The Duesenberg Model SSJ...

Back in 2008, I posted a blog entry that included the following:
“The Duesenberg shown here used to reside in my home town of Schenectady, New York:

It belonged to Perry Egbert, who was the Chairman of the Board of the American Locomotive Company at the time -- early to mid 1950's.” 

I read yesterday that the sister car to this one (There were only two of this model ever built) sold this weekend for $22,000,000 at the Gooding auction at Pebble Beach.  You read that correctly -- $22 million!!!

I did a little searching and found a French Web site, entitled "The Pages of Lex," on which there was substantial background on these two remarkable cars.  The article even mentions Perry Egbert.  With due credit to the author, here is that article (I beg the author's forgiveness for any misinterpretation in my somewhat clumsy translation from the French.):

"Courtesy of The Pages of Lex, A French Web site

The two Model SSJs together,  Gable's on the left, Gary Cooper's on the right

At that time, Groucho Marx swears by the Mercedes SSK that he modified to regularly beat the Duesenberg of Clark Gable and Gary Cooper at the "grand prix of the red lights" in Hollywood. Embarrassed by this state of affairs, our two lads ask Augie (Duesenberg) to build a car capable of beating Marx's SSK.

Duesenberg then built two cars from two Jenkins roadsters. Officially christened SSJ, as shorter SJ models, these two roadsters are in fact normal SJs, cut at the front bench seat to bring the wheelbase to 125 inches, 17-1/2 inches shorter than the so-called “short” chassis.  This is enough, thanks to the weight gain achieved, to beat any SSK, but, even if Clark Gable is satisfied, Gary Cooper does not want to stop there.  He orders a special engine from August Duesenberg to get his way.

Augie remembers his work on the engine with "ram's horns" and that's how the most powerful car in the world, the 400 hp Duesenberg SSJ, is born!  On this model, the displacement is raised to 448 cubic inches, the compression ratio to 8.1: 1 and the engine speed to 5,000 rpm.  The valves are enlarged and reinforced by double springs, the aluminum pistons are specially built by Jahns Racing and the engine is equipped with two Shelber double body carburetors.  He needs three fuel pumps, one mechanical and two electric pumps, to draw the fuel from a 37-gallon tank.

The bodies of both cars are identical and they are aluminum. The design is by Herb Newport and the manufacture is entrusted to La Grande.  To save weight, chrome accessories, headlights and side spare wheels are removed.  Only one spare wheel is embedded in the rear panel.  The wheels are 17-inch, instead of 19” for the “normal car.“   Because of attention to these details, these cars present an impression of power and speed that is not easily surpassed.

Model SSJ

The weight of Gary Cooper's car reaches nearly 5,100 lbs., 1,100 lbs. more than that of Clark Gable, because of the heavier engine and reinforcements added to the chassis to support the power.

Once ready, Gary Cooper drives his car to the Los Angeles hot-rod runway.  Groucho Marx would have done better to stay at home that day; his defeat is a foregone conclusion.  We do not know the actual performance of these cars.  It is estimated that Gary Cooper's SSJ can reach 175 miles/hr., accelerate from 0 to 60 miles/hr. in 7 seconds and from 0 to 100 miles/hr. in 13 seconds or less!  We no longer know the price of these machines.

Originally painted in two-tone brown, Gary Cooper's SSJ is now treated in two shades of gray.  It has long been part of the Briggs Cunningham collection that loved to ride for hours at 55 mph along the roads of the Pacific coast between Los Angeles and San Francisco.  Clark Gable's SSJ was painted in two shades of brown.  It was Charles Cord, the son of Erret, who delivered it in the fall of 1935, to the studios of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer where Gable had just finished "Mutiny on the Bounty"; It must have been a comical scene to see a buccaneer of the 18th century take possession of the latest product born of the most sophisticated luxury car manufacturer.  It was in this car that Clark Gable and Carole Lombard disappeared from Mayfair Hall on January 25, 1936 to make one of the most famous nocturnal journeys in the history of show business -- it was the perfect car to titillate the paparazzi.  In 1947, the car was sold to MGM Music Director George Stoll, who had it repainted in beige.  He then sold it for $2,500 to John Troka.  It then passes into the hands of D. Cameron Peck, one of the largest American collectors, who gives it in 1951 to Perry Egbert, Attica (New York). The latter sells it to Alfredo Ferrar, in Cleveland (Ohio).  It is painted bright red and light gray.

The Duesenberg Model SSJs are among the most beautiful cars of the firm.  They represent a perfect summary of the life of the Duesenberg brothers and their contribution to the automobile. There is no doubt that Fred Duesenberg would have been proud of his little brother's work."

I was about 11 years old when the Clark Gable car "lived" in my home town of Schenectady.  It was stored in a garage near Erie Boulevard, I seem to recall on Ferry Street, not far from the main plant of the American Locomotive Company.  My brother and I would ride our bicycles down there and look in the window at this wonderful artifact.  I only recall seeing it one time on the road, going up Union Street past our house.  I did hear at one time that Mr. Egbert had had an accident in the car somewhere on the New York State Thruway, but I cannot attest to that.  It still holds a very special place in my memory.  I am, after all, a "Car Guy."

Frank Priest and the Penguin Collection

I've seen the quote, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”  The origin is uncertain, but I have found it to be evident in my life, especially during the last 35 years.  Those are the years during which I have learned to live a happy, joyous, and free life through the twelve step program of recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous.

Early in my sobriety, my employer sent me on an assignment to Hughes Electronics in El Segundo, California.  I spent several months there.  My AA colleagues in Huntsville suggested that I get to lots of AA meetings while in southern California and that I would be wise to find a local sponsor while out there.  A sponsor is an individual who has accumulated a few months or years of sobriety and who assists a newcomer in navigating through the twelve-step recovery program.

As things turned out, I was living in an apartment in Inglewood that my employer had rented.  To avoid the worst of the morning rush hour traffic, I started attending an AA meeting at 6:45 AM in the town of Hawthorne, which was very close to the Hughes plant.  I would drive to Hawthorne before the traffic was too dense and enjoy the fellowship, splendid coffee, and fresh donuts of the Attitude Adjustment group of Alcoholics Anonymous each weekday morning.  Then I would proceed directly to the Hughes facility a few minutes before the workday started.  It was a great arrangement.

At that time, this AA group was an interesting mix of three-piece suited aerospace executives and street people all of whom shared the same challenge - remaining sober for another 24 hours.  The unwritten rule was that this would always be a group focusing on positive themes for the day.  It was generally upbeat and had an optimistic outlook.  It was in this environment that I first encountered Frank Priest.  (In AA we have a tradition of anonymity, but since Frank is deceased, I'm sure he would have no issues with my using his full name.  He once told me he was about as anonymous as sliced bread, whatever that may mean.)

I had only been attending this meeting for a few days when I took note of this older gentleman who often shared his thoughts and who clearly was a fervent believer in the power of the twelve-step program of recovery from alcoholism.  He evidently had been sober quite a while (I learned later that at the time he had 37 years sober.).  I decided to ask "Frank P." if he would consider being my sponsor.

When I asked Frank, his response took me by surprise.  "How many meetings have you been to this week?"  I told him I'd been to about 10 or 12 meetings.  "What kinds of meetings?  If I decide to sponsor you, you'll attend the meetings I tell you to."  In most areas, there are different kinds of AA meetings -- speaker meetings where a recovering alcoholic shares their story, discussion meetings at which members share their experience or thoughts on some suggested topic, etc.  Frank had strong views on which kinds of meetings were beneficial for newcomers.  Ultimately, Frank became my sponsor.  He also became a dear friend.

I also got to know Francie, his wife of more than thirty years.  He had actually become sober before they met, bur Francine Priest was a devout believer in the Alanon program for family members of alcoholics.  She attended several meetings a week.  She and Frank were also active in many recovery oriented charities throughout the South Bay area.

Frank was a senior executive with Northrop Corporation, whose headquarters were located in Hawthorne, very close to the AA meeting place.  He was one of the three-piece suit contingent each morning.  Frank began not only advising me which meetings I should be attending, he would frequently pick me up after work at the Hughes facility and take me to dinner and thence to a meeting of his choice.

One evening he took me to a meeting adjacent to a city-run detoxification clinic.  Most of the people in this meeting were in the first 48 hours without a drink.  The place reeked of stale booze and sweat.  Very few participants could speak coherently.  After we left the meeting, I asked Frank why he had taken me there.  "We'll be going there every week, as I have for the past several years.  It's important that we never forget how bad it could have gotten."  Moments like that made Frank a very special and treasured sponsor.

One evening, Frank picked me up in his Cadillac to take me to dinner and a meeting.  We began cruising toward Downey as I asked him where we were going.  "We're going to West Covina to a men's group meeting.  You're tonight's speaker!"  I was petrified.  I didn't feel ready to share my brief story, but Frank knew better.  The meeting was in an auditorium-like setting.  Across the stage curtain was a giant banner proclaiming "The World Headquarters of Sobriety!"  I opened my comments noting that there was no issue with humility in this group.

One weekend, Frank acquired a reservation for a weekend retreat at Manresa retreat center.  He gave that pass to me as a gift.  I got to attend my first (of several) AA retreat.

One time years earlier when Frank was on a business trip, someone gave him a set of salt and pepper shakers in the shape of two penguins.  Someone in his office started the myth that Frank collected penguins in any form.  Soon the penguin collection was underway,  By the time I befriended Frank and Francie, they had set aside a "Penguin Room" in their Torrance home.  There were penguin statues, stuffed penguins, penguin art, wind-up walking penguins, ash trays, lighters. calendars and penguin emblazoned dishes.  But one of the most incredible penguin items was hand made and very special.

As Frank had accumulated his years of sobriety, he had made hundreds of friends in the recovery communities of southern California.  One happened to be a recovering sculptress.  On Frank's thirty-fifth AA birthday, she had made a skating rink using a glass mirror as the pond's surface, surrounded by hills of sculpted clay, complete with pine trees.  And on the skating surface were thirty-five skating penguins in every imaginable pose - spinning, dancing, speeding, and fallen.  And each year, this lovely lady gave Frank another skating penguin to add to the rink.  It was one of the most treasured of all the aggregated penguins.

Frances "Francie" Priest
1929-2008

After I left California, we corresponded for many years.  Frank and Francie remained active into their advanced years, always supporting recovery organizations and activities.  Frank died in 1994.  He was 73 years old.  Francie, who had been his loving bride since 1951, lived until 2008.  Her obituary spoke of her moving to Los Angeles from Kansas in 1949: "There she lived with her brother Jerry & Lucille Tholen and their family in Westchester, and worked as a secretary on the Loyola University campus. Through Jerry & Lucille, Francie met Frank Priest, the love of her life, as he was attending Loyola on the GI Bill. They married in 1951, raised 4 children and lived in Torrance California. Francie was a very active member of the school PTA, Girl Scout and Boy Scout organizations. Francie and Frank enjoyed many years of bridge and travel together and opened their home to countless friends, and friends of friends over the years. Francie became very involved with the House of Hope in San Pedro, and served on their board or as a Regent for over 15 years. Since 2005 she was an active patroness of the Special Children's League, South Bay Committee. Francie was perhaps best known however, as a great supporter for over 50 years of the Friends of Bill Wilson. She will be missed by all who ever knew her. Predeceased by her siblings; husband, Frank; and daughter, Leah Ann. Francie is survived by her children, Elaine, Mike and Tom and their spouses, David, Kellie and Laura; and grandchildren, Ryan and Katie. We miss your sweet ways, your wisdom and gentle humor."

I asked Frank Priest to be my sponsor in 1984.  I received so much more than I ever could have expected.  “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” 

Remembering Norm Melander

1st Lieutenant Norm Melander, 1917 - 1951

Recently, we were informed that the North Korean government had returned the remains of 55 individuals that may include some American MIAs from the Korean conflict that ended almost exactly 65 years ago, on July 27, 1953.  Although this announcement was a follow-up to the President's recent meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, it follows a long trail of exchanges of remains of individuals killed in that "Forgotten War."  According to the DoD's POW/MIA Accounting Command Website,
     "During Operation Glory in 1954, North Korea returned the remains of more than 3,000 Americans.  Concurrently, U.S. Graves Registration teams recovered remains from South Korean battlefields.  The U.S. identified thousands of these remains.  In 1956, a total of 848 that could not be identified were buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl.  Others were added later as unknowns.  One of the unknowns was interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
     The Army Graves Registrations teams searched the battlefields in the Republic of Korea (ROK) from 1951 to 1956.  Today, DoD investigates losses in South Korea with the assistance of U.S. forces in Korea and the ROK government.
     From 1990 to 1994, North Korea exhumed and returned 208 boxes of remains.  However, DoD scientists estimate that as many as 400 individuals could be represented in these 208 boxes.
     Between July 1996, and May 2005, the Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii (CILHI) and JPAC, which is now part of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, conducted 33 Joint Field Activities (JFAs) in North Korea, which recovered more than 220 sets of remains, which are currently being processed for identification at JPAC in Hawaii.  On May 25, 2005, the U.S. temporarily suspended JFAs in North Korea due to security concerns."

Wikipedia informs us that, "Between 1982 and 2016 there were 781 unknown remains recovered from North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan, and Punchbowl Cemetery in Hawaii,[55] of which a total of 459 have been identified as of June 2018."

The numbers of total MIAs and KIAs in Korea are staggering.  The total number of MIAs and POWs that never returned is estimated by the Pentagon as between 4,193 and 5,246, depending on which sources are used in the estimate.

One of the MIAs, later assumed to be Killed in Action, was 1st Lieutenant Norman Albert Melander, of Ballston Spa, New York.  Norm was a close friend of our family before leaving for Korea, never to return.  As I have stated many times in this blog, my father was a dentist.  For many years, his dental hygienist was a young lady named Claire Tracy.  Claire married Norm Melander in 1950, shortly before he was notified that he was recalled to active duty.  Norm had served in World War II and had remained in the Army Reserve after the war.

My personal bond to Norm was heightened on Christmas day of 1949.  I had asked for a puppet theater for Christmas.  My parents knew that Norm, who was then engaged to Claire Tracy, was a skilled woodworker.  They hired him to make me a puppet stage and he certainly delivered.  I received a magnificent puppet theater with dimmable lights, operating curtains and a beautifully creative paint job.  It was way beyond what anyone envisioned.  I treasured that gift for many, many years.  I was only 10 years old when "Uncle Norm" left for Korea, but I remember it well.  Claire was expecting their first child when he left.  Their daughter was born in July, 1951.  Norm and his daughter Christine never got to meet each other.

There is a Web-based group called the Korean War Project that attempts to gather information on MIA/KIA/POWs and to locate descendants to gather DNA for future identification of remains.  According to this Website, Norm was a member of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, A Company, 1st Battalion.  He was a Bronze Star recipient for valor.  His date of loss is given as October 12, 1951.  He was killed on Hill 287 in the Chorwon area.

In October, 2010, a gentleman named Ted Barker posted a tribute to Norm on the Korean War Project site.  He posted an extract from the book, Of Garryowen in Glory - History of the 7th US Cavalry, by Lt Col Melbourne Chandler, US Army, 1960.  The pages cited specifically pertain to Operation Commando when the 8th Army attacked the Chinese Army to push it back north of to the original 38th Parallel which was the border between North and South Korea at the end of WWII.  Mr. Barker included an editorial comment by Retired Col David Hughes, 7th Cav Rgt:

"(From October 8th, 1951) The 1st Battalion, at 0900 hours, against violent resistance, took the dominating unnumbered hill overlooking Hill 287.  The battalion became a deep salient into the enemy line-a threat the enemy was determined to remove.

At 0045 hours on October 9th, the enemy unleashed a devastating barrage of mortars, rockets and artillery, followed by a two-battalion mass attack on the battered 1st Battalion.  The 1st Battalion was ordered to withdraw into a tight perimeter and to hold.  After one hour of savage fighting the furiously attacking enemy had driven in a portion of Company B. A fast moving, slashing attack was unleashed by the yelling troopers from Company A who quickly restored the Company B sector and the situation began to improve.

Throughout this period Company C was heavily engaged but stubbornly held their ground.  Although this savage attack had continued for almost seven hours this battered battalion managed to retain its position, despite the fact that at times both the enemy and the Garry Owens shared the same trenches.

At 0239 on October 12th, Companies A and B came under attack, and by 0300 hours the entire 1st Battalion was attacked simultaneously, disrupting all communications. Under a wall of intense mortar and artillery fire, followed closely by a grenade throwing fanatical enemy battalion, the enemy finally overran two companies of the 1st Battalion and forced them from their most advanced positions back to the dominating hill overlooking Hill 287.

(Col Hughes NOTE: In my judgment, this is the night action when the 1st Battalion was overrun on Hill 287 by overwhelming Chinese numbers, and 1st Lt Melander was lost)

The 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry under the operational control of the 7th Cavalry then relieved the 1st Battalion on this dominating position.  The 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, then moved to Division reserve and remained there until October 25th.

October 13th saw the end of the attack phase for the 7th Cavalry.

During the first ten days of the attack, the 7th Cavalry took all objectives assigned.  It fought successfully against four enemy regiments and inflicted 65 enemy casualties per hour for an unrelenting ten days.  Only the fighting heart and the Garry Owen spirit maintained the aggressive attitude of the riflemen against the great odds of terrain and massive enemy numbers. Only magnificent leadership held units intact after the heavy casualties and continuous enemy bombardment."

Norm Melander defended his nation valiantly.  I can only hope that one day, his remains may be returned, identified, and properly buried where his descendants can pay their proper tribute.