(or part whatever, this happens a lot, just part II for today).
Anyway....
I just got a phone call from PCS member Bill Wright. Now that's not unusual as he's called me a lot recently for advice/photos/measurements/etc. for restoring his Flxible Buick. But today, he called me from Ohio, from the home of Ken Utterback (sp?). Ken apparently has all the original production records from Flxible. Bill said that if I would give him the Flxible serial numbers from both of my Flxible ambulances, he could get a copy of the production record, which shows, among other things, to whom the car was originally sold! WOW!
We looked up my '60 Flxible Buick ambulance, and no big surprise, the record shows it was sold new to the steel company from whom we acquired it (through a dealer). We knew that all along.
For our '47, we did not know the original owners of the ambulance, only the second owner (a fire department in MD) and the fact that it came originally from Washington, DC. Through DC Fire Department records, we knew it was not a DCFD ambulance. According to the production record, our car was sold new to Huntemann's Ambulance in DC, the largest private ambulance service in DC for many years. While not a surprise, it was information that we didn't know and now we do, which fills in the last bit of the history of that car for me.
Interestingly, I see one of the Huntemann family (my generation) from time to time, and I did meet his parents once, who would have operated the ambulance service during the time my car was there. The grandfather started the Huntemann Funeral Home and the ambulance service.
What a relief to get an answer to a mystery you've wondered about for many years. Case closed, more history learned, thanks to Bill and PCS friends.
Anyway....
I just got a phone call from PCS member Bill Wright. Now that's not unusual as he's called me a lot recently for advice/photos/measurements/etc. for restoring his Flxible Buick. But today, he called me from Ohio, from the home of Ken Utterback (sp?). Ken apparently has all the original production records from Flxible. Bill said that if I would give him the Flxible serial numbers from both of my Flxible ambulances, he could get a copy of the production record, which shows, among other things, to whom the car was originally sold! WOW!
We looked up my '60 Flxible Buick ambulance, and no big surprise, the record shows it was sold new to the steel company from whom we acquired it (through a dealer). We knew that all along.
For our '47, we did not know the original owners of the ambulance, only the second owner (a fire department in MD) and the fact that it came originally from Washington, DC. Through DC Fire Department records, we knew it was not a DCFD ambulance. According to the production record, our car was sold new to Huntemann's Ambulance in DC, the largest private ambulance service in DC for many years. While not a surprise, it was information that we didn't know and now we do, which fills in the last bit of the history of that car for me.
Interestingly, I see one of the Huntemann family (my generation) from time to time, and I did meet his parents once, who would have operated the ambulance service during the time my car was there. The grandfather started the Huntemann Funeral Home and the ambulance service.
What a relief to get an answer to a mystery you've wondered about for many years. Case closed, more history learned, thanks to Bill and PCS friends.
