Walk of Fame 2015
By Chris Murphy
The Walk of Fame is the latest addition to the Modesto Historic Cruise Route celebrating our “Legends of the Cruise”. Permanent sidewalk markers honor each of our “Legends. The first cruise marker was presented to George Lucas during his appearance in Modesto for the Kiwanis Cruise Parade in 2013. In 2014 nine other markers joined George’s in a new special designated “Walk of Fame” that begins in 10th Street Plaza and will extend each year as new inductees are honored.
These are our hometown heroes. They shaped the lives of today’s generation, and thanks to them, Modesto, USA, is known worldwide for being the birthplace of American Graffiti. This is just the beginning, and the Historic Cruise Route is just getting started. More events, Legend inductees, monuments, and visitor experiences will be added each year for Graffiti Summer. New designs for a “retro 10th Street are being developed to make our Graffiti Story and benefit our local economy. Hopefully, we will have a Graffiti USA Museum soon.
The 2015 Legends of the Cruise Walk of Fame will be unveiled on June 10 during the Mid Valley Chevy Car Show on 10th Street. The car show starts at 5:30, and the presentation event will begin at 6:30. The 2015 Inductees are the late Gerry Ramirez and Bennie Furtado, along with Wendell Reed, Dennis Wilson, Charlie Reynolds, and the speed-shattering car club, the Century Toppers, represented by Gene Winfield, Bart Bartoni, and Pete Hischier.
Dennis Wilson
Dennis was born and raised in Modesto in 1939. He was raised by “Ozzie & Harriet” (also known as his parents, Gene and Emmy). Dennis attended Enslen Elementary School (Enslen just celebrated their 85th anniversary), Roosevelt Junior High, and Thomas Downey High School, where he graduated in 1957.
While attending Roosevelt, he passed by a 1931 Model A Vicky daily, parked alongside Tidewater RR Tracks at Virginia Avenue. By the time he was in the 8th grade, he knew every nick, scratch, and dent on that car.
One day while riding home from school, he saw a guy trying to pump up the tires on the Vicky. He stopped to talk with him and found out he was at MJC and transferring to San Jose State, and was hoping to sell the A. The college student kept eyeing Dennis’ Dayton Bike and asked if he would be interested in a trade for it. Dennis raced home to get the registration for the bike and hustled back before he changed his mind.
Dennis and his father towed the car home, making Dennis the proud owner of his first car at 14! That event started him on a long journey with a love affair with anything that had an engine and wheels. (Some had 2, some had 4.)
He felt that growing up in the 50s in Motown was the best time ever! He first cruised two-way on the 10th and then one-way on the 10th and 11th. His second Model A was a coupe that sometimes didn’t have the wooden floorboard on the passenger side, which allowed certain petroleum products to be discharged at the intersection of 10th and M.
He started hanging out at Winfield’s Custom Shop at 451 Tully Road in the 1950s and tagged along to some of the car shows. At the shows, he watched the development of icons such as the “Jade Idol,” the Winifred pickup, Ray Goularte’s ‘50 Ford, and Dennis Reniero’s ’56 Oldsmobile, all with the famous Winfield pearl fade paint jobs.
While attending MJC, his architectural drafting class project was remodeling the fascia of 451 Tully Road. In exchange, Gene designed and built a custom front end for Dennis’ 1948 Mercury featuring ’59 Chevy quad headlights and Nerf bars in place of the stock bumper. A Chrysler engine powered the Mercury.
After attending San Jose State and a stint in the Air Force, he returned to Modesto. By this time, the cruise route had shifted to McHenry Avenue. The automotive bug still bites him, and he is still building, driving, and racing cars. (Mostly Ford products.)
He is honored to be selected to join the Legends of the Cruise and contribute to the history of “old” Modesto and American Graffiti.
The mission of the Walk of Fame is to highlight the character and history of Modesto and educate and illuminate these stories to citizens and visitors alike. The 2015 markers were donated and created by Chris Murphy, ModestoView, Sierra Pacific, and the hard work of Colin Sparkman and the DecoStone Concrete team, and United Signs and ColorCoat. I especially want to thank the City of Modesto, particularly Andy Johnson, for making it easy to create these events and team with the city to make a positive change in our downtown.
