Jack Dunne was a very dapper looking man. When I first started at Hayward Ford he must have been in his 50’s. If you’ve been keeping track of this blog, Jack is the guy who graciously gave me his “cold call” list on my first day selling cars. His nickname was "The Silver Fox". With a full head of wavy white hair, white pencil-thin mustache and black horn-rim glasses, Jack looked like a real gentlemen. He spoke with a deep baritone voice gave off an air of quiet gentility. Jack also enjoyed drinking.
John Hurtado was a bear of a man about 30. He was the perfect guy if you needed a close because he gave customers the feeling they’d be better off not messing with him. In reality John was a great, even-tempered guy. In the time I knew him I don’t believe I ever saw him angry. Well, I did see him angry once, and that is what this story is about.
One summer day John was busy selling a car. It was around noon and he hadn’t had anything to eat so when he spotted Jack Dunne heading out for lunch he asked him if he’d bring him back a hamburger. Jack said sure. All John had on him that day was a $20 bill. Let me tell you $20 was a lot of money back then, I’d guess close to a $100 in today’s money. Jack took the bill assuring John that a burger and change would not be a problem.
Jack got into his Ford LTD demo and headed down Mission Boulevard to a restaurant called The Ranch. The Ranch was one of two Car Man bars located along Hayward’s auto row. It was a pretty classy place all things considered. Good food, great bar. They had a banquet room that we used for the occasional breakfast meeting. (I've got a great story about that I'll tell you some time.) Car Men felt quite at home at The Ranch, and The Ranch welcomed them with open arms.
Jack Dunne took a seat at the bar and ordered lunch. Along with lunch he ordered a drink. It was a relaxing place, and Jack was in no hurry to return to work, so he ordered another drink. And then another. Somewhere along the line Jack remembered the burger John Hurtado had requested, but not wanting to leave, this is what he did:
Jack ordered the burger and called for a taxi. When the taxi arrived, Jack told the driver to take the burger to Hayward Ford. He gave the driver the balance of the $20 (I guess it would have been around $18.50.) and told him,
“Keep the change.”
Ten minutes later the cab pulls up the driveway at the dealership. The driver got out, went into the showroom and asked, “Anyone here named John Hurtado?” When John appeared, the driver handed him the bag and said, “This is for you.”
At first John didn’t quite know what was happening, but when he opened the bag it became very clear. Jack had fulfilled his promise of a hamburger, but it had cost him a twenty. Word spread quickly. Laughter ensued.
Jack Dunne finally came back to work about 3:00 and in a very good mood. He was treated as a minor hero by all those up to having a good joke. John and Jack had words, but by that time the whole episode was rapidly becoming the stuff of Car Man legend, something far more valuable than a $20 bill... I don’t know if John ever got any of his money back, but I don’t believe he asked Jack Dunne to pick up a hamburger ever again.
For well over thirty-five years this story has survived. Repeated often over a drink and passed around as an example of the “good old days” when Car Men relished a good joke—and could enjoy a couple of drinks at lunch and not get fired.
Talk to you later,
David
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