Staying Captivated — The Kaczmar Legacy

Every Crosley has a past and each owner tells a story, but only one little wagon has made history in a cross-country adventure that became a dream come true.

Ronnie Kaczmar's journey to travel to all lower 48 states in a Crosley began in 1969 in his 1951 Crosley station wagon. The final states were traveled in 1994. (Ronnie passed away in April 2003.) Ronnie's trip-concluding statement, which appeared in a Keystone Region newsletter at the time, noted:

“I am writing from Cincinnati after Jean (Ronnie's significant other) and I just completed covering a 6,406-mile trip, from Dearborn, Michigan to the West Coast with the '51 Crosley Station Wagon, which up to this point had covered 43 states over the last 25 years. The last five states needed to complete the goal of a Crosley that covered ALL 48 states were South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.”

Lisa Kaczmar-Woods recalled why her Uncle Ronnie chose to make this trip in this CD wagon: “First, he planned to take his Crosley to all 48 states… so he could say ‘somebody’ did it. It was his dream. He picked his '51 CD wagon, one of his nine Crosleys at the time, because it was a station wagon. It had a roof rack and a ‘sound’ engine and body with hydraulic brakes. Further, it was road-worthy.” Powered by a standard Crosley engine, this automobile traveled thousands of miles across our beautiful country without any major mechanical issues. In 1994, Ronnie concluded:

“We now have memories of a lifetime — a Crosley that has now covered all 48 states. Thanks to my Dad, Walter, and Jean for going along with my ‘dream come true.’ I guess a good title for this Crosley story would be ‘A Little Engine That Could.’ It was once said that the Crosley engine is the size of a kitten with the heart of a lion. This Crosley lived up to that statement, and we did it with a standard Crosley engine.”

Ronnie's grand-nephew, James Woods, 28, of Murfreesboro, TN, is the present curator of this historic 1951 station wagon. He continues to share the legacy of his late grand-uncle Ronnie and the stories of “A Little Engine That Could.” The '51 has been stored at the Michigan home of James's grandfather, Jim Kaczmar. Over several years, James has updated the car, replacing interior headliners and adding electric wipers, an electric antenna, and dome lights — generally adding his personal touch.

Special NoteA more detailed article about the final trip to complete the last five of the 48 states was previously submitted by Ronnie's nephew, Joe Kaczmar, in the Crosley Quarterly, Winter 2020 edition (pages 16–17).