Road Knights still laying rubber

DAVENPORT - In 1954, Life Magazine dubbed kids of that time "The Luckiest Generation." During that era, two groups of teenagers emerged – those who had cars, and those who didn't. The "lucky" ones not only drove cars to school, but some also had jobs allowing them to buy their own.

It was in that year the Road Knights were born when 24 Davenport High School students, under the leadership of Jerry Kruger, formed a club to show off cars that featured a lot of chrome, elaborate tailfins and a flowing design that echoed the look of rockets. An added incentive to the club's charter members was membership in the National Hot Rod Association, which encouraged its clubs to promote automobile safety.

Nearly 70 years later, the Road Knights still share a passion for classic automobiles and will display 15-20 cars at the Pioneer Days Car Show Saturday, July 15.

Club president Nick Murray said the classic car community is a "special breed of people."

"They not only love to restore their own cars, but they also enjoy group restoration projects," Murray said. "There is nothing like the style and simplicity of classic cars and the sound of the V8. Each one has its own quirks and personality."

Besides attending car shows nearly every weekend in the summer, the Road Knights raise money for charitable events, take part in poker rides and hope to soon offer scholarships to local youth.

In the early years, the club hung out at Spud Hardin's service station, where according to 90-year-old Gene Stuckle, the boys would "ooh and ahh over each other's cars." Later they moved to Edna's Drive-In, which was owned by member Richard Jackson's parents who hosted the club's meetings and offered the "Road Knight Burger" on their menu.

In the parking lot, boys wearing cuffed jeans and T-shirts leaned against cars such as 1920s-era Model T Fords and their parents' Chevy Bel Airs, all the while flirting with girls from school. Stuckle hammered that point home when he said, "What do you think the point was in building these cars?"

There was a time when the club began to fade into oblivion.

"People moved, some got married and others ended up in the marble orchard," Stuckle said.

Between 2012 to 2017, Tom Scharrf and Robert Boleneus were the only active members.

"It got kind of lonely going to meetings," Boleneus said.

The two were not ready to throw in the towel, so they contacted people who had classic cars and did some "subtle arm-twisting."

"We couldn't let the club die," Boleneus said. "It's a heritage thing. It's fun spending time with people who like to cruise, go to car shows together and swap parts with each other."

Boleneus said Murray brought "energy" to the Road Knights when he joined in 2020.

Murray hopes to recruit a new generation of "gearheads" who share his passion for classic cars or those car buffs who are interested in customizing or modifying newer ones.

His 1949 Mercury will be on display Saturday, as will Boleneus's 1970 Fastback Mustang.

Besides showing cars with eye-popping paint jobs and shiny chrome, Murray said the best part about the Road Knights is the camaraderie that has spanned 70 years.

"We really are a family," Murray said.