My Wife volunteers at the Carnegie Library here and found this picture taken on 12th street in Paso Robles in 1955. Anyone recognize him?

......J.D...550

yep, sans the Porsche so it really isn't OT.

The building in the background looks a little different after the earthquake....at least if it is the same one I think it is.

I wonder why he would hang out in Paso...must have been nothing back then.......or I guess the only town to stop for a rest along the 46.

Elliot, you looked so young back in '55!

It's called the "acorn" building and was completely destroyed during the earthquake. There was only one winery back then. I can't imagine why he stopped. It's a nice halfway point between LA and the bay area.

Cool, James Dean strolled the streets of Paso. Must not have been summertime, cuz he woulda shed the jacket and hat... or maybe it wasn't quite as hot back then. Damn climate change!

I was 5 blocks down when the earthquake happened. IIRC, The wall facing the street peeled away and crushed two people. I'm told the company I used to work for "Glenair" now leases that building. As a matter of fact, I believe it happened just after the "Governator" was put in office. He was there a day or two after, I have pictures somewhere of him walking around and a shaking hands.

Back then, Racers would stop to get gas and have dinner when they cut over From/To U.S. 99 (now Hwy 5) to Hwy. 46 then to Hwy. 101 on his way to or from Monterey/Salinas! My father-in-law grew up in San Miguel and said he would always see racers in town getting gas or at the restuarants.

Paso is a few miles from being geographically in the center from L.A. and S.F.

Just a few clicks down the road from the town of Cholame.
We saw the JD memorial there while picking up our Sheridan widebody out in Paso.
Much Porsche content, Jimmy died on 9-30.
Marty

Paso Robles is notfar from where he died. About two milesfrom the meorial, out in afield, is the exact spot. I found GPS coordinates for it online once, now they are gone again.
in the field, were some remnants of old pavement, but hardly anything. the highway was relocated long after his death.

I was part of a small team that tried to get funding for a documentary on the missing car.

Here's a Sheridan "narrow body" at the memorial sign. Pretty sure I've posted it before.

Nice photo Elliot. Here are a couple of shots of the James Dean Memorial I took when I had my Speedster replica at a car show at the Jack Ranch Cafe where the memorial is placed.

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