Willard J. Prentice, Charter Member (1908 - 2000)
Charter member of Chesapeake Region, Willard J. Prentice died August 31, 2000 of pneumonia at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. He was 91.
Willard's interest in antique autos began with the purchase of a 1922 Ford roadster in 1949. Through association with Laurence Stillwell of Goodville, PA, he became a member of the AACA. He joined the National Capital Region in 1952 and together with Karl Feather, who was also an NCR member, laid the groundwork for the beginning of the Chesapeake Region in 1955. Willard served as our first Secretary-Treasurer.
For Willard there was no sweeter sound than that of his red 1909 Ford Model T touring car as it "putt-putted" over the roads and highways. He purchased this vehicle in Livermore Falls, Maine, in 1953. The car was shipped to Baltimore by freight train, and it took Willard two years to restore it. He then drove it to his home state of Michigan to visit his parents. At 30 mph It took three days to get there. When the Harbor Tunnel opened in 1957, Willard and his 1909 Ford were second in the procession. When the lead car broke down, he took over and charged out of the tunnel.
Some of the other antique autos that Willard owned included two air-cooled Franklin sedans from the 1920s, a 1928 Packard 6, a 1929 LaSalle Convertible coupe with rumble seat, and a 1928 Pierce-Arrow coupe. Among his favorite cars were a bright red 1940 Packard 110 convertible coupe, a 1960 Nash Metropolitan hardtop coupe and a 1959 Edsel Ranger. His final antique was a 1931 Ford Model A Victoria.
He wrote about the history of automobile making in Maryland and the District of Columbia for Antique Automobile Magazine, recalling the names of such long-forgotten cars and trucks as the Steinmetz, the Paragon roadster, and the Eshelman.
Throughout his life, Willard's interest in antique autos, AACA, and Chesapeake Region never waned. Although the "putt-putt" of his Model T is silenced now, his legacy will live on.