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Bo Scoggins got kicked out of Jim Bowie High School before his senior year for explaining, in exact detail, why students weren’t learning anything and went so far as to offer a number of suggestions as to how Administration could upgrade their efforts.  His wording may have been crude, but the concepts held a certain validity.  Nonetheless, he got his GED while working at the Blue Collar Pet Store.

The kid suffered from haemolacria, and so did the car he drove, a 1956 Studebaker Commander Parkview.  He often said the name of his car stirred images of Patton on a Playground, but then the kid always had a twisted imagination.  “The heater is disconnected, stains are noted on the seats, and duct tape is applied to the passenger door panel,” sounds just like Bo’s old Studebaker, although I believe he opted for the 8-Ball on his shifter, just in keeping with his general view of life.

If I’m not mistaken, Bo’s had a bamboo headliner, as well.  He said it put the monkeys at ease when he’d have to make a run in the Commander to Marfa to pick up a new batch that had come in over the border for the Pet Shop.  “The bamboo soothes ‘em,” he used to tell friends.  “The last thing you want to do is have to pull over to the side of the road and spank a monkey.”  Those he shared the story with were not so convinced that wasn’t exactly what Bo would occasionally do.

Folks were shocked when Bo and his cousin went out to Earl’s Salvage Yard and Formalwear and ripped the 283 cubic inch V8 right out of a wrecked 1960 Corvette and stuffed it in the engine bay of his wagon.  “I’ll bet, by-god, they’ll salute this Commander now!” Bo said the first time he burned rubber in front of the Piggly Wiggly on his way to the Blue Collar for work.  Officer Phil, in his Galaxie squad car, didn’t even bother to turn on his siren, knowing he couldn’t catch up.

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