With help from a range of supporters, the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, has stepped in to make a promise come true. Before being killed in a 2015 car accident while on duty, Kentucky police officer, Burke Rhoads, had been restoring a Corvette in order to drive his daughter, Jacquelyn, to her prom when she turned 16 years old. 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, and to help a grieving family heal. Once the car’s mechanicals and body were restored, the museum turned to PPG, says Bill Shaw, PPG Director of Marketing Automotive Refinish. “Contributing our products for this worthwhile cause was something we were happy to do. 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 National Corvette Museum already had an ongoing relationship with PPG – established in 2014, when a sinkhole under the museum floor swallowed eight rare Corvettes, including the 1984 Indy 500 PPG pace car. Although all the cars were recovered, five were damaged beyond repair. For more about the National Corvette Museum, visit www.corvettemuseum.org.