PPG Helps National Corvette Museum Uphold
a Promise
Family, friends and
Corvette enthusiasts gathered April
29 at the National
Corvette Museum
in Bowling Green,
Kentucky, for the unveiling of a special
fully restored bright red 1984 Corvette. The car belonged to
Burke Rhoads, a Nicholasville, Kentucky, police officer who
was killed in a 2015 car accident while on duty. Rhoads had
been restoring the Corvette and had promised his daughter, Jacquelyn, that she could drive it to her prom when she
turned 16 years old. Rhoads’ wife, Melissa, wanted to finish
the project and asked museum staff for a referral to a shop
that could paint the car.
The management team at the museum offered to restore
the entire car, in a gesture of appreciation to the nation’s police forces and a tribute to Officer Rhoads. The museum’s
Vehicle Maintenance and Preservation Coordinator Daniel
Decker took charge of the project. The Corvette community,
including Corvette Central and members of the Bluegrass
Corvette Club, stepped up to help with cash donations and
parts. Once the car’s mechanicals and body were restored, the
museum turned to PPG for help with the finish.
“Contributing our products for this worthwhile cause was
something we were happy to do,” said Bill Shaw, PPG director of marketing, automotive refinish. “We were humbled by
the request. It is a pleasure and a privilege to help the family
members of those who serve and protect us every day.”
The museum had an ongoing relationship with PPG.
For the Rhoads family’s restoration project, PPG donated
the needed paint, and museum staff approached Final Finish, a PPG customer with shops in Morgantown and Bowling Green, about painting the car. Final Finish owners Eric
and Chase Ingram agreed to take on the job, and painter
Fernando Resendiz gave the ’Vette its bright red coat using DELTRON 2000 DBC Basecoat and CONCEPT DCU2021
Urethane Clear. The car’s red finish complements its red interior, which was made special when the museum had Officer Rhoads’ uniform badge and name tag stitched into the
center console to honor his memory.
“This project has been a labor of love for the museum
team and everyone who contributed to it,” said Katie Frassi-nelli, the museum’s marketing and communications manager.
“We were grateful to participate. We have always tried to
extend that gratitude to law enforcement; PPG-Rhoads_Cor-vette.jpgto be able to translate that into an act of kindness
was very meaningful for us. It’s wonderful to help bring a dad’s
promise to fruition.”
