car people

Dr. John W. Melvin

On July 19, 2014

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.

By EMan

On July 11, 2013

In Random

There are dog people and cat people and bird people and somewhere I’m sure, lemur people. I am from the clan of inanimate objects, car people.

When I am introduced to people I’ve seen at work or at social gatherings, the light of recognition I usually get goes along the lines of, “you’re the guy with the black Subaru STI,” or some similar sort of greeting.

And I respond in kind—“and you’re the red Mazdaspeed 3, right?”

Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

By EMan

On March 24, 2013

In Random

When I was growing up, I thought my dad was extra popular and well known in our neighborhood. As we would drive through our narrow streets lined with park cars, other drivers would stop and wave to my dad, and he would wave back. At some point, I asked my dad, “do we know that person?”

The reply was always, “no.” So who the heck were all these people?

Old People with Old Cars

By EMan

On September 8, 2012

In Road Trips and Events

(I’m posting this a bit late, but being lazy and busy at the same time isn’t easy to manage.)

“All of the biggest technological inventions created by man—the airplane, the automobile, the computer—says little about his intelligence, but speaks volumes about his laziness.”
–Mark Kennedy

One thing I hate about the dream cruise is that it’s a giant traffic backup along Woodward Avenue, and that it’s all intentional. After spending the entire work week trying to avoid traffic, I don’t want to sit in one on the weekend.

The Stereotype Games

By EMan

On March 30, 2012

In Random

I play different mental games in my head. One that I can actually share in public is something I call the Matching Game. It’s simply matching a person to his/her car.

Kindred Folk

By EMan

On June 29, 2010

In Rants

I was reading the Booth Babe’s article about summer driving events, when I made the mistake of reading the comments. I hate reading the comments, because I lose all hope in my fellow man (again).

Trying to Make the Driving World a Little Less Annoying

Tag: car people

Dr. John W. Melvin

Update

Car People

Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

Old People with Old Cars

The Stereotype Games

Kindred Folk