‘57 Chevys leave owners wonderstruck, ex-owners wistful
As Joe Geer’s father lay dying, he turned to his son with one final piece of advice. RANDY ELI GROTHE/DMN Mary and Norman Frye of Rowlett have given their ‘57 Chevy a name Blue and Bluer. Mrs. Frye, who won’t drive the car, says the name comes from its color, which she calls a combination of larkspur blue and marine blue. Sell the ‘57, Glynn Geer said. It was 1989, and Joe had owned his raggedy 1957 Chevy hardtop for 13 years, since he was a 15-year-old kid in Mesquite.
He had spent thousands on the ‘57 in an attempt to get it running and had been forced a couple of times to sell it to his father so he could buy something he could drive to work. Nonetheless, Mr. Geer respectfully declined. I told him, ‘Dad, it doesn’t matter if I’m living in an apartment and eating fried bologna, I’m keeping that car,’ he recalled.
Also Online Video: Norman and Mary Frye take a Sunday drive in their ‘57 Chevy Video: DMN automotive writer Terry Box takes a spin in a meticulously restored ‘57 Chevy Bel Air owned by Dean Schmidt of Plano. In an indication of the enduring appeal of the iconic 1957 Chevrolet marking its 50th anniversary this year Mr. Geer and his wife, Cindy, have since rebuilt their ‘57 Bel Air hardtop and placed it in a trust for their three children.
Even though I bought the car, I sold it to my dad several times when I needed money, and he owned it at the time he died, said Mr. Geer, 46, director of finance for Incap Fund of Dallas. I want my kids to have their grandfather’s car. The Geers were two of more than 20 people who sent stories about their ‘57 Chevys to The News in response to a recent column I wrote about a turquoise-and-white ‘57 Bel Air owned by Dean Schmidt of Plano. Mr.