The passing of Dave Ferguson

[Vito C.]

[David B.]

Re: The passing of Dave Ferguson

Ferg preceded me as 53-55 Team Leader. He was a gentleman and an extremely knowledgeable guy. He will be missed. RIP, Ferg.

[Dan H.]

Re: The passing of Dave Ferguson

Dave was a true Gentleman, always fun to Judge with! RIP Dave!

[Steve D.]

Re: The passing of Dave Ferguson

I did not know him, but my sympathies to his family. It sounds like he had quite a life. What an interesting career. I know a few military pilots and that type of career is just part of their makeup. We should all be so lucky to do something that we are that passionate about for a living instead of paying the bills. Also his passion for vettes seems like a natural extension.

[Bob D.]

Re: The passing of Dave Ferguson

My condolences to the family. Dave was a great guy to judge with. As a fellow Air Force and Edwards AFB family member he will be missed.

[Roy S.]

Re: The passing of Dave Ferguson

[Joseph S.]

Re: The passing of Dave Ferguson

I met Dave through other Corvette friends. Our first encounter was a 4 hour day going with some guys to look at a 55 Corvette. From the first moment we met he treated me like we were old time friends. He was truly a great man and a good friend. We'll all miss him.

[Gary H.]

Re: The passing of Dave Ferguson

It is a very sad day, we have lost a wonderful man. Ferg was one of best ambassadors for the hobby and NCRS that I know. God Bless you Ferg, rest in peace, we miss you already.

[Dick B.]

Re: The passing of Dave Ferguson

We have lost a great one both in the hobby and the country. Dave was a good friend and a American hero. RIP Dave

[Gary C.]

Re: The passing of Dave Ferguson

Dave Ferguson, true gentlemen and a great patriot!

Dave was a big contributor, providing his outstanding knowledge and leadership in updating the 1956-57 Judging Reference Manual 5th Edition.

[Dick W.]

Re: The passing of Dave Ferguson

May the Peace of the Lord be with the Ferguson's. RIP Dave..

[Michael H.]

Re: The passing of Dave Ferguson

Like many of you, I am stunned to receive the news of David Ferguson's passing, and I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere condolences to his family and also to share my somewhat "long-distance" perspective of him. I'm not a long-time Corvette guy, but became very interested in 1954 and 1955 Corvettes about 6 years ago, strangely enough after my 10-year old son expressed an enthusiasm for them. After researching them on the internet, I learned that many cars were designated as "NCRS Top Flight" cars. I didn't even know what the "NCRS" acronym stood for, but I eventually found my way to the NCRS website where I stumbled upon the name of the then-Master Judge for the 1953-55 Corvettes, David Ferguson. Since his phone number was listed, I called him out of the blue.

I was amazed at how generous David was with his time and at his willingness to talk for almost an hour with an absolute stranger and obvious novice about these early cars. David told me during that conversation that the first thing I needed to do was to join the NCRS and buy (and read) the '53-55 Corvette Restorer CD. That was the first of many phone calls that I had with David during which he gradually taught me over the phone the nuances of '55 Vettes. When I later was able to buy a car that needed an incredible amount of work, David suggested that I take it to an NCRS meet to get it judged before doing any work on it whatsoever, so as not to undertake repairs that I might have to "undo" later. (That turned out to be the single best advice I received during the entire subsequent two-year restoration.)

I can't really count the number of times that I later telephoned David to ask him about such obscure things as bolt heads, black paint sheen, and the like. Working from different coasts and a three-hour time zone differential, we ultimately resorted to exchanging emails in which I would provide a list of ridiculously arcane questions, and he would promptly and painstakingly answer each and every one of them. I truly do not think I could have restored my car (and certainly not to its current level) without his incredibly generous input and advice. When he later found out that my son was interested in steath fighters, he even sent me a video tape featuring the F-117 and F-22 that I later learned from other sources (not from him) that he had actually test-flown.

But what most impressed me was how willing David was to help someone who he had never even met! To this day, I feel like I somwhat knew David, but I never actually had the honor of greeting him in person. That's something that I will always regret. In my view, David Ferguson personified what NCRS members should aspire to be--courteous, patient, modest, fair-minded, incredibly informative, and perhaps most impressive, never once condenscending to someone who knew a whole lot less about Corvettes that he did.

Mike Hooker

[Dick C.]

Re: The passing of Dave Ferguson


RIP Dave, you will be missed by us all.

Dick Capello

[Cece N.]

Re: The passing of Dave Ferguson

We are so sorry to hear about Dave Ferguson's death and our hearts go out to Jan and his family. Dave was always a gentle man and a gentleman. He was the epitome of what a NCRS judge and member should be.
Cece & John Paul

[John P.]

Re: The passing of Dave Ferguson

I had been aware of and a fan of Dave Ferguson's aviation feats long before I met him in the NCRS. He always struck me as bigger than life, yet humble and with a spark of life in his eyes I will always remember. He was always calm (I guess that's one of the things that made him such a great test pilot), in his conversations he always showed his love for his family, his country and this hobby and was always more than willing to share his extensive C1 knowledge with whoever asked while he was a team leader, as a judge, as an owner-restorer and as a friend, I will miss him! God be with you and with Jan and your family! RIP Dave!