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By Johnny McDonald – Ramona Home Journal•Fri, Jul 01, 2011

When Ramona Had a Dealership: Greg Brown remembers the days his father owned a Chevrolet-Oldsmobile dealership in Ramona many years ago. It also included a towing service and Texaco gas station. The Don Brown agency serviced the area from 1936 to 1968. He sold it to Bob Tylack, but after a few more years it was closed.

The dealership was located at 780 Main St. on the corner across from the current Chevron Station.  “The corner (lot) went clear back to the alley,” recalls Greg. “The parking lot there had a corrugated fence where I used to clean out weeds. My brother, Alan, was older and worked in the tire shop.

“They didn’t have a whole lot of cars to sell. If you were in a small town you had to have the cars paid for before they were delivered. When new cars came out, there might be four to six there. The used car lot was across the street.”
Always a Need for the Hams: Ran across an article headlined: “Is ham radio dying? No, it’s dead.” It was written by a disillusioned operator bemoaning the fact that the hobby was obsolete because of the ever-growing use of cell phones, e-mails and other communication methods.

“Not so,” says Jolene Dayton, who belongs to the 150-member Ramona Outback Amateur Radio Society.
“Their usefulness is still felt in many cases of emergency and special events, like the recent parade and rodeo,” she said. “Our assistance can be needed in the back country, particularly in case of rescue and the imposing threat of fires. These volunteers are ready to meet the call.”

You’ve probably seen Jolene on her scooters with emergency supplies aboard. A back injury has curtailed some of her walking. “I have a first aid kit attached to my scooter so I can be of help before emergency crews get there,” she said.
As for interest, Jolene pointed out that 23 new technicians recently obtained first level licenses, and that Julian is starting its own group this month.

“We do things to keep in practice and not just chat,” she explained. “You know, we can operate where there are no cell phones or Internet.”

Ambassadors Do Some Leg Work: The Ramona Chamber of Commerce enlists the services of 12 volunteer ambassadors to serve as an unofficial public relations arm to promote understanding and positive, friendly images of the Ramona business community.

“This dedicated group conduct meetings the second Monday of each month,” said Craig Jung, the chamber’s executive director. And, he says, good information here is passed on to the directors.  “They’re the greeters at our mixers and other chamber events. They also organize and participate in fundraising.  “The ambassadors handle special projects like the electronic recycling program or hand out flyers about chamber activities. Basically, they’re our eyes and ears out there. Directors can’t be at all places at once.”

Some participated in Ramona Day at the San Diego County Fair.  One ambassador, Sally Westbrook, indoctrinates new members and arranges ribbon-cutting projects.   “We’d like to have more in our bullpen if needed, so to speak,” Jung said. “It would be nice to have them in reserve.”  Johnny McDonald may be reached at johnny23@cox.net. Opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the publisher.

Article Source: http://ramonajournal.com/the-valley-and-beyond-when-ramona-had-a-dealership-p3536-204.htm

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