This was my father's Olds

[oldspartsgirls]

After GM announced they were releasing Olds my sister wrote an article which ended up being in the Chicago Tribune's section Voice of the People. I wanted to share this article with all of you, I thought you might appreciate it.

This was my father's Olds

There have only been three times I have ever seen my father cry.
The first was when he crashed his 1986 Oldsmobile 442, the second was when he dropped and me off at college, and the third was Dec. 12 when he came to the realization that all he had ever known was to be shut down.
Last Tuesday General Motors announced that it would phase out it's Oldsmobile division. Although this may not affect many people, it sure affects thos who haev given their lives to the business.
My grandfather opened his first Oldsmobile dealership back when my father was only 1 year old.
My father grew up amoung Oldsmobiles, and today he continues to work there. He has given his life blood and sweat to this business, and has seen both the good and the bad times of Olds.
In addition to owning a dealership, my family owns many Oldsmobiles- new and restored. I fondly remember those Saturday afternoon car shows where I would walk around in awe of all the "cool cars."
Even better for me was my first highway driving experience.
I was taking our 1992 Trofeo to Oldsmobile 100th anniversary in Lansing, Mich. In addition to the Trofeo, we took down our 1986 442, our 170 442 pace car and a vintage 1940 touring sedan (with the first available automatic transmission). This aniversary was amazing, and seeing the line of Oldsmobiles in front of the capital building in Lansing is something I will always remember.
It may come as quite a shock to many, but Henry Ford was not the first car manufacturer in Motor City- Randsom Eli Olds was. Olds built the first "horseless carriage" back in 1886, and started a tradition that would soon revolutionize transportation.
Creating the first production line in 1900, Olds established a plant in Detroit to produce his Curved Dash automobiles. This production line started a new trend in improving the efficiency of how automobiles were built. The tradition has carried on until today.
Unfortunately, Olds shared his ideas with some others, and General Motors came into being. Many car manufacturers followed suit- inspired by Olds' idea. Back when the cars were primitive ans woud break down more often, many commoners would shout "Get a horse." I think its about time to once again consider the option and get a horse- but not a Mustang.
Ashley A. Hames