![]() In September 1965, my father—then a professor at Johns Hopkins who worked for the U.S. Geological Survey in the summers—contacted a Lawrenceburg cousin about helping him find a vehicle suitable for his field work. Pud and Harold Hanks, a Plymouth/Dodge dealer in Pud’s hometown, exchanged several letters pinning down the vehicle specs, my father’s financial resources, and my father’s dreams. It’s an amazing correspondence between two cousins that reveals both their affection for each other and the business deal they are trying to close. (Thanks to my cousin Dudley Hanks for sharing these letters with me.) Ultimately, my father settled on a Dodge A100 Sportsman Wagon outfitted with a sink, stove, mini-fridge, table and bench seats, and an elevating camper top that allowed it to sleep four comfortably. He wrote to Harold: “We need a dual-purpose car at this point. I can use an A100 or camper for field work, and if we ever do a tour of the U.S. it will have to be in the next few years. The girls are growing up, and after the teen age nuttiness hits them they won’t care about being with us. Most of all I need a van for next summer’s travel to Plattsburgh. Our Valiant looked like Kaiser Bill on a colt this summer. An ordinary station wagon won’t hold much more and is impossible for field work.” We had already spent one summer as a family in a tiny summer house on the shore of Lake Champlain near Plattsburgh, N.Y., as my father did field work there with Charlie Denny and others. Pud would have his camper van in time for the second summer of field work in 1966. Unfortunately, the family trip out west, discussed as a possibility for the summer of 1967, never happened. Pud died April 1 of that year After he died, my mother had to decide what to do with the camper. We had enjoyed a few family outings and camping trips, and there were obvious emotional attachments that made the decision a tough one for her. Ultimately, however, she decided she wasn’t fully comfortable driving the truck-like vehicle and it was hard to justify keeping it. I don’t know the details of how the sale transpired, but she was able to transfer ownership to someone who took it to the Philippines to use as a mobile medical van. As much as we missed that van and the memories it represented, we could usually assuage ourselves with the thought that it was being used for a much higher purpose in another corner of the world. In some ways, that Dodge camper van served the same purpose for my dad as Thomas, the 1925 Ford Model T truck he relied on for trips to Salt River as a young man. The old truck could haul everything the boys needed to camp in the woods: fishing poles and tackle, rifles, flashlights, food, blankets. It served as both practical transportation and emotional anchor to a place. Those who knew my dad in the late ‘30s and early ‘40s remember that truck. Those who knew my dad in the mid ‘60s remember that van. In 1990, my husband and I bought a VW camper van that was nearly identical in amenities to the van my family had had in the mid-1960s. It was a sentimental purchase, to be sure, but we enjoyed numerous camping trips and biking adventures in Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina, trudging up the mountains at 40 mph. A few years ago we finally ceded it to a VW enthusiast who was better able to care for it. These types of vans have enjoyed a popular resurgence among counterculture individualists and minimalists escaping the crush of our material world. Recently, my husband happened to catch an episode of the Velocity network’s “Wheeler Dealers” about a 1965 Dodge A100 Van—the very same sickly green color with the same slant six 140 hp engine and 3-speed manual transmission as our Dodge camper van. Inspired by the possibilities the 50-year-old van offered, the host and his technical crew successfully converted it into a 21st-century California surfmobile. (Watch the full episode here.)
There it was, the van of my childhood, once again fueling someone else’s dreams.
7 Comments
Robert Goodlett
1/15/2018 12:45:52 am
I remember that camper van very well. I was so impressed at the time that a vehicle could be also be used for camping. Your Dad was so proud of his purchase!
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Sallie Showalter
1/15/2018 08:41:00 am
Yes, Bob, I clearly remember your visiting us in Plattsburgh and understanding that you had an exciting opportunity to pursue your musical career next door in Vermont. My dad was so proud of you!
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David Hoefer
1/15/2018 08:53:51 am
Thanks for posting, Sallie. I got a kick out of this and the Wheeler Dealers episode, which I'd never seen before. There is something about those mid to late 60s American vehicles that that flips the nostalgia switch (maybe just our age). My family had a Dodge Coronet station wagon that we drove from Syracuse to St. Louis and back, with my brother, sister, and I squeezed into the rear like sardines in a can. Your pop was right: it would have been useless for fieldwork.
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Myra Goodlett
1/15/2018 10:38:19 am
What a nice blog, memories are so special, picture of Mary Moore was great, even though we did not see as much of each other later in life, I still miss her alot.
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Sallie Showalter
1/15/2018 10:56:08 am
UPDATE: Thanks to my cousin Charley Goodlett and to Diana Mountjoy Hill, daughter of Lin Morgan Mountjoy, for insight into the reference in my dad's letter to "Kaiser Bill on a colt." In my ignorance, I just assumed that was a comical reference to Kaiser Wilhelm, since my dad was a student of history. Turns out Kaiser Bill Moffett was a Lawrenceburg resident who helped the Mountjoy family with their horses and could frequently be seen at the Fairgrounds next to the Goodlett family's home. Another piece of the puzzle uncovered!
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Mac Goodlett
1/16/2018 09:52:27 am
I too remember the Pride Pud held for the versatility and functionality of his new vehicle. I spent three summers working with Kaiser Bill at the Mcafee Stables located at the Fairgroungs. He was a very large an who was also a blacksmith. The sight of him on a colt would certainly bring to mind Pud trying to stuff his work materials into his Valiant.
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Sallie Showalter
1/16/2018 10:31:29 am
Thanks for the additional insights, Mac! I'm amazed at what I'm learning about my family and about Lawrenceburg lore.
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