"It was love at first sight"

In 1966, I began my working career and needed a car of my own. I answered an ad in the Montgomery Advertiser that read, “For Sale: 1964 Pontiac Black Beauty.” I called about it and the owner brought it to the house for my Dad and I to look over and drive. It was definitely a Black Beauty and exactly what I wanted. I did not have a clue about the 389 Engine with three deuces, 4-speed transmission, Hurst shifter, or positive traction rear end. I purchased the car with my dad’s help.

In the fall of 1968, I enrolled at Alabama Christian College. It was at ACC that I met my husband, David Fletcher. David was living in the men’s dorm, his home being in New Orleans. One day we had some time between classes and decided to go to Burger King for a soft drink, and I offered to go in my car. I’ll never forget, as we walked across the parking lot to my car when David went straight toward a Volkswagen that was parked near mine. I remember saying “that’s not my car, this one’s mine.” Needless to say, it was love at first sight. We’ve always joked about him marrying me for the “Goat.” The GTO was the vehicle we dated in and later used for our honeymoon trip.

In 1993, I went back to Faulkner University (formerly ACC) to get my Business Degree. While attending college at night, David secretly had the GTO restored and surprised me in May 1994 by driving me to my graduation ceremony as we had done twenty-three years earlier. The first Pontiac GTO was built in 1964 and the last one built was in 1974. Hot Rod magazine dubbed the car as “The Godfather of the Muscle Cars.”