A group of longtime friends and fellow automobile enthusiasts came from as far away as Florida to help celebrate the 99th birthday of one of their own. Dewey Muirhead has been actively involved in the annual Wewoka Sorghum Day Car Show for the past 45 years, and enjoys visiting other car shows as well.

“Dewey is the original vintage old car man from Wewoka,” one of his friends volunteered as Dewey shared stories about the many automobiles he’s owned over the years.

Many of those present to celebrate Dewey’s birthday are members of the Memory Lane Cruisers car club, and they had gathered in the garage of the old Jimmy’s Wrecker Service building for a fish fry provided by Tom Belshe and Charles Woodward, who caught, cleaned, and fried an impressive abundance of crappy to feed the multitude. This is a popular hangout for the club members to gather and share their interest in automobiles, and Dewey was right at home among friends.

It was obvious everyone at the gathering had great respect for Dewey, and there was plenty of good-natured teasing as they frequently filled in details or made suggestions as Dewey shared the story of his adventurous life. And even though they gave him a hard time about how much fish he was eating, they all made certain his plate was never empty, replenishing it every time a new batch came out of the fryer.

Dewey was born on July 29, 1922 and grew up during the Depression. He recalls that times were hard for his family, just like every other family, and they ate a lot of beans, potatoes, cornbread, and milk. He left school early to work, and was still in his teens when he joined up with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), working jobs in Oklahoma and Colorado. Shortly after returning home, he met his wife, Inez, at a community pie supper, and they were married on July 15, 1942. Dewey proudly states they have been married for 79 years.

Not long after marrying Inez, Dewey joined the army, serving during WWII from 1942 – 1945. He recalls leaving from New York bound for Europe with 15,000 other soldiers aboard the Queen Elizabeth, explaining that the army had converted the luxury passenger liner into a troopship, and there were soldiers “sleeping on the floor and everywhere else.” “We got $21 a month for

“We got $21 a month for fighting,” Dewey recalls.

After the war ended, Dewey returned home and began working on drilling rigs for the next 40 years, starting out as a roughneck making 99 cents an hour, and retiring as a tool pusher making significantly more than that.

Dewey has had an interest in automobiles ever since he bought his first Model A for $41. He stressed that it was a rough ride, repeating rough for emphasis. However, once he returned from the war he got more into automobiles, and has enjoyed buying and selling them as a hobby ever since. His eyes lit up as he recalled some of his favorites. This included a Shelby, an SS Chevelle, a Z-28, and a ’69 Camaro pace car with a turbo.

“Boy, it would run,” Dewey stated, with a trace of excitement in his voice as he dwelt on the memory. “I had a bunch of ‘em,” he added as he continued recalling the many cars he has owned.

As the group finally got their fill of food, they begin gathering around Dewey, recalling some of the outstanding vehicles he had impressed them with, and various car deals that were made, and the party shifted into top gear as the group of old friends spent the rest of the day cruising down memory lane.