8A | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2019 | SIUSLAW NEWS
Traci Kelley restored this vin-
tage Jeep with the help of her
grandfather. Now, she drives
and maintains the Jeep to
honor his legacy.
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JEEP from page 1A
The Jeep by that time had made
an enviable transition from the bat-
tlefield to the suburbs, morphing
into one of the most popular SUV’s
on the market. Many vintage Jeeps
are still road worthy and clubs dedi-
cated to the Jeep can be found across
the nation.
The version of the Jeep that mil-
lions of American families have
driven for decades was originally
produced by American Motors but
is now produced by the Fiat Chrys-
ler Automotive Corporation.
The Jeep Junction was well at-
tended, including by Traci Kelley,
who had an unusual and inspiring
family story to share about her Jeep.
She inherited it from her grandfather
and remembers working on the dere-
lict vehicle as a youngster.
“Grandpa and his sons found the
Jeep many years ago in a ravine when
they were out hunting in Central
Oregon. He said if the Jeep was still
there when they came back to hunt
next year, they would drag it home.
It was there!” Kelley said. “It became
the summer projects of my childhood
with Grandpa. When I was 7, he had
me welding on the Jeep and you can
tell. When I was 9, I rewired the Jeep.”
Kelley and her boyfriend, Jason Kel-
lam, began working on restoring the
Jeep a while back as a way to connect
and to honor her grandfather.
“Grandpa knew I would be the best
fit for the Jeep,” Kelley said. “I have
dedicated my life to this Jeep for now
and always, I work on it and tune it up
before I drive it around the town on a
nice slow day.”
She and Kellam worked on the ve-
hicle for a number of years, and now
the restored Jeep is being used to en-
tertain and educate young people and
those who may have little knowledge
of WWII.
“Year after year with Jason’s help and
my tinkering, the Jeep is how you see it
today. I make every event that I can, so
I can show Grandpa off to the world,”
Kelley said. “He always hid it under
a tarp because people would stop by
Monday-Thursday
10am - 2 pm
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541 999-0879
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Attendees were able to interact with Jeep owners and learn about the
vehicles during the Jeep Junction last Saturday.
asking to sell it, so he never had it out.
Jason and I both decided to honor him
and all of our military family by tak-
ing the Jeep out, letting kids climb in
it, put the helmets on and enjoy the
history and the family history as well.”
People can often see Kelley and her
Jeep at the annual Rhododendron Pa-
rade.
The popularity of the Jeep has
ebbed and flowed over the years. Af-
ter WWII, Korea and Vietnamese
deployments, ex-service men would
purchase surplus or auctioned Jeeps
and refurbish them for personal use.
Hundreds of thousands of the durable
vehicles where purchased and have
been handed down from generation to
generation.
The trend led to clubs and groups
across the country forming to meet
and show the Jeep’s they had refurbed.
This led to a nationwide slate of Jeep
shows that increased the public’s inter-
est in the old school SUV.
There has also been a revitalization
of the new larger, family entries in the
Jeep line as the company sold 973,227
units last year. The renewed interest
shown by the buying public assures
the now robust Jeep brand will contin-
ue into the future.
Kelley also wanted to invite inter-
ested community members to stop in
next month at the Florence Munici-
pal Airport for one of Florence’s most
popular summer traditions, the 10th
Annual Wings and Wheels Car Show
and Fly-In.
“Join us at Wings and Wheels for
Jeep rides!” Kelley said. “Come check
out the baby book for the Jeep and see
all the hard work that was put in to this
living history.”
The gates will open at 10 a.m. on Sat-
urday, July 6, for Wings and Wheels at
the Florence Municipal Airport. Next
door, Oregon Coast Military Museum
will be celebrating its fourth birthday.
Both events are open to the public.
1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200
In 2019 we will be celebrating the 80th anniversary
of our business in Florence. It is time to express the
appreciation and gratitude we feel, and have always felt, for
the friendship, trust and loyalty of those who live in this
community. It is your confi dence in us and your continued
patronage that has made these 80 years such a pleasurable
experience. Th ank you.
Johnston Motor Company
Since 1939
2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence
(541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475