Distributive justice in a mass society is uneven at best but it is ludicrous in the case of the State of Connecticut’s Department of Environmental Protection versus John Fitch. The 90-year-old World War II hero, auto-racing star, first manager of Lime Rock Park and inventor of the yellow Fitch Inertial Safety Barriers is in danger of losing his home because he reported two old oil tanks on his property might be leaking. Told by the DEP to remove them and test every well within 500 feet at his own expense, he did so. No wells were found to be contaminated but he was then ordered to remove all the contaminated soil. Some 3000 tons later and a $350,000 bill in sight, Fitch rightly feels he is in danger of losing his home for doing the right thing. As John Dinkel commented to AWCom, “A perfect example of no good deed going unpunished.” AutoWeek says those who would like to help can join Dan Gurney, Stirling Moss, SCCA corner workers and racing fans by sending a check to: “The Friends of Fitch Homestead Fund,” Salisbury Bank and Trust Company, P.O. Box 1868, Lakeville, CT 060399.
Also benefiting from the empathy of auto journalists is Frank Washington, still recovering in his Detroit home after a brutal mugging. The Southern Automotive Media Association, most of whose members never met the veteran writer, sent along a check following a collection at its monthly meeting. Some of Washington’s Detroit friends arranged a second fund-raiser on April 12 at the New Way Bar in Ferndale, Mich. and, as noted, Brenda Priddy is coordinating an EBay auction of items donated to benefit him.
Al Vinikour, the man of many hats, added a hero’s wreath to his crown and a free flight voucher to his wallet recently when he made his insulin and blood sugar monitor available to medics treating a fellow airline passenger’s in-flight diabetes attack. . . . . Here is a link to someone seeking an online auto editor:
http://tsikot.yehey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49066 . . . D. Mike Pennington, ArvinMeritor’s senior director of global marketing and communications and industry relations for Commercial Vehicle Systems, was awarded the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Truck Writers of North America (TWNA). It is the highest award bestowed by the TWNA. . . . . A Yahoo survey on how best to get a job in auto journalism determined the best answer was to keep on knocking, sending articles to outlets until you start selling and the rest will follow. However, best to read first a blog on Edmunds Car Space by hudsonthedog titled “So you wanna get into automotive journalism?”. For more on this check Canadian auto writer Jil McIntosh’s blog at http://jilmcintosh.typepad.com/jil/automotive_journalism/index.html
Al Ries suggests in an Advertising Age column that its name is a chief reason Isuzu is getting out of the passenger car business in the US. Consumers didn’t cotton to it. . . . The Car Book, published in cooperation with the Center for Auto Safety, has developed new front and side Car Book Crash Test Ratings. These ratings allow the government’s crash test results to be compared on a relative basis, enabling consumers to identify the top performers from those at the bottom.