2012 ALL PETTY'S GARAGE MARKS USED ... - Carlisle Events

IN LOVING MEMORY
It was just two years ago that I had even heard Eli’s
name for the fi rst time but his story struck a chord with
me. During the 2010 Chrysler Nationals we were trying
to make it a weekend to remember for John Kozak who
had just lost his girlfriend to cancer and now he was battling
the disease himself. Through John I learned about
Eli and his struggles with cancer since childhood. I also
learned that Eli was from Connecticut so I reached out to
the one person I knew who lived in the same state and
would be more than willing to help. That person was
Ralph Barbagallo.
Together a plan was quickly hatched to get our
hands on Eli’s 1966 Dart convertible and do our own
version of the
TV show Overhaulin’.
We rallied
members
of Mopars in
Motion and
Mopar Rebellion
but we still
needed a place
to do the work.
I immediately
thought of the
two people in
New England with the biggest hearts in the hobby
and by sheer luck they also happen to have one of
the best-equipped shops and skills of any hobbyists I
know. Within less than 30 minutes after I sent an email
I got a call back from Gary Beineke saying that he had
talked to his wife, Pam, and they only had one question;
how soon can you get the car to us?
From there it was on. Calls were made for donations
and parts. Within days we literally had parts coming to
us from all across the country. Nobody asked, “What’s
in it for me?” Instead, we typically were asked, “What
do you need?” We weren’t dealing with an unlimited
budget and as parts were arriving we knew we had a
deadline. The car was delivered to the Beinekes on July
25 and the goal was to have the car done by September
19 so the car could be presented to Eli at a Mopar
show at Artioli Dodge in CT.
While there was no TV drama and the deadline was
a self-imposed goal, we were racing against the clock
because nobody knew just how much time Eli had left
and we all wanted him to have as much time as possible
to enjoy the car. Lots of people worked on the car
in one capacity or another but Gary and Pam put their
projects on hold and did the lion’s share of the work…
all without a single complaint. Like I said, there was no
TV drama.
Parts were still arriving and work was still being
done right up until the day before the reveal. On Sun-
18 2012 CARLISLE CHRYSLER NATIONALS CarlisleEvents.com
ELIJAH STANLEY ABEL AULT
JULY 4, 1981 - OCTOBER 6, 2011
day, September 19, Eli’s Dart Charger was sitting in the
showroom of Artioli Dodge under a cover with pillows
strategically placed to disguise the fi nal shape. A few
hours before the cover was pulled off I fi nally met Eli
for the fi rst time. He was very open about his condition
and after that fi rst meeting I felt like I had known him
for years.
As soon as the cover was pulled from the fresh Dart
Charger, Eli hopped in and drove out of the showroom.
His smile more than made up for his lack of words. The
entire crowd was choked up and just watched as Eli
hit the open road for the fi rst time. He returned a short
time later, still grinning from ear to ear. The emotions
fl ooded back
in as Eli went
around giving
hugs to everyone
involved
with the project.
Fast forward
to the 2011
Chrysler Nationals
where
Eli’s Dart was
featured in
Building T and Eli himself was treated like a celebrity
all weekend. Always thinking of others fi rst, when he
became exhausted each day he would actually call me
to ask if it was okay for him to go back to his hotel and
get some rest. By Sunday he was visibly exhausted but
he still wanted to help load his car on the trailer and
help his friends load theirs for the trip home.
Sadly, that was the last time I got to see Eli. We kept
in touch through phone calls, email and Facebook.
On the morning of October 6 my cell phone rang and
the call was coming from Ralph. I instantly knew why
he was calling. I briefl y thought about letting it go to
voicemail but I was so sure of the reason for his call
that it was pointless.
I think part of the reason why I debated about answering
that call was because I was headed to Ocean
City, MD for their Endless Summer car show and didn’t
want to ruin my weekend with the bad news. As soon
as I arrive in Ocean City I unloaded my Belvedere and
began to cruise the beach knowing that’s exactly what
Eli would’ve wanted to do.
I look at everything a little diff erently these days
thanks to Eli. He was defi nitely a fi ghter and I never
heard him complain about his situation nor bring anyone
else down because of it. I want to give my sincerest
gratitude to everyone who was involved with Eli’s
Dart Charger. We miss you, buddy. The show won’t be
the same without you.