The interior of Devin Enterprises plant in El Monte. Bill Devin, on the right talking with Wayne Thomas, then an editor at Motor Trend.
Photo: Bob D’Olivo
During the fifties, I not only had a business relationship with Bill Devin, but we were also friends. We saw each other rather frequently in later years when he and his wife, Mildred, (we called her “Middie”) moved close to my Palm Springs house. When Bill passed away in November 2000, Middie asked me to deliver the eulogy. And, since now I’m the only survivor among the group directly involved with Bill in those days, a number of Devin enthusiasts have asked me to write about him.
Art Evans
I first came into contact with Bill due to my association with OCee Ritch. (OCee is not a typo—it’s an American Indian name.) In 1956, both he and I were into auto-related advertising and public relations. With the idea that the whole might be greater than the parts, we formed a partnership. One of OCee’s clients was Devin Enterprises.
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