Page 53 - Nov 2022

third class, which means that they were guys home in Grand Rapids and me to see Susie at Valpo
who had washed out of nuclear power plant in Indiana. He was driving, lost control on a rain
training and sent to the fleet to fulfill their soaked freeway just outside Toledo, Ohio and the
enlistment commitments. They didn't want to car was totaled,
be there and knew nothing about how to work
I was thrown from the car (i couldn't sleep with a
on a WWII engineering plant. The last two
seat belt on) and was in a coma for two weeks. He
years were better. I was an engineer, Repair
was thrown out, broke his neck, and was paralyzed
Officer and Boilers Officer, on the USS John F.
from the waist down.
Kennedy, a super carrier. What a difference.
On a small ship like a destroyer you knew We both graduated from USNA , but, while I went
everyone on the ship at the end of a on to serve in the Navy, he was medically
deployment. On the JFK I had a lot more OPTAR discharged. We still stay in touch and got together
money to operate with but I only knew about again this October for our class' s 50th reunion.
20% of the crew . When I left active duty I MOTORING: What a horrific accident; yet, you
went into the Reserve and changed my recovered and then came back to having an LBC
designator to become an Engineering Duty after a 30 year gap. Why did you decide on a
Officer. I spent 17 years in the reserves. Triumph and are you a do-it-yourselfer when it

I went to work as a civilian in a shipyard in San comes to maintenance?
Francisco (Bethlehem Steel) as a Marine ADAMS: I didn't exactly decide on it. My brother
Machinist Supervisor - then got into plastics Eddie in California has always been really into sports
through one of my fellow officers in the cars and he and Susie conspired to find me a British
reserve unit and never left plastic processing. car . In 2005, he found a car that had only one

My job moved us back to Virginia and then serious owner and shipped it back to Nashville.
we were moved here to middle Tennessee in Except for things like a paint job and mounting
1993. We'll be just short of 30 years here when wheels I do all of my own work
we head west on November 12th. In high school, my Dad had a 1956 Buick Special that

MOTORING: When did you get involved with lost the oil one day and he said I could have it if I
the Nashville British Car Club? Have you always could fix it. I learned on that car. I also rebuilt a
had an interest in British cars and how did you 1975 Mercedes 240D engine in my garage when it
end up as the club's webmaster? developed a compression problem.
ADAMS: I bought my Triumph in 2005, joined The most challenging thing with the British cars is
the club in 2007 and did my first club car show dealing with the hard to get to nuts and bolts.
in 2008. I was never really into the internet but Eddie and I have come to the conclusion that the
I did have an extensive understanding of the people who built these cars were carefully bred to
use of computers in business so becoming the have long, thin fingers that could reach into the
club webmaster was a comfortable fit. tightest spots.
MOTORING: Was the Triumph your first British MOTORING: The NBCC seems to have a special feel
t
car? to it? a welcoming casualness that you don? find
with every car club. If you were going to tell
ADAMS: I got my first British car in 1970 ? a
someone based on your experience why they
1968 Austin Healey 3000 ? BJ8. I drove it back
should join the club , what would your ?pitch? be ?
and forth from my home in St Louis to
Annapolis for two years before it was totaled In ADAMS: I would say it is not your ordinary car club
early 1972 in a one car accident. A classmate where guys just talk about technical stuff continued
and I were driving to the Midwest ? he to his on page 54
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