****py picture, but, Noel Dowden was quite the man. Noel Ashford Dowden, 87, of Brawley, p***ed away at his home Wednesday, November 13, 2006. Noel was born in Brawley on June 15, 1919 to Frank and Evelyn Dowden. He graduated from Brawley Union High School in 1937 and then attended and graduated from Aircraft Welding School in Wisconsin. He returned to Brawley and opened his own welding shop. He served in the U.S. Army in Germany during World War II for 2 1/2 years, then returned to Brawley and his welding business. Noel married Maurine Richardson and had 2 daughters, Peggy and Kelli Sue, and 2 sons, Bill and Bob. Noel was inventive, and along with his brother Skip, developed the first successful hydraulic feed truck in the Valley. He also invented the first dune buggy in 1946 and it was an instant success.
The Jalopy Journal
