Cruise Night

Hot Rod Magazine's Dave "Big" Deal Obituary

How bittersweet it is to have written the obituary for my good friend, Dave "Big" Deal, for Hot Rod Magazine's April 2009 Issue (on sale now). Dave's send off features the Cruise Night Camaro and a photo I took of him a few years ago at the drawing board in his Vista, California home. Miss you, man.

Dave "Big" Deal: My Hero (1938-2008)

by Tim Gavern
I am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend, Dave "Big" Deal.

I really enjoyed being around Dave and relished the occasional drive down the coast to his home in Vista to hang out and have lunch with him. Our conversations were always wonderful as he was knowledgeable about so many subjects. Dave will always be my hero and I will miss him terribly.

My pal, Rob Kinnan, editor of Hot Rod Magazine, allowed me to write Dave's obituary for HRM (look for it in the February 2009 issue). Dave had written an autobiographical article for a blog I used to publish and I am happy to have used it for reference. Here's what I turned in:

Notice Anything Different...?

by Tim Gavern
My friend, Dave “Big” Deal, finished the Cruise Night Camaro cartoon today and did an incredible job of recapturing his ’70s style. But what really blew me away was his Star Wars-like rendering of my Cruise Night logo. And he did it in only a few minutes!

We will be printing T-shirts and taking orders. The line forms behind me, man.