Tehachapi News

A Promise Kept - The David Cord Story

To most people, a promise made is a guarantee that something will happen. A promise carries a lot of weight, and sometimes many years pass before a promise can be fulfilled.

Back in 1977, David Cord made such a promise at his father’s graveside. His promise was finally kept on August 5, 2006.

Born in Loma Linda in 1954, David and his family moved to Mojave in 1965, where they lived for four years. In 1969, they moved to Tehachapi where his father, Jim Cord, bought and ran Cord Chevron at Mill Street and Highway 58. He later relocated his business to Tehachapi Boulevard where Rancho Car Sales now stands.

As a mechanic, Jim Cord had a love of cars and he used to cruise the area in a dune buggy. In 1970 he traded his dune buggy and $400 for a 1931 Ford Model A, a project car for restoration, as a good percentage of the parts were in boxes. A generous coating of rust inhibitor was applied to the body and it was rolled into the garage to wait for restoration.

At Tehachapi High School, David played varsity football, as a center for several years. He also played baseball with Dave Markowitz, and was one of the very few who called Markowitz, Davey.

In 1977 Jim passed away and his son inherited the Model A, which was mostly assembled. At his father's grave side, David made his promise: When the Model A was restored, he would drive it to the cemetery and show his father the car he never had time to finish.

Also in 1977, his close friend, Ben Austin, got him interested in law enforcement and he began training at the sheriff's academy. After graduating from the academy, David began working for the Kern County Sheriff's department in Rosamond. 

Long time friend and fellow sheriff Michael Duffy recalled,“I met Dave Cord 28 years ago when we worked in the jail. We attended the sheriff's academy together and were the only two deputies to be assigned to East Kern Substations when we graduated. Dave went to Rosamond and I went to Boron.”

In 1980, he met Joan, a beautiful woman who was instantly the love of his life. He moved back from Rosamond to Tehachapi, where they were married in 1982. The following year, their first child, Courtney, was born.

David, who was now working in Tehachapi, still kept thinking of his promise to his father, but he was so busy with work and family that he didn't have time to work on the Model A.

David and Joan were once again blessed in 1985 with the birth of a second daughter, Ashley. Life was good for David and Joan. It was a bit rough for the 13 years he worked the night shift with the Sheriffs Department, but it was a good life.

“We called him "the Big Man" at first because of his size, but I have since realized it was his big heart that made him the big man,” Duffy said. “I saw him the day he passed away and even as sick as he was, he took the time to offer me his condolences, as my father had recently passed away. I will always remember Dave, his big smile and amiable manner,” he said.

Throughout his life, David accumulated many friends. He was an honest, upstanding guy, liked by everyone he met.

“We worked together and were friends for years. We spent a lot of Super Bowl weekends together. You don't have truly nice guys like that any more,” said close friend Dennis Sterk.

In 2004 David began not feeling well, nothing he could pinpoint, he just didn't feel well. A trip to the doctor revealed problems: A quadruple bypass was needed. These operations are now performed routinely and rarely are problems encountered.

This time was different. Shortly after the bypass surgery it was discovered that David had cancer. As soon as possible, he began chemotherapy to fight the cancer. This caused his diabetes to rear its ugly head and soon circulatory problems began, causing him to lose his left leg below the knee.

He was also worried about his promise to his dad. He was in poor health and might not be able to keep his promise to restore the Model A.

Sterk felt the need to help his buddy.

“When Dave became afflicted with these diseases, I asked him what we were going to do with the Model A, and he said he wanted to fix it up and drive it to the cemetery,” Sterk said.

Sterk then called Al Baumgarten, who is considered an expert on Model A’s and together they created a plan of action.

“Al is the Model A guru. We hijacked that thing right out of Dave's garage and started putting it together,” said Sterk, adding that many members of the car club eagerly came forward, and worked together to get the classic car rolling again.

They made phone calls, did internet research and contacted people from all over the country, including the National Model A Club.

Pretty soon, parts were arriving from Washington, Ohio, and beyond. Things were taken apart, painted and reassembled. An upholstery shop in Massachusetts helped with the mohair cloth interior, which was then installed.

Friends from Tehachapi, Bakersfield and all over the country got involved in this project. Dozens of people, too many to name, put in hundreds of hours helping in any way they could.

The engine was tuned, brakes bled, fluids were filled, paint polished and the chrome was shined. The three spare tires were put into their respective mounts, the dome light mounted and tested. Turn signals were added for safety, the only non-original parts on the Model A. The last thing to do was some red pin stripe accents, and on Thursday, August 3, it was declared finished.

On Aug. 2, David was taken to the hospital in bad shape. His blood pressure had fallen and he wasn't doing well. After several hours, the doctors had made him feel as good as they could, but the unasked question hung in the air like a thick fog: Would David be up to the planned excursion to the cemetery to fulfill his promise?

Saturday morning arrived, a beautiful Tehachapi day, cooler than the recent heat wave we had been feeling. About 30 friends and supporters met at Mountain Paint, where the final touches and wax had been applied and removed the night before.

Photos were taken of the car, along with some of the people who helped make its restoration possible.

At 9:45 a.m. we set out for David's house, his beautiful black Model A gleaming in the morning sun light. He was feeling pretty good that morning, the best he had felt all week.

As Sterk wheeled him outside to see his car, the look on his face was that of a child at Christmas. He couldn't believe how nice those boxes of parts turned out.

He was carefully lifted from his wheelchair into the passenger seat of the Model A. The street was lined with classic cars and hot rods as well as all David's neighbors, who came out to cheer him on as Sterk drove him down his street.

“He couldn't drive, and I knew he was in a lot of pain, but I asked him if he was up for a trip to the cemetery, and he grabbed my hand and said, 'This is what we intended to do,'” Sterk said.

The Model A led the procession of shiny cars to the cemetery where David fulfilled his promise, nearly 30 years later.

He showed his father the beauty of the Model A, but also the beauty of friends and the friendships that he had gathered throughout his life.

“When I drove him back, he grabbed my hand and thanked me for making a dream come true,” Sterk said.

For a few moments, the sun shone a little brighter and the birds sang a little sweeter, as a promise was kept.

Twelve hours later, David passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by the family that meant so much to him.

The Model A will remain in the Cord family as a gentle reminder of a husband, a father and a man who kept his promise.