1969 Corvette News: Save the
Wave
One of the first articles written on the "Corvette Wave"
appeared in August/September 1969 issue of Corvette News
entitled Save The Wave. The article read:
"Ever since Corvette No. 00001 first met Corvette No.
00002 on the road, their drivers saluted each other with
waves. Today, unfortunately, this grand and glorious
tradition is wavering.
There's one item of standard equipment that comes as a
pleasant surprise to every new Corvette owner. It's an
instant wave of recognition he or she receives when he meets
one of their ilk's on the road. The first time it happens,
they will be taken by surprise. He immediately thinks:
- He has been mistaken for Sterling Moss.
- His lights are on.
- He has just been given the bird.
Soon, however, the new Vette owner anticipates, indeed
even relishes, encountering other Vettes as he drives.
During this period, he experiments with his waves, running
the gamut from the gaping "yoo hoo" to the ultra cool "two
finger flip." He perfects his timing, making sure he affects
neither a too-early wave, nor the jaded "oh brother"
too-late variety. Determined not to be one upped, he even
develops a defense mechanism for non wavers, usually
settling on the "my hand was just on the way to scratch my
head" approach." (This is especially useful when you're not
driving your Vette, but you forget, and like a dummy, you
wave anyway.)
Indeed, one of the most perplexing problems facing a
would-be waver is what to do when driving next to a fellow
Vette owner. Passing him going in opposite directions is one
thing. Greetings are exchanged, and that's that. But what
happens when you pull up next to a guy at a light, wave,
nod, smile and then pull up to him at the next light, a
block later? Wave again? Nod bashfully? Grin
self-consciously? Ignore him? Or take the chicken's way out
and turn down the next side street? If you're expecting an
answer, you won't find it here. Sad to say, some questions
don't have any.
Girl-type Corvette drivers also have a unique problem: to
wave or not to wave. This Miss, or Misses, who borrows her
man's Corvette for the first time is immediately faced with
this quandary. Should she wave first and look overly
friendly, or ignore the wave and look like a snob? Most
ladies who drive their own Vettes prefer to suffer the
latter rather than take a chance of being misread. For this
reason, all girls are excused for occasionally failing to
return a well-meaning wave. So are new owners who are still
learning the ropes.
There is no excuse, however, for a guy who refuses to
return the wave, not out of ignorance, but of arrogance or
apathy. While this type of behavior is the exception to the
rule, it seems a few owners of newer models refuse to
recognize anything older than theirs, while some others
simply won't wave, period. Boo on them. These ding-a-lings
don't seem to realize that they are helping to squash a
tradition that had its beginnings back when most of us were
still driving tootsietoys."
Dan Woomer (LCCC)
wrote and published these on October 23, 2003
WAVE RULES
