Angel of Route 66
Angel Delgadillo, 84, has witnessed the rise and fall of America's most historic byway and gets credit for helping it rise again as Historic Route 66. Telling his story and the road's has become his life's work. Delgadillo was the driving force behind the formation of the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona, which lobbied the state to dedicate U.S. 66 as "Historic Route 66."
Section:Picture story
In this Thursday, May 5, 2011 picture, Angel Delgadillo sits in his barber shop in Seligman, Ariz., with a portrait of himself from an earlier time at right.
Matt York Associated Press
They call him many things: The Father of the Mother Road. The Guardian Angel of Route 66. Sometimes, simply, The Ambassador. His story has been related in travel guides, even on a website for a Route 66 association in the Czech Republic. He and his town were the inspiration for the animated film "Cars," but he has inspired many others, too, with a vigor that age hasn't diminished — a passion for the road he grew up on, and old with.
Associated Press
This photo supplied by Disney and Pixar Animation Studios shows two characters from “Cars.” They are Mater, a rusty but trusty towtruck, and the hotshot rookie racecar, Lightening McQueen. The movie was inspired by Delgadillo and the town of Seligman, Ariz.
Disney Enterprises and Pixar Animation Studio Associated Press
This Thursday, May 5, 2011 picture shows a Route 66 marker in Seligman, Ariz.
Matt York Associated Press
Telling this tale has become Angel Delgadillo's life's work, and he does it without prompting. How he was born right on Route 66 back when Seligman was a railroad town ferrying explorers West. How he followed in his father's footsteps and became a barber, opening his own shop and pool hall along Route 66. How he was a witness to history: the Dust Bowl migration, the transport of equipment during World War II. And how he saw it all change on Sept. 22, 1978 — the day Interstate 40 replaced Route 66 as the main thoroughfare through northern Arizona.
Associated Press
In this Thursday, May 5, 2011 picture, Angel Delgadillo sits in his barber shop in Seligman, Ariz.
Matt York Associated Press
His own place in history was cemented nine years later when he became a driving force behind the formation of the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona, which lobbied the state to dedicate the road as "Historic Route 66." Highway signs were erected, the association launched an annual "Fun Run" of classic cars, tourists and media began converging — and Seligman was reborn. More historic associations followed in other Route 66 states.
Associated Press
In this Thursday, May 5, 2011 picture, the sun sets in Seligman, Ariz.
Matt York Associated Press
Just after lunchtime in a town that is a monument to yesteryear, an old man is cruising down Route 66 using an eight-speed bicycle. He is tidily dressed in khaki slacks, a navy polo and a baseball cap that protects a mostly threadbare crown, save for a few strands of silvery white. At 84 years old, he has an ever-so-slight hunch, a crinkled forehead and hearing aids in both ears. Angel Delgadillo does not look like a rock star. And yet ...
Associated Press
In this Thursday, May 5, 2011 picture, Angel Delgadillo pedals past his souvenir store and barber shop in Seligman, Ariz.
Matt York Associated Press
Two tour buses are parked along the nation's most historic byway, and dozens of adoring fans await: Leather-clad Harley riders. A Parisian wearing a Route 66 tee. Norwegians wanting to shake his hand. Japanese tourists who literally "ooh" and "ahh" as their Angel nears. All along the sidewalk, Nikons are ready — and this unassuming gentleman is mobbed the moment he parks his bike. The fans clutch Route 66 license plates as Delgadillo flashes a toothy grin and says, over and over, "Cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese, cheeeeeese."
Associated Press
In this Thursday, May 5, 2011 picture, tourists have their photo taken with Angel Delgadillo outside his souvenir store and barber shop in Seligman, Ariz.
Matt York Associated Press
In this Thursday, May 5, 2011 picture, tourists walk on Route 66 in Seligman, Ariz.
Matt York Associated Press
Today, Seligman thrives because of the many Route 66-themed businesses. Delgadillo has long-since retired as a barber, and two of his four children run the gift shop now. They try to keep their father at home when possible, only because they know that once he sets foot in the store visitors will occupy him for hours.
Associated Press
In this Thursday, May 5, 2011 picture, tourists walks past Angel Delgadillo’s souvenir store and barber shop in Seligman, Ariz.
Matt York Associated Press
"People want to taste the road — the sights, the smells, the sounds. And he's there to hold your hand," says Lorrie Fleming of Vancouver, British Columbia, who first met Delgadillo in 1994 and has returned to Seligman every year since for the annual Fun Run. "You can't get that on Facebook, what Angel gives you. He reaches his arms out to you. "That concrete has to have a vein to still pump blood, and he's the life of the road."
Associated Press
In this Thursday, May 5, 2011 picture, tourists walk past Angel Delgadillo’s souvenir store and barber shop in Seligman, Ariz.
Matt York Associated Press
But Delgadillo can't stay away. As he says: "Can you imagine getting out of bed into a recliner? You die young." Besides, his life has always been intertwined with this road. Route 66 was commissioned on Nov. 11, 1926, and Delgadillo was born in a house alongside the road just five months later. And so he wakes early, has breakfast with his wife and rides his bicycle over to help open the store. He goes home at noon for lunch, and then often returns to the store before taking an afternoon siesta.
Associated Press
In this Thursday, May 5, 2011 picture, Angel Delgadillo crosses the street on his bicycle as dusk sets in Seligman, Ariz.
Matt York Associated Press
To share stories of Route 66 is to share stories of himself. And that breathes life into them both.
Associated Press