Boe Wood Chevrolet, 1720 E Hillsborough Ave.

Boe Wood Chevrolet- 1720 E Hillsborough Avenue. Date unknown. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida Digital Collection.

John A. (Boe) Wood opened his Boe Wood Chevrolet Chevyland at 1720 E Hillsborough Avenue in 1964 after purchasing the former Dempsy Chevrolet from Jack Dempsey's heirs. Wood was the vice president and general manager at Dempsey years before he purchased the business. It was the “other” Chevy dealership, with Ferman Motor Car Co. also selling the brand downtown. Wood’s lot offered used cars as well.

The 1960s was an exciting time in the auto business with the emergence of stock muscle cars like the Chevrolet Camaro and Chevelle, Ford Mustang, and Dodge Charger. Sleeker designs and bigger motors, like those in the Chevy Corvette Stingray, pushed the limits of consumer transportation and captured a wider audience interested in going fast and looking good. Wood was able to capitalize on that, along with continuing to service the more traditional interests of older customers and truck buyers.

Wood sold his dealership to Anthony Abraham, a Miami Chevrolet dealer, in August 1974.

In March 1975, Wood was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with 30 counts of turning back milage on odometers on used cars sold at his dealership in August 1974, the same month he sold the business. It’s hard to know if the sale was related to the investigation, but they are coincidental. In June 1975, he pleaded guilty to a reduced five-count charge of milage-fixing four cars and sending false and fraudulent sales certificates through the U.S. Mail. He was fined $5,000 for the crimes, which he paid immediately.

In 1999, the national chain AutoWay bought the car lot from Abraham. The property is now home to Walmart.

John A. “Boe” Wood was otherwise a civic leader as a member of several university booster clubs and the Downtown Sertoma Club. He died in 1995 at the age of 82.

Boe Wood Chevrolet- 1720 E Hillsborough Avenue. Date unknown. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida Digital Collection.

Boe Wood Chevrolet-service department. Date unknown. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida Digital Collection.

Boe Wood Chevrolet showroom. Date unknown. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida Digital Collection.

Boe Wood Chevrolet- 1720 E Hillsborough Avenue. Date unknown. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida Digital Collection.

Boe Wood Chevrolet parts department. Date unknown. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida Digital Collection.

Boe Wood Chevrolet showroom. Date unknown. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida Digital Collection.