Memoirs of a Rebuilder By Robert R. Brown As told to Bradley R. Brown I guess the story of B&L Alternator and Automotive really began with foot- ball. Frank J. Brown Jr, my father, made the trip across Virginia from Bristol to Newport News at the age of 22 after finding out that the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company would pay him to play foot- ball for the Apprentice School team. So Dad left the mountains and headed for the coast. Back then it took him 13 hours and he arrived in Newport News on August 5, 1934. I am sure at this time it was unclear what the trip and future would hold for him but as a hardworking man of the times he still made the journey. Frank was the only boy of eight kids in his family and he had to make it for himself. Frank began working in the X31 department for electrical trade. After four years of industriousness and dedi- cation he became a young supervisor and at the age of 26 was also captain of the football team. Not bad for a country boy who grew up laying concrete with his father’s business. Frank always had ambitions for a business of his own, so in 1948 he bought two lots for about $500 and built a 50-by-100-foot building where he could begin his legacy. His first business was called Mercury Armature Company. Frank would let apprentice guys work on “piece work” winding armatures and receiving pay for what they could turn out. Frank also had limited rights to VMC who sold wire, varnish, ovens, etc., solely to anyone who had the franchise (which was limited). Just to give you an idea for the arma- ture business back then, it took 13 major operations for one armature to be pro- duced. The day came when Frank bought a 1953 Ford Panel Delivery Truck and began selling and delivering armatures from within town to North Carolina. This delivery process grew to fixing genera- tors on tractors, cars, and trucks. One day a local businessman named Whity Green asked Frank if he would be willing to supply auto parts stores with generators, armatures, and_ starters. Frank, of course, said yes. So he started hiring employees and rebuilding units from junkyards. As the business started growing Frank let one of the shipyard apprentice boys start running the busi- ness during the day while Frank contin- ued to work day shifts at the shipyard and nights for himself. At this time the name was changed to B&L Generator Service, where B was for Brown and L was for Lafferty. After a few years Frank bought out Lafferty’s portion of the shop. Frank at this time started to expand his business more by bonding brake shoes—400 sets a day which sold for $1.25 per set wholesale—and once again the name was changed to B&L Generator and Brake Shoe Service. Frank never changed the name B&L since it was already pretty well known. At this time the wholesale side of the business was doing great and B&L was stocking up to 25 stores. In 1961 he made the difficult decision to leave the shipyard and work full-time in his business. At age 17 I started working full-time after school since up to this point in time I had been working folding boxes and such since the age of 12. Pll never for- get that year, it was 1962. I began work- ing on Ford starters with my dad and he started teaching me everything he could about winding armatures, among other things. He also had a two bay garage for electrical installations. Back then you did everything you could and no job was the same job all the time. One day you would be building starters, next genera- tors, next boxing brake shoes, next load- ing trucks, unloading the cores, and so on and so forth. After some time I started working on some cars out in the bays or whatever else I could do to help out. When the alternators first started making their appearance on the scene in the early 60s, I started working on the Chryslers, Fords, and the Delcos. Back then the light was on, you pulled the alternator, replaced the trio and reinstalled it and made easy money off of a 25-cent part. Now look at the way the business has changed. On April 4, 1964, I was drafted in the Army and served with the 25th Division 2nd/27th Infantry. At this time my father continued to run the business with the stress of me at war in Vietnam and wondering every day if I would return. Luckily I returned home on January 14, 1967— battled and beaten from the war and what I had seen, but went right back =a = Times they are a-changing. Inside B&L are 10 bays for full service auto repairs! —a——— Gia it i * la