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CORYDON, Ind. (WAVE) — While some may have called it a clunker, something about the rusted exterior and the task of restoring the interior, partially eaten by mice and varmints, lured one man.
Dean Sparks purchased the 1959 Chevy Bel-Air at an auction in Nebraska and towed it to Corydon, Indiana.
Once his new project was home he began cleaning it out.
"Pulled the front seat out and laying in the midst of all the trash and seat cushions was a letter pretty much to tissue paper state," he said.
The tissue-like paper turned out to be a love letter from a woman who was missing her beau. Despite the fact there were holes in the floor board of the car, the paper never blew away, even while being towed.
"It should have. We traveled 800 miles," Sparks said.
After weeks of research Sparks discovered the note dated February 7, 1963 was written by Beverly Barber to a man named Ronnie Waterbury.
"The last sentence she writes is, let's get married," Sparks said.
Beverly Barber and Ronnie Waterbury were married. The couple eloped in the car a few months after the letter was written.
Sparks learned of their marriage of more than 35 years after he located their son and mailed the letter to the rightful owner, Wade Waterbury in Wichita, Kansas.
"It was really emotional. That car was just meant to be for Dean because who else would cherish something like that? And he did a lot of research to get a hold of me," Waterbury said.
Sparks said, "It had a life before I ever got it. I was just really interested in what it was and who had it, especially since this car still had a lot of possessions in it that should never have been there."
