scloud

It has been quite a journey since I stumbled upon this forum back in November. JohnD1956 was kind enough to provide his email and we have been communicating ever since. Because both my Dad & Mom passed away last year, I thought that the blanket would make a perfect Christmas gift for the family. So, I rather bluntly asked if he would be willing to sell it. As you may recall, JohnD1956 received the blanket as a gift from his son. Despite this and his obvious interest in the blanket, he refused to accept a penny and sent it to me right away! It's impossible to overestimate the goodness of people. It was very emotional when the gift was opened on Christmas morning. But, the blanket then sparked great old stories about Dad, Mom and Cloud Buick for hours on end. On a quest to discover the origin of the blanket, I spoke to family, former employees and several other Buick Dealers. All agree that the blanket was not part of a customer appreciation give-away. Dad was not the type to emblazon his name on something presented to customers. Unfortunately, no one was able to identify the exact origin of the blanket. However, I can safely say that it was likely presented to Dad as part of a factory or zone incentive award. Based on the Tri-Shield, my brother estimates that the award was presented in the mid-1960's. My college roommate's Dad, a past NADA National President, was a Buick Dealer during that time in Southern California and does not recall ever seeing anything similar. So, it seems likely that the award was something which the Milwaukee Zone came up with for local dealers. One theory kicked around was that the blanket was presented to Dad during one of his overseas Buick incentive trips. However, based on size and weight, this doesn't seem plausible in light of packing issues. Instead, it was likely part of a local incentive award. Based on the colors, several posters to this board might just be right that the blanket was part of a Wisconsin Badgers football game incentive award. I looked through old photos while home at Christmas hoping to find a picture of Dad & Mom sprawled out on the blanket at a tailgate party, but no such luck. In short, I have not yet identified the exact origin of the blanket. But it sure has been fun trying! And my attempts will not end here. I carry a picture of the blanket on my phone and show it to anyone even remotely associated with the automotive industry. Hopefully, someday we'll hit the jackpot. We have no idea how the blanket ended up at a swap meet, but assume that Dad & Mom parted with it when they downsized into assisted living. Thanks to JohnD1956, his wife and son, our family has now been reunited with this family treasure!

I stumbled upon this forum and was very happy to see that memorabilia bearing my Dad's name was the subject of discussion. Cloud Buick used many promotional items throughout the years (the Cloud Buick cheese crock is my favorite). Unfortunately, however, I do not have any specific information regarding the blanket, yet. As Jeff (PSAutomobilist) mentioned in the thread, my brother Steve still lives in Appleton, WI and I am checking with him. In the meantime, would you have any interest in parting with the blanket?