Story by Paul Duncan. Photos by Mark Wing (unless otherwise noted)

The Great Gatsby is classic novel written in the 1920’s by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It takes place post World War I at a time of economic expansion, prohibition, Women’s newly granted right to vote, expansion of home ownership, high employment, the feeling of invincibility and the flamboyance of the Jazz Age. The novel takes place in a fictional community of West Egg on Long Island, New York in a well to do neighborhood. Getting to the Gatsby household one coming from New York City travels though areas with extreme poverty and societal neglect. Jay Gatsby, as introduced in the book, is a self-made millionaire, who falls in love with Daisy Buchanan, a married women from East Egg who he previously had known 5 years earlier.

Jay Gatsby is believed by some to be from England and a veteran of WWI and from a very wealthy family. It turns out he was from the Midwest, was in the US Army during WWI but made his fabulous wealth from bootlegging during prohibition. Myrtle Wilson is accidentally killed when she runs onto the highway and is hit by Gatsby’s car being driven by Daisy. George Wilson mistakenly believes Jay Gatsby was driving the yellow 1932 Duesenberg and shoots him and then himself.

The Great Gatsby is a favorite novel of high school American literature classes. At Sandia High School in New Mexico they celebrate the author and his novel by holding a Gatsby day. Last year in March, the US was closed down, classes were cancelled, everyone stayed home, government offices were closed around the country and Gatsby Day at Sandia High School was cancelled. Grocery stores, gas stations and many big box stores like Walmart and Costco remained open. Now one year later the Gatsby Day event was rescheduled to Monday, March 15, 2021.

John Gibbs, President of the Model A Club and also a Tin Lizzie member, invited the T’s to join the A’s this year. Since the Covid 19 cases have fallen so dramatically in New Mexico, and because the vaccination numbers are increasing, we thought this would be a great kick-off of the 2021 driving event season for the Tin Lizzies. Nine Tin Lizzie members were present with 4 T’s. Larry and Lorna Azevedo drove their grandson Cole’s 27 Touring, Mark Wing brought his 1925 Touring and Dave Ferro rode with him, Don Mitchell brought his 1926 Tudor, and Paul and Marilyn Duncan drove their 1920 Touring. Vicky Lujan-Gibbs and John brought their Model A coupe. The weather was excellent though toward the end of the day the temperature dropped.

Many of the Model T and A club members wore period clothes the students came in their cars but were not in period dress and did not get out of their cars to walk around the T’s and A’s. We talked to two of the Sandia High School English teachers who said 70 of the 100 students in this year’s classes did come by. She indicated next year the students would again dress in period clothes and circulate among the cars. We will be back next year.