An Account of Dick Teague's Early Life

Judy Carman of San Francisco shared the following picture and story about Dick Teague, legendary creator of the Pacer and other AMC vehicles.

Richard Arthur Teague as a child actor

My mother dated him in the forties. She was a riveter for Hughes Aircraft during WWII. He wanted to be an airplane designer. Mom told me that when the Pacer, Hornet, and Gremlin came out they must be by him because those were the names of his model plane designs.

He was a child actor. She also has a double pic of him dressed as a boy and girl, from his childhood acting portfolio. One in a sailor suit as a boy, the other in a dress with a big bow on his head. They used boys to play girl parts in the silents because they thought girls were too delicate to endure the hot lights and rigorous work. She also said that he was in the original "Little Rascals." I don't know if this is true since Mom has an imagination. His acting career was curtailed because he was in an auto accident and lost his eye.

They were engaged to be married but his mother was a socialite who did not like my mother's humble background. I believe his father designed the Chrysler and Ford pavilions for the '39 World's Fair. His brother became an architect.

I also own a 76 Pacer D/L. It's the only one I've seen in San Francisco.