Article:  Kentucky New Era, June 27, 2003
Celebrating Corvettes
Retiree educated on car's glory
 

Bill Farrell is shown in the mirror of his 2003 Chevrolet Corvette. At left, is Farrell's 1960 vintage Corvette.

Retired educator Bill Farrell's wife, Ann, doesn't worry much about her husband's "girlfriends."
Granted, the Hopkinsville man spends considerable time with them, playing Johnny Mathis tunes while attending to their every need. And, he won't think twice about driving all the way to the East Coast, if that's what it takes to bring them back to Kentucky.

But, there's really no need for Ann Farrell to be jealous.

After all, the "girlfriends" are three, red Corvettes that pose absolutely no threat to the Farrell marriage.

"The joke in the Western Kentucky Corvette Club is that you have your wife, and you have a girlfriend, meaning the Corvette is your girlfriend," Farrell explained, with a booming laugh.

Farrell's fiery-red "girlfriends" are front and center this weekend due to celebrations of the classic car's 50th anniversary in Bowling Green and Nashville, Tenn.

Bowling Green has a plant that produces the Corvette and also a museum that attracts visitors from across the country.

In Nashville, a big Corvette party is planned for the Coliseum, in Nashville, where close to 20,000 Corvette owners and their cars -- first produced in the summer of 1953 -- are expected to converge.

Farrell plans to make an appearance at the Nashville festivities.

There are about 50 members of the Western Kentucky Corvette Club in Hopkinsville, and they are a security–minded crew.

Make no mistake about it, each and every one of them is very protective of his or her four–wheeled beauty.

Farrell keeps his Corvettes in a location miles from his house. He fills in holes for the gravel drive leading to his secret cache and even sweeps off the paved part of the road.

"It's a special car. People have an attachment for the car. They get together. They appreciate the classic lines of the automobile. That's why they are meeting in Nashville and Bowling Green," he said.

Farrell, who formerly was a teacher, assistant principal and coach in the Christian county school system, purchased his first Corvette in 1985.

His three Corvettes include a vintage 1959 still being restored, a 1960 and his latest acquisition, a 2003 model.

Other than Farrell, there are few people in town who have had the honor of driving the sleek sports cars.

His immediate family is among the privileged group.

One of Farrell's two daughters drove one of his 'Vettes to high school a couple of times. She was given special instructions by her father and had to park the car in the teachers' parking lot.

Farrell served as chapter president of the local Corvette Club when it started in 1998, and he is the outgoing president from last year. He's also a member of the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green.

All those extra benefits are nice for Farrell, but there's nothing like driving one of his babies down the road, especially the 1960 unit, which draws stares and nods of approval from fellow drivers.

"I haven't gone very fast," Farrell admitted, with a nervous laugh. "I've gone 120 mph on an interstate, up a hill. I was just being harassed by another car and I wanted to get away from that car," he claimed.

Being a Corvette owner also can make a person a nervous wreck.

"Sometimes (owning one) can be a hassle. You look for places that are out of the way, where nobody is parking and then you wonder when you come back, whether it will be there," Farrell said.

However, it's worth the hassle, he noted.

Farrell already has made plans for the day when he's no longer behind the wheel of his prized automobiles.

The Corvettes are listed in his will, with both of his daughters, Adelle and Alicia, in line to become Corvette owners.

With the arrangement, Farrell's "girlfriends" should be well taken care of.