This cartoon was first published in the Press-Register in 2008, as a Father’s Day gift to my Dad.

Before we get to the ‘56 Chevy, here’s the Father’s Day caption contest, which is already in progress for those who are subscribed to my weekly Crowe Jam newsletter. It’s not too late to join in on the fun. Subscribe in the box above and start sending me your captions today – [email protected]. It’s free. Deadline to enter a caption is 10 AM Tuesday, June 20th. The winner(s) will be announced in this Wednesday morning’s Crowe Jam. Sign up and get jammin’!

Dad’s ‘56 Chevy

All I want for Father’s Day is the ‘56 Chevy.

This was our family car and the only car I knew until I was about 7, when Uncle Frank talked Dad into trading it to him for a ‘64 Ford Galaxie 500.

The beloved Chevy had been a great car, logging over a decade of trouble-free memories and miles. The Ford was 8 years newer. A great swap. Sure, the Ford had been wrecked, but it was fixed up good as new, according to its mechanic – Uncle Frank. My uncle was doing my dad “a favor” with the trade.

Turns out, the Ford was one problem (trip to Uncle Frank) after another, while the Chevy still has its original paint and is sitting in a swanky garage, surrounded by hot bikini-clad models fanning it with a gazillion vintage car show championship ribbons, probably. Sigh.

Dad forgave his brother, but never forgave Ford.

The black and white ‘56 4-door was more than a great car. It was a playhouse. We could play hide n’ seek in that thing. My favorite place was the rear window. Sweet place to ride. Also a sweet place for a toddler to get second degree burns on a summer road trip.

When we loaded up for a family vacation – two parents and 3 or 5 kids, depending on the year – we didn’t always have a destination in mind. We just got in, gassed up and took off. Sometimes at a crossroads, we took a vote on which way to turn.

Lesson we learned on family vacations: If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re never really lost. But we always knew when we were kinda lost. That’s when Mom passed out snacks and told us to be quiet while Daddy was “thinking” (worried.) And we knew when Daddy was thinking because his thumbs were twitching a drum solo on the steering wheel.

We never knew where we were going, but we always knew when we got there. That’s when we turned around and went back home. It was always worth the trip.

It’s been 10 years since our last Father’s Day together. My dad, James H. Crowe, is the best guy I’ve ever known. I’m one lucky dude.

But if only we’d kept that ‘56 Chevy …

Happy Father’s Day.

Bonus trivia question: Anybody know where the gas cap is on the ‘56 Chevy?

JD Crowe is the cartoonist for Alabama Media Group and AL.com. He won the RFK Human Rights Award for Editorial Cartoons in 2020. In 2018, he was awarded the Rex Babin Memorial Award for local and state cartoons by the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. Follow JD on Facebook, Twitter @Crowejam and Instagram @JDCrowepix.