Legendsof the Cruise‘23

By Chris Murphy and the Legends of the Cruise

Back in 2012, George Lucas gave us the thumbs up to create the Modesto Cruise Route to tell the great stories about our community and the people that inspired the movie American Graffiti. 10th and 11th Streets were where it all happened, and the people in our early car clubs, business owners, car hops and the police on the beat were the people that inspired George’s movie. Our first Legend of the Cruise was George Lucas, presented in 2012. Since then, we have inducted, film cast members Candy Clark, Bo Hopkins and Paul LeMat as well as Alan Grant, Gene Winfield, Bart Bartoni, Pete Hischier and many more. These people actually made our Graffiti history. We celebrate each year honoring new legends of the cruise at a celebration park and shine in downtown Modesto. This year, we celebrate on June 7 at 5:30 pm so please mark your calendar, head downtown and celebrate the new inductees and cheer our other Legends.

This year will be special as we welcome to town, Mackenzie Phillips, who played Carol and spent her Graffiti night in the yellow 32 deuce coupe, belonging to local drag race legend John Milner, played by Paul LeMat. Mackenzie, has had an amazing career on TV, most notably on One Day at a Time on in Disney’s So Weird and recently in Orange is the new Black as well as film, stage and music. As the daughter of John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas, she was part of a legendary musical time and her role as Carol in American Graffiti is one of film’s great performances. Today she is a champion for those in recovery and works daily to help improves the lives of others. We welcome her to the Modesto Legends of the Cruise. To read the full interview with Mackenzie, please click the QR Code. Check out George’s video about the Modesto Cruise Route.

Let’s meet the Class of ’23 Legends of the Cruise...

Larry Neville – Downey 1973

Larry has spent the last 50 years as a life-line to our community of cruisers, as a mechanic and second-generation business owner of Neville Brothers Service, an auto-repair shop located at 723 Needham St. Opened by Larry’s dad, Willard, and his uncle Willis, Neville Brothers began operating in 1947 as a Hancock service station, providing fuel, tire, brake, battery, oil, and mechanic services.

Larry’s interests followed suit. Between ages 10 and 12, he became preoccupied with tearing things apart and putting them back together - including toys, bikes, TVs, and radios. Larry was fascinated with figuring out how things worked. After school and on weekends, Larry could be found at Neville Brothers, cleaning windows and fueling cars. At 14, Larry and his dad began working on his uncle’s Late 1947 Chevy Light Duty Pickup. Well-connected with all the local area shops, Larry’s dad helped make his first truck road and car show worthy. In 1980 this truck received a write-up and full back-cover feature in Classic & Custom magazine. In 1974, shortly after graduating from high school, Larry joined MASRA (Modesto Area Street Rodders Association) Car Club, where he and his friend Aaron Johnson ultimately learned how car clubs run. In 1975 they decided to create the “Modesto Area Truckers” club, and all members were within five years of one another. While tricked-out vans and buses were on-trend at this time, their club showcased the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s model trucks, with membership growing to as many as 30 people. The 1973 release of American Graffiti brought a cruising renaissance to Modesto. Larry found his weeks consumed with getting cars road ready for Friday night’s cruise as his professional and personal interests aligned. Often returning to the shop on Saturday after closing, Larry and his friends would make last-minute tweaks and modifications before hitting McHenry again on Saturday night, where they would blow it all out and inevitably start the process all over again on Monday.

Larry’s profession has put him in the right place at the right time, allowing him to amass an enviable collection of cars from a wide range of makes, models, and years. As a child in the ‘60s, Larry was enamored with the Corvette. When the 1963 split-window Corvette came out, it was like nothing he had ever seen before, as if it were a car straight from “The Jetsons”. While Neville Bros. occasionally got Corvettes in for repairs, Larry’s dad disapproved of such an impractical vehicle, effectively squashing any dreams Larry might have had for owning one of his own. In the late ‘90s, Larry began working on a collection of Corvettes owned by a local doctor who prized original factory cars. The collector ultimately decided to part with a ‘71 Corvette that was too souped-up for his tastes, which Larry was able to acquire, finally fulfilling his childhood dream.

Dick Braner –Downey High - 1966

I was born and raised in Modesto and graduated from Sylvan Elementary and Thomas Downey High School. Once in high school, I was indirectly bitten by the ‘car bug’ while riding with friends in various cars - till I was old enough to drive.

My dad bought a 1950 Ford for $400.00 from Mel Cardwell Motors, which we all shared, until he later gave it to my brother. I finally got the ‘50 Ford as a senior in high school, following the family purchase of a 1956 Lincoln Premiere. At the time, I couldn’t resist the need to put a different engine and transmission in the car, regardless of my dad voicing “you’ll regret it someday”, which still echoes in my head. Despite enduring the never-ending comments about the ‘50 Ford being my brother’s car, I made the modifications over the years. We still have and drive this car today, with only a few added refinements.

Becoming part of the Graffiti celebration began in the early 1990s with the Mid Valley Chevy Club and has continued to the present day. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to organize tours, attend car shows, and plenty of practice parking event cars. Over the years, we have been fortunate enough to add a couple of other classic cars, but the ‘50 Ford remains the favorite.

On our wedding day (52 years ago), the “50” let us down, as it chose not to start, even though everyone knew what a big deal it was to have that car – on that day. Instead, we drove off in my father-in-laws PURPLE CHEVY IMPALA; lucky me.

We’ve been fortunate to have a great family, kids, and grandkids. Being considered for the Legends of the Cruise, let alone being selected (which never entered my mind), has been overwhelming and humbling, to say the least. This is one of the highlights of my (our) lives. Thank You Very Much for This Honor, Dick & Diane Braner

Craig Powell was born in Stockton, California, in 1950 and moved to Modesto in 1961. He graduated from Davis high school in 1969. His parents started City Tire sales in 1959 on 10th and D St. in Modesto. In 1972 they moved the business to McHenry Avenue, where it still exists. Craig worked at the family business from age 11 until he retired and sold the company in 2018. For many of us in this town, Craig was the go-to guy for your hot rod, custom car, or daily driver for wheels and tires. Besides his love for cars, Craig’s hobbies are dirt bike riding and water skiing, and he now enjoys trap shooting. Craig also enjoyed his drag car, a 1974 Vega that ran 8:70s at 160 mph. Craig’s first car was a 1940 Ford 2-door sedan which his father purchased from Bill Hughes Used Car for $150 when Craig was 14 years old. The car was purchased to be Craig and his brother Mark’s car, but when Craig turned 16, he bought out his brother for $75. Craig still owns this car today. There was a brief period when Craig sold the car to Allen Beebe in 1992 for $6,500; after regretting that decision, Craig repurchased the car from Allen in 1999 for the same $6,500. Craig is about to finish a show quality restoration on this 1940 after owning this car for over 50 years. Craig’s dream is becoming a reality.

Paul Gissible – Downey 1967

I think I as born a “gear head”. I was always working on my bike. I was about 10 years on, I found a lawn mower engine in the alley. I took it home and made a go cart out of wood, with axles and wheels off of my wagon. It was good for 20 mph.

My dad, (Ray Gissible) worked for Modesto City Schools Maintenance Dept. The shop was on Tully Rd, next to Gene Winfield’s shop. My Mother would pick my Dad up at work and I’d go check out the cars that were being created at Gene’s. Very soon after that, I heard my dad say “son, saw dust and grease just don’t mix in my shop”. My buddie’s parents owned the Donut den on McHenry where Jack McCoy and Benny Pearson would hang out. Benny owned Pearson Body Shop and one day we stopped by to see what was going on. They were getting ready to paint a Merc Candy Apple Gold. I asked if they would paint my bike. Ok, they said, but you have to take it all apart and bring it in. I had the only Gold metal flaked bike in town.

I had my first car at 14 years old. It was given to me by a neighbor, the rods were Walk of Fame is continued on Page 18