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George Barris
George Barris, a designer, a creator, and a man of
tremendous automotive artistry has produced some of hot rod's most recognizable examples of automotive
creations.
Barris started a revolution in custom
car building, and pioneered his talents toward the
wonderful world of Hollywood. One of Barris's most
significant creations is the legendary "Batmobile" from
television's original "Batman" series. Other
identifiable vehicles with the Barris flair include the "Monkeemobile" from television's "The Monkees,"
the "Munster coach" from the 60's program "The
Munsters," Madonna's "Auburn Speedster" from the film
"Dick Tracy," and the Corvette used in
television's own "Route 66" show.
Thousands of unique customs have come
out of the Barris Kustom shop. Vehicles such as the
"ALA KART" allowed Barris to express himself
while garnering tremendous recognition throughout the
automotive world.
Barris has been recognized over the
years for his automotive contributions with awards such
at the Grand National Roadster Show's "America's
Most Beautiful Roadster" Award and the prestigious
Helms Hall of Fame Award.
Barris' works will live on forever, not
only in the movies, but also in his remarkable collection
of movie and television memorabilia as well as licensed
models and toys.
The Corvette
The Corvette, which debuted in 1953, was created an an
economical sports car for young adults. The vehicle's
fiberglass body was not only novel, but extremely
practical as it lowered the cost of production and
hurried its debut. There have been four Corvette body
styles to date, with the fifth generation being
introduced with the 1997 model.
The Corvette, termed "America's
true sports car," was used as the star vehicle on
television's hit program, Route 66. Ever since, the
Corvette's legendary design and history has transcended
time to make cruising as fun and exciting now as it was
in the '50s and '60s.
Zora Arkus-Duntov became the first
chief engineer for the Corvette in 1953. For his endless
dedication and his immense contributions to the vehicle,
Duntov has been called the "Father of the Corvette." Even since his retirement in 1975, Duntov's legendary
devotion was demonstrated with appearances at hundreds of
Corvette events and shows, including the introduction of
the millionth Corvette at the Bowling Green assembly
plant and the ground-breaking ceremonies for the National
Corvette Museum. Duntov passed away in 1996,
but we would like to honor the celebrated Corvette hero
today, as we all know that he is with us in spirit.
National Hot Rod Association (NHRA)
Drag racing's popularity began on the back roads and dry
lake beds of Southern California more than 40 years ago. And it was the guidance and vision of Wally Parks that
has nurtured NHRA drag racing to become one of the world's
most popular and successful forms of motor sports.
Since its inception in 1951, the
National Hot Rod Association has grown into the world's
largest motor sports sanctioning body. Now in its sixth
decade, the NHRA's legacy of tradition and excellence
continues to grow and prosper.
NHRA's initial purpose, the commitment
to educate the general public about the sport, establish
the rules that govern competition, and adopt and maintain
the strictest safety standards in motor sports, continue
to be a driving force behind the NHRA to this day.
Today, the NHRA boasts a membership
roster of 85,000, 137 member tracks, more than 26,000
licensed competitors, and more than 3,800 member-track
events;
To demonstrate the popularity of NHRA
Drag Racing, here are some statistics:
In 1995, attendance at the 19 NHRA
Winston Drag Racing Series events exceeded the one-million
mark for the fifteenth consecutive year.
Every NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series
national event was broadcast on ESPN 2 which garnered more than 200
million viewers.
McDonald's Corporation
The first McDonald's restaurant
location was opened by Dick and Maurice McDonald's at the
corner of 14th and "E" streets right here in
our city of San Bernardino. As a matter of fact, that
location was part of the old U.S. Route 66A highway.
Since that grand opening, and the
reopening of the location as an original franchised
restaurant in1948, McDonald's has taken the world by
storm. Back then, the reduced menu featured 15-cent
hamburgers and "Speedy" was the company emblem.
In 1954, Ray Kroc became the national
franchise agent, and he opened his first franchise in
1955 in Des Plaines, IL. Ronald McDonald has become the
familiar face for the company which currently encompasses
more than 500 McDonald's restaurants in Southern California and approximately 20,000 worldwide.
McDonald's is not only known for its
global contributions to pop culture, but the organization
has had a tremendous impact on our society as well. Just
last week, we witnessed the grand opening of the Ronald
McDonald House in nearby Loma Linda.
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