August-September 2023 LIST

HERE’S TO ALL THOSE WHO MADE ME WHAT I AM TODAY-A WRITER!

For all of you who were expecting another memory lane piece about the model kit hobby, sorry, but not this month. I’m a sentimental fool, but sometimes you have to get serious and give credit where credit is due. My catalogs are different from any other dealers in one major way; I’ve been writing a newsletter with each catalog since 1998. I’m delighted when you tell me how much you enjoyed my stories and editorials over the years, but none of this would have happened if not for a small group of kind people who nurtured and encouraged my writing career.

I didn’t always want to be a writer. I’ve loved the written word and cars since I was a babe, and my life has been a tug of war between wanting to be in something vehicle related or any one of a number of different careers, including truck driving!

Mom gets credit for setting me on the right path at a very young age. When I was about four or so, she took me to the Kenilworth library, which was within walking distance from our Tonawanda home. My first time at that library was a revelation. The sights of all the colorful books in the youth section, the comforting and somewhat enticing smell of the books, and the peace and quiet within the confines of this modestly sized library and seeing other kids made for a very positive experience. Mom and dad read to me at night, and when I began reading, I found I always had to have a book nearby. Mom bought me my first two car books, one of which remains with me to this day.

We had a book and record club in fifth grade, and with every new catalog I added to my collection of reading material. There were books on Pearl Harbor, Lincoln’s assassination, and my favorite book of all time, “Winners Never Quit,” by Phil Pepe. When the tv mini- series “Rich Man, Poor Man” came out, I bought the Irwin Shaw novel. All these books are still in my collection.

By high school, I was writing my own books, all of which were baseball annuals with my predictions of opening day rosters for each team and where they would finish that year. Very few people read my 50- page attempts at writing, but I was very pleased with myself. At the same time, I was watching the tv series “Movin’On,” about two fictional cross country truck drivers. I caught the truck driving bug and even sent away for career information on being a trucker. Later in high school, I spent a year taking auto tech. I loved working on cars with dad, but ended up in auto tech as I was refused entry into AP English due to my occasional disruptive behavior in class.

What was it going to be: truck driving, auto mechanic or writing? My parents were mortified about my passion for truck driving, and didn’t think highly of me being a mechanic either. Mom and Dad struck a deal with me; try journalism school for one year, and if I didn’t like it try something else. I took courses in photography and typing to meet the requirements for J school. Mom, who was teaching at a community college at the time, found a state school in Morrisville, New York which had a great reputation for their Journalism program.

By late August, 1977, I found myself at Morrisville as a very gullible freshman. I had no idea what to expect, and was thinking more about my backup plan than succeeding as a writer. It turns out there were four great journalism teachers at Morrisville who were determined to help me on the path to being a writer: Jerry Leone, Neil Bandlow, Joe Quinn and Charlie Hammond.

Jerry was the head of the Journalism program and a very personable guy. His specialty was photography. That course was mandatory for all J students. I really enjoyed the course and tried my best to learn the craft that first semester. Jerry was always willing to answer questions, help student who were struggling, and kept a positive atmosphere in the classroom.

Joe Quinn was a down to earth man with a very folksy personality. In our classroom, with its manual typewriters in an U-shaped series of desks (designed to replicate that of a big city newsroom), he stood watch over about 25 students in his Newswriting 101 class. This was the make it or break it course, designed to determine who could write well under deadline pressure. More than a few students couldn’t cut it after the first year and washed out. I was initially quite nervous in Joe’s class, where he taught us how to write a news story using the inverted pyramid style.  It took some getting used to, but by mid-semester I had the hang of it and started thinking I could make it as a journalist. I took Newswriting 102 with Joe the next semester and by the end of my first year felt my confidence grow.

Neil Bandlow, my favorite college teacher, was a former baseball player with a love for sports, perpetual smile and warm personality. I spent a semester with Neil in a sports journalism class and loved every minute of it. Neil was a stickler for detail, but at the same time very encouraging to all his students. I treasured our one- on- one meetings, which were very entertaining and even more educational. I remember lousing up an editorial, receiving one of my rare poor grades on a paper. Neil took the time to point out to me what I did right and what needed work. Today, I consider myself a fine editorial writer. Thanks to Neil for taking one of my weaknesses and turning it into a strength.

Charlie Hammond, in his younger days, could have been a lead character on the tv series “Mad Men.” He had a jovial personality, and became red in the face with laughter every time he told one of his Madison Avenue stories about working in the ad industry. His right hand always seemed like a was holding an imaginary whiskey glass, but I don’t know if he drank. He really glamorized advertising for me, and I recall picking out an old campaign for the Volkswagen Bug to analyze and do a report on. That’s how I discovered the magazine Ad Age, which became regular reading material for me.

The common thread for these fine teachers was positivity, compassion and nurturing. Without them, who knows where I would have ended up. After year one of school, I gave up the dream of truck driving and moved down the road to Utica College of Syracuse University.  Once again, Mom played a role in this decision. I had it in mind to go to Biscayne College in Miami for a sports public relations major. Mom, however, said Utica had a fine Public Relations and Journalism program, as well as an equally reputable major in Occupational Therapy for my sister. So, off I went to Utica in late summer 1979.

The Public Relations program at Utica was started by esteemed Professor Raymond Simon in the late 1940’s. It was one of the first of its kind in this country, and the program has only become even more reputable since then. Prof Ray reminded me of an academic Elmer Fudd. He was a small wizened older man with a curious accent. Still, I respected him as a living legend.

I only took two courses from Ray during my time there, and both he and the courses scared the heck out of me. One course, Cases in Public Relations, involved the thorough review of famous and infamous cases in the U.S. One thing I learned quickly was to be ready to be called on with the correct answer. Failure to do so, meant public embarrassment and a lower grade. It reminded me of Professor Kingsfield in the movie “The Paper Chase.” Sometimes the questions were in two parts. You would get part one yet, but then say “ahhh” on part two. On to the next student. From Ray, I learned to be concise with my papers, verbal answers and thinking process.

At Utica, I quickly switched my minor from Psychology to English. I took a Masters Level course in English Composition from Professor Edwina Ham. The students in the class were a mix of English, Journalism and Public Relations majors. I loved that class, with its hands on approach to writing correct English and doing it in a constructive manner. Dr. Ham was very pleasant in the classroom. I later took a Greek Mythology class from her and an advanced English comp class as well. I had aspirations of getting my masters in English or Public Relations from another school so I could teach, but my money ran out and I never finished my masters. I did take two master’s level Independent Study classes from Dr. Ham to further hone my skills, and those were very enjoyable.

Dr. William Haponski was an administrator at Utica and a very refined individual. He was a West Point graduate with a distinguished military record who was in the academic world for many years. At Utica, he taught my creative writing class. I enjoyed most of the class, except for poetry. I’m not much of a poet; all I could write about were road rage and gruesome forms of death. Hardly inspirational, but I gave it my best shot. I did much better with short stories and other forms of creative writing. I was impressed with Dr. Bill’s mature and formal teaching style, and asked him if we could continue creative writing on an independent study basis. He agreed and I spent a semester under his tutelage. Dr. Bill is a published author, and has a book currently in circulation. Thanks for providing me with the discipline I needed.

Finally, John Behrens. Although I only took a magazine article writing class from him, he may have made the most impact on my writing career. John, who passed two years ago, had more than 15,000 articles published in his lifetime. I took the magazine article writing course out of curiosity. Up to that point, all of my courses were either in English or Journalism. Taking the magazine course broadened my horizons permanently. We were mandated to research, write and submit for publication one magazine article as a major course requirement. John gave us all the knowledge to do that, and I was published twice during my time at Utica College. Since then, I’ve published dozens of magazine pieces, one book and about 250 Fred’s Model World newsletters. Prof John’s extensive knowledge has served me well over the years, mainly the does and don’ts of how to write for publication.

I was born to be a writer, but it took a small roomful of people to get me there. Somehow, no matter how many twists and turns there are in my life, it all comes back to the written word. Thanks to everybody for educating me and keeping me pointed in the “write” direction. And thanks to you, my customers/readers, for your encouragement and compliments along the way. There are not enough words to express my gratitude.

FRED SAYS

I isn’t as smart as I think I is. Forty years ago, while visiting my wife at her humble mobile home in Petersburg, NY, I was reading the local penny saver. There were plenty of word classifieds. Most seemed to end with a phone number and Will Dicker. It seemed as if Will had a monopoly on stuff for sale in that area. I mentioned this to my future wife. She laughed and said “that’s not a person, it means the seller will negotiate on price.” So much for my two college degrees!!

Fred’s see food diet. For a successful diet, pick out a small dinner plate, put your glasses on and load up the plate. Take a look at your food. It will be larger than you think. Begin eating. No seconds on food and no second opinions on my diet, please!

Five things that would survive a global thermonuclear war: Spam, Cheez Whiz, Dolly Parton, cockroaches and your gym membership.

In my last list, I wrote about Cleve-Hill Plaza, our go to plaza for shopping when we lived in east Buffalo during the 80’s. In early August, about one third of the plaza went up in flames. At least six businesses were damaged or destroyed. After the fire, someone broke into one of the shops and stole the ATM. A sad story all around.

FRED’S MODEL WORLD BLACKLIST-NO MORE SALES TO THIS INDIVIDUAL:

CHUCKIE COCO RAN-not exactly his name, but he’s from Indiana and never paid for a pile of nice goodies from June. If you’re not going to pay for an order, just tell me so someone else can buy the kits!

FRED’S MODEL WORLD AMT AND ERTL MODEL KIT VALUE GUIDE-yes, my guide is still available. This book lists all AMT and ERTL vehicle kits from the late 50’s to 1999. Values are still current. $10