David and Mary Gulley are more than just Airstream enthusiasts and vintage trailer collectors. They are also passionate about restoring and preserving the history of the Airstream, as well as others like it. By preserving a trailer’s story, they also memorialize the collective stories of the people who spent their lives happily camping in those very same trailers. The collection of Airstreams and vintage campers is also a very personal goal, since the Gulley’s family history is deeply intertwined with that of the Silver Bullets in particular. David and Mary’s passion for their hobby stems from their childhoods when their parents would take them camping. Once they became parents themselves, they raised their two children traveling in Airstreams. I would know, since I am proud to be one of those two children who get to call them Mom and Dad (and got to take my first steps in an Airstream).
Our family history with vintage campers began with my paternal grandparents. David’s parents fell in love with Airstreams in the sixties as soon as they purchased their first one, a 30-foot 1964 Airstream, when my dad was a child. In the early 1970’s, his parents traded that trailer in for a 26-foot 1968 Airstream. They loved Airstreams so much, that in 1975 they custom ordered a 31-foot 1976 model, and it is with this trailer that our family history with Airstreams truly takes off. During this time, my grandparents joined the Arkansas Unit of the Wally Byam Caravan Club International (WBCCI). In 1976, David and his parents attended the 19th International Rally in Louisville, Kentucky, the largest Airstream rally ever held with over 4,500 trailers in attendance. They were very dedicated members, and attended rallies whenever they could until my grandfather passed away one night in that very same Airstream in 1986. My grandmother sold their Airstream quickly after, and our family lost track of it for the next nine years. That is, until one coincidental day in 1995.
As my family was traveling through Hot Springs, Arkansas, they spotted an Airstream on an RV lot. My dad pulled over to inspect it when he saw the faded outline of their WBCCI membership number above the window, hoping it was his parents’ 1976 Airstream that he had been looking for close to a decade. Although it looked completely different on the inside, the pattern my grandmother had special ordered for the awning and folding chairs had been maintained and Dad knew it was theirs. Needless to say, he bought it back immediately. Today, my grandparents’ trailer sits at the forefront of my dad’s collection, completely restored to its original intended condition and cherished beyond belief.
The rediscovery of my grandparents’ trailer inspired my family to join the WBCCI Arkansas Unit in 1995. That following year, they attended the 39th International Rally in Rapid City, South Dakota, with my grandmother. The trip also doubled as a celebration of the 1976 Airstream’s 20th Anniversary. After the rally, David and Mary became interested in the restoration process, and by the late nineties they had collected and restored 17 Airstreams. They had enjoyed collecting cars for years, so it seemed natural that they extend their collection to include their love for Airstreams. When I was born, multiple friends from our club were there to meet me in the hospital. These people became my brother and I’s adoptive grandparents, and the club gave our family so many precious memories with so many amazing people. We are so lucky to have joined when we did, because we got the opportunity to befriend many of the club’s original members, founders and leaders. These friends fueled my family’s passion, inspiring my parents and brother to serve in leadership positions in the club. We became dedicated to attending numerous International and Regional rallies, including WBCCI’s 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2005 at Bull Shoals, Arkansas, where the first ever rally was held.
