Cars and Careers

The first car that I remember my parents buying was a 1962 Plymouth Valiant.  It was known at that time for its revolutionary “push button transmission” located on the dashboard.  I remember the day my dad drove the car to our apartment building in Brooklyn, but I have a more vivid memory of the car’s official “christening” a few days later by my best friend when he threw up in the back seat.  That was not a happy moment for my dad. Key moments in my life associated with the Plymouth Valiant:

• Leaving Brooklyn when we moved to Highland Park, New Jersey because of my dad's job relocation. 

• Getting my driver’s license and permission to drive the car.  It was an opportunity to:

  • Explore places outside of Highland Park’s 1.8 square miles.

  • Exercise the ultimate decision-making as a kid: choosing the music on the car radio.  For folks who grew up before there were cell phones and Sony Walkmans, this was a very key moment of freedom. I wasn't a back-seat passenger having to listen to what stations my parents selected, which was usually all-news or what used to be described as “dentist office music.”  I could choose to listen to what music I liked on the AM radio dial (no FM on car radios back then!).

  • Drive to my first job working the late shift at a printing company.  It was my first exposure to factory work and food trucks stocked with pre-made hard rolls with butter, a “delicacy” that, like Taylor ham/pork roll, is pretty hard to find outside of New Jersey.  The minimum wage at that time was $1.50 an hour and the workers were somehow supporting families of four on that.  The only time that “the suits” came down to the printing plant was to hover over the workers to make sure they were doing their jobs.  I don’t recall a boss ever complimenting a worker or asking about their lives outside of work. 

Things I learned during my Plymouth Valiant years:

• Treat all fellow workers with the same respect regardless of their title.

• Be the boss you would like to have.

• Getting your driver’s license and access to a car is the first time a teen gets to make “adult decisions.” It opened up a whole new world for me of places that would have major impacts in later years on my life and career. 

Next: My Plymouth Duster, a great summer job and post-college job, love and marriage