1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:08,800 Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:12,640 Speaker 1: show that proves there's more than one way to make history. 4 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:17,640 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Bluesier, and today we're talking about a car 5 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:21,080 Speaker 1: enthusiast who refused to let a little thing like death 6 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:31,960 Speaker 1: slow him down. The day was May twenty fifth, nineteen 7 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 1: ninety four. The ashes of Pennsylvania native George Swanson were 8 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:41,520 Speaker 1: buried in the driver's seat of his beloved sports car. 9 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 1: Swanson had died from congestive heart failure on March twenty 10 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: ninth of that year at the age of seventy one. 11 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: He had mentioned many times that he wanted to be 12 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: laid to rest in his prized possession, a pearl white 13 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty four Corvette. Fulfilling that final wish proved harder 14 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: than expected for his widow, Caroline, but she eventually pulled 15 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:09,760 Speaker 1: it off. And while George Swanson wasn't the first or 16 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:13,400 Speaker 1: the last person to be entombed in their favorite ride, 17 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:17,320 Speaker 1: his story is an offbeat reminder to make the most 18 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 1: of your life and your death. George Earl Swanson was 19 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: born in Manor, Pennsylvania, on October sixteenth nineteen twenty two. 20 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: He served in the US Army during World War II, 21 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 1: eventually rising to the rank of sergeant. After the war, 22 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 1: he returned to his home state, started a family, and 23 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:43,559 Speaker 1: later became a local beer distributor. Not long after his retirement, 24 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: George decided to treat himself by buying the car of 25 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 1: his dreams, a brand new nineteen eighty four Chevy Corvette. 26 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 1: According to his widow Caroline quote, it was the speed 27 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: that he loved. He liked to go fast. He always 28 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 1: said he would be barei in the Corvette from the 29 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: moment he got it, and he was absolutely serious. The 30 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 1: surest sign of his sincerity came roughly nine hours before 31 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 1: his passing. That's when George Swanson turned to his wife 32 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: and spoke his final words, don't forget to bury me 33 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:21,919 Speaker 1: in my Corvette. It was a tall order to leave behind, 34 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,600 Speaker 1: but George had taken an initial step toward making it happen. 35 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 1: Ahead of his demise, he bought a dozen adjoining burial 36 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: plots at Brush Creek Cemetery in Erwin, Pennsylvania. He figured 37 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 1: that would be more than enough space to accommodate his car, 38 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 1: but he didn't actually tell the cemetery's staff what he 39 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:46,960 Speaker 1: was planning. That task ultimately fell to Caroline Swanson, and 40 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,640 Speaker 1: as you might imagine, the conversation didn't go so well. 41 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: The cemetery balked at the idea of burying someone inside 42 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:57,920 Speaker 1: a car, though the Swanson's lawyer was quick to point 43 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: out that it was basically just a fancy coffin. We 44 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 1: agree that this is rather elaborate, he later told the press, 45 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:07,920 Speaker 1: but really it's no different than being buried in a 46 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: diamond studded or gold coffin. But the cemetery's staff disagreed. 47 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 1: They worried that other clients might be offended by having 48 00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 1: a car buried next to their loved ones, not to 49 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:24,240 Speaker 1: mention the added risk of vandalism and environmental harm. The 50 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 1: dispute dragged on for several weeks, delaying the burial of 51 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 1: George's cremated remains. Finally, an agreement was reached in mid May. 52 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: The cemetery would allow George to be buried in his 53 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 1: prized corvette under two conditions. First, the car had to 54 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: be drained of all its fluids, and second, the burial 55 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 1: had to be private, with absolutely no press allowed. Caroline 56 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 1: agreed to the terms and chose May twenty fifth to 57 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:57,640 Speaker 1: be the day of George's final ride. On the morning 58 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 1: of the funeral, Caroline drove her own white nineteen ninety 59 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: three Corvette. In the procession, the urn containing George's ashes 60 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 1: was in the passenger seat right next to her. His 61 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: corvette was already waiting for them at Brush Creek Cemetery, 62 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:17,800 Speaker 1: prepped and ready for burial. About fifty family members and 63 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 1: close friends came out to pay their respects that day. 64 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:24,800 Speaker 1: Each one was greeted in a way by George's vanity 65 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:28,839 Speaker 1: license plate, which read Hi Pal, a greeting he was 66 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: fond of using any time he forgot someone's name. After 67 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:37,160 Speaker 1: a brief service, Caroline placed George's ashes in the driver's 68 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:40,359 Speaker 1: seat of his Corvette, and everyone watched as a crane 69 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:43,839 Speaker 1: slowly lowered the car into a sixteen foot deep hole 70 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:48,479 Speaker 1: which spanned three grave plots. It turned out George had 71 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: gone a tad overboard in buying twelve plots, but better 72 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: safe than sorry. One detail other car fans will be 73 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,440 Speaker 1: sad to note is that George's Corvette still had a 74 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:03,080 Speaker 1: lot of life left in it. Although the car was 75 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 1: ten years old, it had been well cared for and 76 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:09,839 Speaker 1: had only twenty seven thousand miles on the odometer. But 77 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:14,800 Speaker 1: as Caroline Swanson later said at the reception, quote George 78 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:17,640 Speaker 1: always said he lived a fabulous life and he went 79 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: out in a fabulous style. You have a lot of 80 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:22,800 Speaker 1: people saying they want to take it with them. He 81 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 1: took it with him, and the Corvette wasn't the only 82 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: thing George took with him. A large bouquet of red 83 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,760 Speaker 1: roses was placed on the car's hood, and inside the 84 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:37,160 Speaker 1: vehicle were laid two driving caps, as well as a 85 00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:40,320 Speaker 1: lap quilt stitched by women at his church and a 86 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:44,320 Speaker 1: love note from Caroline. As a final touch, and per 87 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:48,359 Speaker 1: George's request, his favorite song was queued up and ready 88 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 1: to play on the car's cassette deck. It was a 89 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:54,800 Speaker 1: bit of a strange pick when you listen to the lyrics, 90 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,600 Speaker 1: but hopefully Caroline didn't read too much into it. You 91 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:01,760 Speaker 1: can draw your own conclusion, though, because here's a sample 92 00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:06,480 Speaker 1: of George's favorite song, Release Me by Inglebert Humperdink. 93 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:21,160 Speaker 2: I have found a new and I. 94 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:25,920 Speaker 1: Aways want. 95 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 2: Song. Why youz out? Release me, my darling, Let me go. 96 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:56,040 Speaker 1: George Swanson's grave was marked by a large granite headstone 97 00:06:56,279 --> 00:07:00,080 Speaker 1: with his name placed just below an engraved illustration of 98 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:05,440 Speaker 1: his car. George was buried alongside his first wife, Geraldine, 99 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:08,159 Speaker 1: but a space for Caroline's name was left in the 100 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:11,200 Speaker 1: middle of the headstone for when the time came. The 101 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:15,120 Speaker 1: widow Swanson discussed these plans with the press shortly after 102 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: George was buried. I was planning to be buried alongside him, 103 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 1: she said. We were going to have a pipe put 104 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:24,880 Speaker 1: in so that my ashes could go into the seat 105 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:28,040 Speaker 1: beside him. But there's been such a hassle over this 106 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 1: that we decided not to do it. I have just 107 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:33,440 Speaker 1: told my children to stick the box beside the car, 108 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:38,280 Speaker 1: and I'll somehow sneak my way in. Caroline Swanson died 109 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 1: at her home in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, on March nineteenth, 110 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:46,760 Speaker 1: twenty twenty. No word on whether she managed to sneak 111 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 1: her way in as planned, but if she did, I 112 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 1: hope George lets her take the wheel at least once 113 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:59,560 Speaker 1: in a while. I'm Gabe Lucier, and hopefully you now 114 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:03,360 Speaker 1: know a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 115 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 1: If you have a second and you're so inclined, consider 116 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,080 Speaker 1: keeping up with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You 117 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 1: can find us at TDI HC Show. You can also 118 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:17,600 Speaker 1: rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, or you 119 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: can drop me a line anytime by writing to This 120 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:24,640 Speaker 1: Day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays and 121 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:27,679 Speaker 1: Ben Hackett for producing the show, and thank you for listening. 122 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:31,080 Speaker 1: I'll see you back here again tomorrow for another day 123 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 1: in history class.