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1. Where did you grow up?
Born on the South Side and moved to Calumet Park in the south suburbs when I was 10. Lived there until I was a young adult, and I’m still a Sox fan.
2. In your youth did you imagine being a writer? If not, what did you want to be when you grew up?
My father designed machine tools, so I thought I should be an engineer. After a seventh grade teacher suggested I look into journalism instead, I thought that was much better suited to my personality and never seriously considered other fields. It was a good decision because higher math confuses me.
3. How would you describe yourself in high school?
Clueless.
4. What was the first car you owned?
I bought a 1966 Mustang in 1968 that looked good from far but turned out far from good. It taught me a valuable lesson that you should have a used car checked out by someone who knows what they’re doing and shouldn’t buy a car mainly on looks. It had been in a serious accident, but I didn’t notice the telltale signs.
5. What things do you find yourself doing that you said you’d “never” do?
I thought I would never buy a 4-door sedan until I got my first car after college (a 1968 Buick that ran on seven of the eight cylinders) with $350 I borrowed from my Dad. Beggars can’t be choosers. Now, I wouldn’t think of buying a car with fewer than four doors.
6. What is your favorite food?
Oxtail soup, as made by my wife. It’s a hearty soup full of vegetables and flavored by oxtail meat and bones. That’s not why I married her, but it has made me love her even more.
7. Who has been the most influential person(s) in your life?
Besides the seventh-grade teacher who steered me toward journalism, it was a journalism professor and adviser at Eastern Illinois University who prepared me for life in the real world.
8. What is your favorite travel destination? Why?
Paris, any time of year. I’ve been there twice and just love the city, for the history and architecture, the food, the women and even the cars they drive (and to see how badly some Frenchmen drive them). How about if we tour the Paris Motor Show instead?
9. What do you feel sets the Chicago Auto Show apart from other auto shows?
McCormick Place is a great venue because it provides more space than most other shows, so manufacturers have room to display all their vehicles, with space left over for extra stuff.
10. What concept car at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show are you most interested in seeing? Why?
To be determined because most of this year’s concepts have yet to be revealed. A couple I hope to see in Chicago are the Honda CR-Z, a hybrid 2-seat sports car, and the latest version of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric vehicle, one of the hits of last year’s show.
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