Motor Memories ...

By Kathy Krzystowczyk
Posted Thursday, March 13, 2008

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By Kathy Krzystowczyk
VIEW Contributor
Spring is coming ... so they say ... with summer apparently not far behind. With warmer weather on the horizon, it brings to mind shiny clean cars, windows down, radio blasting and memories of your first car. Sometimes we associate a song with the memory.
What follows is four local residents and their stories.

Fred Hill, resident of Mayville, first started (legally) driving at the age of 16. Like most folks who grew up on farms, his childhood spent in Imlay City, Fred started out, at a much younger age driving all types of farm equipment.

When of age for driver training at school, he started the class with all intentions of finishing, until a drunk driver caused an accident while he was returning home from driver training. This led to a full leg cast and the school simply passing him.

After purchasing his first car from his driver ed instructor, a 1967 Ford Galaxy 500, with a 351 c.i.d. engine, Fred went on to own some 18-odd vehicles. He currently owns his dream car, a 1970 Chevy Monte Carlo, making any and all repairs himself, with the only modifications to the vehicle being a ‘71 grill and front bumper.

Currently Fred, a professional OTR driver for A & L Iron and Metal of Gaylord, is driving an 18-wheeler several days a week. Having met his fiancée, Deena Stout, in his prior postion as a shop foreman, he happily states that he loves his job driving. Though the Monte Carlo is kept in storage for the winter, he’ll be getting it out in the late spring in hopes of taking it to the Woodward Dream Cruise this summer.

Mary Schroeder of Attica remembers buying her first car from a family member in 1977. It was a 1974 Dodge Colt, purchased not long after she started driving at 16. What stands out most in her mind was its color, lemon yellow and the subsequent negative connotation that the color evokes. She says on more than one occasion the car just stopped, usually at an inopportune time....like the freeway.

Growing up on a farm in Oxford, Mary started out driving a stick shift around the long driveway. When asked about her dream car, she says it’s the car she is currently driving, a 2008 Chevy Trail Blazer. It has great visiblilty for the driver and there are no worries about snow and getting stuck. Though whenever she thinks about that ‘74 Dodge Colt, the song she “hears” is The Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker”.

Mary, who has worked for Lapeer County Bank & Trust for 22 years, is the branch manager in the Attica location. She has been married, with 2 children, to Ron Schroeder for 22 years. With thoughts of warmer weather, Mary is anxious to get her Trail Blazer ready for spring.

With his trusty 1966 Mustang (2-door hard top) currently undergoing restoration, Bryan Zender has his hands full. He acquired the Ford when he was 16, though he first started driving, legally, for various reasons at the age of 14. He had a farm and restricted license for some time.

The car, colored “Arrest Me” red was eventually impounded. Over the course of several years he became well acquainted with local law enforcement. A particular memory of the ‘66 Mustang is the time he was cruising with friends and was pulled over 3 times in one evening by the law of Almont, Dryden and Lapeer!

Bryan currently drives a late model Ford F-250 pickup, though he says if he had money to burn his dream car would be a 1967 Shelby Cobra Mustang, with a 351 c.i.d. engine. As a co-owner of B & B Classy Cars of Almont since the age of 19, along with his father George Zender, he has had the opportunity to restore his ‘66 Mustang, for his 16-year old son.

They hope to have it completed in time for the Woodward Dream Cruise. Any song from the Beach Boys reminds him of those first few summers driving. Married to his wife Donalee for 17 years, they have 2 children.

Jeff Johnson grew up in Royal Oak and started driving at 16. As the son of a police officer, he was always careful. After having a paper route to earn money to buy his first car, a used 1973 Dodge “Gold Duster” with a slant-6 engine, Jeff decided to forgo his senior class trip and take his Duster on his own version.

Along with a friend he drove north to the Upper Peninsula to Isle Royale. Where it promptly over heated along the back roads. In his mind he can still hear Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold”.

Coincidentally, at the age of 19 Jeff met his wife Suzanne, who also drove Duster at an arts and crafts show.

Jeff fondly remembers traveling across Michigan and sleeping in the back of his Duster because he couldn’t afford a hotel room. As the co-owner of Gem and Diamond Specialists in Imlay City, Jeff has moved up in the world and is currently driving a late-model Bonneville.

If he had an opportunity to purchase his dream car, he says it would be a new Subaru AWD Forrester. Said to be extremely reliable on the “off roads,” he would use it for his fly fishing trips with his son. Jeff and his wife Suzanne have been married for 29 years, with 2 children and one grandchild.