So much is thought by many but are very much misconstrued and unknown. The meeting of my ancestral roots and the fact that I was unfortunately born in the north here came in 1982. But, even before that throughout my childhood, my Dad had 5 brothers and two step brothers. Out of that 3 of those were of Southern roots and birth. As such, many summers as a youth I spent in the deep south and grew to love and treasure the southern mindset. Other lines from my Dad’s kin were of one that few really talk about and perhaps has something to do with my hobby of media and of film making. One hit TV show starred one of those cousins, from Uncle Bob, who is the father of Samantha Stevens aka Bewitched. Elizabeth Montgomery is that cousin. Who not only visited us on holidays like Christmas etc in Utah, but also here in Idaho, although without much fanfare. However my not so accidental collision with Hazzard County, did not come until the latter part of 1977. When two guys , one named Gy Waldron and the other Paul R. Picard came to Hagerman to do some hunting. Mom threw a big stew on, after the meal Dad, and these other two got to talking on our front deck overlooking the Hagerman valley about a TV series based upon a pilot movie they had made called the MoonRunners. The following morning after breakfast Gy Waldron went into our farm shop, saw the hot rod I was building that I had named the General Jackson, out of a 1969 Chevy Caprice, painted with John Deere Construction Yellow. Ya’ll saw that as the General Lee, a 69 Dodge Charger, and reddish Orange. But the idea came from me. No not taking a bow but that is real. The original parts of that TV show were filmed in the small town of Conyers Georgia. On part of My Uncle Tom’s farm there. In fact the original Duke farm house was my Uncle Tom’s house. Thing is until mid year 1981 I did not really give much attention to the show, since I was in school as well as on the farm. That’s getting ahead of myself here though. In 1979 I was to go on a scouting mission for our newly formed hot rod shop in Hagerman to the Utah AutoRama. To see what the top craftsman were building. However it began to snow like it had never snowed before. I believe now looking back this was an act of Kahless(God). Since the snow storm mandated me to stay overnight in Burley at the then Burley Ramada, now just the Burley Inn. There at that motel parked next to my hot rod VW Diesel was thee or a good duplicate built Gen Lee. Fast forwarding here. Two years later in 1981 the decision was made in June to not only attend the Utah AutoRama, but to exhibit there as well. The Gen Jackson was ill with a badly needed to be rebuilt engine, the Mini KW (VW) of mine was not ready, but we were going with it none the less. On a display materials hunt I saw that same Gen Lee, with a FOR SALE on it out of the corner of my eye. Accident? I don’t think so now. Once again Kahless was acting in my best interest. $1,500.00 later and the Gen Lee was in Hagerman. To get details right, I watched the Dukes extremely close. We, Bro and I went to the show, took home some minor trophy but got reacquainted with the production and cast of the Dukes. Our car was featured in some national publication that was part of the McMillan Publishing establishment that includes Truckin and Mini Truckin today. Any mile I got home. Jimmy, Bro, Rick, Mom , me, sat down at the kitchen table and decided to rename the shop. So Pat & Jims Speed Shop became the real Hazzard County Garage with Lou Stepps Productions(production company of the Dukes) Blessing. In April of 1982 following the great ITA nationwide truckers strike, and my birthday of which I got a bit tweaked, showing off for some filly in Hagerman(aka Hazzard) Idaho, I was convicted of Reckless Diving and did 90 days in the Gooding steel bar motel. In August when I got out again Jimmy , myself , Bro, and all sat down to create a supporting foundation for the shop, in essence a hot rod club, combined Dukes fan club. But what to call it ? There was a popular movie playing at the time called the Hollywood Knights. This planted the seed of Knights in my head. The final leg of that was a custom club in Pocatello called the Squires. Knights are better than Squires . I thought. But because no copyright permission had been given to copy the Hollywood Knights unlike it was for things Hazzard there was a need to tweak the spelling of the word Knight into KNYTE. In 1983 my mom died, The cast and producer of the Dukes attended the funeral in Hagerman, which got the nick name Hazzard Idaho shortly after, in that same year with the support of Warner Brothers Studios, Waldron and all, in July one year after we had went to the AutoRama , the Hazzard County Knytes Kustoms, later shortened to Kustmz , Association was formed. In 1984 we got our official state charter approved and we became an unstoppable organization that rewrote the book on what a car or custom club should be. The club though was never ever thought of or never conceived to being any kind of political organization, just a bunch of kountry hot rodders who loved a TV show. However in 1985 the RCC became the UAITA, and became the parent organization of the Hazzard Knytes. The adoption of our group by a national OTR truckers organization was a God send. Since it put a bunch of needed money in the pot, since the Dukes had been canned that same year. But the Knytes carried the torch none the less. In 1986 I went back in the Marines, plus gained a son. In 1990 the head of the Montgomery Foundation,(Montgomery Trust of which I was the primary beneficiary of) retired and Cuzzin Bud took over. He felt that I needed to move to Utah. The Gen Lee was left behind, in Pocatello, some say it was crushed some say it became part of some collection. It was sold illegally as lack of due process, but the statutes of limitation prevents me from suing on that so I live with it. Any mile, I lived(really lived) in metro SLC Utah, until 1992. Again stupidly moved back in 1993 met my last XYL got hitched and so it goes. However it was the Hazzard Knytes that kept me sane . I had alot of mental trauma through that period, left Idaho in 1994 for Utah. In 1996 I again reluctantly moved back here to Idaho, then over to Wyoming to pursue a vocational project. In 1999 moved back to Idaho with the highlight being regaining the homestead Mom,Dad, and myself had built in Hazzard. In 2000 I moved for the first time to Glenns Ferry to get away from a relationship that had all the trappings of marriage, but to the wrong person written all over it. In the fall of 2000 on a parts location mission to Utah, was in a John Deere dealership in Murray Utah, and ran into head coach of the famed Utah Jazz, Jerry Sloan. Came to find out that ole Jerry was a old John Deere Tractor collector restorer. In late 2000 the first sibling of the Hazzard County Knytes, was formed called the Deere Dazzlers Association. A group of guys also members of the Knytes that dug old Deere’s. It was in January 2001 that Jerry Sloan, became the President of the Deere Dazzlerz as it would then be spelled, with that came the financial support of Jazz owner Larry H Miller. Early one morning and this part is important to note, in February of 2002, I had been watching the TV show BlackSheep Squadron since that was depicting the outfit in the Marines I related to most. I decided to exit my house there in Jerome, and saw overhead and heard long before the sound of that Pratt & Whit engine and thought I was dreaming. But followed with my eyes the byrd to the Jerome Airport. Shortly there after began working as a volunteer at AirPower Unlimited a company that rebuilds and restores old warbird aircraft. However the creative juices started flowing. The Hazzard County Knytes had conquered everything on the ground but not in the air. This reignited my love of flying. The fall of 2002 the basic concept of a warbird enthusiasts group had seated in the Knytes. The original name of the group was to be the BlackSheep Vintage Aviation Association. Shortly thereafter one of our Knytes members decided to go pro on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and we formed what would be labled Southern Eagle Racing. With sponsorship from Miller, and so on myself and our member moved to Utah. In March of 2003 the USMC wrote me a letter and said we were not authorized to use the name BlackSheep. We did anyway until mid 2004 when my Cuzzin Gordon , Cuzzin Bud, and I gave birth to AyreWolf Aviation. In December of 2004 the AyreWolvez Military Aviation Association was formed as an off shoot of AyreWolf Aviation, to stimulate business, just as the Hazzard Knytes had stimulated business for the Hazzard Garage. However all of this would never have taken place had it not been for that door being opened by Kahless that I walked through called the Dukes of Hazzard and thus Hazzard County was the gateway.
The path to the CNP/CSA next entry.
L8R Confederate Aviators
Quote of the day:
I have learned to use the word 'impossible' with the greatest caution. - Wernher von Braun
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