ILLINOIS MAN SPREADS PASSION FOR ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILES, MEMORABILIA

ENERGY, Ill. -- Walk through the front door of Prudential Insurance and you've passed through a time warp.

Bill Staley, the agency representative, has gone to great lengths to redecorate the former bank office with a motif heavy on antique cars and clocks.

"I guess collecting has always been in my blood," said Staley, who has an eye for memorabilia and owns 18 antique cars.

Staley's array of automobiles includes a 1931 Chevrolet Coupe bought new in Herrin by a former bootlegger, a 1941 Chevrolet Coupe he purchased after returning home from Vietnam, and a 1958 Chevrolet Impala, two-door hardtop.

He also owns the highly sought after '55, '56, '57 series of Chevrolet Bel Air HT.

"I drove the '41 coupe to my in-laws' 50th wedding anniversary in Flora (two hours northeast of Herrin) not too long ago," Staley said. "Believe it or not, it's only got 53,000 miles on it."

Inside his office, Staley has added some interesting car memorabilia. There's a Gulf Company gas pump, Goodyear and Kelly tires, Texaco Company collectibles and a full shelf of miniature antique cars.

"I even have a 1920 gravity-fed Texaco gas pump at home, along with an 18-foot tall Texaco sign from 1948," Staley said.

That is but the tip of the iceberg.

There are two 5-cent stamp machines Staley bought from The Bank of Herrin that date back to the late '50s, over 100 antique shaving mugs some from the late 1800s and a lot of old photographs.

One of the photos is a 1911 print of Louis Chevrolet, founder of the car company, sitting in his vehicle.

There is an old print of the signing of the Declaration of Independence; a document honorably discharging former Illinois governor, John R. Tanner, from the Illinois National Guard in 1899; and a collection of Prudential Insurance calendars, some as old as 1899. The company was formed in 1875.

Staley also has a fondness for antique clocks.

"I guess you could call this a one-of-a-kind office," he said. "Since I live in the office, I enjoy having my collectibles around me. It makes my job more enjoyable."