Under the HOOD
The Newsletter of RPM Foundation • On the Right Track
$60,000 Awarded to RPM Foundation! RPM received almost $60,000 from the net proceeds of "raise the paddle" at America’s Automotive Trust’s (AAT) Wheels & Heels Annual Gala held at LeMay – America’s Car Museum’s (ACM). The “Fast & Furious” auction was attended by many old and new friends of AAT who focused their generosity and passion for the Trust’s commitment to preserving America’s automotive heritage through the RPM Foundation and ACM’s focus on lifelong education programs. Through the RPM Foundation, AAT is able to impact programs, schools and students across the United States and Canada. Thanks, AAT! Photos by Pavel Verboski and Torrin Maynad
America’s Automotive Trust’s Wheels & Heels Annual Gala was held in a dazzling setting at LeMay – America’s Car Museum (ACM). The Gala featured great people, delicious food and excellent fireworks. Nancy LeMay and David Madeira did a spectacular job motivating attendees to raise their paddle, where gifts began at $25,000! Thanks to all for your generous support.
Message from the President Touring the country as I do for RPM, I am grateful to be in conversations explaining the importance of fostering the classic car skilled trades. There is a built-in understanding of the proud tradition of craftsmen and the skilled trades by RPM audiences. RPM Foundation exists to promote and facilitate the technical skills of the classic car, wooden boat and motorcycle restoration industry. The trades, it seems, are still a high school guidance counselor’s dumping ground for lost kids. The perception is that a career in the trades cannot be honorable, rewarding or profitable. One of RPM’s goals is to change that perception of technical vocations. RPM promotes awareness of the classic car trades by directly facilitating automotive restoration programs in schools through our grant funding program. We then work with individual graduates to support their job search efforts with our associated repair and restoration shops. It is extremely rewarding
and encouraging to meet and help such bright, passionate young men and women attain their vocational goals in our hobby. But we cannot do it alone! We need enthusiasts who care not only about the automotive industry, but also about improving our country’s educational system, to help us in our effort. Whether it’s financial backing, networking, lending expertise, or joining us at one of our fundraising events. There is a lot to do, and we’re on the right track! See you along the way,
Diane Fitzgerald, President
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Under the HOOD: Pit Stop DRIVING THE FUTURE – MAKING IT HAPPEN y work with the RPM Foundation has included M some terrific new programs and events which have given me opportunities to learn, while continuing to create more awareness and support for RPM’s mission with a variety of audiences, including: • Collectors at the Arizona Concours d’Elegance at the Biltmore, Amelia Island Concours, and the Collectors’ Car Garage in Chicago. • Racers who are passionate about preserving the history of race circuits such as Midwest International Raceways Preservation Association (MiRPA) and Elkhart Lake Historic Race Circuits Preservation Society (HRC). • Educators creating and implementing restoration curriculum (East Valley Institute of Technology in Mesa, AZ). RPM is important to so many different people: students, shop owners, vintage racers, med ia, museums, historians, car collectors, mechanics, technicians, craftsmen of all kinds, educators…anyone and everyone who have an affection for automobiles, motorcycles and boats. It can be overwhelming at times, but I’m blessed to be invited to so many different places to share my experiences and knowledge, and always to learn.
Special guest Bobby Rahal – with his winning Indy 500 car – helped jumpstart RPM’s Off To The Races at an Up Close with RPM event, which was held at the Collector’s Car Garage (Chicago, IL).
It was energizing getting back on the race track in Indianapolis for the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Together with SVRA, we’ve created “Off to the Races,” part of RPM’s program to get the next generation of craftsmen and artisans up close with collectors where they use their vintage vehicles. We have found this to be an effective way of bringing people together who are interested in preserving and racing wonderful historic race cars. We’re planning to do this at other race venues, but we don’t have to be at the race track to build community. We can bring the race track to the students, by hosting such luminary people like Indy 500 winning driver Bobby Rahal, along with his Indy car, at the Collectors’ Car Garage. So help us be creative! We want to hear from you with ideas and opportunities to expand the reach and awareness for Restoration, Preservation and Mentorship – what the RPM Foundation does!
Up Close with RPM at Club Auto in Tacoma, WA was packed with automotive students, instructors, donors, friends and car collectors who are excited about the work RPM is doing to protect America’s heritage and support our future craftsmen and artisans. Abi Morgan, an RPM scholar and automotive restoration student at McPherson College, got to meet one of her idols at the event – Lyn St. James! Abi is interning at ACM this summer!
Lyn St. James, RPM Ambassador
Lyn St. James, SVRA President Tony Parella and RPM President Diane Fitzgerald at "RPM Day" – a fundraising event at Speedway Karting Indianapolis. Bitney Prep High School (Grass Valley, CA) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for SVRA’s Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational. Drivers Bobby Unser and Lyn St. James accompany instructor James Long and three of his students.
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Under the HOOD: Off to the Races RPM is “Off to the Races” with SVRA and Road America By Willian Hall Weather couldn’t dampen the spirits of thirty-five students and instructors taking part in RPM’s “Off to The Races” program held in conjunction with SVRA’s Spring Vintage Festival at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI. As part of RPM’s Racing Program Series, the event exposed young people to the thrill of vintage racing and the vocational opportunities available within the motorsports industry. Former Indy Car racer Lyn St. James was on hand – and in her element – at the racetrack, speaking to the students about some of the triumphs and setbacks in her racing career. She served as an expert host for the program with her many experiences and contacts in the racing world. Despite intermittent rain showers, Lyn guided the students through the paddock area of the 4-mile Road America racing circuit speaking with track support technicians and team owners. Connecticut-based Cobra Automotive’s Curt Vogt “fitted” the students into one of their classic Mustang racecars, giving them an appreciation for the specialized skills needed in racecar preparation.
Students who attended “Off to the Races” at Road America got to visit Connecticut-based Cobra Automotive in the Paddock at Road America during SVRA’s Spring Vintage Festival weekend. Many students, including Truman College automotive student Alexis Torres, got “fitted” in a classic Mustang racecar.
Sportscar Vintage Racing Association’s (SVRA) President Tony Parella also addressed the students, giving them personal stories of his own personal and professional challenges. Tony’s insights helped students visualize non-traditional career opportunities in the vintage racing industry that surpassed typical tactile-skilled jobs. The students also visited with Mark Gerisch of The Academy for the Art of Metal Shaping of Green Bay, WI, which operates an on-site panel fabrication school at Road America. A veteran coachbuilder who has worked on some of the world’s greatest cars, Gerisch is now passing along his body and chassis fabrication skills through his school, which offers everything from 3-day courses to a full 2-year Master’s Course in Coachbuilding. With programs like “Off to the Races” and “Shop Hop,” the next generation of craftsmen and artisans are seeing how collectors use their cars as well as getting direct access to the world of restoration. The outreach of RPM Foundation is vital to keep our classics – and racecars – on track for years to come. William Hall is a writer, car collector, and classic car industry analyst based in Elkhart Lake, WI. He is the Midwest Editor for ClassicCars.com and a frequent contributor to Hemmings Motor News, as well as a Steering Committee member for America's Automotive Trust.
“My students from Freedom High School in Freedom, WI were impressed by the RPM program at Road America! Freedom is a grant awardee of the RPM Foundation. My students really enjoyed meeting the people who are supporting their educational experience and the school’s automotive restoration program. They were taken aback by the vintage cars and the teams that work on them – they could imagine themselves working in the industry!” – Jay Abitz, Automotive Instructor
Freedom High School (Freedom, WI) RPM Grant Awardee
Thirty five automotive high school and college students from Wisconsin and Illinois attended “Off to the Races” at Road America. Most drove 150 miles one-way to be there in the pouring rain. A big thanks goes to SVRA and Tony Parella for their generous support and for letting us join their Spring Vintage Festival weekend!
“Seeing this side of restoration and being introduced to the vintage racing community was an amazing experience. While some people like to have their restored cars for show, vintage racing is the complete opposite. Seeing racers and support teams push the boundaries in their historic cars was exhilarating. Looking around me that day – everyone was very happy! There were lots of smiles, and curiosity. My plans have changed and I am going to be a vintage racer AND restorer. It is a life of smiles all around.” – Ross Bartolomei, Restoration Student & Graduate Lyons Township High School (La Grange, IL) RPM Grant Awardee
2702 East D Street, Tacoma, WA 98421 Toll Free: 855.537.4579 Email: info@rpm.foundation Website: www.rpm.foundation
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2017 CALENDAR Look for RPM at
RPM BOARD of DIRECTORS Dan Beutler, CFO, Hagerty (Traverse City, MI) Dawn Fisher, Vintage Racer, owner MFD Classic Motors (Lake Leelanau, MI) Keith Flickinger, Master Craftsman, Precision Motor Cars (Allentown, PA) McKeel Hagerty, Chairman & CEO, Hagerty (Traverse City, MI) Tabetha Hammer, Senior Manager – Car Culture, Hagerty (Traverse City, MI) David Madeira, CEO, LeMay – America’s Car Museum (Tacoma, WA) Jim Menneto, Publisher, Hemmings Motor News (Bennington, VT) Paul Miller, President, LeMay – America’s Car Museum (Tacoma, WA) T.G. Mittler, Collector (Santa Fe, NM) Mike Stowe, Master Craftsman, Great Lakes Motor Works (Boyne City, MI)
Car Shows, Concours, Programs and Events! JUNE 6/1 “Up Close with RPM” at Club Auto (WA) 6/3 Greenwich Concours d'Elegance (CT) 6/3 Wheels & Heels Annual Gala @ ACM (WA) 6/11 The Elegance at Hershey (PA) 6/15 “RPM Day” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted by SVRA (IN) 6/18 SVRA Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational (IN) 6/18 Penn College Summer Camp Registration 6/29 The Great Race Lunch Stop, The Gilmore Museum (MI)
Nick Howland – an automotive restoration student at Pennsylvania College of Technology (grant awardee) – proudly represented the Hershey AACA Museum during the award parade while driving a 1938 Lincoln Model K Convertible Victoria by Brunn.
RPM AMBASSADORS Lyn St. James, Indy Racer (Phoenix, AZ & Indianapolis, IN) Pat Barnes, Community College Instructor, Retired; ACM Volunteer (Portland, OR & Indio, CA) Josh Baum, Conservator, Private Collection (Goleta, CA) Herb Clark, Founder, Automotive Restoration Club of Sun City West (Sun City West, AZ and St. Louis, MO) Drew Feustel, NASA Astronaut (Houston, TX) Ryan Levesque, Body Shop Technician, Carr’s Corvettes & Customs; RPM’s 1st apprentice! (Dallas, TX) Bud McIntire, Director of Student Services at Great Lakes Boat Building School, Retired (Winston Salem, NC) Stephen Murphy, Collection Manager, Private Collection (Chicago, IL) Jason Peters, SMS Auto Fabrics; RPM Scholar (Portland, OR) Haydn Puckett Taylor, Owner, HT Motorworks & D Speedshop (Detroit, MI) Burt Richmond, Collectors’ Car Garage (Chicago, IL) David Rising, Automotive Engineer, Tacoma-native (Esslingen, Germany) Clint Sly, President, Collectors Financial Services (Belleair, FL)
JULY 7/15 Forest Grove Concours d'Elegance (OR) 7/15 Kansas City Auto Museum People’s Choice Car Show (MO) 7/11 Lakewood Summer Festival & Car Show (WA) 7/30 Concours d'Elegance of America at St. Johns (MI)
AUGUST 8/6 Milwaukee Concours d'Elegance (WI) 8/20 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance (CA) 8/27 Geneva Concours d'Elegance (IL)
SEPTEMBER 9/10 Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance (PA) 9/11 Ephraim Concours d'Elegance (WI) 9/17 Hemmings Motor News Concours d'Elegance (NY) 9/24 St. Michaels Concours d'Elegance (MD)
While traveling across the country during his annual 3,000 mile road trip – making site visits to schools & shops on behalf of RPM, visiting auto museums and attending car shows – Ambassador Bud McIntire stopped by RPM headquarters in Chicago, IL!
RPM STAFF Diane Fitzgerald, President (Chicago, IL) Sarah Hebard, Interim Administrative Coordinator (Chicago, IL) Stacy Puckett Taylor, Interim Grants Administrator (Detroit, MI)
PRESERVE THE PAST. BUILD THE FUTURE. Who We Are + What We Do
The RPM Foundation supports restoration and preservation training programs for the next generation of auto and marine craftsmen. As the educational arm of America’s Automotive Trust, the services, resources and grants provided by the RPM Foundation safeguard the future of the collector vehicle industry by sustaining hands-on training for young adults. The RPM Foundation is based in Chicago with an office in Tacoma, Washington, and Ambassadors in 11 states and abroad.
Supporting RPM Foundation – Thank You! Help us achieve our goal of raising $1,000,000! Today, with funding requests more than triple what we are able to giveaway, we need your support. Donations of any size are deeply appreciated. For more information, contact Diane Fitzgerald, President (diane@rpm.foundation, C: 312-543-5732 Direct: 855.537.4579 www.RPM.Foundation).
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RPM Foundation is an entity of America's Automotive Trust. UTHtrack17
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