The Studebaker: For a fun story let’s hop strait to 1965. I was 14 years old and Mom bought a 1953 Studebaker 2 Door Coupe. It looked like a space vehicle modeled from the Jetson’s. We all instantly fell in love with this car not only because of its great design, but it was Mom’s first real car paid for in full for $65. Yup I remember it was $65 dollars. It was a bit rusted through in some areas and it took a quart of oil which cost about $0.25 each time we went any place more than 20 miles. If we went to the beach we put a quart of oil in before leaving and another quart in before leaving for home. We kept a case of oil in the trunk and also kept a jug of water in the car with us in case it overheated which it did often. On a hot summer day in late July Mom put together some nice tasty sandwiches, some fruit, suntan lotion, towels and everything else necessary for a great day at the beach. One common theme that always excited us was the beach, especially Jones Beach which was our favorite. It had the most beautiful white sand, clear blue green water and the heavy scent of clean salty air. From the parking area the beach was about 1000 feet long to the water so there always seemed to be plenty of room between beach blankets. The beach ran for miles or at least as far as your vision over the horizon. We often frequented the NYC area beaches either going with my father in his car or with Bud when he would take us, or we’d take the bus to Rockaway Beach which was only a 45 minute bus ride. Nana would come too but she just liked to get her feet wet. Mom loved the beach and on that hot, hot, July day it was especially exciting because we were taking our very own car. Once we loaded up the car and added some oil we were off to a great day at the beach. On the way we had to stop and wait for the car engine to cool down as billowing steam was escaping from the radiator. Once cool we added water to top off the radiator and continued all the way to the beach. It was hot, near to 98F but riding the ocean waves kept us cool. Mom rode waves too as she and my father were great swimmers and had no fear of the water what-so-ever. They always said that Stan and I were like a couple of fish when at the beach and in the water. We’d stay in the water all day until our hunger for a tasty snack would force us to take a break. Aside from a little sun burn it was one of the most fun days I can remember. There were lots of beach days but what made this one stand out was the trip home. We refreshed the radiator topping off the water and we put in another quart of oil before leaving. We pulled out of the parking area at about 4 p.m. and were just a bit concerned about overheating. We didn’t get very far when traffic on the highway came to a stop and it took about 2 minutes for the awesome Studebaker to overheat in the 98F heat. We pulled to the side to let it cool down and we topped off the water in the radiator. Traffic started moving for about ten minutes and we were again hopeful and on our way home except for the traffic was stop and go now and we quickly overheated again. Now Mom had one of her brain storms and decided that when traffic would stop for a minute or two, we would turn off the car to try to keep it from overheating. But now after doing this about 10 or 12 times the battery seemed sluggish with the starter turning more slowly before the engine would start up. Fortunately the car still started, but now Mom was afraid to turn the car off because the battery needed recharging. So for her next brain storm she began stepping on the gas just a little each time we stopped with traffic in order to increase the speed of the radiator fan to cool the engine. This actually seemed to work for a few minutes until suddenly the radiator erupted in a huge cloud of steam. In the still hot late afternoon air the steam seemed to linger wetting the entire hood and even managing to enter the car through the windows. All seemed hopeless and to top it all off we were running low on water for topping off the radiator. The steam was dissipating from around the car but we knew we’d be stuck there for another 20 minutes. The cars in front of were dead stopped preventing us from even pushing the car over and into the breakdown lane. With the car turned off I decided I’d be cooler outside the car than in it. I jumped up sitting on the hood waiting for the cars to clear so I could push our $65 dream machine, with no air conditioning, to the side of the road. Mom remained optimistic but now, in fear that the battery might be dead, we waited somewhat longer this time for the engine to cool. Ultimately we found that we actually did have enough water to almost top up the radiator one last time and to both our surprise and joy, the car battery ignited the engine and once again we were on our way. At the following exit we pulled off the highway and filled up the radiator and the water jug at the first gas station. We stopped for a snack to give the traffic some time to resolve and dissipate. When we finally left to get back on the highway the traffic was steadily moving and we made it all the way home without stopping. The next day my dad found that it was the cars thermostat that was misbehaving and promptly repaired it. As it turned out, Mom was right about her guess that we would be okay, but I’d have to add in that she was lucky too. Looking back, her optimism was one of the things I loved most about her. No matter how difficult the situation she kept her chin up with a positive attitude. Mom always believed that she had a Guardian Angel watching over her and told me I had one too. I believe she was right. I Love You Mom I’ll never forget