[VIDEO] 1954 Corvette Donated to the National Corvette Museum

Corvettes bring back memories for many enthusiasts.

For David Dugger of Knoxville, Tenn., seeing a 1954 Corvette in the early 2000s during a vacation to the West Coast reminded him of a very special relative.

“My aunt bought me a model car,” he recalls. “It was already put together – a metal car – a ’54 Corvette and it was white and I fell in love with them back then.”

Thus when he was just six or seven years old, Dugger says his lifelong infatuation with Corvettes had begun, especially a fondness for 1954 models.

“I always wanted one and I ran across this one while we were in California on vacation in San Francisco and I had to have it,” Dugger explains. “My wife said go ahead and get it if that’s what you want, so we purchased it then in the early 2000s … and had it brought back from California to Knoxville, Tennessee. I’ve owned it ever since.”

Inspired by the childhood gift from his aunt, Dugger has always tried to let others share in the joy of his white ’54 Corvette, even loaning it to Reeder Chevrolet in Knoxville for display in their showroom “so that other people can look at it and enjoy it.”

Now, a lot more people will be able to enjoy the car, thanks to Dugger’s generous donation of his ’54 to the National Corvette Museum this week.

“I’ve been to the Corvette Museum once before,” he says, “and really didn’t think about it until one of the gentlemen at Reeder talked about donating it and I thought that was a great idea! That way other people can enjoy it and look at it and maybe it’ll bring back some of their memories.”

A spokesman for the NCM expressed gratitude for the donation, saying “Thank you to David, and to Reeder Chevrolet who planted the seed for David to donate his Corvette to us!”

And a special thanks should go to that aunt who planted the original seed of Corvette enthusiasm in a young David Dugger’s mind so many years ago!

Source:
National Corvette Museum / YouTube

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