Dr. Sam Kucey's retirement ride: Classic cars and sweet gestures

Retirement Ride: Dr. Sam Kucey shares his passion Dr. Sam Kucey shares his passion for the Ford Woody and a sweet hobby helping the hospital he loves. CTV’s Joel Haslam reports.

As he gingerly polishes a smooth strip of bird’s-eye maple on the side-panel of his 1950 Ford Woody, Sam Kucey recalls how his love affair began.

“As a teenager, I loved everything Californian,” he says with a smile.

“I’m embarrassed to say I dyed my hair blonde to be a ‘Beach Boy’, although I was called a “Bleach Boy” which led to some fisticuffs in high-school,” he said, grinning and raising his hands like a boxer.

“I always had a hankering for a wooden car because you always saw them with a surfboard on the roof going down the highway. I loved that.”

He loved it so much, Kucey now has two of his own. Both were made in 1950, the year of Kucey’s birth.

“I saw this car (a burgundy-coloured Woody) and it was just a shell sitting in a garage and I thought I would like to rebuild it.”

“Like all cars, it starts off as a project you think you’re going to do in a year or two, but it takes a good ten years before it gets done. Still, it was a real joy putting it together,” said Kucey.

“And I love taking the grandkids out.”

While the rebuilt model has been modified with such modern features as air conditioning and power steering, another of Kucey’s “Woody’s”, or “Woodies”, as they’re also known, is almost original.

“I bought the green one as a parts car in New Hampshire and fell in love with it. It just needed some new wiring and a bit of paint, otherwise it’s exactly the car that rolled off the line in Indiana. And it’s only been owned by one other person and myself. I’ve had it for 15 years,” he said.

The husband, father and grandfather gets a lot of attention when he’s out for a drive. His cars turn heads.

“You get a lot of this,” he said, pointing his two thumbs up.

“And you get ‘My dad had one of those’, or ‘My granddad had one of those’, and unfortunately now, ‘My great granddad had one of those,” he laughed.

“These were a very popular car in California. There are hundreds of them. There aren’t many in Ontario. Maybe, three or four,” he said.

“It’s a dream of mine to go to a show in California but they’re such perfectionists I’ve got a few dimples to fix up here and there before I bring it out,” he said.

Kucey also has a 1951 MG TD, much of the vehicle also made of wood. He keeps that treasure at his Florida home.

“It’s my favourite little car. It’s a 51 but it rolled off the line in 1950, so I still identify with it,” he smiled.

Long before breathing new life into vintage cars, Kucey was restoring lives at CHEO.

“I came to Ottawa in 1976 and CHEO was putting the department together. They need an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and I was the first one at CHEO.”

“What I did was sort of a cross-discipline of dentistry and medical surgery. It involves a lot of congenital defects like cleft palates and treating a lot of medically compromised children, or children who’ve experienced trauma,” he said.

And to this day, Kucey still marvels at the resiliency of those children.

“They never give up and they never stop smiling. They’re a joy to deal with.  If I miss one thing more than anything in retirement, it’s working at the Children’s Hospital (of Eastern Ontario) which is a magnificent institution. It was a good, long 41-year career in Ottawa but I’m enjoying retirement,” he said.

But even in retirement, Kucey uses one of his hobbies to continue to give to the hospital he loves.

“This is my fifth year keeping bees.”

Kucey helps the pollinators make their sweet honey. In return, the good doctor does something sweet; offering jars to friends and family in return for donations to CHEO.

“It’s a bit of a hook because when I give it away, it says “CHEO” right on the top, so they say ‘maybe I should pay for this,” he smiles.

“So, yes, all proceeds go to CHEO.”

“It’s such an incredible place and it was my privilege to have worked there for 40 years. It was always a big part of my life,” said Kucey.

When not cruising in his surf mobiles, or harvesting honey, you will likely find Kucey on the golf course. Much of his backyard is designed as a putting green.  Astroturf covers a landscape dotted with flags and strategically-placed holes.

“I was introduced to golf by my dad. He loved it.  He was a working man who put together some outings in the summers and was kind enough to bring me along. I grew to love the game.”

Kucey is a long-time member of the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

“Part of my body and soul for 50 years,” he said.

He’s written and published a history of the club, “The Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club: Our First Century A History 1908-2008.” And he’s currently writing a second book on the game he adores.

“It’s a book on golf and is soon to be out at your newest store,” he quips.

Meanwhile, Kucey is quietly planning a road trip to California in 2024. He’s excited to hop in Woody and roll down the highway.

“Lord willing, if I’m still around, that’s going to be a fun trip,” he said.

And will there be a surfboard on the roof?

“No, but I may put a cedar strip canoe I built on top.  I just have to latch it down and off I’ll go.”