The dedicated members of the Galaxieland chapter, of the FORD GALAXIE CLUB OF AMERICA, believe in their Galaxies. Most have owned one for years, or owned one years ago, and have replaced that memory, with their current passion. These members who cherish their Galaxies, have chosen this page and moment, to tell their story, of the love for their Galaxie, past and present. We at Galaxieland, hope you enjoy these thoughts from our members' history with their Galaxies. Our only wishes are, that you enjoy and respect these thoughts, and that this page will never be finished.

 Member #1....

 "The passion for my Galaxie began as a child. I can remember, growing up in the sixties, my parents always owned FORDS. Dad was a Ford guy all the way back to high school. Being born in the deep south, where stock car racing was born, did not hurt either. Dad was a stock car fan from back in the mid-fifties, watching the NASCAR races from the dunes of Daytona Beach. The Ford teams of Pete DePaulo were his favorite. I managed to arrive in 1959.. you might say, the DAYTONA 500 and I are the same age. I can remember, when I was a little guy.. it was 1963, and I pleaded with my parents to take me to the Daytona 500 that February. It stands out for me.. it began the foundation, for my love, of Galaxies. That was the year, that the new 1963 1/2 500 FASTBACK.. took the first 5 postions at the finish line of the race. That was all Dad ever talked about back then, those Galaxies... and growing up, that kind of stuck with me.. from then on. The front grille of that 1963 FORD, became one of TWO.. of my life long favorites. The 1963 Galaxie was embedded further in my mind, that November weekend, when Kennedy was killed. Those black Dallas Police cars, on that old black and white TV we had, will be with me forever. A couple of years later, I remember Dad, was the terror of TAMPA DRAGWAY. It was located where the long, Rooms To Go warehouse, next to I-4, east of Tampa, sits today. He had a Monte Carlo Red '61 STARLINER, with a white top. The 390, was NOT stock, and when he tweaked all he could get out of that motor, he went down to the Ford dealership... to the parts dept. He had a friend, that was the parts manager, and he talked Dad, into one of those left over 427 crate motors. All it needed was a battery and fuel, and it would run. Dad bought it for $550... and out with the 390.. in with the 427. The E/T time did not change much though. That 1961 Starliner grille sticks with me today.. my second favorite grille. In 1965, we still had that Starliner, and that friend of my dad's from the parts dept., had one too. His was white. One Friday night, we went to the drive in.. the movie playing that night, was "REDLINE 7000", which starred James Caan.. and he was kind of playing the Fred Lorenzen "golden boy" image. Yes, I am talking about the same James Caan on the TV show "Las Vegas".. Big Ed. We parked at the speaker post, side by side.. us.. my family.. in that red Starliner, and Mr. Davis, and his wife, and kids, in their white Starliner. I can remember that like it was yesterday. Dad finally traded that Starliner off... we got a brand spanking new, 1966 GALAXIE 500 4 door hardtop. It was dark metallic blue, with dark blue interior. The drag racing days were gone, but not forgotton. We used to go over the Davis' house for supper. Mr. Davis always was bringing home those dealer promos.. my favorite was a torquoise '64 Fastback...it was probably the color... my all time favorite color. He gave me that one, but it is long gone though. He also had the AMT 1/25th TURNPIKE slot car set, that was released in 1962... I loved that pea green '62 Boxtop. He raced the Gran Prix or the T-Bird. I always wanted a slot car set too. Mom said.. "we did not have the room, for such a big slot car track".., so I got the Aurora THUNDERJET set, in H/O scale. I loved those GALAXIES.. but they were hard to find, so I settled for the '63 Thunderbird Roadster in red. I DO, still have THAT car, and my original set in the original box. Before I knew it, it was 1975.. now.. and I was looking for my first car. The country was in an energy crunch.. and gas shortage. So much for me, getting my first Galaxie. My first choice though, was something better on gas. It turned out, to be a '55 T-Bird I had staked out, for $1200.00, but THAT didn't happen. I wound up, with a 1973 Ford Courier with the Mazda engine, and 5 speed manual. What an ugly gold truck THAT was. A few months later, I bought a 1960 Starliner.. a rusted out boat, with big dreams of fixing it up. My budget and finances back then, over ruled that plan... as well as my parents. I was still living at home, and when I brought that baby home... well.. I am reminded of that, everytime I watch "CHRISTINE".. the scene when Arnie brought that Plymouth home. In 1979.. I was now married.. 19, and broke.. I had a cousin who joined the Navy 2 years earlier when we graduated high school. He was stationed in Newport News, Va. and was headed back home, to Fla. He got here with a 1962 Galaxie 500 4 door sedan. He sold me that car shortly after that, and one of the most breath taking experiences I ever had behind the wheel, was in that car. I was cruising the Intersate at about 65 mph, in the left lane, approaching an overpass. As I started up the hill, right near the top, the right front upper ball joint broke. WOW.. what a scare.. I managed to stop the thing, just short of the guard rail. I fixed the ball joint, and drove that car a long time. It finally became a money pit. Being that young, and just starting a family, it was too tough to own a third car.. especially something to spend money on. I stuck to collecting the Aurora slot cars for years, all the way through the early nineties. Several years went by, and in 1989, my Dad called me one day. He was up in north Georgia, on vacation. He spotted a TORQUOISE '63 1/2 Fastback sitting beside the road on U.S. 441, in Commerce, Ga. He wanted to know if I wanted it. OF COURSE I WANTED IT!!! I worked a payment plan out with him back then. I was now divorced, raising my 2 sons on my own. Money was REAL tight. It took a long time to pay it off, but I did. I drove it up to Orlando, about 1990.. that was the first year of the now famous Saturday night cruise, at OLD TOWN, in Kissimmee, Fla. I took it to speed weeks in Daytona, in February of 1993. That was the 30th anniversary of that famous '63 weekend those 5 Galaxies had won at Daytona. I had written those winning 5 car numbers on my back glass, with shoe polish, and was driving all over town that week... thinking I was all that. Several months later, in an issue of NATIONAL SPEED & SPORTS NEWS, there was a color picture of me in that Galaxie.. a rear of the car shot.. driving down the sandy beach in Daytona. The photographer recognized the point, of the numbers being on the back glass, and snapped that photo. I still have that picture. Shortly after that.. I decided to "RESTORE" that car. NOT.. knowing what I was getting into, that planned 3 month project, turn into 7 years. I spent $22,000.00 on a X code Fastback, and turned it into a cloned, R code. Everything under the hood was date coded properly. When I was finished with it in 2000, there was 2 things that I could not change. The thing was a fake, and the top did not go down. I traded the car, in 2001...

For a 1955 Mercury Sun Valley...

...right after we had our first FGCOA chapter, spring regional meet. We had a couple of more shows, and THEN, the red 1961 Sunliner shows up in the classifieds. I got the car in 2002.. never spent a whole lot on it... and today, I would drive it coast to coast... literally. The color is Monte Carlo Red, a 25 year old repaint, but the interior is original. The car is a X code 352, with 3 speed manual overdrive. In 2000, I finally got what I really wanted. A FGCOA chapter, in our area, We planned our chapter during the year, and in 2001, held our first meet. We ended that meet with 34 members that weekend. Just like any other car club, or any club, there are always the people you cannot please.. nothing is good enough.. you know.. and all though, a few years later, some of them made me feel like JULIUS CEASAR.. I could do nothing right.. and a dagger in the back most of the time, especially when we planned the nationals, through out the year of 2004. BUT... this play was rewritten.. I survived, and those people are long gone.. thanks to the original members, who believed in the national club, and stayed in our local chapter. They are the people you will read about on this web site. We have inquiries everyday about our chapter, and the club. We have more members than we have ever had, and today, we have wonderful friends in other chapters, and that is what makes this national club so great. When we did the nationals in Daytona Beach, in 2004, we were at the speedway, in the infield. I spent 6 months prior, planning a NASCAR Galaxie driver/family reunion, at the nationals, for the people that built, and drove these Galaxies.. "BACK IN THE DAY".. on the racing circuit. We met some wonderful racing people, and are still close friends with some of them. The day that Marvin Panch, stood at our tents, and talked about his 1963 experience.. and how he asked the team and car owners, the famous Wood brothers, to let TINY LUND, replace him that Daytona 500 weekend, will be a memory forever. That moment is priceless, to me, as well as many other Galaxie club members from all over the country, who were there, that day. Of course, Tiny won that race.. back in '63.. he was the FIRST, of those 5 FORDS. As a leader of a national club, I do not expect, that any one else, who does their autobiography about their Galaxie love on this page, will go into as much detail as I have, but felt like it was expected of me.. besides, I wanted to. I want the folks interested in Galaxies, to know who I was, who I am, and who I will be.. and what car I REALLY admire... we all, in this chapter and club, admire. I joined the FORD GALAXIE CLUB OF AMERICA, in 1999, on APRIL 27th.. 4-27.. I wanted to be.. and became, a lifetime member. I have been told though, I became a Galaxie lifetime member... in 1963."  

Wayne Haynes.. FGCOA Lifetime Member #52.. Galaxieland Founder, Director, Lifetime Member #1.. Atlanta Galaxies Chapter Member #21...

Member #7....

  "MY first Galaxie. Well, the date was August 19th, 1965. I had been driving my Father's old '58 Ford Custom, for about 2 years. It had developed a noise in the rear axle housing area. I drove into the parking lot of our local Ford dealership, WASHINGTON MOTOR COMPANY. In just a little while, I drove out of there, with a brand spanking new, 1965 Galaxie 500 2 Door Hardtop. It was equipped with a 352 C.I. 4 barrel, dual exhaust, CRUISE-O-MATIC, white wall tires, and most important, an AM RADIO. I was ALL that. FORTY years plus, later.. 255,000 plus MILES later, I STILL HAVE.. this car. It has been painted 4 times. I replaced the FRAME once, added a two speed wiper set up, padded sunvisors, a remote mirror, and POWER STEERING. I have also rebuilt the transmission, and replaced the 352 engine, with a not so stock 390. It is equipped with a medium riser, '63 Galaxie 4 barrel aluminum intake, 428 C.I heavy duty valve springs, a GT camshaft, with a double roller timing chain, and a high volume oil pump. Although this car was my Galaxie start, so long ago, I have since owned a 1966 Galaxie 7 LITRE, a 1965 500 4 door hardtop, with a 352/3 speed manual column shift, a '66 LTD 4 door hardtop, a '67 500 2 door hardtop, a '66 500 2 door hardtop, that was a radio delete car, a '63 500 2 door boxtop, with a 352/4 speed manual, and a '66 2 door hardtop, with a 289/AT. TODAY, I own the 1965 Galaxie I bought new, and a '63 1/2 500 XL sportroof fastback, with a 390/AT/PS, that I have owned 26 years. I have also, a 1966 LTD 4 door hardtop, fully loaded and with Factory AC, I have owned 20 years, a '66 LTD 390/AT, 2 door hardtop loaded, with 46,000 miles, and a '66 Galaxie 500 XL 352/AT car, with 48,000 miles. I feel I am a qualified Galaxie fan. Being retired, I am presently into keeping my Galaxies cleaned and maintained, and I buy, restore, and sell, Galaxie parts."

Bruce Miller... FGCOA Member #535.. Galaxieland Permanent Member #7.. for 7 LITRE.. and Atlanta Galaxies Chapter Member..

MEMBER #12....

 " MY 1965 Galaxie 500 Convertible, was actually, my DAD'S toy. He loved the car, and when he passed away, in 1984, the car sat in the garage, until my Mother's passing, in 1995. I had not driven the car, since Dad's death, and I was surprised, at how much the car had deteriorated, during those 11 years it was garaged. ANYWAY, a long story short, my daughter, nephew, and nieces, told me, that they would like to see "..their Pap Paw's car..", restored, and they thought I, would be the person to do it. 

 As most of you know, what appears to be a "simple restoration", is NEVER simple, or inexpensive. After three years, and quadruple, what I THOUGHT I would spend, she was finished. The car was originally white, with red interior, and a white top. Dad painted car red, and replaced the white top, with a black one. When I restored the "ol' Gal", I kept the red interior, but changed the bench seats to buckets, painted the car silver, and gave her a navy blue top. I am a SHRINER, and use the car for parades, an occasional car show, and cruising. She has a 390 4 barrel, and is a JOY to drive.

 The car will NEVER leave the family, and will one day, go to the kids. When the car was finished, I put together a scrap book, with restoration pictures, and asked the kids, to write about THEIR memories of the Pap Paw's Ford, for the book. After all, THEY were the reason I originally decided to restore the car. I was surprised, how similar their memories were, of riding in Pap Paw's convertible. I am attaching the letter I received from my nephew.

 "I have two recollections, that stick in my mind, concerning the red convertible we grew up riding in. Now that I think about it, that old car, was one of the few constants, through out our upbringing. It did, however, change color once, from white, to red. It became Pap Paw's "baby", and took on a special meaning that it lacked before. I think in part, because, before it was just a car. A 1965 Galaxie 500. Later, it transformed, into a showpiece to be proud of, maybe to drive through the little town's parade, or to pull up into a neighbor, or friend's driveway, and show off. Pap Paw had a constant smile, when he was driving it, driving with his elbow on the door, where the window was down. It truely was, HIS baby.

 For me, and I think of Shannon, when we were very young, it had another meaning, as well. It was a source of escape. Escape from the stress that adults never think of, or remember, kids have. Sure, there were arguments, or references to family problems, and such, while in the car, these were minimal. The usual destinations might be 3D DISCOUNT, or KLUSMEYER'S RESTAURANT, for a "#1 sandwich". AND, most SURELY, when we were done, to the DAIRY QUEEN, for a "dilly bar", or ice cream, dipped in red color. You remember the red color. It was later, discontinued, because the red dye, was found to have carcinogens. BUT.. enough of that. Back to the red car. It was our family entertainment.. just as gathering around the radio, for a continuing program, must have been, in the generations before us. It was the means to an end. As a child, I probably couldn't have put in words, what this meant, although, I knew EXACTLY, how I felt. As an adult, I know it, as quality time with my family.

 Now, you might understand, what the convertible meant to us. When Jessie came along, later, she fit perfectly, between Shannon and I, in the back seat, so as not to fall out. I think that, was MOM'S request. The two times I remember most... well, we'll do this in countdown style, by favorites.

 Number ONE.. is something, we kids, ALL shared in common. An initiation, of sorts, although, we never wished it, on ANYONE. I am speaking of, the big chrome speaker, in the back seat. It was solid, always cold, and very hard. The speaker was positioned just right, so that when a child jumped back in his seat (as he always does, when he is excited, about riding in a convertible), he slammed his head into it, causing IMMEDIATE pain. Never mind, if you were a boy, concerned about looking tough, or even a kid, that never cried, THIS speaker, claimed them ALL! It got Mike, our step-brother, and Brian, our cousin, from Oklahoma, and anyone else we forgot to warn, when jumping in the back seat, and sliding across the vinyl, unaware, of it's keen location. The funny thing is, that particular model, didn't have a TRUE speaker, behind the chrome grille. All those busted heads, and constant considerations, of it being there, and the damned thing did NOT, even work! Another funny thing is, that none of us HATED it.. it was, after all, one of the coolest parts, of our convertible.

 Number TWO.... Homecoming weekend. Jasonville, Indiana. Here comes Pap Paw's car, in the parade. One of the parade highlights for us, each year. After all, that was OUR great, red car, and OUR Pap Paw. Nevermind, the fancy politician, or homecoming queen, sitting on the top of the back seat, waving to the crowd. That year, however, a particular politician stole the show. Pap Paw had cleaned up the car, REAL nice, that year. He used something new, on the market... ARMOR ALL. Nice stuff.. it made all the vinyl, look so shiney, and SO slick... so VERY slick. At some point in the parade, Pap Paw pressed on the brake pedal, possibly, a little abruptly. Anyway, the politician, with a nice head full of black hair, kept going, He fell into the floorboard, and disappeared, for a moment. He then, rose up with that great politician's grin, and tried to gain his composure. All was well, except that, his full head of hair, wasn't exactly, straight any longer. As he nervously adjusted his hairpiece, someone much older than me, was explaining, what a toupe, meant. I, of course, was only wondering, if he had hit his head on the chrome speaker grille.. that until now, had never claimed a big person, as a victim.

 THESE.. are my memories of Pap Paw's baby.

Kent Dennis... FGCOA Member #1208... GALAXIELAND Permanent Member # 12...