Chas (1972) – Norcross, Georgia

This friendly fella’s name is Chas, and he’s been greeting drivers north of Norcross, Georgia for over 50 years.

Chas is made of welded iron and was designed by Dan Jackson, who was commissioned to create the sculpture circa 1972 by the owner of R&R Auto Parts,² later succeeded by GO Pull-It.

Location of Chas

Chas was apparently named for Charles Newport, an employee of R&R Auto Parts from 1969 to 1977, although the figure was reportedly modeled after Newport’s brother.³

Sounds like bullshit, but it makes for a cute yarn.

When the nearby Buford Highway was widened to four lanes, Chas moved from the ground to the top of the sign,⁴ where I first met him in October 2024, following a rather muted repaint.

Chas’ face was originally white, his tongue was red, and his eyes were blue, but that’s too much color for these dreary times, I guess.

References

1. Carter, Rochelle. “Like Cobb’s Big Chicken, Chas statue’s a landmark”. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, August 19, 1997, p. J1. ↩︎
2. Ibid. ↩︎
3. Ibid. ↩︎
4. Ibid. ↩︎