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.
Wendell Reed
Wendell G. Reed is a 1946 Modesto High School graduate. He went to the University of California at Berkeley, majoring in engineering. Wendell took his love of cars with him. In high school, Wendell drove a 1933 5-window Ford Coupe and later got a 1935 Ford convertible.
While at Berkeley, he drove a 1940 Plymouth coupe. He later acquired a beautiful two-tone blue 1935 Auburn Supercharged Convertible Sedan. After graduation from Berkeley, he met and married the love of his life, Norma, who lived in San Francisco then.
His career started with the Corp of Engineers in San Francisco. In 1945, he returned to Modesto to work in his father’s construction business, Geo. Reed Inc. of Modesto. With his family members at the helm, the company grew from a struggling $275k a year to over $300 million. Through all of this growth, Wendell’s love for cars continued.
Wendell and Norma purchased a new, green 1951 MG and drove it all the way to New Orleans for a construction convention. Space in the car was at a premium, so they later bought a more practical 1952 Mercury two-door sedan.
In 1975, Wendell started a restoration of a 1951 Riley, which was beautiful when completed. In 1976, he purchased a brand new blue Caddy Eldorado Convertible. He then put this brand-new car in a box and stored it for 35 years. This car only has 317 miles on it. From 1975 to now, Wendell has actively collected over 33 rare and vintage automobiles, including but not limited to a 1937 Cadillac, 1952 Racing Allard, 1956 Continental, & a 1956 Ford Victoria. Wendell and Norma now have a beautiful facility to show and display their collection of truly rare cars. The Reeds frequently provided the use of their cars for Graffiti events and were involved in the formative years of the car shows. His dreams of a great collection of automobiles have never diminished, and his heart is bright in those great automobile dreams of the past.
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 change our downtown positively.
