My Folks, the Benroy and Me

[David Grason]

I posted in another thread that when I was a kid, my folks had a Benroy. I also said that if I could get the slides digitized, I'd post them. Well here goes.

But first a couple of caviats. As long as I remember, we never called this teardrop a "teardrop." In our family it was always known as the Benroy. But now darn near half a century after these pics were taken, it doesn't quite look right for a Benroy so please don't anyone flame me for saying it is when it may not be.

The second caviat is that the color really washed out of the slides. Mom did the digitizing but she said she tried to correct the color but it just wasn't to be. She's kinda heart sick that these photos got washed out like that but at least we still have this much.

BTW, as you can see, my mom was a hottie in 1957. There are a couple of toddlers in some of the pics. That's my twin brother and me. Ha ha. God where did I go wrong?

[David Grason]

[David Grason]

Ok, final pic. Dang sure wish I had more. If I find more, I'll post them.

Here's a pic of the Buick, the Benroy, my mom and me. And that's my twin brother wallering around on the ground in front of Mom's feet.

[Joanne]

I posted in another thread that when I was a kid, my folks had a Benroy. I also said that if I could get the slides digitized, I'd post them. Well here goes.

But first a couple of caviats. As long as I remember, we never called this teardrop a "teardrop." In our family it was always known as the Benroy. But now darn near half a century after these pics were taken, it doesn't quite look right for a Benroy so please don't anyone flame me for saying it is when it may not be.

The second caviat is that the color really washed out of the slides. Mom did the digitizing but she said she tried to correct the color but it just wasn't to be. She's kinda heart sick that these photos got washed out like that but at least we still have this much.

BTW, as you can see, my mom was a hottie in 1957. There are a couple of toddlers in some of the pics. That's my twin brother and me. Ha ha. God where did I go wrong?

I don't care if it's an actual Benroy or not, those are really neat pictures. They really bring home the heritage of our beloved tear drops.

It's one of the reasons I enjoy Dutch Oven cooking so much. I'm helping to keep alive one small piece of our national history.

Joanne

[San Diegan]

What great memories!

Your mom was a nice looking woman. But that Buick! Now that was an automobile. I'll bet it had a fireball straight 8 with light blue engine block and overhead valve covers.

Tom

[Gage]

But first a couple of caviats. As long as I remember, we never called this teardrop a "teardrop." In our family it was always known as the Benroy. But now darn near half a century after these pics were taken, it doesn't quite look right for a Benroy so please don't anyone flame me for saying it is when it may not be.

David, no doubt about it, it is a Benroy. Below is a pic of a restored '56 Benroy. They sure look the same to me.


You also might think about taking the slides to a photo shop and have them make some prints and work with them and then bring them home, scan them and work them over with a photo program. But by all means, keep good track of them. They are great.

Have a good day,
Gage

[campadk]

David that for sharing those vintage photos!! Love em! Seemed like quite the era back in the 40's/50's... had a romantic/innocence to those times.

While on the subject of photos... I'm curious is your avatar photo you as a baby?

[David Grason]

I found the avatar on the web and so I copied it. However, I did decide to use the avatar based on urging from my wife because the likeness between it and my own childhood photos is so amazing. But no, it's not me. When my wife saw the avatar she fell in love with it and I use it on every forum that I'm on.

Here's a little family history. These particular photos where taken on a trip to Mt Shasta. At the time, we lived in Sun Valley, Ca. Dad worked for the local Coka-Cola bottling company and also played drums for Columbia Pictures. My brother and I were born in 1956 at Burbank Hospital.

My mother and all her family are from Tennessee and mom and dad did NOT want to raise kids in Southern California. Even back then, the smog, crime, earthquakes and spiraling inflation, especially real estate, made many folks want to leave so we came to Nashville in 1958.

The Benroy was sold in order to raise money for the move to Tennessee. So it was originally purchased and then sold, ALL in California. So Gage, the photo that you posted is not just exactly like the Benroy we used to have, it just might be the very same one.

I have no personal recollection of this Benroy - only the photos. I was only 2 years old when we left California. But mom and dad loved the teardrop so much and because they had a couple of growing twins that they built a bigger one that was 6 ft wide and we towed it from California. It had a bed/shelf in the front that my brother and I could sleep sideways on. That teardrop was sold in the mid sixties to a man from Shelbyville, Tn. In 1995 I was in Shelbyville at a local custom car show in the park and I saw it. Some fella had restored it and I took several photos but the film got messed up. I never got the man's address and he hasn't been back to that car show. But I know that that teardrop is still alive and well as far as I know.

The Buick did indeed have the straight 8. Even in the 50s that car sucked so much gas that mom and dad got rid of it. They loved the comfort but it just went through phenominal amounts of gas. Their other car was a 1950 Merc 4 door with the flattie. That makes you wanna cry too. My dad was saying just the other day that he's always been amazed at the stuff he's owned down through the years that collectors are now competing for. Who Knew?

Did anyone notice my mom getting cold drinks out of the Coka-Cola cooler in the photo overlooking the lake? We had that cooler until I was out of high school but somewhere it dissappeared. No one has any idea what happened to it. We think it got stolen or accidentally left in a campground.

[TomS]

Hi Dave,

Check your private messages.

[ALAN GEDDES]

Love those old photos.

[David Grason]

Tom, thanx for cleaning those pics up a little. Every little bit helps.

Here is a photo of my twin brother and me from the same roll of film as the Benroy photos. I'm the one in back, my bro in front. You can compare them with the avatar.

But, I decided to include a current pic of me working on the teardrop so you can see what I look like now.

[PUPTENT]

Dave:

That is a Benroy. They were only made between 1954-1957 or so, and my folks had one identical to your photos in 1954-56 when I was 12-14 years old and growing up in San Francisco. My pictures are black and white, many taken as we stopped along Highway 99 in the Sacramento Valley (now Interstate 5) on our way to Washington - you would have probably taken the same road to Shasta. Red and white, but no Coca-Cola cooler. Our Benroy left the family in 1957 after a divorce. There were only 350 of the original Benroys made. I've only seen one since 1957, in a vacant lot not far from where I now live - how weird. Thanks for the pictures - they stir up old memories.

[OurStuff4You]

Absolutely a Benroy. Our paint scheme was wrong (painted by a streetrodder to match his car) but our trailer was identical to that one in the galley area, etc. Made me miss ours all the more.





Thanks for sharing your photos ... I really enjoyed seeing them.

Rhonda

[David Grason]

Both my mom and dad are thrilled with my building this teardrop. They're already lining up to put the bite on me to build them one. With these photos for reference, I really should build a replica but with some modern amenities.

Their 50th anniversary is coming up. Hmmmmmmm I wonder how the Flamineta would look back there?

[OurStuff4You]

The Flamineta would work great! We have talked about getting one if we ever buy another tear and modify it. It would be the PERFECT anniversary present by the way.