RE: [Chrysler300] Don Rook

[Ryan Hill <ryan_hillc300@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I didn't really know Don, like many of us, we'd never met but had a few email conversations from time to time. (Especially when we discovered we shared a love for '65 and '66 300's.)

 

One day Don told me he was going to take some pictures of some of his cars and hubcap collection for me......I assumed they would be digital pics sent via email. Nope.....about three weeks later an envelope stuffed with photographs showed up in my mail box. It said alot about him, the type of person he was......to take the time to share his love of the hobby with others thousands of miles away. I wish I'd known him better. 

Ryan Hill 


 


To: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
From: MITCHELLEINSAUK@xxxxxxx
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2010 05:20:50 -0400
Subject: [Chrysler300] Don Rook


  



My wife and I stayed at Don & Kathy Rook's bed & breakfast over Christmas 
2009, and had a wonderful time. News of his death comes as a huge shock.

During our stay, Don gave us the "one dollar tour" of his cars under cover, 
and the parts cars outback in the woods (Ford owners got the nickel tour 
and GM owners got the dime tour). But more to the point, he gave up his time 
to show us around the local countryside and show us all the highlights. We 
got to know Don very well during those few days, and he enjoyed reciting 
all of his many stories to us as we explored, and we enjoyed hearing them. 
Yes, Don was a character, and we both count ourselves lucky to have known 
him, and our condolences go out to Kathy and the family. Its seems very 
poignant now, to look back at the video footage we took, and see Don, with my 
wife, on the back of his "four-wheeler", followed by his loyal posse of dogs, 
motoring around the very pond where he would tragically lose his life - it 
looked so innocent in the winter sunshine. 

Don claimed he had around 80 vehicles on his land when we visited, down 
from a peak of around 124. Most were Chryslers, with some Packards, and one or 
two others. The Chryslers ranged from a 1940 New Yorker convertible, a 
couple of late forties Town & Countrys, up to his beloved mid to late sixties 
300s which were his everyday drivers. However, as impressive as his car 
collection was, it was the hoards of spare parts he had. By memory, he pretty 
well knew everything he had, but locating it would be a problem; parts were 
just stuffed everywhere. Ram manifolds, letter series and pace car hub 
caps, medallions, grilles, seats, door panels, you name it. Anyway, our 300L 
is graced with a few parts I purchased, and I'll always think of Don when I 
look at the car. In fact, I took it to a show only this weekend, in his 
memory. I'm so glad I filmed our trip, and recorded Don as he gave us the 
grand tour, and told us his well polished stories. He will be missed in this 
little corner of England.


Geoff Mitchell
1965 300L, 1957 New Yorker, 1970 Barracuda 383

Penshurst House,
163 Fleet Road, Farnborough,
Hants., GU14 9SL, England
Tel: +44 (0)1252 519294
Fax: +44 (0)1252 519894
Email: mitchelleinsauk@xxxxxxx

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