Retired Priest + Gas Station = The Man Who Wears The Star - Reborn?

What's old is trying to be a nostalgia stop in La Grande, Oregon.

"You can trust your car to the man who wears the Star."

This was a Texaco slogan for many years. It was also many years ago when "Service Stations" dotted the highways and cities of the good old USA. Sure we had enough nuclear power for Mutually Assured Destruction, but that was just a theory. In reality we had achieved the ability to keep our automobiles running reliably for the first time.

For those too young I'll replay my memories. It started when you needed gas for the car and drove into a "Service Station". When the tires of the car hit the air hose and rang the bell one, or maybe even two or three, "attendants" would come running to fill your tank, check your tires, check the oil, fill the radiator and clean the windshield - and then they'd ask you what else they could do for you. Even better was that if your car had a problem there was a mechanic who could actually fix it - right there at the station!

Admit it, kids, that sounds a lot better than a kid behind a cash register at the corner market who watches people pump their own gas and wash their own windows and who can't even tell you where to find a mechanic. That's why I'm happy that someone is trying to play the nostalgia card and make a 1950's style Texaco station come back to life in 2008!

Hank Albrecht retired from the priesthood and is doing everything he can to bring an old Texaco station back to it's former glory. Here is an article from the local paper. The station is at 1508 Adams Avenue (the old US-30) in La Grande, Oregon, about 265 miles from Portland on I-84 on the way to Boise, Idaho. I was there just two weeks ago and I can vouch that he's spiffed up the station and has the gas pumps on the bases. There's no sign of how much more work he needs to do before he can sell gas - the EPA has lots of fuel tank rules you know.

I look forward to the day when I can go back in time and once again trust my car to the man who wears the star. You should stop in and see the station if you happen to be in the area.