Jim’s Journey – April 23, 2015
– a recollection of a journey through time throughout Western Clinton County 1934 – present day as told to Tracy Embick.
My love of cars goes way back. I remember when we would play baseball at the lower end of South Renovo I seen a 1933 Pontiac sitting there for quite some time. I would often see old John Redos drive it by my house. I thought it might be for sale. I asked Mike Redos and he said it was for sale for $15.00.
I asked my mother if I could buy it. She didn’t’ have the money, so I asked if I could cash in a war bond. I was 13 years old at the time. I bought the car and put it in my dad’s garage and was sure I could get it running again. After putting a coat of black pant on it, I still couldn’t get it running. I told my dad and asked him to sell it for me; he sold it to Wimpy Marino for $60.00.
After that I bought my war bond back. 14 years old, I was talking to Paul Fantaskey in lower end of South Renovo about a 1924 Maxwell. He said he would sell it to me for $40.00 so I bought it. I thought I was doing pretty good – got my bond back and had money to buy the Maxwell.
I could drive pretty well by then, but my mom wouldn’t let me drive it. I was too young to get a driver’s license. I had a friend with a driver’s license to drive it for me. Sometimes I would sneak it out to take my friends for a ride though.
I remember teaching Neil Johnson and Bobby McCloskey and a lot more of my friends to drive.
One evening a bunch of us was hanging out at Bratz’s Ice Cream on 5th Street in Renovo. We all decided to take the Maxwell to McCloskeys Camp at Haystack Run below Cross Fork. None of us at that time had a driver’s license so it was up to me to persuade my mother to let me drive to Cross Fork and meet the guys. I told her once I was there I would have Blacky McCloskey who had a license drive it. Finally she said okay but I had to drive after dark. I did and met them at Kinney’s store and for the rest of the week we had a ball.
The guys there were Joe Pagana, Bob McCloskey, Ross Gray and me. I am now 15, no license. Could you imagine doing something like this today?
