March 2019
If you had a 1928 to 1953 Ford between about 1970 and 2005 there is a good chance you talked to Ray Calderon when you called Job Lot Automotive for car parts. Ray was the specialist for 1928 to 1948 Ford vehicles and also handled calls for 1949 to 1953 fords. Ray purchased a 1935 Ford in 1976 and joined the Ford Flathead V8 club in Long Island shortly thereafter. He fondly remembers car tours around the Island. Lest you think they were short tours, Ray reminds you that the distance from one end of Long Island to the other is further than from Albuquerque to Gallup! Unfortunately, eye sight issues forced the sale of his car in 2005.
Ray was born in Manhattan, NY and moved to ‘the Bronx’ in 1950. From there he moved to Queens in 1970, then Long Island in 1976. Saying Ray is a born and bred New Yorker would be true. He says ‘my wife and I looked at a lot of places and chose Albuquerque to retire’. They liked the friendly people and he loves the tree lined street where he lives.
Ray and Danice joined the Albuquerque Newcomers Club, a group focused on educating newcomers to the variety and beauty of Albuquerque and New Mexico. They learned a lot as members of Newcomers.
Ray also joined the Tumbleweed Club when he arrived in Albuquerque and says ‘they rolled out the welcome mat for me’. And, when they discovered the knowledge I had from working at Job Lots ‘they loved me’. Ray says he knows parts from 1928 to 1948 by heart. As we all have witnessed, he is pretty darn good in those years.
With waning eye sight Ray depends mainly on others for transportation. He credits Jim and Joyce Clements for keeping him involved in club activities. He thanks them for getting him to so many club meetings all these years.
Many of us went to Ray’s house after the breakfast on February 16 to see his extensive collection of transportation related items especially from the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair and Ford memorabilia. At the end of the meeting Ray announced he is moving to Gallup to be closer to his granddaughter and son. We’ll all miss you, Ray! Visit often.
