It was about 1956 when a friend acquired a 1941 Packard hearse, with body by Henney. Although geared all wrong for highway speeds, we drove it many times from the Chicago area to Carbondale, IL and various places in So. Wisconsin.

We received deferential treatment from other traffic (including police) when we turned on the headlights, lowered the shades in back and wore billed hats borrowed from our high school marching band.

Mounted just below the starboard side running board was a "pull-out" 78 rpm record player that had provided graveside music.

It worked! . . . after the amplifier tubes warmed up. Our favorite record was "Too old to cut the mustard."

About three years ago a similar vehicle showed up at the Easter Car Show in Forest Park here in St. Louis. Alas, it had no record player.

Here's a '41 Packard, but "ours" was the version with the smaller engine. On one Christmas vacation trip from Carbondale, it threw a rod. The rod was replaced -- outside -- in the owner's driveway -- in December -- near Chicago. Brrrrr.

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