Remembering Bill Spurlock

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Bill Spurlock opened his Dodge dealership in downtown Huntington in 1984.
 When the Chrysler Corp. pulled the plug on his new-car sales,
 he soldiered on, selling used cars and continuing
to operate his service and parts departments

File photo | The Herald-Dispatch

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Huntington businessman William “Bill” Spurlock and his wife, Gertrude,
 opened Bill Spurlock Dodge at 4th Avenue and 4th Street in 1984.
It was the only Dodge dealership in Huntington until 2009.
That year saw the Chrysler Corp., fighting to emerge
from bankruptcy, decide to end hundreds of
 new-car dealerships, including 17 in West
Virginia. Spurlock Dodge
was one of the 17.

During a 30th anniversary celebration of Bill Spurlock Auto
 Sales and Service in 2014, Spurlock said the thought of
closing down the business never crossed his mind.
Instead of packing up, Spurlock began selling
used cars while continuing to operate the
 service and parts departments
 of the business.

 “It’ll never be like it was. I know that,” Spurlock said in 2014.
 “But, that’s not all that bad. We still have business.
 We still have customers. I can’t tell you how
fortunate I’ve been to build this business
and to be a part of this community.”

Spurlock was born in the living room of his grandparents’
 home at 1914 Charleston Ave. on July 28, 1928. He
 graduated from Huntington East High School in
 1946. He worked as a machinist for the C&O
 Railway’s Car Shop in Raceland, Kentucky,
 after graduating from Huntington East
Trade School in 1947.

Spurlock was a U.S. Army National Guard veteran of
the Korean War and was a member of Huntington
 American Legion Post 16. Prior to opening his
 auto business, he worked in real
 estate for 20 years.

A talented musician, he played clarinet in high school
and went on to play tenor saxophone in several
 music ensembles in the area. He also was a
 winning Little League Baseball coach.
 Spurlock was 88 years old
 when he died in 2017.

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Note:  This Article and picture appeared in the Herald-Dispatch Newspaper on June 18, 2024.

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