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AR Alumni Newsletter-Feb. 2019

Barn Find Hunter partners with MC

Alumni Austin Hiebert ’17 and Dalton Whitfield ’18 recently spent a week in Midland, Texas working with Barn Find Hunter Tom Cotter rebuilding a 1962 Ford Country Sedan. The goal is to take it from junk yard to show field when Cotter drives it from Texas to McPherson for this year’s C.A.R.S. car show in May. Cotter serves on the National Advisory Board for the AR program. The project was a collaborative effort with support from Hagerty and the West Texas Cruisers. You can learn more about the Barn Finds story on the AR Facebook page: @MCautorestoration or check out this video from Hagerty.

 

 


Students publish Bugatti Manual

A manual researched and written by Professor Luke Chennell and students Carlos Espinel ’18 and Phillip Reinhart, senior, highlighting the Bugatti Type 57, 57S, and 57SC was published in January. The project, funded by the Bugatti Club of America, gave students the opportunity to interview Bugatti experts and work with alumni Ryan Noble ’08 and Ross Barton ’06 to prepare the manual. It provides basic information, diagnostics, and helps owners prepare for rally events. Current students Nick Chapetta, junior, and Reinhart were selected to help write a second manual that will focus on the Type 35 Grand Prix.

 

 


Dates set for internship, career fair

Do you remember making a great contact for a future job or internship at the annual AR career fair? Now is your chance to offer those kind of opportunities to current students. The 2019 Internship & Career Fair will be held at McPherson College on February 20-21. This annual event allows industry partners and employers a chance to tour the workshop facilities, interact directly with restoration faculty and students, and interview candidates for summer internships or employment upon graduation. Please RSVP to [email protected] if you are interested in attending.

 

 


New Scholarship attracts women to program

A scholarship honoring the legacy of Ellen “Nellie” Jackson encourages young women to pursue careers in the automotive world. Jackson was the matriarch of the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company and a trailblazer in the collector car hobby. Born in Pontiac, Michigan, one of her first jobs was in the accounting department at Fisher Body, a division of General Motors. She and her husband, Russ, began collecting cars in the 1950s and by the end of the 1960s they had a collection of more than 30 vehicles and were active in local and national car clubs. At that time, Nellie was named the first female regional director of the Classic Car Club of America. Nellie and Russ started the Barrett-Jackson Auction with Tom Barrett in 1971. She held active roles in auction operations up until her death in 2010 at 90 years old. Throughout her life, Nellie Jackson combined an astute business sense, an open and caring personality, strong personal relationships and an appreciation for collector cars and the hobby to create and ever-growing universe of family, friends, colleagues and associates.


Mark Your Calendar

An Evening with AR, May 3, 2019, featuring Donald Osborne, will kick off a weekend highlighting the AR program at McPherson College. Osborne, in his signature bow tie, is a regular contributor on Jay Leno’s Garage on CNBC, and lends his considerable knowledge to organizations such as HVA and RM Sotheby’s. The 20th Annual CARS Club Car & Motorcycle Show is set for Saturday, May 4, 2019. The event will begin on Friday night with a Cruise-In at 6 p.m. on Main Street in McPherson. On Saturday, the car and motorcycle show will get underway at 8 a.m. on McPherson College campus. More details about An Evening with AR and registration for the car and motorcycle show will be on the McPherson College website in March.