THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 9, 1997 TAG: 9702090316
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: CLOSE-UP
SOURCE: Doris Townsley
LENGTH: 82 lines
Bryan Cravey is literally a wearer of many hats. Ball caps, that is. He has 425 of them.
``I always wear one that matches what I'm wearing'' said Cravey, whose bright yellow cap indeed, on this day, matched his yellow shirt. ``I've just always worn a hat. You'll never see me without one.''
Cravey, a 33-year-old warehouse manager for J.J. Fasteners Inc., began his collection of ball caps in 1984. He worked for a beer company in Norfolk that supplied him with a new hat every month.
More than 10 years ago, Cravey decided to leave the beer company and go to work for J.J. Fasteners Inc. But he continued to collect hats. When his collection outgrew his home, he moved it to his place of employment, where it continued to grow.
``I sat them up on a shelf,'' he said, ``and people would come in and ask what I was doing. I told them I was collecting hats, and they started bringing them in to me. It just took off.''
While many people bring Cravey a hat or two, he says that occasionally he has received a mother lode.
``I had a friend who got married and had to clean out his closet,'' Cravey said. ``He brought me a bag of 26 hats.''
Cravey said that every hat has a story, like one that a fellow employee's brother brought him from the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea.
``It's probably the most expensive hat here,'' he said, ``because it has traveled over halfway around the world to get here.''
Cravey has built two wall racks to display his collection. One is full, and the other is being filled with new additions. Each rack contains a wide variety of hats of all colors, styles and logos. While Cravey said that he does have his preferences, he added that there is never a hat that he won't accept into his collection.
``It doesn't matter,'' he said. ``I'll take any hat. My favorite hat, however, is the one my sister bought me for my birthday. It says 30-year-old kid.''
Name: Bryan Keith Cravey.
Nickname: Hulio.
Neighborhood: Portsmouth Heights.
Number of years in Portsmouth: 33.
Birthplace: Portsmouth.
Birthdate: Aug. 25, 1963.
Occupation: Warehouse manager.
What other job than your own would you like? Crane operator.
Marital status: Married.Children: Three - Brandon, age 11, Justin, 9, Jaclyn, 4.
Fondest childhood memory: Going to Busch Gardens.
First concert: .38 Special, 1980.
What song or book title best describes your life? ``Here I go Again'' by Whitesnake.
If you won the lottery, what's the very first thing you would buy? A new car.
If you could trade places with anyone in the world for just one day, who would it be and why? An NBA basketball player, so I could meet all the other players.
Biggest accomplishment: Sticking it out and graduating high school.Most embarrassing moment: While digging up a sewage line, I hit a gas line, and the police and fire department all had to come out.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I would like to be taller.
Perfect way to spend the day: Sleeping late, watching TV, playing basketball, watching more TV.
I can't resist: Pepsi.
Favorite Portsmouth restaurant: Jimmy and Nick's Steak House.
Favorite Portsmouth hangout: Madeline's Lounge.
Biggest problem facing Portsmouth: Expansion.
If you had three wishes for Portsmouth, what would they be?
1. More places for young children to go play.
2. Safer communities.
3. All road construction completed.
Other than its small-town atmosphere, what do you like about living in Portsmouth? My entire family lives here. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
Bryan Cravey has 425 baseball caps. ``I've always worn a hat. You'll
never see me without one,'' he says.