Trying to Make the Driving World a Little Less Annoying

Month: July 2014

Dr. John W. Melvin

John Melvin - Good Guy
John Melvin (1938 – 2014)


Update

A memorial service is expected to be scheduled on Sunday, August 10, at 2:00 pm in the lounge at West Side Methodist Church, 900 S. Seventh St., Ann Arbor, followed by a Memorial Service for John in the Sanctuary at 3:00 pm.

There will be a Celebration of John’s Life at the Ann Arbor City Club, 1830 Washtenaw Ave., following the service.


I was saddened to hear that John Melvin passed away on July 17th after a brief illness. John was one of the good guys in the automobile and racing industry, working for the safety of drivers. He worked from 1968-1985 for UMTRI (University of Michigan Transport Research Institute) and from 1985-1998 at General Motors Research Laboratories. He had been working exclusively on racing safety from 1992 until his retirement in 1998. He had been a safety consultant to NASCAR for the last 13 years.

Empathy

STI Shifter

Grrrrrind…

“It’s been a while since I’ve driven a manual transmission,” said my colleague.

I was in the passenger seat logging data, feeling a little glad that this was a test car and not mine. I mumbled some acknowledgement as I fiddled with my software.

VROOOOM… lug… lug… stall…

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