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HAPPY IN IHE D R I V ISteve Bittner/Times-NewsBob Mayhew of Mayhew Chevrolet in Romney, W.Va., stands next to a 1965 Chevrolet Corvair in the showroom of his dealership. May-hew drove the turbocharged model for a time as did his father before his mother took it. She recently returned it to him for display.Owner of Mayhew Chevrolet marks three decades at wheelMONA RIDDERTIMES-NEWS STAFF WRITERROMNEY. W.Va. — Ebullient is the word that best describes Bob Mayhew.And it doesn’t matter if he’s talking about his family, his business, Mayhew Chevrolet in Romney, the Potomac Eagle, the Loy Foundation or infrastructure and its impact on economic development, pretty much in that order.“I love that I get to make a difference in the community and have fun doing it,” said the 50-something Mayhew from his office at the dealership he has operated for 30 years as of April 1.His enthusiasm is contagious.A visitor to his home, Valley View, brings it all together, his interest in history — one of his two college majors — family and art — his wife Kim is the artist. The brick two-story antebellum home was restored by Mayhew for his family, which includes four children, two boys Kim brought to the marriage and his two daughters. They also have one grandchild. The house showcases the emphasis on family as much as his business showcases the products of Chevrolet.The house overlooks the valley through which the South Branch Valley Railroad tracks meander and the deck off the laundry room and kitchen provides a unique vantage point to watch the Potomac Eagle as it passesI love that I get to make a difference in the community and have fun doing it.Bob Mayhew,Owner, Mayhew Chevroletby.His office at the Mayhew Chevrolet dealership, while not as impressive, is no less comfortable.It was in 1968 that Mayhew’s father took over the day to day operations of what was then Pancake Chevrolet in Romney next to Taggert Hall.John Pancake had purchased the building in 1931 from Vandiver and Leatherman, whose business had gone bankrupt. A 1928 photo depicts the building with 1920s and ’30s cars and fuel pumps representative of the early days of the auto industry in the area.The senior Mayhew had started with Pancake in 1951 working on the grease rack.“I was born in 1954 and my brother Terry in 1955,” Bob Mayhew said.In 1964, John Pancake asked Mayhew to go across the street to Hampshire TVucks and Implements, also owned by Pancake, and help boost that business.By 1968 he was asked to come back and take over the Chevrolet dealership in partnership with RenickWilliams and Campbell Pancake. He later bought out Williams and Pancake’s interests.“I was 14 and I started in the wash bay,” Bob Mayhew said of his entry into the business in 1968. “It was my first job.”As part of the agreement with the Pancakes, the dealership was to continue with the Pancake name for a period of time.Bob Mayhew graduated from Hampshire High School and went off to West Virginia University intending to become a coach or a sportswriter. He started out to major in journalism. He said it wasn’t long until he decided to change his major to English and history, obtaining his undergraduate degree from Fairmont State, then returning to WVU for graduate work.After college in 1978, he went to work for his father at the dealership competing with him and his salesman Jerry Shingleton.“I was on commission only; my father made me work,” he said.A memory that stands out most vividly and proved to be a lesson learned, Mayhew said was when one day he greeted an old man dressed in overalls from Burlington, who came onto the lot.Most people probably wouldn’t have wanted to bother with him thinking he likely wasn’t going to spend any money based on his appearance.■ SEE OWNER - 4E
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Cumberland Times News
Cumberland, Maryland, US
Sun, Mar 30, 2008
Page 25
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