I knew this one was coming for quite some time. Jim has been sending a lot of work my way here lately and I knew he was going to be closing down after many years of keeping the bugs of Chattanooga going.
As you said David, sad news for a lot of air-cooled folks in the area, but definitely good news for Jim. This man has worked himself to the point that he's just tired of working. I asked him if he was going to become one of those highlighter equipped checkers at the Wal-Mart entrance...He said that sounded like too much work to him. Whatever he does choose to do to keep himself busy, he's said it won't be much, probably something part- time. As i've said before, much of what knowledge I've accumulated over the years on the air- cooled cars came from Jim and David. I've been down at his place qite a bit lately, parting out some cars, making mental lists, trying to find some buyers for parts, etc. It's quite sad, really...as you said David, the hottest place on the face of the Earth in the summer and by far the coldest in the winter, but I'm very sad to see it go. It is, to perhaps sound a bit dramatic, truly the end of an era. It was more than just a place to work on Volkswagens. I've got that now. Corporate atmosphere, get the work out, suggested selling, blah, blah, blah....With Lockhart's it was different. Every day, Jim would take a moment to tell me what good work I was doing. When was the last time many of your employers said that to you, and you felt they really MEANT it? Everybody had time to offer a helping hand when needed, give the advice when asked, and, in the case of Jim and David, educate an extremely inquisitive post-teen wanna-be mechainc who would, more than a decade later, become the factory certified VW technician sitting here today.
I've said it before...
Thanks, David.
Thanks, Jim...whatever you decide to do, I hope you find happiness and a bit of relaxation.
Chattanooga will miss you, man.
