an interesting conversation..

[Dana Bennett]

Had a nice little chat last night with the original owner of my hearse! Mr Adrian Holman of the Holman Funeral Home in Ozark, Alabama.
Didn't really learn anything new about my car but he did confirm what Danny told me when I bought the car almost 11 years ago (Danny bought it from Adrian Holman and within a few weeks I bought it from Danny). That this coach (a 1976 Superior Cadillac Sovereign Regal) was on display at the 1975 National Funeral Directors Convention. Adrian saw it on a Monday and really just liked it, he wasn't in the market for a new coach but he made an offer anyways. The sales person rejected the offer saying he couldn't possibly sell it for that little ($16,000 on a $20,179.50 vehicle). Adrian looked at the car a few more times during the convention but stood firm on his offer. A few days after the convention guess who called???!!! Yup, They decided to sell it for his offer. It is listed on the original bill of sale as a "Fleet Discount" of $4,179.50.
He did say that it was a good coach. Unfortunately he did not have any pictures of the car, I would like to see what it looked like in it's original Firemist Blue. Would the cars on exibit at the convention have been photographed?? maybe published in a magazine?? I would certainly love to get a picture or two if anyone could find one??!!
I learned that his funeral home was started by his father in 1930 and that after he leaves it will go out of the family. It was also interesting to hear a little about how they, just like most small town funeral homes, ran the ambulance service, and they did so until 1967 when regulations changed.
Anyways, it was a call I'd been meaning to make for a while and it was nice to do so! I hope to get the car ready to go to "The Show" and send him a couple nice pictures of it surrounded by other beautiful coaches! I'm also thinking that I will give him a years membership, he has heard of the PCS but didn't really know anything about it. I think he just might enjoy some of the history and stories in "The Professional Car"!!
Adrian did say that he does currently have a coach for sale and I will list it in the classifieds shortly (a 1990 Eureka).

Dana Bennett
Forestville, New York

 

[Mike Stevens]

pictures of your car

Dana,
It would be my bet that more than one industry related magazine covered the national convention that year. Now to find them. Maybe some members have copies in their basements or wherever. Also check the auto related literature dealers. AutoLit.com comes to mind here. There are others.
Good luck with your search.
Mike

 

[Dana Bennett]

Thanks Mike!!
but what would be the names of the publications I should check into?
I'm absolutely a pro-car fanatic but I don't know the industry from the inside, but I'm learning a little bit her and there all the time!!
Dana.

 

[Tony Karsnia - Deceased - 1971-2020]

You might inquire with our very own Walt McCall, editor of The Professional Car. He has attended several NFDA conventions...with camera in hand, of course!

 

[Steve Lichtman]

It's great you had the opportunity to talk to the original owner of your coach. That's exactly the kind of history we should learn (and document) about our cars. They have much more interesting history than a family grocery hauler! Good thing you talked to him now - in a few years, once he's retired and the funeral home is in the hands of an outside owner, he will be hard to find, and nobody will be around that knows the story. That's how interesting information gets lost. So good for you for contacting him now, while you could.