The history of
our 1951 Deluxe 200 Packard began in September of that year when it was sold to G.J. Stover, Route 3,
Mount Vernon
,
Washington
. The sale of this particular vehicle was made one year before my uncle and
his friend purchased the Packard agency in Mount Vernon. The next ownership was by Ronald E. Holttum, also on Route 3,
Box
158
, Mount
Vernon, on January 1, 1967. At this juncture, I have records of John Jensen
(deceased member of our Packard Club) starting the restoration of “Old
Blue” in 1994. He may have owned the car earlier but I can not tell from the
records that I have. After John had nearly completed the restoration he
donated the car to the
Senior's
Center
in Stanwood, Washington. Well, Marcia C. Hayes
won “Old
Blue” in the Senior's Center drawing.
Later, I found “Old Blue” on the block in Snohomish looking rather rejected,
certainly dusty and not running in January 1999. We agreed to a nominal price and I
had her hauled (the car) to
Everett. With a bit of detailing and the help of Gary Russell and Mike Carr doing the
mechanical “stuff”, she performs nearly
as new. There is a great deal more involved in the ownership of a Packard, we
find, than simply ...... starts, goes and stops. Besides riding in an
automobile that is safe, dependable and still a bit smart looking, Carol and I
also thoroughly enjoy the many friends that call Packard ownership their
hobby.
Jim Henry
