DIRECTOR’S THOUGHTS  AUGUST  2025

Welcome to the “Dog Days of summer.”  The term “Dog Days” traditionally refers to a period of particularly hot and humid weather occurring during the summer months of July and August in the Northern Hemisphere.   In ancient Greece and Rome, the Dog Days were believed to be a time of drought, bad luck, and unrest, when dogs and men alike would be driven mad by the extreme heat! Today, the phrase doesn’t conjure up such bad imagery.   Instead, the Dog Days are associated purely with the time of summer’s peak temperatures and humidity.  

This period of sweltering weather coincides with the year’s heliacal (meaning “at sunrise”) rising of Sirius, the Dog Star.   Sirius is part of the constellation Canis Majoris—the “Greater Dog”—which is where Sirius gets its canine nickname, as well as its official name, Alpha Canis Majoris.   Sirius is the brightest star in the sky, not including our own Sun.   In ancient Greece, Egypt, and Rome, it was believed that Sirius’s dawn rising in mid- to late summer contributed to the extreme weather of the season.   In other words, the “combined heat” of super-bright Sirius and our Sun was thought to be the cause of summer’s sweltering temperatures. The name “Sirius” even stems from the Ancient Greek seírios, meaning “scorching.”   For the ancient Egyptians, Sirius’s dawn rising (known to them as Sothis) also coincided with the Nile River’s flood season. They used the star as a “watchdog” for that event.   Of course, the appearance of Sirius does not actually affect seasonal weather here on Earth, but its appearance during the hottest part of summer ensures that the lore surrounding the star lives on today! 

The exact dates of the Dog Days can vary from source to source, and because they are traditionally tied to the dawn rising of Sirius, they have changed over time.  However, most sources agree that the Dog Days occur in mid- to late summer.   Here at the Old Farmer’s Almanac, we consider the Dog Days to be the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11.   These days occur soon after the summer solstice in late June, which also tends to be the beginning of the worst of summer’s heat.

Dog Days of Summer Folklore  Old-timers believed that rainfall on the Dog Days was a bad omen, as foretold in this verse:
Dog Days bright and clear
Indicate a happy year;
But when accompanied by rain,
For better times, our hopes are vain.

“Dog Days are approaching; you must, therefore, make both hay and haste while the Sun shines, for when old Sirius takes command of the weather, he is such an unsteady, crazy dog, there is no dependence upon him.”
–The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 1817                                           Hope you enjoyed a bit of  history!!    Your Elected Director, Sally Getz

“FREE SPIRIT”  Chapter Meeting Minutes, July 2025

No meeting, summer vacation.

ANNUAL CHAPTER PICNIC, JUNE 2025

17 “Free Spiriter’s” attended this years’ chapter picnic held under the Weeping Willow Pavilion.  The weather started out cloudy with rain drizzle, but ended up with the sun peeking out as everyone was heading home from this event.  While Sandy and  Dan brought the meats provided by the chapter, Thomas and Kathleen Duckett did the grilling.  There was a nice variety of scrumptious foods and desserts!  In fact, I believe there were just as many desserts as there were food selections!!  Soda, pink lemonade and ice water were on hand to quench everyone’s thirst.        

Three games were played where everyone was a winner!!  3 door prizes were handed out:   Linda Cluck received a BUICK poster, Sandy Reiniger received 2 BUICK match books, and Kathleen Duckett received a BUICK tote bag!  The Old Car Show flyers were tri-folded and made ready for mailing.  Thank s to everyone for taking the time out of your busy schedules to attend this annual chapter event!  Overall, it was a great day!!              Sally Getz

Harlow Herbert Curtice (August 15, 1893-November 3, 1962): A ‘Buick Man’

It was during 1953 that Harlow H. Curtice became General Motors president. After taking the helm at the then-struggling Buick Division two decades before, Curtice had legendarily saved the make from its near-fatal Great Depression woes. He lead a regenerated Buick brand to record sales in 1940 and 1941, following up by propelling the division to tremendous feats of military production for Allied forces in World War II.  When Curtice became a GM Executive Vice-President in 1948, his office was moved to the corporation’s Detroit headquarters, but he remained a Buick man at heart. He kept his family residence in Flint, Buick’s hometown, even after becoming president of GM in 1953.  When TIME Magazine named Curtice its “1955 Man of the Year,” its biography of him noted, “He [Curtice] lives in a relatively modest red brick corner house, with a three-car garage. In the garage: his wife’s Buick Roadmaster convertible, daughter Dorothy Anne’s Buick Century convertible, and his personal, flashy Buick Skylark convertible, now being hopped up with a new experimental engine and transmission.” (Curtice’s Buicks were usually personalized and often equipped with advanced features for him to test.)

When we saw Angelo’s photos of SO 2505, we recalled TIME’s mention of Dorothy Anne’s Century convertible. Initially, we thought we could be looking at her car. However, zooming in on the SO Buick’s custom deck-lid emblem revealed it was monogrammed “MLB.” A quick web search informed us that the Curtices’ eldest daughter, Mary Lelia, 24, had married Robert C. Bishop in November 1954, and so by 1955, her initials were, indeed, “MLB.” The question then became, could there have been more than one 1955 Century convertible for the Curtice daughters? We emailed scans of Angelo’s Buick images to Christo Datini, manager of GM Design Archive & Special Collections, asking for help.  Christo responded that he’d found the originals of the prints obtained by Angelo, as well as a few others in the series, in the GM Photographic archives.

In regards to the SO 1955 Century images, Christo wrote, “The photographer’s notes indicate that this series depicts two 1955 Century convertibles for Harlow Curtice’s two daughters. Their SO numbers are 2503 and 2505.”  Christo’s input strongly infers that it was Dorothy Anne, 23 years old and a college student in 1955, who received the SO 2503 Century. (The third Curtice daughter, Catherine Dale, then 17, apparently didn’t receive a custom 1955 Buick convertible.)  Christo attached additional images from the GM Photographic shoot, most of them interior views. He also copied for us the internal 1955 Shop Orders index page listing the cars. The line entries for both 2503 and 2505 are annotated “Mr. Curtice’s Daughter,” confirming the intended recipients.

GM Photographic’s Neil Madler shot the “go-around” of the Curtice daughters’ SO Century convertibles on March 30, 1955. We assume the sister cars were delivered soon after.  The Buicks were also finished in the midst of GM Styling’s move to the new General Motors Technical Center in Warren. 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2025 – DAS AWKSHT FESCHT

This date is when BUICKS are parked all together on the show field.  We ae under the “BIG” tree, excellent for shade, ALL day long!!  For those who want to park BUICKS as they arrive, PLEASE BE THERE BY 7 AM!  This is not my rule but Ontelaunee Region AACA’s rule, or next year we will be placed up on the baseball field area, in the sun ALL day long!!  I will be there by 7 am to set up the chapter Ways-n-Means table.  It is going to be a HOT one, so be sure to bring water/drinks to stay hydrated!!  Hope to see you there!!  Oh, bring your lawn chairs, wear comfortable shoes for lots of walking around in the show, and BUICK stories to share!!

 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

AUGUST  2025                                             DOG DAYS OF SUMMER!

• 1 – 3 – Das Awksht Fescht , Macungie Memorial Park, Macungie, Pa
• 10 – Classic & Cruiser Show Hamilton St., Allentown, Pa

SEPTEMBER 2025                                 HAPPY LABOR HOLIDAY!

• 2 – Monthly Chapter business meeting,  STARLITE DINER & LOUNGE, Allentown, Pa.  Dinner @ 6 pm, meeting @ 7:30 pm.
• 13 – Gasket Goons Hot Rod Bash, Hellertown, Pa
• 28 – 24^th Annual BOP Show, Star Buick GMC, Easton, Pa

OCTOBER 2025                                                    HAPPY FALL!

• 1 – 5 – Fall Carlisle Show, Carlisle Fair grounds, Carlisle, Pa
• 5 – 37^th Annual Lehigh Twp. Show, Becky’s Drive-In, Walnutport, Pa
• 25 – 49^TH ANNUAL OLD CAR SHOW, PHIFER’S ICE DAMS, 880 MAIN ROAD, LEHIGHTON.  A must attend event!

                                                                             CARS & PARTS FOR SALE

SIDEVIEW MIRRORS        (Contact Sally Getz, csgetz@ptd.net, 484-464-3418)

• #1143     1973-77 Chevy Nova/Camaro/Monte Carlo;  1971-72 Caprice/Impala/Bel Air/Biscayne;   1971-79 Buick/Olds;   1971-72 Pontiac/Bonneville/Catalina   #9826594 CBC, 1 = C/J DC 10-DMI-3 (C/J); 2 = C DC = 12-DMI-3, 1=C wo DC n mirror replaced  $30.00 each
• #1144       2 – REMOTE mirrors, #D60245-402-2931245; 1962-67 Buick/Olds/Pontiac;   1965-67 Skylark/GS/WC/LeSabre/Riviera;  1965-68 Pontiac Grand Prix/GTO;  NO PITTS/CRACKS, $120.00 EACH
• #1145      1978-87 Chevy/Pontiac/Olds LH #2009407,DC 10-DMI-1, $25.00
• #1146      1971-79 BOP/Chevy RH/LH, #9826594, DC=10-DMI-9,  $50.00
• #1147      1963-67 Riviera/GS/WC/LeSabre/Electra with trishield crest, #5711730, (date code 11-DMI-4 = BASE PITTED 1 SIDE;    $30.00
• #1149    C/J    1970’s FS Buick REMOTE mirror, #D60371, LH, pitted, $20.00
• #1150    C    1970-76 REMOTE Skylark/GS, #1814,  w/ gasket  $100.00
• #1153    C    1955-56 LH MOPAR (Dodge/Plymouth/DeSoto/Chrysler/Rat Rod), AACO  #1616,  $30.00
• #1154   C    1960-66 MOPAR (Chrysler/Dodge), #2299521 DP  CD  AACY, DC 1-DMI- 4,  $20.00
• #1156     MOPAR, (Chrysler) LH mirror, #4063, $20.00
• #1157    C/J    1967-69 MOPAR (Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler) LH or RH mirror, #2802699,  60271-402-4,  $30.00
• #1158    C/J    1964-66 Ford Mustang mirror, #BE100021,  $20.00
• #1160  C  have 2 of these,  1978-87 Chevy/Pont/Olds LH, #20009407  15-3661 ,  5-DMI-1, $50.00
• #1163    C    1930-40’s Long Arm CLAMP-ON Rat Rod mirror, mirror = 4” diameter, dent and scratches,  $30.00
• #1164  C/J 1964-65 Ford Merc Comet/Galaxie 500 REMOTE,FOMOCO LH $100 #1165    C    1970-72 Olds Cutlass/442 REMOTE, #404550-1413,  $125.00
• #1166    C    1961- 62 Ford T-bird mirror, date code 11-DMI-2,  $20.00                                                        
• #1167  C  1970’s – early 80’s GM LH Bullet style REMOTE, DC 9-DMI-2, $60.00
• #1168     C    1970 NOS Mopar E body LH mirror;  #3454119 DC 7-DMI-9,  Dodge Challenger,  Plymouth Baracuda/Cuda,  $60.00 #1169    C    (have 1 of these)    clamp-on (round) Vintage Arm Peep. Side door view mirror Hot Rod, $20.00