I agree and understand the pronunciation is Willis, since Mr. Willys pronounced it that way. I imagine he knew the correct pronunciation. There are a number of higher ups in my company whose names the employees mis-pronounce. Sometimes tongue-in-cheek and sometimes just because nobody likes the person. My point? I'll bet many of the factory workers started saying Willeez, for whatever reason, and it kind of caught on, and since they were a local influence I'm sure it passed around town that way. And as the later generations came along, who didn't know a Willy (Willee) growing up? So it would be natural, not knowing better, to say Willeez. I did till I got more involved with my jeep, and now, out of respect for Mr. Willys, I say Willis, but I don't get uptight when someone else says Willeez. I'm a forgiving person, as I'm sure Mr. Willys was.
Glenn
>>> "Todd Paisley" <paisley@erols.com> 12/09/99 11:56AM >>>
I think Gil summed it up the best: "The jeep I own was made by a company
founded by John North Willys. He pronounced his name "Willis"." I can't
think of a better example than this. It was his company. We are not
talking about names of everyday items such as a "tomato". These are proper
names. Jeez. I feel like I'm arguing whether or not the sun comes up each
day...
>Now, Todd makes a good point about the movies he has. You would
> think that they would pronounce it correctly (assuming that the films were
> made by Willys and not an outside company).
Not only do I have movies that pronounce it "Willis", I have copies of radio
commercials and early TV commercials that say this as well. Any other
pronunciation is just slang. Call it what you want, the name is pronounced
"Willis".
Todd Paisley
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