A tribute to my Father - Happy Father's Day!

[Joe Marconi]

MEN OF STEEL

 

Some of my fondest memories as a young boy in the 1960’s were the Saturday afternoons I spent with my father at Babe’s Body Shop in the Bronx. Babe and my father were old army buddies who served together in World War II. They grew up in the same neighborhood and remained friends their entire lives. I never knew his real name or his last name, everyone just called him Babe. As my father and Babe would talk about the old days and the War, I would wander off and watch the men in the shop perform their magic. I can still remember as if it were yesterday. I watched in amazement as these men took a wrecked car and pounded it back into shape. In those days, you didn’t just replace a fender or quarter panel, you fixed it. These guys had the strength of Hercules and the skill of a Michelangelo.

I remember on one particular day, my father noticed how fascinated I was watching the guys in the shop. He knelt down beside me, pointed to the guys and said, “I call these guys, Men of Steel. These are tough guys that work hard each and every day. They can take a crumpled-up fender and with hammer in hand, work it back into shape just the way it looked when it rolled off the assembly line; and all by eye”.

Before we left to go home, my father and I walked around the side of the body shop and pulled two sodas out of the Coke Cooler. Then we would sat down on a bench seat taken from of an old Desoto and finished our Cokes. Could an eight year old ask for a better summer Saturday afternoon?

For many of us, childhood memories have served to create pathways to our careers. The auto repair industry is filled with shop owners and mechanics that draw upon past memories to shape their lives. The auto repair industry may have changed a bit, but we still perform magic every day. We are a dedicated breed and should be proud of what we, as a group, have accomplished.

My passion for this business was born watching those “men of steel” back in the 60’s. I knew from a young age what I wanted to do in my life. I feel lucky that way. I often wonder how many people go to work every day hating their jobs.

I am a mechanic and a shop owner. It’s the life I chose and it’s the life you chose. We all have a special bond. The glue that has bonded us together is our past. That same glue will help secure our future.

My father encouraged me to open my own shop and we shared some great times before his passing in 1986. You see, he was also one of those “Men of Steel”. I’m not one to live in the past, but I would give just about anything to have one more summer Saturday afternoon, sitting on that bench seat behind Babe’s Body Shop sharing a coke with my Dad.

 

Happy Father's Day!

[Gonzo]

Great story, and a great man. Thanks for sharing

[Joe Marconi]

Thanks, I wrote that years ago and repeat from time to time. A lot for personal reasons, as you can imagine.

[xrac]

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[Joe Marconi]

Joe, I always enjoy reading your piece on your father. You were lucky to have such a father. My father had some type of personality disorder that was never treated so he was always something of a Jekyll and Hyde. Consequently my memories are both wonderful and very painful all at the same time but I always loved him even now that he is gone.

 

Life can sometimes throw us a curve ball. All of us have a something or someone in our lives that presents a challenge for us. You are probably stronger because of your experience. Thanks, and happy Father's Day!

[Matheys]

Mr. Marconi, your story is very special. It's always good to remember the "Good Ol' Days". My father is the reason I am in the automotive business, and every day I look at him and ask myself, "How do you drop out of college, in your third year in college, to open up a small "2" bay full service gas station, and expect it to be as successful as it is now?" It is absolutely unbelievable how his business has thrived right from the beginning.

 

My Father always told me to search for something better. Something that has higher pay and more days off. Obviously I didn't listen. I followed in his foot steps because I knew how successful he was, and still is now. The shop is always full of customers, and not just any customers, customers that have been coming to his garage since 1978. He established something special. It takes "MEN OF STEEL" to do something like that.

[Joe Marconi]

Mr. Marconi, your story is very special. It's always good to remember the "Good Ol' Days". My father is the reason I am in the automotive business, and every day I look at him and ask myself, "How do you drop out of college, in your third year in college, to open up a small "2" bay full service gas station, and expect it to be as successful as it is now?" It is absolutely unbelievable how his business has thrived right from the beginning.

 

My Father always told me to search for something better. Something that has higher pay and more days off. Obviously I didn't listen. I followed in his foot steps because I knew how successful he was, and still is now. The shop is always full of customers, and not just any customers, customers that have been coming to his garage since 1978. He established something special. It takes "MEN OF STEEL" to do something like that.

 

Well said! Your father has found the key ingredient to success.