Pass It On

The temperature gauge on my 1928 McLaughlin Buick failed and I knew Dick Evans had repaired it in 1991 so I tried to reach him. Dick was well known to antique car owners as the “Temperature Gauge Guy”. It turned out to be a long search, and to make it short; I was informed he had passed away last year.

This is a sad loss to his family and club and we antique car enthusiasts have lost one more expert. This time we are lucky, and I am told that he had a skilled apprentice who is as well versed in the art of repairing capillary tubes and gauges as Dick was. I appreciate the fact that Dick took the time to train Roy Martin in his specialty. Anyone needing temperature gauge assistance can find Roy at:

“Temperature Gauge Guy”
172 Laurel Hill Dr.
South Burlington, VT 05403
(802) 862-6374

Although many of us try, no one person can be an expert in everything. We need to keep these specialty skills alive. All you specialists please select someone to carry on with your skills. By doing this you pass on a legacy and by training a younger person we are investing in the future. By not passing on our skills we stand to lose the ability to keep alive a piece of our history.

As an example of a skill lost, several years ago we lost Harlan Skaggs best known for his Stone Guards.

The fact that I had not heard about the passing of another auto specialist is not new, and this is an example of “no matter how many times something is said, some still don’t get the message”.