Walter P. Chrysler

Submitted by Adrianne DeWeese on May 6, 2009 - 11:44am

As Chrysler files for bankruptcy protection and restructures its corporation, I am reminded of another restructuring in Chrysler's history.
Walter P. Chrysler and Adrianne A. DeWeese (myself) were both born in Wamego, Kan. Within the last several years, Chrysler's birth home has been relocated from its original location to U.S. 24 in Wamego (Yes, the same U.S. 24 that runs through Independence, though I wouldn't recommend taking it all the way to Wamego. Take I-70...It's much faster.) in an effort to attract more tourists. My father, Denny DeWeese, worked on rebuilding many aspects of the house in its transformation next to, no kidding, Wamego's one and only McDonald's.
Chrysler was just a Kansas boy who went on to build the nation's third largest automobile company. He received the honor as Time magazine's second Man of the Year. It's difficult to imagine that this man and myself were born in the same small town, which is gradually becoming known as "The Wizard of Oz" capital of the world. Chrysler was born in Wamego in a two-story white house on April 2, 1875, but he died 65 years later in Long Island, N.Y. 

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I'm reminded of their first bankruptcy when the government loaned them several million and Lee Iacacco took over the management.  The government kept their hands off and their nose out of it. The company paid off the loan early. Compare that to today's meddling by Obama and crew.

Submitted by civil on May 6, 2009 - 1:36pm.

I'll be honest with you my dad is a major Ford fan and lost it when my mom bought a buick, I'm not kidding you at all, but she never cared as long as the car got from point A to point B and maybe C if needed.  So I never knew any other companies other than what he had said and that was buy only FORD. 
 
I will say that is very interesting, I use to work on cars, but never did the history on the companies.  To bad they are so hard off though, it is a shame that our economy has gotten this bad for everyone.

Submitted by dragonlady on May 6, 2009 - 12:42pm.

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My first car in 66 was a 50 Plymouth Business cope, it was great 3 on the tree and a bangin 145 horse 6 cylinder…
I was working summers an week ends at the PickWick Hotel renovation, and they were putting white leather wall paper up in the ball room, the paper hanger gave me enough scraps to reupholster the old wool app, with the white leather wall paper and we painted her Canary Yellow and blacked out the windows, put big Recaps on the back and a piece of 4” sewer pipe for an excust pipe, it went Woga Woga Woga as it went down the street sounded like it would do 200mph from a standing start.. I loved that old Plymouth, so when I came home from Nam with my shippin over bonus $6,000, I bought a 1969 Road Runner, with a 393 in it, and then I went very fast every where I went, I loved that one too…
I also had a very rear 1941 Plymouth pickup truck, very few made but it was very cool also…
I gave a little old lady $35 bucks for the first one, and $2795 for the RR, and I got the truck for a tree job…
I have always loved Plymouths….
 

Submitted by mminnoe on May 6, 2009 - 1:31pm.