Cecil Clark Chevrolet celebrating 50th anniversary

Cecil Clark and employees open doors in 1972.
Cecil Clark and employees open doors in 1972.

LEESBURG — It was 1972 and President Richard Nixon would win re-election in a landslide.

Five men were arrested in a break-in at the Watergate hotel, though the importance of that would come out later.

“The Godfather” was the No. 1 movie.

And Cecil Clark Chevrolet opened its doors for business in Leesburg.

Now, the dealership is celebrating its 50th anniversary and is opening its doors for a party Thursday.

The party is planned from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Visitors can find the dealership by spotting the giant American flag flying in front of its business, at 8843 U.S. 441.

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Cecil Clark got the rights to open a dealership the hard way — by working his way up the ranks in other dealerships. When General Motors offered him a chance to open a Chevy dealership in Leesburg, he jumped at it, moving his wife, Jackie, son Greg and his sister, Cindy, from Charleston, South Carolina.

Jackie and Cecil Clark celebrate 25th anniversary of dealership in 1997.
Jackie and Cecil Clark celebrate 25th anniversary of dealership in 1997.

A natural, he started out as a 19-year-old World War II Navy vet as a traveling furniture salesman. When an Alabama car dealer heard that he sold more than anyone else, he hired him in 1947.

“I love cars and trucks. I was always interested in what makes an engine purr, what makes it tick,” he said in an Orlando Sentinel interview in 1985.

Clark bought an old orange grove for the site on U.S. Highway 441 and picked the oranges to pay for his first parts inventory, according to a dealership press release.

A 1974 ad for Cecil Clark as shown in the Daily Commercial.
A 1974 ad for Cecil Clark as shown in the Daily Commercial.

Clark, a leader in the community and a deacon at First Baptist Church, died in 2004.

“He just loved people and people loved him," said his daughter, Cindy.

His son, Greg, took over the dealership, and Cindy opened her own dealership for a time in Wildwood.

Today, Cecil’s grandson, Joseph Clark, is the sales manager of Cecil Clark Chevrolet.

Things have definitely changed over the years.

Inflation has increased 594.97% according to Inflationtool.com.

The average cost of a new home was $30,500, according to 1970sflashback.com, and gas was 36 cents per gallon.

Cecil Clark shown with a car.
Cecil Clark shown with a car.

Consumers could buy a new Chevy pickup for $2,796, Joseph Clark said.

People can still buy a new Chevy pickup, but the price has changed with the times. Today’s models, loaded with electronics from bumper to bumper and gadgets old-timers never even thought of, range from $38,670 to $83,345.

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Cecil Clark Chevrolet in Leesburg hosting party for its 50th anniversary