You probably don't recognize him, but I spent many Sundays with this guy as a kid, and he taught me just about everything I know about identifying old cars. I learned about the obscure manufacturers like King Midget, Playboy and Davis, and how to spo... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
while you never looked him up, if he had family it still might mean something to them to let him know how he influenced you through the years. just a thought.
I never knew...same here, lots of hours spent browsing the Spotter's Guides...now I do it with my son... Loved the way each model was represented... RIP
It's funny what we used to have to go through as kids to find cool pics of old cars, long before the internet made it an instant gratification thing. I used to get excited when the new "AutoTraders" would come out, hoping that it would have a neat looking car in it. Or a trip to the library, where I would spend my time looking thumbing through old auto or WWII aircraft books. Good times.
I bought one of his paperback books when I was in school also. I believe it was the Auto Album. The last car in it was a 1965 Studebaker Avanti.
I clipped out many of the Auto Album out of the Sunday Paper when I was a kid. It seemed like it was in there for YEARS until one day there was a car in there that really interested me. After that, I just started clipping them out every Sunday for a long time. I'll have to look in my file cabinet downstair to see if I still have them.......
I have the first 2 books shown, I bought one for cheap and sold it for $40.00 on ebay. then I had to go and find it again for my collection, now I have both.
I've still got the 1940-1965 book I've had since I was about 12. It's in tatters, but I won't let it go. I've got several of Burgess' columns stuck in it too.
Have 2 of his books and throughly enjoyed them more than a few times. Time to get em out for the grandsons! Thanks for the post.
I've always thought those books, AND the Standard Catalog books would make for some great apps. ~Jason
My early Burness is in half, the '40 - '65 quite dogeared. Both Standard Catalogs are quite worn. Never a bad read in all four. Cosmo
Motor's Manuals were my source of auto i.d. as a kid in the 50s-60s. It seems that was the only book in the house .... Obviously I missed out on a great resouce with Tad's books. <TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>Birth: </TD><TD vAlign=top align=left>Jul. 11, 1933 Berkeley Alameda County California, USA</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top>Death: </TD><TD vAlign=top align=left>Nov. 21, 2012 Pacific Grove Monterey County California, USA</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=2> Tad Burness, creator of "Auto Album" which ran weekly in the Herald, died of pulmonary heart failure at 79 early Monday morning on November 21, 2012 at his home in Pacific Grove. Born Wallace B. Burness to Wallea Tomey and Thomas Burness , he had a sister and two brothers. Tad graduated from Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California in 1951. Sandy Burness met Tad in May of 1967 through computer dating. She said "I was at junior college in Sacramento and filled out a form and paid three bucks. Tad responded." They eloped and married in Reno, Nevada in July. Tad and Sandy Burness moved to Pacific Grove, California in 1979. "He was the greatest person and he loved his Lord," Sandy Burness said. Mr. Burness is survived by his wife; his daughter, Tammy, and two grandchildren. A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. Sunday, November 25, 2012 at Peninsula Baptist Church in Pacific Grove. Tad Burness was known worldwide for his distinctively-drawn "Auto Album" cartoon panels and books, including "Auto Album," which was first published on June 12, 1966, since published in four book collections. Tad published more than twenty-five books on subjects ranging from vintage cars to homes built in the Nineteenth Century. His first books included the 1968 volume "Cars of the Early '20s", and "Cars of the Early '30s" the following year. For his hometown newspaper the Monterey Herald, Tad wrote the feature "Pict-Tours" during the late '80s and early '90s, which showcased vintage houses on the Monterey Peninsula with a brief history of the houses themselves and a description of their construction types. Tad Burness was an accomplished pianist; a member of the Peninsula Baptist Church in Pacific Grove, he was its church pianist for fifteen years. He'd volunteer at the Pacific Grove Convalescent facility to play the piano for residents for more than 25 years. Mr. Tad Burness was survived by his wife, Sandy; his daughter, Tammy, and two grandchildren. A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. Sunday, November 25, 2012 at the Peninsula Baptist Church in Pacific Grove. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= This memorial is sponsored by the Crosley Car Owners Club. </TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=2>Burial: Fort Ord Military Cemetery Monterey Monterey County California, USA</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2 align=left> Created by: Louis Rugani Record added: Dec 16, 2012 Find A Grave Memorial# 102225811</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
We kept them at our dealership to get guys up to speed on makes/models/options of older cars.I never knew they'd be collectible.
I think you should drop his widow a note too, I think she may appreciate it. Was very easy to look up the address
Wow, Seems we never know what we missed until reflection. Too many influences like Mr Burness are leaving us at too rapid rate lately. Godspeed.
Same here; I still have about 3-4 years of "clippings". In fact, I saw an Avanti yesterday & I remembered it from Tad's book. I also liked the "backgrounds" that he used in the illustrations.
Great idea, a new project for Atomic Industries perhaps. An instant take anywhere reference on your iPhone could solve a few bar bets!
I've got the '40-'65 and the '66-'80 books, both very well-thumbed. I'm always on the lookout for the '20-'39, '20-'70 truck, and '20-'85 truck and bus books. RIP Mr. Burness: rest eternal grant unto him ...
I can see him setting the angels straight on cars."No...that's a '49, see how the chrome wraps around the tail-light differently here." I just recently re-found my "Auto Album" and some clippings as well. r.i.p.
Man... I have this on my bookshelf right now. I've had them since I was a little kid And I'm 41 now. I used this books almost every damn day to look and dream. Someone made a point about how this was the way we had to find pics of cool cars when we were kids. They were so right! My extensive car book collection started at a young age just because of that. What I couldn't own I would borrow over and over again from the library. Now, I have this large collection of car books, some still very useful and others are just coffee table books, but now I use the Internet more than anything to find the information I need (want) about specific cars. I someone were to ask the 12 year old me if I would one day be looking up cool car stuff from a tiny little phone in my hand I would have called them a crackhead and continue to bury my head in a car book. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
The Jalopy Journal
