Here is a link to an article I wrote for The Wichita Eagle about a mechanic who worked at Gorges Volvo for 45 years. He's something of a legend in the Wichita area. The link includes a pic of him and his 1967 122.


http://www.kansas.com/126/story/335688.html

 

Welcome to the forums. Nice article, it's good to read about people like Mr. *** who make such an impression and contribution.

Mr. Coxreminds me of a guy, Mr. Csibathat was a friend of my father's back in Cleveland, very similar background only his focus for many decades was on Volkswagens. My dad owned a '59Opel Rekord for many years as well as an earlyto mid 60'sSunbeam Imp whichMr. Csiba did quite a bit of mechanical work on to keep them running.

Thanks for the story, and for the memory it brought back for me!

 

Thanks for the comment and for sharing your memories.
It's sad to think that guys like John *** and Mr. Csiba are a dying breed. They don't grow mechanics like that much these days.

 

Several people told me the link no longer works, so here's the story.

BY KEVIN SHEEDY,
The Wichita Eagle

Caption: Photos by Mike Hutmacher/The Wichita Eagle

John ***'s head under the hood of a Volvo has been a common sight since 1957.



When John *** retired in 2002 from Gorges and Company, "Mr. Volvo" didn't stray too far from his automotive roots. And those roots run deep - all the way to the birth of Volvo in the United States.

*** takes part in the service department's twice-yearly auto clinics despite problems with his eyes and advancing years. And he pays periodic visits to check up on the dealership on north Webb Road.

But that should be no surprise to the legions of Volvo owners familiar with the old-school mechanic who has a "Mr. Volvo" personal plate on the front of his car.

***, 76, was the dealership's first wrench turner when Gorges started as a Volvo dealership in 1957 at 1958 North Broadway and he didn't leave until his retirement in 2002. That's a remarkable span of time in any industry.

In between, he left a mark on the dealership that is felt six years after his retirement.

"I always had a motto, if you had a problem with a vehicle and we worked on it, don't go tell somebody else, come back and tell us, and if we can't help you, I'll find why we can't help you," says the friendly, quiet-spoken ***.

"That's a lost art anymore."

*** also had a way of making a customer feel like his or her car was in trusted hands, especially when he became a service manager in the late 1970s.

"When John talked to a customer asking about what to do to a car, he always used to say "If it were mine, this is what I would do," recalls Marc Gorges, head honcho at the dealership.

That "If it were mine" mantra was affixed to the top of an in-house company newsletter Gorges used to write.

*** began working for the Gorges family on farms in southeast Kansas as a teenager. "On the farm I overhauled a couple of tractors in the implements building."

Gorges remembers chasing cattle with *** on the farms as a child. "John is family. I'm 60 years old and I don't remember not knowing the guy," says Gorges.

When Gorges' father, Fred, moved to Wichita and opened a car dealership, *** followed.

"I was like all teenagers, I had a head full of wheels," *** says. He took that head full of wheels and became a pioneer in Volvo service in the U.S.

"John was one of the very first Volvo mechanics in the United States," Gorges says. The Wichita dealership was one of the first in the U.S. after Volvo decided to tap into the U.S. market.

"It was not unusual at all for Volvo to call John and say, 'John, we've got this 544 and this doesn't work or that doesn't work. What have you found out about those things?' " Gorges recalls.

*** earned two trips to Sweden, where Volvos are manufactured, because of his expertise under the hood of Volvos.

Over the years, *** has seen many changes in the technical side of the automobile.

One change in Volvos that he hasn't fully embraced is front-wheel drive. "I guess it's hard for me to accept yet. I like the real-wheel drive." Like we said, old school.

*** is a certifiable gearhead, with a rare 1967 Volvo 122, a 1979 240 wagon he bought new that has only 38,000 miles on the odometer and a 1984 242 turbo with intercooler in his stable.

Plus a 1989 760 and a 2002 Cross Country, which was a retirement gift from Gorges.

"He more than deserved that," Gorges says.

Kevin Sheedy can be reached at 316-268-6626 or at ksheedywichitaeagle.com.

 

Thank You very much for posting it.

 

I wish I could find a Mr. *** around these parts. Truly a dying breed I think.