1 00:00:02,620 --> 00:00:08,020 M2: From Cutco Media, hello, friends and fellow car lovers, welcome 2 00:00:08,020 --> 00:00:10,180 M2: to Cars that matter. This is Robert Ross. 3 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:12,940 M11: A lot goes into the history of a car. Who 4 00:00:12,940 --> 00:00:16,030 M11: designed it, who made it, where it was a manufactured. 5 00:00:16,420 --> 00:00:18,880 M11: And then there's everything that happens during the life of 6 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:22,120 M11: a car. Who drove it? What was it used for? 7 00:00:22,150 --> 00:00:24,759 M11: What races did it win? How did it change the 8 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:27,910 M11: automotive landscape? Well, today we're going to talk about a 9 00:00:27,910 --> 00:00:31,120 M11: remarkable car, one with some unusual origins, one with a 10 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:34,449 M11: few changes of fate and one that will be preserved 11 00:00:34,450 --> 00:00:37,240 M11: in the annals of American history. It's not an impressive 12 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:40,210 M11: vehicle on its own. It's a simple Volkswagen type to 13 00:00:40,300 --> 00:00:43,420 M11: a VW bus in the United States, a VW camper 14 00:00:43,420 --> 00:00:45,940 M11: in the United Kingdom and a Kombi where it was made. 15 00:00:46,180 --> 00:00:48,550 M11: Other places you might see it called a transporter or 16 00:00:48,550 --> 00:00:51,640 M11: a microbus. But the reason why this car matters is 17 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:54,370 M11: a combination not just of its history and the people 18 00:00:54,370 --> 00:00:57,400 M11: who created it, but most importantly, the people who owned 19 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,340 M11: it and the mission that it served. Today, we're going 20 00:01:00,340 --> 00:01:02,500 M11: to be diving a bit more deeply into exactly how 21 00:01:02,500 --> 00:01:05,709 M11: this car came to be and exactly why it was 22 00:01:05,709 --> 00:01:06,630 M11: so important. 23 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,410 M2: Listeners may have noticed a similar thread through a few 24 00:01:14,410 --> 00:01:17,770 M2: episodes released earlier this year. Brian Howard of B.R. Howard 25 00:01:17,770 --> 00:01:22,840 M2: and Associates and expert art conservation specialist explained the distinction 26 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:26,560 M2: between conservation when compared to restoration. Brian happen to have 27 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:29,709 M2: worked on the conservation of the automobile in question, just 28 00:01:29,709 --> 00:01:30,240 M2: the history. 29 00:01:30,250 --> 00:01:31,930 M8: There was a piece that had served as such an 30 00:01:31,930 --> 00:01:34,110 M8: important function and South Carolina. 31 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:36,459 M2: Then we had Diane Parker as a guest, vice president 32 00:01:36,459 --> 00:01:39,459 M2: of the Historic Vehicle Association, who discussed why the car 33 00:01:39,459 --> 00:01:43,779 M2: was accepted into the National Historic Vehicle Register, the 1966 34 00:01:43,780 --> 00:01:48,820 M2: Volkswagen Type two deluxe station wagon. And finally, Russell Hayes, 35 00:01:48,820 --> 00:01:52,780 M2: author of Volkswagen Beetles and Buses Smaller and Smarter, joined 36 00:01:52,780 --> 00:01:55,510 M2: us recently to discuss the legacy of the world's most 37 00:01:55,510 --> 00:01:58,810 M2: ubiquitous cars. And during our conversation, even he mentioned the 38 00:01:58,810 --> 00:01:59,800 M2: vehicle in question. 39 00:01:59,950 --> 00:02:03,920 M12: That bus is actually called the jenkins' bus, the jenkins' bus. 40 00:02:04,030 --> 00:02:06,700 M2: Clearly, there was an important story coming to light and 41 00:02:06,700 --> 00:02:08,680 M2: one that we wanted to take an extra bit of 42 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,710 M2: time to examine. So using some clips from those episodes, 43 00:02:11,710 --> 00:02:14,860 M2: along with some additional interviews we've recorded since, we want 44 00:02:14,860 --> 00:02:18,160 M2: to look at the history of this one average, yet 45 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:20,590 M2: truly exceptional automobile. 46 00:02:27,180 --> 00:02:30,070 M12: Let's rewind the clock to just before World War Two 47 00:02:30,090 --> 00:02:34,019 M12: and uncover the origins of the Volkswagen mark, Volkswagen Authority 48 00:02:34,020 --> 00:02:38,070 M12: Russell Hayes, author of Volkswagen Beetles and Buses, explains the 49 00:02:38,070 --> 00:02:41,130 M12: idea that's under German people's car had been around since 50 00:02:41,130 --> 00:02:44,760 M12: the 1920s and there was a real determined campaign that 51 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:49,139 M12: there should be an affordable German pronunciation folks out, which 52 00:02:49,139 --> 00:02:52,220 M12: was car of the people that people could actually afford 53 00:02:52,260 --> 00:02:54,840 M12: the pressure for. That led to an imposter who set 54 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:59,340 M12: up his own design consultancy, I think 1931, to start 55 00:02:59,370 --> 00:03:01,770 M12: pedaling around a design for a new type of folks 56 00:03:01,770 --> 00:03:05,700 M12: out to the various manufacturers. There were two motorcycle manufacturers 57 00:03:05,700 --> 00:03:09,290 M12: that were interested and took him on design prototypes, Jundah 58 00:03:09,300 --> 00:03:12,329 M12: and and as you both wanted to move from motorcycles 59 00:03:12,330 --> 00:03:15,720 M12: into small cars. And he presented a design of a 60 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:19,760 M12: rearrangement to the simple platform to both of them. But 61 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:21,480 M12: neither of them in the end had the money to 62 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:24,960 M12: go through with it. But all this incremental design were 63 00:03:25,110 --> 00:03:28,170 M12: testing a prototype started to give them more and more 64 00:03:28,169 --> 00:03:31,350 M12: improved model. And of course, the person who came along 65 00:03:31,350 --> 00:03:33,640 M12: and gave the greatest push to it was Adolf Hitler. 66 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:37,080 M12: Hitler was so determined that there should be a people's 67 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:40,140 M12: car to run on the new autobahns as a symbol 68 00:03:40,140 --> 00:03:43,770 M12: of modern Germany and also as a vehicle for export 69 00:03:43,770 --> 00:03:47,190 M12: that he pushed and pushed the design. But he really 70 00:03:47,190 --> 00:03:50,190 M12: gave Porsche a really hard time trying to screw him 71 00:03:50,220 --> 00:03:53,670 M12: down to the lowest possible production price. And Porsche, I think, 72 00:03:53,670 --> 00:03:56,070 M12: was really under pressure to try and get this car 73 00:03:56,070 --> 00:03:59,490 M12: manufacturer of the lowest possible price. But what ended up 74 00:03:59,490 --> 00:04:02,820 M12: benefiting the eventual design is that millions of miles were 75 00:04:02,820 --> 00:04:05,760 M12: covered in development work by the time the car was 76 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:08,610 M12: presented in its final form, ready for production just before 77 00:04:08,610 --> 00:04:11,100 M12: the outbreak of war. It was a very well tested 78 00:04:11,100 --> 00:04:14,130 M12: car already, possibly one of the biggest test programs that 79 00:04:14,130 --> 00:04:16,950 M12: any car had ever had to date. So when it 80 00:04:16,950 --> 00:04:19,410 M12: came out after its course for the war, it was 81 00:04:19,410 --> 00:04:21,419 M12: already a very well developed car and likely to be 82 00:04:21,420 --> 00:04:22,140 M12: very reliable. 83 00:04:22,140 --> 00:04:25,260 M2: But Germany lost the war allies, moved in and were 84 00:04:25,260 --> 00:04:29,460 M2: tasked with the well-nigh impossible task of rebuilding the country 85 00:04:29,460 --> 00:04:32,310 M2: they had just defeated. As different countries were given different 86 00:04:32,310 --> 00:04:36,359 M2: responsibilities and geographic sectors in the recovery effort, Great Britain 87 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:38,820 M2: was given a difficult choice of what to do with 88 00:04:38,820 --> 00:04:42,400 M2: car manufacturing and what would eventually become Volkswagen. 89 00:04:42,420 --> 00:04:44,969 M12: It could have possibly gone to a third of America, 90 00:04:44,970 --> 00:04:47,970 M12: but Henry Ford came and visited, tried one out Volkswagen 91 00:04:47,970 --> 00:04:50,670 M12: from the war years, and it did think it could 92 00:04:50,670 --> 00:04:52,559 M12: be a possible car for sale in Europe with a 93 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:55,320 M12: bit of refining, but backed off because it was too 94 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:57,930 M12: near the Russian border. But the British were sent in 95 00:04:57,930 --> 00:05:01,440 M12: to assess what the factory could be turned to, and 96 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:04,410 M12: that was quite a contingent of them, wanted the factory 97 00:05:04,410 --> 00:05:06,450 M12: just to be used as industrial units, not to go 98 00:05:06,450 --> 00:05:09,690 M12: back to manufacture. But Britain needed the German economy to 99 00:05:09,690 --> 00:05:12,180 M12: get back into gear. And one of the ways of 100 00:05:12,180 --> 00:05:15,630 M12: doing this was to help them restart production of this car, 101 00:05:15,630 --> 00:05:17,760 M12: which was kind of ready to roll before the war. 102 00:05:17,850 --> 00:05:20,760 M12: And the factory wasn't as badly damaged. So eventually it 103 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:23,040 M12: was put back into action. But the British were certainly 104 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:25,710 M12: conflicted about what they were doing. A very small team 105 00:05:25,710 --> 00:05:29,100 M12: of people realized that they were potentially going to damage 106 00:05:29,100 --> 00:05:31,260 M12: the British motor industry, but that was their job to 107 00:05:31,260 --> 00:05:32,160 M12: get this car running. 108 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:35,550 M2: So Volkswagen was saved and the well tested Beetle more 109 00:05:35,550 --> 00:05:39,659 M2: properly there. Kafer went into production. However, the odd German 110 00:05:39,660 --> 00:05:42,120 M2: vehicle proved a bit difficult for America to swallow. 111 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:45,330 M22: But the turn the Volkswagen arrived in the early 1950s. 112 00:05:45,330 --> 00:05:48,650 M22: The idea of the small car in America just completely gone. 113 00:05:48,660 --> 00:05:51,359 M22: That had been the crossly just after the war. But 114 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:53,849 M22: as soon as people could afford bigger cars, they abandoned that. 115 00:05:53,850 --> 00:05:56,040 M22: It got off to a slow start in the States 116 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:59,070 M22: when it was first imported in the very early fifty 117 00:05:59,290 --> 00:06:02,430 M22: fifty fifty one. The Dutch importer bought one or two 118 00:06:02,430 --> 00:06:05,339 M22: over and they were just ridiculed. The press called it 119 00:06:05,339 --> 00:06:09,210 M22: Hitler's car and he touted it round to various dealers 120 00:06:09,210 --> 00:06:11,940 M22: in terms of trying to to take it on. They 121 00:06:11,940 --> 00:06:12,830 M22: weren't interested. 122 00:06:12,860 --> 00:06:15,930 M12: Volkswagen initially had to retreat and rethink and then come 123 00:06:15,930 --> 00:06:19,860 M12: back to America with a much more considered offering. What 124 00:06:19,860 --> 00:06:22,620 M12: they did was they started getting all the dealers in 125 00:06:22,620 --> 00:06:25,050 M12: place and the service in place and the parts in 126 00:06:25,050 --> 00:06:27,810 M12: place so that you had this car, which wasn't the 127 00:06:27,810 --> 00:06:30,839 M12: latest thing. You could get parts anywhere. They were cheap. 128 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:32,669 M12: It could be readily serviced, which is what a lot 129 00:06:32,670 --> 00:06:35,820 M12: of the imported cars the 1950s failed to grasp. They 130 00:06:35,820 --> 00:06:38,520 M12: bought the cars in cheaply enough, but then there was 131 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,880 M12: no back up. But by getting this organization in place 132 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:44,640 M12: and this sort of service ethos and back, which was 133 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:47,820 M12: so new, it started a really good foundation and it 134 00:06:47,820 --> 00:06:50,190 M12: did start to trade off the Polish name. It got 135 00:06:50,190 --> 00:06:53,400 M12: a following amongst people who needed a cheap car. And 136 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:55,500 M12: that's what was interesting. It wasn't bought by people who 137 00:06:55,500 --> 00:06:58,200 M12: needed a cheap car, was bought by people who wanted 138 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:03,480 M12: an honest, small, reliable second car. And also at that time, 139 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:07,110 M12: European things were starting to make their influence felt. People 140 00:07:07,110 --> 00:07:11,400 M12: were travelling abroad again on European holidays. It traded in 141 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:14,760 M12: that kind of wave of interest in European things as well. 142 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:17,070 M12: And it became an antique car. In a way, it 143 00:07:17,070 --> 00:07:19,619 M12: became well, I could afford a big Packard, but I 144 00:07:19,620 --> 00:07:21,870 M12: don't want one. I want this nice, modest little car 145 00:07:21,870 --> 00:07:23,280 M12: because it's not going to be out of date when 146 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:26,010 M12: the model changes, it's not going to look completely different. 147 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:28,010 M2: My neighbor won't be able to tell what I'm got, 148 00:07:28,010 --> 00:07:31,390 M2: a fifty six or fifty eight people, the Volkswagen of America, 149 00:07:31,420 --> 00:07:35,020 M2: long before car companies were thought of as brands, represented 150 00:07:35,020 --> 00:07:40,120 M2: a lot of things precision, practicality, rugged durability. One Volkswagen 151 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:42,850 M2: that had a huge impact was the bus, the camper, 152 00:07:42,850 --> 00:07:46,960 M2: the transporter, the deluxe station wagon, the big box on wheels, 153 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:50,200 M2: which really became a ubiquitous feature in America, especially during 154 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:51,130 M2: the 1960s. 155 00:07:51,130 --> 00:07:54,460 M12: The two went on parallel tracks. The bus took off 156 00:07:54,460 --> 00:07:57,310 M12: in a different direction to the company in America. Certainly 157 00:07:57,310 --> 00:07:59,890 M12: they really didn't know what to make of it at 158 00:07:59,890 --> 00:08:03,040 M12: all because small vans did not look like this. And 159 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:06,250 M12: when they tried to sell the company with seats and windows, 160 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:08,739 M12: it just couldn't work out what it was. One great 161 00:08:08,740 --> 00:08:12,160 M12: story was apparently that when people started buying the companies 162 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:15,610 M12: and using them as station wagons, some parking lot attendants 163 00:08:15,610 --> 00:08:18,070 M12: wouldn't park them because they said they didn't park trucks. 164 00:08:18,070 --> 00:08:21,490 M12: But that didn't deter sales. The early contrabands really took off. 165 00:08:21,490 --> 00:08:24,070 M12: They really were seen as something new, as a way 166 00:08:24,070 --> 00:08:26,800 M12: of escaping and exploring this big country. And of course, 167 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:29,170 M12: they could do it because albeit very slowly, but they 168 00:08:29,170 --> 00:08:32,860 M12: could do it reliably. And early camper van conversions were 169 00:08:32,870 --> 00:08:36,580 M12: so ingenious, managing to squeeze all these little cabinets and 170 00:08:36,580 --> 00:08:40,360 M12: washbasins and folding down beds into this tiny space. 171 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:42,640 M2: And as a result, the VW bus took on a 172 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:44,050 M2: brand new reputation. 173 00:08:44,170 --> 00:08:46,690 M12: It was often used as transport for young people to 174 00:08:46,690 --> 00:08:51,490 M12: go across continents. It was used by people who were 175 00:08:51,490 --> 00:08:54,640 M12: on UN humanitarian missions as well, quite a lot in 176 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:57,550 M12: the 60s, people dispensing words of peace to people around 177 00:08:57,550 --> 00:08:58,140 M12: the globe. 178 00:08:58,150 --> 00:09:01,000 M2: So VW survived World War Two, thanks to the British 179 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:03,569 M2: and their buses come to America and taken root. 180 00:09:03,580 --> 00:09:05,829 M21: But the next part of the story requires a bit 181 00:09:05,830 --> 00:09:08,770 M21: of a change in scenery. We'll be right back. On 182 00:09:08,780 --> 00:09:09,490 M21: cars that matter. 183 00:09:13,070 --> 00:09:17,090 F15: Welcome to Life Done better listen to the weekly episodes 184 00:09:17,090 --> 00:09:20,720 F15: where supermodel and health coach Jill DeYoung talks to some 185 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:24,439 F15: of the world's most inspiring women in health and wellness. 186 00:09:25,010 --> 00:09:28,730 F15: It's the place for all the unicorns who strive to 187 00:09:28,730 --> 00:09:33,020 F15: create a life on their own terms. Join us to explore, 188 00:09:33,020 --> 00:09:37,130 F15: discover and create a life done better together. 189 00:09:37,700 --> 00:09:42,710 F14: Listen, unsubscribe from Cutco Media media for your mind. 190 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:48,069 M21: Welcome back to cars that matter. As we've detailed a 191 00:09:48,070 --> 00:09:50,859 M21: unique history of the car that is now known as 192 00:09:50,860 --> 00:09:52,599 M21: the Jenkins' VW Bus. 193 00:09:55,940 --> 00:09:59,210 M23: Our story shifts to post-World War Two America, an America 194 00:09:59,210 --> 00:10:02,420 M23: that is suffering from the racism and attitudes that flourished 195 00:10:02,420 --> 00:10:06,380 M23: prior to and sparked the civil rights movement he saw 196 00:10:06,380 --> 00:10:09,960 M23: and Chaney B. Jenkins are living on Strawn's Island, South Carolina. 197 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:14,569 M23: In 1948, the couple founded the Progressive Club. That co-op 198 00:10:14,570 --> 00:10:18,439 M23: offered their community financial assistance, legal aid and education. The 199 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:22,189 M23: building housed a grocery store, gas station and a community center. 200 00:10:22,429 --> 00:10:25,670 M23: Esaw in Jany B worked tirelessly to help their community 201 00:10:25,670 --> 00:10:27,740 M23: overcome the oppression of the Jim Crow era. 202 00:10:27,980 --> 00:10:32,000 M2: Sonobe saw Johnny B.. Bill Jenkins at 90 years of age, 203 00:10:32,270 --> 00:10:33,579 M2: shares his family's history. 204 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:36,440 M3: You start back in 1948. 205 00:10:37,250 --> 00:10:42,150 M4: 1948 is when we started the Progressive Club, when a 206 00:10:42,170 --> 00:10:48,470 M4: white man shot a black man, Olvido, that my daddy 207 00:10:48,470 --> 00:10:52,240 M4: was hustling in the market in Charleston and people came 208 00:10:52,250 --> 00:10:55,550 M4: down into that 70s show. But he's not dead. And 209 00:10:55,550 --> 00:10:58,849 M4: so he went to the hospital and you go to 210 00:10:58,850 --> 00:11:03,230 M4: Scottsbluff and that same them and trying to find a 211 00:11:03,230 --> 00:11:07,520 M4: judge that will handle the case. And a lawyer never 212 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:10,580 M4: came up. And eventually they got called a meeting at 213 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:16,130 M4: the Moonshine and Sam turned progressive club formed an named 214 00:11:16,130 --> 00:11:19,480 M4: Progressive Club because it was people from the Hollywood community. 215 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:22,280 M4: So we had enough of this. People can shoot us 216 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:25,809 M4: like dogs. And so this could have been a progressive 217 00:11:25,820 --> 00:11:29,550 M4: club and two months and school, we can make it 218 00:11:30,260 --> 00:11:33,220 M4: across the street. And that piece of property was for sale. 219 00:11:33,230 --> 00:11:37,569 M4: And that is when they just got more people from Dallas. 220 00:11:37,580 --> 00:11:42,890 M3: Geldzahler And that part of what law enforcement are people 221 00:11:42,890 --> 00:11:47,260 M3: to do, a player in Georgia and all that fertilizer plant. 222 00:11:47,260 --> 00:11:50,239 M3: To have some latest on a plan that didn't have 223 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:52,250 M3: to be worked out early in the morning, should have 224 00:11:52,250 --> 00:11:55,010 M3: stayed on the bus until about nine o'clock. So that's 225 00:11:55,010 --> 00:11:57,980 M3: what I was talking about. Why are we letting this 226 00:11:57,980 --> 00:12:00,620 M3: happen to us? And we don't say anything. We're going 227 00:12:00,620 --> 00:12:03,530 M3: to continue to just like an elephant in the room. 228 00:12:04,300 --> 00:12:07,670 M3: Do you even know his own strength when he found 229 00:12:07,679 --> 00:12:11,050 M3: out people were listening to him? And that's when I 230 00:12:11,059 --> 00:12:15,920 M3: told one voter registration was really all started. 231 00:12:16,010 --> 00:12:18,290 M2: But the famous green bus that the drink purchased in 232 00:12:18,290 --> 00:12:21,200 M2: 1966 wasn't the first car to be of use to 233 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:24,590 M2: the Jenkins. Elaine Jenkins, youngest daughter of Esaw and Jenny 234 00:12:24,590 --> 00:12:25,490 M2: B explains. 235 00:12:25,490 --> 00:12:28,400 F1: With Bill, there was a fleet of buses that our 236 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:33,949 F1: parents had before we get to the Volkswagen bus. And yeah, 237 00:12:34,250 --> 00:12:37,250 F1: and so those buses we used to transport people to 238 00:12:37,250 --> 00:12:40,250 F1: and from work, the islands did not have a connecting 239 00:12:40,250 --> 00:12:44,030 F1: bridge until the mid 50s. There was a ferry and 240 00:12:44,030 --> 00:12:48,740 F1: the buses were used to transport Islander's into Charleston to work. 241 00:12:48,770 --> 00:12:51,200 F1: The buses were also used because there was no high 242 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:55,160 F1: school lunch on silence for African-Americans. The Black High School 243 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:58,429 F1: was in Charleston. So then probably use the buses to 244 00:12:58,429 --> 00:13:01,459 F1: transport the children who wanted to go to high school, 245 00:13:01,460 --> 00:13:04,520 F1: including his own children. My brother here and my two 246 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:07,850 F1: older sisters would ride in one of the buses or 247 00:13:07,850 --> 00:13:10,910 F1: the truck into Charleston to go to school. And then 248 00:13:10,910 --> 00:13:13,880 F1: a lot of the schools on the island would have 249 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:17,569 F1: excursions and says, my father had the buses. He would 250 00:13:17,570 --> 00:13:21,140 F1: take the children on outings in the area. The beaches 251 00:13:21,140 --> 00:13:24,680 F1: were segregated, but also so the buses were used to 252 00:13:24,679 --> 00:13:27,800 F1: transport people to two of the black beaches in the area, 253 00:13:27,809 --> 00:13:31,579 F1: Mosquita Beach and Atlantic Beach. Those were the two black beaches. 254 00:13:31,690 --> 00:13:34,610 F1: The buses did a lot of things. And as my 255 00:13:34,610 --> 00:13:39,680 F1: brother said, my parents began organizing people on those buses 256 00:13:39,679 --> 00:13:43,130 F1: during that time to talk about the conditions in which 257 00:13:43,130 --> 00:13:46,010 F1: they were living on these islands. And one of them 258 00:13:46,010 --> 00:13:49,730 F1: was the issue of voter registration and education here in 259 00:13:49,730 --> 00:13:50,480 F1: South Carolina. 260 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:53,150 F2: At the time, you had to be able to read 261 00:13:53,150 --> 00:13:59,030 F2: a portion of the US Constitution not to up and 262 00:13:59,030 --> 00:14:02,720 F2: pay a poll tax. So what my parents did was 263 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:05,780 F2: they helped the people to read that portion of the 264 00:14:05,780 --> 00:14:07,609 F2: Constitution that they needed to know. 265 00:14:07,610 --> 00:14:11,120 F1: I mean, they memorized it and how to write their name. 266 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:15,980 F1: That's the backdrop of these two Volkswagens. Now, when we 267 00:14:15,980 --> 00:14:22,570 F1: fast forward at the time of purchase, the 1966 minibus, 268 00:14:22,580 --> 00:14:25,729 F1: most of the fleet of buses, he had maybe one 269 00:14:25,730 --> 00:14:26,479 F1: or two left. 270 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:29,730 M6: He started off with one he bought from a horse 271 00:14:29,980 --> 00:14:33,910 M6: with a Chevy, but then he bought a Chevy was right. 272 00:14:33,930 --> 00:14:35,979 F4: You come out the fleet, the larger buses. 273 00:14:36,290 --> 00:14:38,780 M7: But when we get to the Volkswagen bus, he only 274 00:14:38,780 --> 00:14:41,900 M7: had one of those long lines. And I wanted to 275 00:14:41,900 --> 00:14:45,440 M7: go around the community and try to talk to people 276 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:50,450 M7: to let them know what being a citizen mean more 277 00:14:50,530 --> 00:14:52,040 M7: than any other citizen. 278 00:14:52,910 --> 00:14:55,740 F1: I think in nineteen sixty six, the sea of. Federal 279 00:14:55,740 --> 00:14:59,760 F1: credit union was established. My father had gone to a 280 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:03,930 F1: year earlier to a meeting in Washington, D.C. He went 281 00:15:03,930 --> 00:15:06,030 F1: there for one purpose, but then he heard about a 282 00:15:06,030 --> 00:15:09,150 F1: community meeting that was being held, hearings that were being 283 00:15:09,150 --> 00:15:11,430 F1: held on Capitol Hill. And he went there and he 284 00:15:11,430 --> 00:15:15,540 F1: spoke about the fact that for African-Americans in South Carolina, 285 00:15:15,540 --> 00:15:18,330 F1: they had to buy expensive money. It was they had 286 00:15:18,330 --> 00:15:23,370 F1: to go to individual individuals instead of banking institutions to 287 00:15:23,370 --> 00:15:27,060 F1: borrow money. And they started for about a year. They 288 00:15:27,060 --> 00:15:31,200 F1: discussed the possibility of starting a of federal credit union 289 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:32,140 F1: in Charleston. 290 00:15:32,250 --> 00:15:35,460 F2: So once that credit union was up, then part of 291 00:15:35,460 --> 00:15:39,900 F2: them got the first Volkswagen Volkswagen bus and it had 292 00:15:39,900 --> 00:15:42,060 F2: set a federal credit union on it. 293 00:15:42,060 --> 00:15:45,250 F1: On the side of it, the back hatch had let 294 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:49,950 F1: everybody knew this, but the Charleston County, whenever they saw 295 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:53,460 F1: their bus, then there was this jenkins' coming about something. 296 00:15:53,550 --> 00:15:57,060 F1: But he loved that Volkswagen that sixty six and a 297 00:15:57,060 --> 00:16:01,920 F1: several years later, he bought a blue Volkswagen personally. But 298 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:05,670 F1: it was that Volkswagen that was for the Citizens Committee 299 00:16:05,670 --> 00:16:09,450 F1: that he went around, talked about voter registration, encouraging people 300 00:16:09,450 --> 00:16:12,930 F1: to register and vote and to join the failed Federal 301 00:16:12,930 --> 00:16:16,080 F1: Credit Union. And he still took people around in that. 302 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:20,160 M6: And the Volkswagen and stuff even went to a lot 303 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:24,870 M6: of them walking back to a role in that Volkswagen. 304 00:16:24,870 --> 00:16:27,330 M2: But as time went on, the bus became not only 305 00:16:27,330 --> 00:16:29,850 M2: a member of the community around it, but of the 306 00:16:29,850 --> 00:16:34,140 M2: Jenkins family itself, some type of something. 307 00:16:34,140 --> 00:16:37,020 M3: And I just didn't know what he was going to 308 00:16:37,020 --> 00:16:39,560 M3: he had to be going to such and such a place. 309 00:16:39,690 --> 00:16:42,870 M3: And I got to with such. And he just going 310 00:16:42,870 --> 00:16:45,630 M3: to take a nap while I'm driving. Once you get there, 311 00:16:45,630 --> 00:16:50,310 M3: he's over talking. And he said, come on, wake up. 312 00:16:50,700 --> 00:16:52,470 M3: We've got a lot of things to do and we 313 00:16:52,470 --> 00:16:54,510 M3: don't have a whole lot of time to play role. 314 00:16:54,660 --> 00:16:57,330 M3: He will stand at times, but he knew how to 315 00:16:57,330 --> 00:17:00,090 M3: deal with people. I know he used to call all 316 00:17:00,090 --> 00:17:04,710 M3: of these islands in Charleston County. There were many islands, five, five. 317 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:07,030 M9: I see islands still. 318 00:17:07,050 --> 00:17:10,139 M3: But you go to Mount Pleasant, some of those others 319 00:17:10,140 --> 00:17:15,119 M3: to MacLellan. Well, and what they used to get people 320 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:18,200 M3: from each of those islands that you could identify and 321 00:17:18,210 --> 00:17:20,969 M3: instead talk to the ones that I want you to 322 00:17:20,970 --> 00:17:24,000 M3: give me a report on how far you've got and 323 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:26,870 M3: how could I help you. And you go from one island, 324 00:17:28,020 --> 00:17:31,890 M3: especially in Charleston County. You started off with James Island 325 00:17:31,890 --> 00:17:35,190 M3: because that was the largest island in population. Jones Island 326 00:17:35,190 --> 00:17:37,680 M3: was the largest island in the area. 327 00:17:37,780 --> 00:17:41,680 M6: Everything was the smallest island and the farthest away and 328 00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:45,659 M6: the farthest away, the last part of Charleston County. 329 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:50,100 M3: And it had young and all those islands for this 330 00:17:50,100 --> 00:17:53,190 M3: one from here, MacLellan bill. But that was not in 331 00:17:53,190 --> 00:17:56,280 M3: Charleston County. It was in Charleston County, but not in 332 00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:59,790 M3: the south. So he had key people in each one 333 00:17:59,790 --> 00:18:03,230 M3: of these islands that he could call. And everybody was 334 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:06,360 M3: a joke after he died. So the phone rang on 335 00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:09,720 M3: Sunday morning. What church? Somebody would get a call from 336 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:12,760 M3: my dad and say that I want you to do so. 337 00:18:12,900 --> 00:18:16,050 M3: He never asked you told you I want you to 338 00:18:16,050 --> 00:18:20,220 M3: go to Sunday school during the announcement. You I want 339 00:18:20,220 --> 00:18:23,880 M3: you to say this. We've got to get our people 340 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:27,359 M3: to register. And most of this was happening in the 341 00:18:27,369 --> 00:18:30,650 M3: little book, and this was 67, 68. 342 00:18:30,900 --> 00:18:33,449 M2: That little green bus became memorable not only for the 343 00:18:33,450 --> 00:18:36,330 M2: family inside, but because of the writing on the body 344 00:18:36,330 --> 00:18:39,990 M2: of the vehicle itself. Citizens Committee was painted bright white 345 00:18:39,990 --> 00:18:43,199 M2: letters on the side. And as Elaine and Bill mentioned 346 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:46,770 M2: earlier on, the tailgate was painted. Love is progress. Hate 347 00:18:47,070 --> 00:18:48,090 M2: is expensive. 348 00:18:48,210 --> 00:18:52,500 M10: It means racial tension in this area. That particular time 349 00:18:52,890 --> 00:18:56,250 M10: you have a figure. If you would put something on 350 00:18:56,250 --> 00:18:59,909 M10: the back talking about love and hate, that may draw 351 00:18:59,910 --> 00:19:02,639 M10: attention to a lot of people because they could be 352 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:06,240 M10: most of my experience, both love because they were a 353 00:19:06,240 --> 00:19:09,300 M10: few white folks around here. The problem could get some 354 00:19:09,300 --> 00:19:12,090 M10: money from. And if you couldn't get the money from 355 00:19:12,090 --> 00:19:14,939 M10: those people, you can do anything at all because you 356 00:19:14,940 --> 00:19:18,360 M10: couldn't go to the bank and you mentioned it earlier. 357 00:19:18,570 --> 00:19:23,370 M10: And hate means that they're going on as though you 358 00:19:23,369 --> 00:19:27,330 M10: don't exist until they did so. And so if you 359 00:19:27,330 --> 00:19:30,720 M10: go around trying to hate them because they are treating 360 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:33,389 M10: you as though you are less than a dope, you're 361 00:19:33,390 --> 00:19:37,230 M10: going to end up dying from hypertension or something because 362 00:19:37,230 --> 00:19:39,900 M10: you've got to stop building up. And so he put 363 00:19:39,900 --> 00:19:43,949 M10: on his love, his progress, if you can love them. 364 00:19:44,190 --> 00:19:46,320 M10: But I don't mean that you have to hate them. 365 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:49,139 M10: Would you just make sure you know who you are 366 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:51,630 M10: you don't want them to take advantage of? You know, 367 00:19:51,630 --> 00:19:53,280 M10: more than you have done. Really? 368 00:19:53,580 --> 00:19:56,620 F4: I always thought it had a real. Religious aspect, as 369 00:19:56,619 --> 00:20:00,250 F4: well as the very practical aspect of it, when we 370 00:20:00,250 --> 00:20:03,159 F4: were growing up for the people on the islands. Religion 371 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:06,040 F4: was the way of life and it impacted everything, every 372 00:20:06,040 --> 00:20:10,150 F4: area of life, really. And one of the greatest commandments 373 00:20:10,150 --> 00:20:14,680 F4: is to love thy neighbor. The epistle of John talks 374 00:20:14,680 --> 00:20:18,130 F4: about God is love. And then, on the other hand, 375 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:22,300 F4: how hate destroys the human spirit, but then is also 376 00:20:22,450 --> 00:20:24,040 F4: something very practical. 377 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:26,740 F2: As I heard people say a lot of times, when 378 00:20:26,740 --> 00:20:32,800 F2: you spend all that time trying to have two unequal things, 379 00:20:32,810 --> 00:20:35,739 F2: I mean, you're wasting money. A white water fountain, a 380 00:20:35,740 --> 00:20:39,910 F2: black water fountain full for whites is all for blacks separate. 381 00:20:40,060 --> 00:20:44,590 F2: Definitely not equal. But you're spending money just to maintain 382 00:20:44,590 --> 00:20:46,420 F2: that apartheid state. Right. 383 00:20:46,940 --> 00:20:50,800 F5: And that once you open up the love and not 384 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:54,320 F5: that sentimental kind of love, but the Agape love that 385 00:20:54,340 --> 00:20:56,590 F5: the Bible talks about, the love that you can have 386 00:20:56,590 --> 00:20:59,590 F5: for a person who you perceive as an enemy, that 387 00:20:59,590 --> 00:21:01,770 F5: you can then begin making progress. 388 00:21:01,810 --> 00:21:04,090 M2: But what made them keep the bus all these years? 389 00:21:04,230 --> 00:21:05,619 M9: My mother did. 390 00:21:07,340 --> 00:21:10,840 F4: We saw it was Poppa's bus. They had done a 391 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:14,500 F4: lot together with that bus. She said that she never 392 00:21:14,500 --> 00:21:18,850 F4: wanted it. So we were looking at restoring the progressive 393 00:21:18,850 --> 00:21:22,330 F4: club after Hugo did a lot of damage to it 394 00:21:22,330 --> 00:21:28,390 F4: in 1989 and maybe finding funds to renovate the progressive 395 00:21:28,390 --> 00:21:31,750 F4: club itself, the building. So we were looking at some 396 00:21:31,750 --> 00:21:36,190 F4: point perhaps starting a museum there and putting the bus there. 397 00:21:36,190 --> 00:21:40,860 F4: But that never happened. It just took longer than we anticipated. 398 00:21:40,869 --> 00:21:45,790 F4: And when the Smithsonian came to us, they had heard 399 00:21:45,790 --> 00:21:48,250 F4: about you saw Jenkins and that the bus was in 400 00:21:48,250 --> 00:21:51,190 F4: the backyard. We thought it was a godsend. We saw 401 00:21:51,190 --> 00:21:55,600 F4: the bus deteriorating. Mama asked us never to sell the 402 00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:59,400 F4: bus and we didn't know how to preserve the bus. 403 00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:02,859 F4: So when they came, we thought, here is something that 404 00:22:02,859 --> 00:22:06,250 F4: we really can do to honor our mother's wishes. And 405 00:22:06,250 --> 00:22:08,860 F4: they took the hat back of the bus. 406 00:22:10,070 --> 00:22:13,450 M6: The margin for error was coming to be because she 407 00:22:13,450 --> 00:22:16,870 M6: had gone somewhere that we could that. But we didn't 408 00:22:16,869 --> 00:22:20,109 M6: know how and when and when we got a chance 409 00:22:20,109 --> 00:22:24,280 M6: to talk to some of the people from the museum first. 410 00:22:24,460 --> 00:22:29,169 M6: And we got 19 people started the historic sites and 411 00:22:29,609 --> 00:22:33,030 M6: this was one of those historic sites. And, you know, 412 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:35,770 M6: you are on the right track. You are training people 413 00:22:35,770 --> 00:22:37,620 M6: to learn about books. 414 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:40,869 M2: And from that point on, and it was all one 415 00:22:40,869 --> 00:22:44,020 M2: of the tailgaters currently on display at the Smithsonian National 416 00:22:44,020 --> 00:22:47,770 M2: Museum of African-American History and Culture. But the question still 417 00:22:47,770 --> 00:22:49,690 M2: remained about what was going to happen to the rest 418 00:22:49,690 --> 00:22:50,619 M2: of the Jenkins bus. 419 00:22:51,540 --> 00:22:57,340 M13: We'll be right back. On cars that matter a moment 420 00:22:57,340 --> 00:22:57,939 M13: of your time. 421 00:22:58,510 --> 00:23:02,650 F6: A new podcast from Kerkow Media, currently twenty one years old. 422 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:06,610 F7: And today, like magic, we descended from her fingertips down 423 00:23:06,609 --> 00:23:08,679 F7: to the blood to take care of yourself because the 424 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:11,410 F7: world needs you and you. Every do gooder that asked 425 00:23:11,410 --> 00:23:13,720 F7: about me was ready to spit on my dream fingers. 426 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:16,380 F7: Who facing you can feel like your purpose in your 427 00:23:16,390 --> 00:23:19,540 F7: life is really being done to stop me from playing 428 00:23:19,540 --> 00:23:22,480 F7: the piano? She buys walkie talkies, wonders to whom she 429 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:23,220 F7: should give the second. 430 00:23:23,500 --> 00:23:26,350 M2: Don't love humans. We never did. We never. Well, we 431 00:23:26,350 --> 00:23:27,490 M2: just find what you do. 432 00:23:27,619 --> 00:23:30,369 M14: Rock climbing is that you can only focus on what's 433 00:23:30,369 --> 00:23:33,820 M14: right in life and so are American life begins. 434 00:23:34,869 --> 00:23:38,200 F8: We may need to stay apart, but let's create together 435 00:23:38,470 --> 00:23:43,149 F8: available on all podcast platforms. Submit your piece by Kerkow Dotcom. 436 00:23:43,150 --> 00:23:44,470 F8: Slash a moment of your time. 437 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:50,010 M13: Welcome back to cars that matter. 438 00:23:50,750 --> 00:23:53,359 M2: For decades, the Jenkins' bus had been sitting in the 439 00:23:53,420 --> 00:23:57,680 M2: union's backyard, the tailgate painted with the slogan Love is progress, 440 00:23:57,830 --> 00:24:00,790 M2: hate is expensive, had just been taken to the Smithsonian. 441 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:03,980 M2: But then some new characters that are our story. First, 442 00:24:03,980 --> 00:24:07,310 M2: Diane Parker, vice president of the Historic Vehicle Association. 443 00:24:07,550 --> 00:24:11,149 F10: We got a call from very Steeple and Grant Gilmor 444 00:24:11,150 --> 00:24:14,210 F10: from the College of Charleston, and they said, We know 445 00:24:14,210 --> 00:24:16,850 F10: what you're doing and we think it's great. We have 446 00:24:16,850 --> 00:24:20,570 F10: wonderful local story that we believe should be preserved. And 447 00:24:20,570 --> 00:24:24,290 F10: so they put us in touch with Jirina Jones from 448 00:24:24,290 --> 00:24:28,010 F10: the family. And from there we went down and met 449 00:24:28,010 --> 00:24:30,770 F10: with the family and took a look at the bus. 450 00:24:30,770 --> 00:24:33,560 F10: College of Charleston met us out. There was a young 451 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:35,840 F10: man that wrote a paper on it, as a matter 452 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:37,910 F10: of fact, in the college. And that's how we were 453 00:24:37,910 --> 00:24:40,220 F10: introduced to this wonderful story. 454 00:24:40,220 --> 00:24:43,640 M2: And what makes the historic vehicle association so important? 455 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:46,280 F3: I would say, first of all, our why why we 456 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:49,700 F3: are here, why we are the VA is because we 457 00:24:49,700 --> 00:24:53,179 F3: believe that America's automotive heritage is worth saving, that the 458 00:24:53,180 --> 00:24:56,570 F3: stories are worth telling, and the human interest aspect of 459 00:24:56,570 --> 00:24:59,750 F3: it is worth bringing forward to people. And it's not 460 00:24:59,750 --> 00:25:04,220 F3: just about car guys and car girls. This is for everyone, 461 00:25:04,220 --> 00:25:07,100 F3: because you may not be a car person, but everyone 462 00:25:07,100 --> 00:25:10,460 F3: loves a really great story. And that's what we're doing here, 463 00:25:10,460 --> 00:25:13,310 F3: is we're saving history and we're telling some really great stories. 464 00:25:13,430 --> 00:25:17,480 F3: We are connected through the Department of Interior's historic American 465 00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:21,230 F3: engineering record, who then is connected to the Library of Congress. 466 00:25:21,230 --> 00:25:24,200 F3: And that is through our programming, which is the National 467 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:27,680 F3: Historic Vehicle Register. It can be complicated. So to simplify, 468 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:30,980 F3: everything is we're filling a gap in our history. We 469 00:25:30,980 --> 00:25:36,169 F3: have over eighty thousand buildings covered, bridges, aircraft and other 470 00:25:36,170 --> 00:25:39,350 F3: objects that have been covered as part of our cultural past. 471 00:25:39,350 --> 00:25:42,760 F3: But the vehicle had never been included until the VA 472 00:25:42,770 --> 00:25:46,040 F3: came along and started filling that gap in 2014 and 473 00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:48,409 F3: we were created in 2009. So we don't want to 474 00:25:48,410 --> 00:25:52,369 F3: get listeners confused. Initially, when the VA was created, it 475 00:25:52,369 --> 00:25:55,910 F3: was more of a legislative watch, kind of this overall 476 00:25:55,910 --> 00:25:59,270 F3: what was going on. And then we discovered that there 477 00:25:59,270 --> 00:26:02,150 F3: was this huge gap in our history and our cultural 478 00:26:02,150 --> 00:26:04,400 F3: heritage and we thought no one else is doing it. 479 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:06,830 F3: So we're going to fill this one car at a time. 480 00:26:06,830 --> 00:26:09,560 F3: So we did an agreement with the Department of Interior. 481 00:26:09,590 --> 00:26:13,280 F3: Suddenly we are filling this long gap that has never 482 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:16,730 F3: been filled. People are really astonished when they find out. 483 00:26:16,730 --> 00:26:18,800 F3: What do you mean? The cars have never been a 484 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:21,619 F3: part of our documented heritage. They've been a part of 485 00:26:21,619 --> 00:26:23,929 F3: our lives for hundreds of years. It's one of the 486 00:26:23,930 --> 00:26:28,100 F3: greatest technological advancements and will continue to be and it 487 00:26:28,100 --> 00:26:31,460 F3: was never recovered. It is the human interest story behind 488 00:26:31,460 --> 00:26:36,320 F3: the horsepower, and that's what makes this bus so incredibly significant. 489 00:26:36,650 --> 00:26:41,119 F3: Isaw met with people like Martin Luther King, leaders like that. 490 00:26:41,150 --> 00:26:44,149 F3: Martin Luther King actually consulted, wanted to know, what are 491 00:26:44,150 --> 00:26:47,420 F3: you doing that's working? You're kind of getting people behind 492 00:26:47,420 --> 00:26:50,990 F3: this movement. And that's because you saw Jenkins was working 493 00:26:50,990 --> 00:26:53,720 F3: with the people and he was working up where Martin 494 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:56,810 F3: Luther King was kind of working from the top down. 495 00:26:56,869 --> 00:26:59,810 F3: It's where these leaders came together. So this little bus 496 00:26:59,810 --> 00:27:04,190 F3: rested in the backyard of the Jenkins home. It survived 497 00:27:04,190 --> 00:27:08,929 F3: many a storm where buildings and homes, including the progressive 498 00:27:08,930 --> 00:27:12,650 F3: club where saw Jenkins had many of his meetings, didn't last. 499 00:27:12,650 --> 00:27:17,240 F3: This little tiny bus lasted until we came along and 500 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:20,179 F3: we took it out so that we could share the story. 501 00:27:20,180 --> 00:27:23,360 F3: This bus was almost up to the axles. It was 502 00:27:23,359 --> 00:27:27,199 F3: sunk into the backyard. We brought in some talent from 503 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:30,650 F3: the NBA Center for American Automotive Heritage, and they helped 504 00:27:30,650 --> 00:27:33,380 F3: us stabilize the bus so that it could actually be 505 00:27:33,380 --> 00:27:36,230 F3: moved because we didn't want the roof caving in naturally 506 00:27:36,230 --> 00:27:38,450 F3: because we had to get it from South Carolina to 507 00:27:38,450 --> 00:27:41,419 F3: our lab in Allentown, Pennsylvania. And once we got it there, 508 00:27:41,420 --> 00:27:43,820 F3: then we called Broward Howard in to take a look 509 00:27:43,820 --> 00:27:46,880 F3: and see what needed to be done, because the family 510 00:27:46,880 --> 00:27:49,609 F3: does not want this to be restored. They want it 511 00:27:49,609 --> 00:27:53,179 F3: to be preserved. Broward did a spectacular job. They brought 512 00:27:53,180 --> 00:27:56,270 F3: out some things underneath the finishes and the paint once 513 00:27:56,270 --> 00:27:58,250 F3: they got the dirt off where you could see just 514 00:27:58,250 --> 00:28:01,760 F3: a little bit of lettering about the community on the side. 515 00:28:01,790 --> 00:28:05,330 F3: This was the only project to date where we have 516 00:28:05,330 --> 00:28:10,820 F3: actually been involved and got other qualified subject matter experts 517 00:28:10,820 --> 00:28:15,380 F3: involved to stabilize, preserve and conserve the automobile. And we're 518 00:28:15,380 --> 00:28:17,840 F3: very glad that we did. It's a spectacular story. 519 00:28:18,260 --> 00:28:22,310 M2: We contacted Broward and Associates, a company that specializes in 520 00:28:22,310 --> 00:28:25,399 M2: the conservation of priceless art and artifacts. Think of the 521 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:27,740 M2: carriage that took Lincoln to Ford's Theater on the night 522 00:28:27,740 --> 00:28:30,889 M2: of his assassination. Brothers Braden and Colin Howard were the 523 00:28:30,890 --> 00:28:33,590 M2: two experts who spent the most time working on the bus. 524 00:28:33,590 --> 00:28:37,909 M8: We were actually doing work down at the National Museum 525 00:28:37,910 --> 00:28:40,940 M8: of the United States Army Museum is still being constructed. 526 00:28:40,940 --> 00:28:43,250 M8: And we were working on a lot of macro sized 527 00:28:43,250 --> 00:28:48,670 M8: military vehicles and Casey, Max. And. From the historic vehicle association, 528 00:28:48,670 --> 00:28:50,650 M8: I believe you sent me a text telling me he 529 00:28:50,650 --> 00:28:52,420 M8: would send an email and he sent a whole bunch 530 00:28:52,420 --> 00:28:55,360 M8: of photos of the bus and saying, please give him 531 00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:57,730 M8: a call when we had a chance. So he's such 532 00:28:57,730 --> 00:29:01,450 M8: an enthusiastic guy, as well as Diane Parker over there. 533 00:29:01,460 --> 00:29:04,120 M8: So we were excited to see what this bus was 534 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:06,340 M8: and get a little bit more information on the history 535 00:29:06,340 --> 00:29:08,440 M8: and what they were looking for from us in terms 536 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:09,640 M8: of work or consulting. 537 00:29:09,730 --> 00:29:12,850 M15: Seeing the vehicle for the first time was more along 538 00:29:12,850 --> 00:29:15,700 M15: the lines of like an archaeological relic that had literally 539 00:29:15,700 --> 00:29:18,520 M15: just been dug out of the ground. Everything was rotten 540 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:21,700 M15: on it and there was no solid metal to be found. 541 00:29:21,730 --> 00:29:25,870 M15: The roof was collapsing. There was biological growth and lichens 542 00:29:25,870 --> 00:29:29,470 M15: all over the vehicle. It truly was a quite scary 543 00:29:29,470 --> 00:29:31,600 M15: thing to look at as far as something we might 544 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:35,860 M15: be working on. Our primary concern was just handling it 545 00:29:35,860 --> 00:29:37,480 M15: and moving it because of the paint. 546 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:40,540 M16: The paint was so oxidized and friable and then there 547 00:29:40,540 --> 00:29:44,080 M16: were areas that were flaking. We weren't sure exactly how 548 00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:47,230 M16: we were going to remove the biological growth without in 549 00:29:47,230 --> 00:29:50,500 M16: some way disturbing the paint. Whether that is kind of 550 00:29:50,500 --> 00:29:54,390 M16: leaving finger marks on the oxidized, really almost or burnished 551 00:29:54,550 --> 00:29:58,090 M16: or areas would flake. So our first problem was to 552 00:29:58,090 --> 00:30:01,600 M16: find a way to remove safely the biological growth without 553 00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:05,620 M16: impacting or changing the way that old paint looked on 554 00:30:05,620 --> 00:30:06,250 M16: the vehicle. 555 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:08,830 M8: And we ended up kind of having to think outside 556 00:30:08,830 --> 00:30:12,250 M8: the box. We kind of developed this misting system, which 557 00:30:12,250 --> 00:30:17,200 M8: is typically used in conservation of historic either sculpture or 558 00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:21,040 M8: building facades. They will put it up even several stories high, 559 00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:24,340 M8: and they put a very gentle misting system on the building. 560 00:30:24,350 --> 00:30:27,880 M8: So that marble in stone where it becomes powdery, they 561 00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:30,520 M8: can't pressure wash it. They can't scrub it because it 562 00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:33,610 M8: will continue to deteriorate masonry. They'll put these very gentle 563 00:30:33,610 --> 00:30:35,920 M8: misting systems on. And that's what we did with the bus. 564 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:38,630 M8: We set up scaffolding. We made a climate control room 565 00:30:38,630 --> 00:30:42,460 M8: where there was air movement and large dehumidifiers. And then 566 00:30:42,460 --> 00:30:46,900 M8: we put articulating misting arms. We created kind of a 567 00:30:47,380 --> 00:30:50,890 M8: system where these mister's could be articulated and projected onto 568 00:30:50,890 --> 00:30:53,680 M8: the bus. And we programmed it to come on for 569 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:55,690 M8: a few minutes, then to go back off. It was 570 00:30:55,690 --> 00:30:58,270 M8: all environmentally safe product that was used to kill the 571 00:30:58,270 --> 00:31:01,360 M8: biological growth. And we also introduced AMS, which would not 572 00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:03,700 M8: cause additional corrosion to the bus. So that was the 573 00:31:03,700 --> 00:31:06,850 M8: first stage which removed the biological growth very slowly. And 574 00:31:06,850 --> 00:31:09,910 M8: then we saw just the rust coming through onto the 575 00:31:09,910 --> 00:31:14,320 M8: page and we used gel kilolitres, which removed the iron 576 00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:17,350 M8: staining but left for the paint untouched. So we didn't 577 00:31:17,350 --> 00:31:20,380 M8: have to physically wash it or scrub it or handle 578 00:31:20,380 --> 00:31:23,229 M8: or touch the paint in any way. Professionally, it was 579 00:31:23,230 --> 00:31:26,110 M8: a challenge. It really had to think outside the box 580 00:31:26,110 --> 00:31:30,340 M8: using approaches that would be typically applied to buildings used 581 00:31:30,340 --> 00:31:34,210 M8: for an automobile. But from a historical perspective, I hadn't 582 00:31:34,210 --> 00:31:37,959 M8: even heard of Isaw Jenkins and Jamie Jenkins. You go 583 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:40,600 M8: to school and you hear of civil rights leaders and 584 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:43,870 M8: figures and you learn about Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, 585 00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:47,290 M8: Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela. But I hadn't heard more localized 586 00:31:47,290 --> 00:31:50,350 M8: stories of people like the Jenkins making an impact on 587 00:31:50,350 --> 00:31:52,600 M8: the community. It was like peeling back the onion, realizing 588 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:55,900 M8: there's so many more things happening in these movements than 589 00:31:55,900 --> 00:31:58,540 M8: just the big names that you hear and read about. 590 00:31:58,570 --> 00:32:01,360 M17: I was really scared to take on the project being 591 00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:04,120 M17: in the circumstances that the bus was in, but then 592 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:06,969 M17: to be able to send it out the doors really 593 00:32:06,970 --> 00:32:11,170 M17: with it looking wonderful and being sick, the bus was 594 00:32:11,170 --> 00:32:13,870 M17: stable now to a point where it could be shown 595 00:32:13,870 --> 00:32:15,400 M17: and the people could enjoy it. 596 00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:18,910 M15: Like Braden said, historically, we've got to learn how other 597 00:32:18,910 --> 00:32:23,110 M15: people they sacrificed, these people sacrificed and worked really hard. 598 00:32:23,110 --> 00:32:25,240 M15: And I think that's something that we're losing now. So 599 00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:26,950 M15: I think that's a good life lesson that can be 600 00:32:26,950 --> 00:32:30,010 M15: taught personally. It was touching to see the family to 601 00:32:30,010 --> 00:32:32,920 M15: be able to work on Thomas Edison's car is cool 602 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:35,979 M15: and to sit on a chair that Abraham Lincoln sat 603 00:32:35,980 --> 00:32:36,820 M15: on is cool. 604 00:32:36,820 --> 00:32:40,180 M17: But we don't ever get to interact with the families 605 00:32:40,180 --> 00:32:43,060 M17: of these objects. That was something that was different. We 606 00:32:43,060 --> 00:32:46,540 M17: got to actually interact with family members and that brought 607 00:32:46,540 --> 00:32:48,750 M17: the object to life in a whole different light. 608 00:32:48,910 --> 00:32:51,850 M2: The vehicles that are inducted into the National Historic Vehicle 609 00:32:51,850 --> 00:32:55,060 M2: Register by each VA each year are displayed at an 610 00:32:55,060 --> 00:32:58,480 M2: event on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., called Cars 611 00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:01,120 M2: at the Capitol. The cars are placed in beautiful glass 612 00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:05,050 M2: display cases with informational signs that explain the importance of 613 00:33:05,050 --> 00:33:08,020 M2: each car. Braiden and Colin actually had the opportunity to 614 00:33:08,020 --> 00:33:10,450 M2: travel to the Capitol to see the end result of 615 00:33:10,450 --> 00:33:11,020 M2: their work. 616 00:33:11,050 --> 00:33:15,040 M8: It was a very surreal experience because you had this 617 00:33:15,040 --> 00:33:18,340 M8: relic of us in this state of the art glass 618 00:33:18,340 --> 00:33:20,740 M8: sort of vitrine on the mall. And if you read 619 00:33:20,740 --> 00:33:23,229 M8: it from the east, you had the US Capitol behind it. 620 00:33:23,230 --> 00:33:25,120 M8: And if you viewed it from the West, you had 621 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:28,150 M8: the Washington Monument. There was just all the modern cars 622 00:33:28,150 --> 00:33:32,260 M8: driving by on the streets and construction and cranes building. 623 00:33:32,290 --> 00:33:35,550 M8: So time was moving on as you have this still 624 00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:39,640 M8: relic sitting in the mall and the people walking through 625 00:33:39,640 --> 00:33:42,580 M8: the mall, you know, everybody's busy. So they're looking at 626 00:33:42,580 --> 00:33:44,230 M8: their iPhones, but all of a sudden they kind of 627 00:33:44,230 --> 00:33:46,420 M8: catch a glimpse and it just stops them in their. 628 00:33:47,180 --> 00:33:50,330 M8: The iPhones went back into their pockets. People wanted to 629 00:33:50,330 --> 00:33:53,720 M8: see what this was. It just caught our attention and 630 00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:56,630 M8: they just stood there and appreciated it for what it was. 631 00:33:56,810 --> 00:34:00,470 M8: And just to see the family's reaction all coming together, 632 00:34:00,470 --> 00:34:03,770 M8: traveling back to the mall to see this thing and 633 00:34:03,770 --> 00:34:07,340 M8: reminisce about playing in the bus as children, wiping tears 634 00:34:07,340 --> 00:34:10,310 M8: and seeing them laugh. It was a really wonderful experience. 635 00:34:10,640 --> 00:34:12,140 M21: So what happens to the car now? 636 00:34:12,500 --> 00:34:15,469 F3: Right now, it's at the Peterson Museum. It will eventually 637 00:34:15,469 --> 00:34:18,020 F3: come back to the family. So the family is very 638 00:34:18,020 --> 00:34:22,140 F3: involved in building an African-American museum in Charleston, South Carolina. 639 00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:25,280 F3: They're also trying to rebuild the progressive club. And so 640 00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:28,940 F3: eventually the Jenkins bus will go back home. Until then, 641 00:34:28,969 --> 00:34:31,670 F3: we have a place for it in our very safe 642 00:34:31,670 --> 00:34:34,969 F3: and temperature controlled lab in Allentown. And it's our pleasure 643 00:34:34,969 --> 00:34:37,759 F3: to help the family in that way. We've become very 644 00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:40,790 F3: close to all the members of the family, which often 645 00:34:40,790 --> 00:34:45,800 F3: happens with us because we spend a tremendous amount of 646 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:49,520 F3: time with the stewards or the families of these vehicles 647 00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:52,940 F3: in order to do the research. And these families, they 648 00:34:52,940 --> 00:34:55,520 F3: share so much of their lives with us. They will 649 00:34:55,520 --> 00:35:00,260 F3: pull out the photographs and old films and they'll sit 650 00:35:00,260 --> 00:35:03,590 F3: down with us and tell us stories. And consequently, we 651 00:35:03,590 --> 00:35:08,390 F3: become extremely close to the people. I have long lasting 652 00:35:08,390 --> 00:35:12,320 F3: family within the community here, and it's a very, very 653 00:35:12,320 --> 00:35:14,810 F3: special part of the job that we do. And that 654 00:35:14,810 --> 00:35:18,170 F3: really speaks to these human interest stories. It's more than 655 00:35:18,170 --> 00:35:18,799 F3: just the car. 656 00:35:18,830 --> 00:35:22,130 M8: The Jenkins were very passionate people. They were very involved 657 00:35:22,130 --> 00:35:25,730 M8: in society. So I think that the story of them 658 00:35:25,730 --> 00:35:29,150 M8: and the bus should encourage people to get involved in 659 00:35:29,150 --> 00:35:31,670 M8: the things that they are passionate about. And they don't 660 00:35:31,670 --> 00:35:33,649 M8: need to be a big player to make an impact 661 00:35:33,650 --> 00:35:36,440 M8: in their community and that everybody has something that they 662 00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:39,720 M8: contribute positively towards impacting other people. 663 00:35:39,770 --> 00:35:42,350 M2: But the Jenkins hope that what we learned from this 664 00:35:42,350 --> 00:35:45,020 M2: car goes even deeper than that, though. 665 00:35:45,500 --> 00:35:47,719 M19: When you look at just what you see, that the 666 00:35:47,719 --> 00:35:55,160 M19: person that owned the most, everybody is going to hurt you. 667 00:35:57,560 --> 00:36:01,670 M19: And when you put the two together, just try to 668 00:36:01,670 --> 00:36:06,150 M19: make sure that everyone can live together, that we actually 669 00:36:06,560 --> 00:36:09,480 M19: live a long life and enjoy where you live. 670 00:36:09,950 --> 00:36:14,210 F12: I heard former Ambassador Andrew Young say when he came 671 00:36:14,210 --> 00:36:16,910 F12: to this area, I don't know how many years ago, 672 00:36:16,910 --> 00:36:19,640 F12: but it was the dedication of one of the health 673 00:36:19,640 --> 00:36:24,680 F12: clinics on Yeonpyeong Island that was being dedicated in memory 674 00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:27,590 F12: of our father. But and that's what he said, was 675 00:36:27,590 --> 00:36:31,939 F12: that the civil rights movement started on this little unknown 676 00:36:31,940 --> 00:36:36,680 F12: island and a little Methodist church by an unknown gentleman 677 00:36:36,680 --> 00:36:38,180 F12: named Esau Jenkins. 678 00:36:38,450 --> 00:36:42,259 F5: What my parents did, they didn't do for recognition. They 679 00:36:42,260 --> 00:36:45,580 F5: saw a need and they tried to meet that need. 680 00:36:45,590 --> 00:36:49,009 F5: And because I think basically we are an African people 681 00:36:49,010 --> 00:36:53,379 F5: and you find your identity in community rather than individual. 682 00:36:53,390 --> 00:36:55,759 F2: And I think that buses that we all have a 683 00:36:55,760 --> 00:37:00,230 F2: role to play, no matter who you are, where you are, 684 00:37:00,230 --> 00:37:03,980 F2: find that niche, find that place where you can make 685 00:37:03,980 --> 00:37:07,310 F2: this world a better place than what you found. That's 686 00:37:07,310 --> 00:37:09,680 F2: what my parents really tried to do. And then that's 687 00:37:09,680 --> 00:37:11,029 F2: what they instilled in us. 688 00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:14,120 F12: I didn't send you to school there so you can 689 00:37:14,120 --> 00:37:17,089 F12: be about yourself. You have to come back. And they 690 00:37:17,090 --> 00:37:19,130 F12: told each one of that. You've got to give back 691 00:37:19,130 --> 00:37:22,250 F12: to the community because the community has given you so much. 692 00:37:22,260 --> 00:37:25,430 F12: You've got to give back to the community. Right. And 693 00:37:25,430 --> 00:37:27,050 F12: we all have a role to play. And it's the 694 00:37:27,060 --> 00:37:30,529 F12: thing that my siblings tell their children and their children, 695 00:37:30,530 --> 00:37:33,920 F12: tell their children, let's discuss how we are, I mean, 696 00:37:33,920 --> 00:37:36,919 F12: and how the community is. You can't leave without trying 697 00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:39,830 F12: to make a contribution to make this world better. 698 00:37:42,500 --> 00:37:45,259 M20: From the origins under the Nazi rise to power, to 699 00:37:45,260 --> 00:37:47,569 M20: the hard decision by the British to keep the VW 700 00:37:47,570 --> 00:37:50,660 M20: more alive, to the rebirth as a symbol of peace 701 00:37:50,660 --> 00:37:53,420 M20: and freedom from the hands of a close knit family 702 00:37:53,420 --> 00:37:56,900 M20: in South Carolina fighting back against racial hatred through a 703 00:37:56,900 --> 00:38:01,400 M20: complicated conservation program to preserve its own history. And finally, 704 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:04,430 M20: to an honored place in the records of America's Library 705 00:38:04,430 --> 00:38:07,280 M20: of Congress, no one could have guessed the importance that 706 00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:09,460 M20: one unassuming car could have. 707 00:38:09,739 --> 00:38:11,660 M21: So what are you doing with your car right now? 708 00:38:12,050 --> 00:38:16,490 M21: Because remember this, you can make a car matter. Come 709 00:38:16,489 --> 00:38:18,350 M21: back next time as we continue to talk about the 710 00:38:18,350 --> 00:38:34,320 M21: passions that drive us and the passions we drive. This 711 00:38:34,320 --> 00:38:36,870 M21: episode of Cars That Matter was hosted by Robert Ross, 712 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:40,230 M21: produced by Chris Porter, written by Chris Porter, edited by 713 00:38:40,230 --> 00:38:43,710 M21: Chris Porter, theme song by Celeste and Eric Dick, additional 714 00:38:43,710 --> 00:38:47,010 M21: music and sound by Chris Porter, please. Like subscribe and 715 00:38:47,010 --> 00:38:49,920 M21: share this podcast. I'm Robert Ross. Thanks for listening. 716 00:38:52,800 --> 00:38:56,370 M1: Kurt, media, media for your mind.