A LOOK BACK -- Jerry Person

If you wanted to buy a new Ford car in 1952, you headed to 225 5th St. to

look at the new models at Jim Briggs Ford. So this week, we’ll take a

look Jim.

James Merrill Briggs was born in the little town of Lena, Ill., on Sept.

28, 1920.

His father, a Methodist minister, preached in several Midwestern cities,

and the family traveled with him.

Jim attended grammar school and high school in Peoria, Ill. He was a very

athletic in school, playing football and basketball.

After graduating from high school, he went on to DePauw University in

Greencastle, Ind., majoring in social science. He continued his education

at Duke University in 1938.

Briggs also took flying lessons and earned his pilot’s license.

When World War II broke out, Briggs joined the Navy and ended up at Notre

Dame as a midshipman.

He was commissioned and served three years on the battleship USS Idaho.

It was during his days at DePauw that Briggs first met Betty Thornburg.

They were married Jan. 28, 1943, while Jim was still in the service.

During the war, Betty came to Long Beach to work at Douglas Aircraft.

When Jim was discharged from the Navy, they went to Des Moines, Iowa,

where Jim operated a car and truck rental business.

They returned to California in January 1951 with their two children --

Charles, who was born Aug. 2, 1945, and Patricia, born June 25, 1947.

Briggs worked as a Ford salesman for Mel Burns Ford, later operating a

used car lot in Long Beach.

In January 1952 Briggs bought the Ralph Berry Ford dealership on 5th

Street. He also bought the land and building from Theodore Robbins, who

had the Ford agency there in the 1940s.

Briggs was a member of the Huntington Beach Lions Club and a director in

the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce and lived on Pine Street.

After selling the Ford dealership to Mark Downing, he became a

stockbroker for Merrill, Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith, and they moved

to Santa Ana.

In 1973 they moved to Tustin. This past June, the two moved to Carlsbad

to enjoy retirement.

Jim still owns the property on 5th Street that today houses Pristine

Porsche.

* JERRY PERSON is a local historian and longtime Huntington Beach

resident. If you have ideas for future columns, write him at P.O. Box

7182, Huntington Beach 92615.