Fidler Genealogy (Loyal William Fidler)

Fortunately for me "Papa" lived long enough for me to know him 18 years, plus he lived nearby (in Augusta, GA, an hour's drive from Columbia). In fact, my earliest Christmas Eves were spent at his house. He was lucky enough to be one of two people on earth with a subscription-by-mail to my comic strip!

In Augusta, his house on Overton was so close to Augusta National that I can remember standing in his front yard and hearing the crowds cheer over at the Masters...

Way back when he still lived in West Virginia (until about 1950) he lived in Elkins where he and wife Eleanor raised my dad and my uncle Bill. Loyal ran the Elkins Battery Service, and later, Fidler Motors (see below):

In his early 40's

That's Loyal on the right, leaning against the storefront.

This is in the mid 1940's... Notice he also sold gas (pump at far left of photo).

We don't know who that is wearing the knickers! Perhaps someone from the business next door (seen behind the gas pump).

During the late 1940's and beyond, Loyal converted that same building to be Fidler Motors where he ran a Studebaker dealership

The storefront was given a large wrap-around window to better function as a showroom

In 1988, eight years after Loyal's passing (and for that matter, over 30 years since he'd lived in West Virginia) I managed to locate his old building in Elkins. The one clue I had was the old photo (above) taken by Talbott Frame and Wallpaper, who had printed their name and address on the back of the picture frame. So all I had to do was find 220 Randolph Ave and look next door. Voila, there it was! Still there, and had not changed much since the Fidler Motors days! It was now an antique store (picture w/Fiero).

This lower picture (w/Tracker) was taken about 1992, the place having become Bikeworks.

Funny, I've never actually been inside the building... The current business was always closed whenever I made my visits (e.g., on a Sunday).

From left to right that's my uncle Bill, Loyal in the middle, and my dad at about age 4
or 5... That would make this approx 1940

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