Cruising the Net
by Bob Amos
With
the advent of the internet came a new way to do a little cruising. As
vintage motor car owners cruising is nothing new to us, so when we find
ourselves behind the keyboard of a computer merging onto the "Information HiWay" it's just gotta be a perfect match.
In my travels
on this hiway I have discovered many interesting places to visit. Unlike
traveling in a motor car, I tend to visit some places over and over again
and thought how useful it might be to share some of these destinations with
our readers.
So, in an
attempt to provide some filler material for our editor, this column was
developed and will share some of the sites that the membership finds as they
travel the net. I, personally, have a few places for the members to visit
and will start out this month with one that brings back an old talent. That,
being the ability to actually read something entertaining rather than having
it run by us on a television set.
In future
articles I plan on sharing some of the various places that I have visited
during my travels. But remember, this column isn't mine, it's meant to be an
open forum for the members to share what they have discovered and feel would
be of interest to the rest of the members in the club. That said, please
feel free to jump in and provide some addresses and maybe a few words about
the sites that you are sharing.
Gus Wilson
Gus Wilson is someone that a few of you may
have had the pleasure of knowing. Perhaps it was his Model Garage that you
were introduced to? No? How about Popular Science Monthly magazine?
Certainly you have heard of that! Well, Gus Wilson was a fictitious figure
that, with his partner Joe Clark, ran an auto repair shop and gas station
business called the Model Garage. The author, Martin Bunn, stated at least
twice over the years that the Model Garage was located in a small town near
New York City. Gus and Joe were said to be real as was their place of
business. The names had been changed and a promise had been made not to
divulge their true identity. The illustrator of the stories was a gentleman
named Ray Quigley. His illustrations were intended to be real
representations of Gus and Joe as he, Ray, was said to know them well.
Now, the catch
to all of this is, Martin Bunn turns out to be a pen name and was not a real
person. So did Gus and Joe ever exist? We will never know but the stories do
and they can be found on the Information Hiway. Popular Science wrote these
stories on a monthly basis from July 1925 until June of 1969 with one last
story in December 1970 so there are quite a few to keep you busy for some
time. Here you will find a peek into the way thing were during the years the
stories were produced.
While there are
probably a number of sites with these stories I have two that I enjoy
regularly. I will list them below. The next time you climb behind the
keyboard why not cruise on by and visit with Gus and Joe? The stories will
bring back how it was once done in the local garages around the country when
the people and business men were of a different breed.
"Happy Cruising"
www.gus-stories.org/index.htm
www.arcpress.com/modelgarage/gus.htm
