"When I was a boy and my father choose to located his first dealership in Arlington," said tom Vandergriff, Hooker's son who would one day take over the business, " there was only one place to be, and that was on Division Street." Division Stereet was Highway 80, the major road connection between Dallas and fortWorth. Hooker Vandergriff Chevrolet opened at 100 E. Division in 1937. He began selling Buicks in 1946, around the same time that his son, Tom, joined the family business.  

Tom Vandergriff also had an interest in civic affairs. He was President of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, when he heard that General Motors was considering a plant in North Texas. Internally, GM had narrowed its possible locations to Fort Worth or Dallas. Tom Vandergriff advanced the argument that locating the plant in Dallas would draw animosity from Fort Worth, and vice versa; it would be better for GM to choose Arlington as a neutral middle ground. By this point, Tom Vandergriff was in a strong position to be and advocate for Arlington. First he was elected mayor in 1951, defeating incumbent B.C. Barnes. I'd have to say the very seeking of that plant was a major reason why I decided to become mayor, he said to an interviewer some decades later. Second, the Vandergriff dealership at 100 E. Divsion my well have played a role in GM's decision, too. Third, the success of the hooker Vandergriff dealership, as well as the Vandergirff family's long-time connections with GM, made a positive difference at a time when personal connections held great sway in business transactions.