of the Garage personnel we were able to get the unit installed and running in a matter of hours. We had still lost nearly a day's travel so it was up to us to make up the time. Driving all day and night and consuming a lot of "No Doz" and taking cat naps and more "No Doz" saw the miles pile up. Sunday brought about the same schedule and the new Tranny was not complaining for the job it has and was doing. Sunday night we arrived in the "City" and parked at the Side entrance of the studio. With the help of the Studio Technicians, Crossroads was given a dry run very late into the evening and I was confident all dioramas endured the trip and were ready for the Monday Morning News --- Today Show --- with Dave Garroway. The exhibit performed flawlessly and the show was deemed a great success. Multi million viewers saw what the beginning of the U S auto industry brought about for America and for that matter --the World. The return trip to Detroit was uneventful to the point I don't recall anything to talk about! Everything performed flawlessly. Oh, I didn't even get to meet Dave Garroway, and for the life of me cannot recall the narrator(1) for Our American Crossroads, a little ole man from down in the holler of Kentucky. I can just hear his voice now! Amazing, eh?
Note: (1) Parker Fenelly as "Tidus Moody"
Renald "Rennie" Goyette
36624 Brittany Hill Court
Farmington, MI 48335-2903
248-477-4013 H
248-921-5651 C
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