[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 11 (Thursday, January 19, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E136-E137]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO WOODROW W. WOODY

                                 ______


                          HON. DAVID E. BONIOR

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 19, 1995

  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Woodrow W. 
Woody, president of Pontiac Motor Sales, Inc., parent company of the 
Woody Pontiac auto dealership in Hamtramck, MI.
  Woodrow Woody is a remarkable person who has earned an impeccable 
reputation for hard work and service. In commemoration of Woody's 55 
years of service, I am sharing a recent article from the Oakland Tech 
News that highlights Woody's American dream:

       Never mind the Detroit Institute of Arts or Greenfield 
     Village--the real treasure trove of local history is stored 
     at the Woody Pontiac dealership in Hamtramck.
       Woodrow W. Woody, president of Pontiac Motor Sales, Inc., 
     parent company of Woody Pontiac, turned 87 years young on 
     November 15 and his dealership celebrated 55 years of service 
     on January 2.
       After being honored by the Automotive Hall of Fame with its 
     Distinguished Service Citation award recently, Woody, a 
     friend of presidents and popes, took a few moments at his 
     second-story office to talk about his career.
       Woody finds great irony in being considered a civic 
     institution in Hamtramck, where his Woody Pontiac dealership 
     has been located at the northern end of Joseph Campau since 
     January 2, 1940. Ironic because Hamtramck has been known as 
     Detroit's Polish enclave while he was born in Lebanon in the 
     Middle East.
       ``When I first applied for the dealership, the district 
     manager said, `Hamtramck is all Polish and you're not Polish, 
     so what do you want to go there for?''' Woody recalled.``I 
     said, `well, I'm dating a Polish girl so if you give me the 
     franchise I'll marry her.'''
       Franchise? Yes. Girl? Ditto.
       Almost 55 years later both the dealership and his marriage 
     to the former Anna Martes are still going strong. In between, 
     Woodrow and Anna have had a life that most only dream of--
     owners of the Hillcrest Country [[Page E137]] Club in Mount 
     Clemens, world travelers and they swim with a social crowd 
     that is definitely upper crust.
       Play a ``famous name'' word-association game with Anna 
     Woody and here's what you get:
       Pope John Paul II?
       ``Oh we knew him before he was the Pope.''
       Richard Nixon?
       ``He used to write us the nicest cards and letters.''
       John DeLorean?
       ``We knew him even before he went to school.''
       The photographic ``wall of fame'' known as Woody's Gallery 
     takes up much of the second floor of the dealership. A short 
     list of some of the celebrities that the Woodys have had 
     their picture taken with includes: Pope John Paul II, Dwight 
     Eisenhower, Rocky Mariciano, Helen Thomas, George Bush, Dan 
     Quayle, Bill Milliken, Bob Hope, Gerald Ford, Bob Dole, 
     Phyllis Diller, Jack Nicklaus, and Ronald Reagan.
       Among the notable photos:
       Woody and Anna in the Oval Office of the White House in 
     1973, presenting then-President Nixon with a petition full of 
     signatures of encouragement. (Nixon was sinking under the 
     weight of Watergate at the time.)
       A 1975 photo of the Woodys with Frank Sinatra and Danny 
     Thomas, the late comedian who was a Detroit native and was 
     also Lebanese.
       Pope John Paul II visiting Hamtramck in 1987, traveling 
     down Joseph Campau in the ``popemobile'' with the Woody 
     Pontiac dealership in the background. (Alas, the popemobile 
     is a Mercedes and not a Pontiac.)
       A foursome-photo of Woodrow Woody together with Charles 
     Dalgleish, Ed Rinke and Babe Krajenke. (Doug Dalgleish Sr. 
     says it was the last photo taken of his father before he 
     died.)
       ``And all four of us were 75 years old when that photo was 
     taken,'' Woodrow Woody noted of Detroit's most famous car-
     dealers.
       Mona Louis was recently named general manager of the 
     dealership and she says that not much will change because of 
     the legacy Woody established.
       ``He has fun doing it (working at the dealership) and he 
     comes across just the way he really is,'' she said. ``People 
     like him and trust him, because he might've sold a car to 
     their parents or maybe even their grandparents.''
       Even at 86, Woody videotapes a new 30-second TV commercial 
     every six months or so and they still travel as much as is 
     practical, having just recently come back from Memphis where 
     they attended a function supporting St. Jude Children's 
     hospital program started by Danny Thomas.
       Woody reflects that his dealership has been so successful 
     over the years because of a good product to sell, whether it 
     was the Catalinas and Torpedos of the 1940s and `50s or the 
     Grand Ams and Grand Prix of today. (Woody himself drives a 
     Bonneville.)
       ``In my opinion,'' Woody said, ``the Pontiac car is in a 
     class by itself because it's loved by young people, middle-
     aged people, and older people. You can't really say that 
     Pontiacs are only for the younger buyers. Our customers' ages 
     vary across the board.''
       The secret to Woodrow W. Woody's success? Woody himself 
     provides the answer when a phone call comes in asking him 
     where he'll be next week.
       ``Right where I've been for the last 55 years,'' he said. 
     ``From 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., from Monday through Friday, 
     I'm at the dealership and there's nowhere else in the world 
     I'd rather be.''

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