Honouring JohnZ

[Mac]

I heard a rumour our own JohnZ has been nominated to the NCM Hall of Fame by the Michigan chapter of NCRS. I can't think of anyone more deserving. Now it's just a matter of seeing if his nomination is approved.

-Mac

EDIT by 67HEAVEN: The rumour is now "official". See post #19.

 

[IH2LOSE]

I heard a rumour our own JohnZ has been nominated to the NCM Hall of Fame by the Michigan chapter of NCRS. I can't think of anyone more deserving. Now it's just a matter of seeing if his nomination is approved.




-Mac

I hope it is true as I cant think of a more deserving person,Long befor CE he was shairing his knowledge with allot of folks.

I have also seen him go thru the trouble of shairing factual knowledge only for some dummy to disgree with him.

 

[Mac]

I hope it is true as I cant think of a more deserving person,Long befor CE he was shairing his knowledge with allot of folks.

I have also seen him go thru the trouble of shairing factual knowledge only for some dummy to disgree with him.

As have I... and he's always patient with them...

-Mac

 

[richscorvettes]

I heard a rumour our own JohnZ has been nominated to the NCM Hall of Fame by the Michigan chapter of NCRS. I can't think of anyone more deserving. Now it's just a matter of seeing if his nomination is approved.

-Mac

Absolutely agree. I understand the selections will be made in mid-December.

Just can't think of anyone who has more knowledge or shares his knowledge more freely.

Rich

 

[JohnZ]

Thanks for the kind words - Len Palmer of San Jose, California, took this on all on his own and has worked tirelessly on the nomination package; my co-nominator is Alex Mair, retired GM Vice President and Group Executive, who was my mentor at GM in the late 60's when he was Chevrolet's Director of Engineering (and Zora's boss) and I was a Senior Production Engineer.

Photo below was taken October 26th at our annual Business Meeting when the Michigan Chapter surprised me with their letter of recommendation; I had never met Len face-to-face before, and he flew in from California just for the day, and Alex spoke to the group with a bunch of "war stories" from the 60's, including the GM Chairman demanding that he fire Zora. Alex is 87, and is still very active in developing new automotive technology. There's an edited version of the presentation and Alex's stories on YouTube at:

YouTube - Michigan Chapter of NCRS Recognizes John Hinckley

That's Len on the left, Alex in the center, and yours truly on the right in the photo.

 

[henny496]

I wish you the best of luck John, you deserve it
Tom

 

[f2023]

best of luck

Best of luck and thanks for the advise over the years.
Ted

 

[gmjunkie]

JohnZ you deserve it!!
Congratulations!!
:cool

 

[67HEAVEN]

John,

It's not by accident that you're held in high regard among so many automotive enthusiasts.

Aside from your wealth of knowledge and experience in the design and assembly trenches, you seem to remember just about every detail imaginable and you are never reluctant to help others.

Thank you.

 

[Wilkinshc]

John,

It's not by accident that you're held in high regard among so many automotive enthusiasts.

Aside from your wealth of knowledge and experience in the design and assembly trenches, you seem to remember just about every detail imaginable and you are never reluctant to help others.

Thank you.

I could not agree more. DITTO

 

[Bwmurph]

Don't know you, never met you. All I can say is that if the man who patiently, concisely and comnpletely answers questions that must seem like common knowledge to a guy who has "been there, done that" from Day 1 is any where near the fine speciman of a human being he comes off as, the confirmation is a lock.

Thanks for all the times you've helped me out therough this forum and the magazines.

Bernie O.

 

[67vet]

Best of luck to you John. Thanks for all the knowledge you have passed on to all of us. Please keep up the great work. I'm sure we can all still learn a thing or two.

 

[Tampa Jerry]

John Z

To bad we can't vote on the nomination, or can we??? Best of luck. Jerry

 

[wallyknoch]

.

Go John,

thanks and good luck on the nomination..

 

[XLR8]

John,

It's not by accident that you're held in high regard among so many automotive enthusiasts.

Aside from your wealth of knowledge and experience in the design and assembly trenches, you seem to remember just about every detail imaginable and you are never reluctant to help others.

Thank you.

Well said, 67!

JohnZ... thank you, sir, and Good Luck!

Jane Ann

 

[Kid_Again]

John, this is a fitting tribute to you and your infinite patience with every one.

I know how much time your advice has saved me and I appreciate it!

I also love to see the halfwits argue with you. You amaze me with your patience.

 

[Viet Nam Vett]

John, this is a fitting tribute to you and your infinite patience with every one.

I know how much time your advice has saved me and I appreciate it!

I also love to see the halfwits argue with you. You amaze me with your patience.

Yep...I Agree......And also..once they get a look at your Gee Rage...your a shoe in

 

[67HEAVEN]

Thread title change

Former thread title - "Interesting Rumour"

New thread title - "Honouring JohnZ"

 

[67HEAVEN]

Ladies and Germs,

It's official.
===================================================

For Immediate Release
December 16, 2008
Contact: Bobbie Jo Lee – bobbiejo@corvettemuseum.org
(800) 53-VETTE or http://www.corvettemuseum.org

National Corvette Museum Announces 2009 Corvette Hall of Fame Inductees ​

Bowling Green, KY – The National Corvette Museum has announced the following inductees to be recognized as part of the 12th Annual Corvette Hall of Fame Ceremony in 2009. Production/ Automotive GM Designer, Duane “Sparky” Bohnstedt, Corvette Racing Legend Duo, Anthony J. (Tony) De Lorenzo and Gerald D. (Jer) Thompson, and Corvette Historian/Enthusiast, John P. Hinckley will be recognized with the highest honor bestowed by the Museum for their contributions to the past, present and future of Corvette.
The 2009 Hall of Fame recipients will be inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame during a ceremony and banquet on Friday, September 4, 2009. Their induction will take place as part of the Museum’s 15th Anniversary Corvette Celebration/Grand Reopening and 4th National Corvette Caravan festivities September 3-5, 2009. www.corvettemuseum.org

Corvette Hall of Fame Inductee Duane “Sparky” Bohnstedt began as a junior designer at General Motors in 1951 working on Oldsmobile and Chevrolet designs. In 1952, he was transferred to the Chevrolet Studio working side by side with Clare “Mac” McKichan, the studio Chief Designer. It was in this studio that “Sparky” became involved with the Corvette. He was instrumentally involved in the design of the 1954-1957 Corvettes and passenger cars. “Sparky” was a member of the design team responsible for the three variations of the Corvette for the 1954 GM Motorama, and then moved on to other projects until Chuck Jordan assigned him to do a facelift for the 1959 Corvette. It was an opportunity to make major changes in the design and the team took full advantage of it. The facelift was incorporated in two stages, with the four tail light rear end design (forerunner of the Stingray design) introduced in 1961 and the front end with the flip up headlights in 1963. These changes also led to the new fast back, split window roof.

In 1961, Bohnstedt was made “Associate Professor of Design” at Stanford University and two years later, GM sent him to Germany where he worked on the Opel automotive design. In the mid 70’s he was put in charge of one of GM’s design studios and by 1979 was made chief exterior designer for commercial vehicles until he retired in 1984. After his retirement from GM, he turned his attention to the history of his old Air Force unit of World War II, the 460th Bomb Group. With the help of his wife Betty, they have written and published two books on the history of the 460th Bomb Group, and serve as historians for the group. Bohnstedt was part of a group that helped mold, shape and create Corvettes that continues to leave a mark on generations past and of the future.

Corvette Hall of Fame Inductee John P. Hinckley is a name Corvette enthusiasts world-wide recognize for achievements that span over 40 years in technical contributions to Corvette, engineering and ingenuity as an expert historian and writer. John began with Chevrolet in the early 60’s as a production foreman supervising the build of the Chevy II and Corvair at Willow Run, and moved on in 1966 to the Chevrolet Pilot Line in Flint, Michigan as Senior Process Engineer - Passenger Cars. During 1966-1968, John was assigned to Chevrolet Production Engineering in Warren as a Liaison Engineer – responsible for future passenger car assembly processing, including the Corvette. John spent a great deal of time at Chevrolet assembly plants and participated in the build out of the ’67 Corvette and launch of the ‘68 at St. Louis; hence, John’s love and passion for Corvette and his never ending endeavors to preserve and share Corvette knowledge with fellow enthusiasts. John’s work with friend, former mentor and GM Vice President/Group Executive, Alex Mair and team, resulted in a collaboration that offered improvements in precision manufacturing through a patented “Net Design and Build” concept. This concept, slow to be accepted in the 60’s but in wide use today, brought the manufacturing and assembly process requirements back into design of the parts, dies and assembly tooling from the beginning, minimizing or eliminating traditional gaps, shims and dimensional variations.

John has published hundreds of Corvette technical articles in industry respected magazines such as “Corvette Enthusiast” and has been a frequent contributor to the NCRS “Corvette Restorer” magazine, which achieved the Golden Quill award. He is a 200-level NCRS Master Judge, veteran Bloomington Gold Certification Judge and Corvette Restoration Workshop Instructor, and member of the Solid Axle Corvette Club. He has also penned numerous technical articles for internal GM publications, trade journals, and is a daily on-line technical contributor on the C1/C2 section on Corvetteforum.com, on the NCRS Technical Discussion Board, and on the Corvette Restoration and Preservation List. John was named Vintage Technical Editor in 2003 by “Corvette Enthusiast” magazine.

Corvette Hall of Fame Inductees Anthony (Tony) DeLorenzo and Gerald (Jer) Thompson recognized for their team efforts driving Corvette race cars, possessed the perfect combination of consistency and determination that allowed them to sweep the A/Production calendar clean. Thompson, a Chevrolet engineer, and DeLorenzo, a public relations executive, created a charismatic combination that resulted in wins in 22 straight races over a two year period. This dynamic duo finished one/two 14 times in the races where they entered two Owens-Corning Fiberglas (OCF) cars. Tony and Jer were a unique team that utilized their individual talents and skills to make the OCF team the success it became. Both drivers contributed greatly to obtain sponsor support, gather team volunteers to campaign the cars, develop race worthy cars, analyze failures, and drive. Both had many years of racing under their belts before the Owens-Corning Fiberglas opportunity happened. Thompson began racing in 1961 campaigning a 1956 Corvette in club racing events in and around Detroit, and finishing 1st in his class at Waterford Hills Race Track in 1962. From 1962 to 1966 Jer campaigned a Yenko Stinger Corvair and became friends with the legendary Don Yenko, and developed yet another friendship with his soon to be racing partner Tony DeLorenzo.

Tony began his racing career in 1964 when he completed his driver’s school at Watkins Glen, NY at age 21. He was a good student and by 1966, he posted third place in the SCCA Central Division A/Sedan point standings in his 1965 Corvair. In ’67, he switched to an L-88 Vette and finished second in the SCCA Central Division A/Production class, and second in the American Road Race of Champions at Daytona. The two men, driving individually and as a team, honed their driving skills in preparation for entering bigger, more competitive racing venues such as the FIA races in Daytona and Sebring. In 1968, both had established themselves as race drivers. Jer was able to seal a sponsorship deal with Sunray DX Oil Company for the 1968 Daytona 24 Hour race. With drivers already in place for Sunray DX, the PR talents of Tony helped convince Detroit Chevy dealer Hanley Dawson, Jr. to provide support which included all the parts to build a ’68 L-88 Convertible. This event put the duo into big time racing. Their racing success with a two car A/Production Corvette team in spring and summer of 1968 led to a sponsorship at a new level with Owens-Corning Fiberglas, where they would dominate SCCA racing for the next three years.

Their success in FIA long distance races included a 1st place finish in Grand Touring and 7th overall in 1969 at the Watkins Glen 6 Hour; 1st place finish in Grand Touring and 6th overall in 1970 at the 24 Hours of Daytona; 1st in Grand Touring and 10th overall in the 1970 Sebring 12 Hour; and a 4th overall and 1st in GT finish at the 1971 24 Hours of Daytona. After the adventures with OCF, each stayed involved in racing but more often as competitors than as teammates. Today both men are involved with building and racing vintage Corvettes and sports cars, and their significant contributions to the Corvette marque and racing heritage lives on through their willingness to share lessons learned.

The National Corvette Museum established the Corvette Hall of Fame in 1998. The purpose is to confer the highest honor and recognition upon the most influential individuals in the history of the Corvette. The award recognizes those who have made significant contributions to their respective fields, each having reached the highest level of accomplishment. Inductees must also reflect the highest standards of integrity and character to positively enhance the prestige of the Corvette and the National Corvette Museum.
Additional information on reserving a spot at the prestigious Corvette Hall of Fame banquet will be available in the coming months via our website at: www.corvettemuseum.org or can be obtained by subscribing to our weekly eNewsletter “NCM eNews” at: http://www.corvettemuseum.org/ncmenews/index.shtml

The National Corvette Museum is a member-driven, non-profit foundation dedicated to educating the public through the preservation of the Corvette’s past, present and future heritage. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT, the Museum is located at Exit 28 off I-65 in Bowling Green, KY.

 

[67HEAVEN]

We also owe a debt of gratitude to Len Palmer, member of The Corvette Restoration and Preservation List (CRPL), and John Broman, CRPL List Owner. Please read the following......

======================================================

All:

Relative to John Broman's email post on CRPL relative to John Hinckley's election to the Corvette Hall of Fame - a little more background.

As many of you know, CRPL is very much the fundamental reason I started the nomination process for John H.

After six years of working on my 64 writing CRPL a stream of 500 questions or so and the many replies from John questioning almost every aspect of what to do, why, etc. relative to the restoration, I talked to Wendell Stroud who runs the National Corvette Museum about a way to say thank you for me and all of us for all the help from John. Wendell suggested the nomination to the Hall of Fame.

Wendell, Noland Adams, and John write for Corvette Enthusiast Magazine.
Andy Bolig who is editor of the magazine helped me get off the ground in a major way.

Carolyn Mausley and Bill Wenzel were instrumental in addition. Carolyn suggested I try to get a G.M. former exec involved. Bill has helped get support from key individuals along the way. Both are CRPL members.

Alex C. Mair is my co-nominator. Alex is a former V.P. and group exec for GM who ran engineering for the company - largest company at that time in the world. Corvette was a part of his responsibility. Zora and John worked for Alex. Alex hand wrote his testimonial because he said that no one would believe the testimonial is real otherwise.

Three year process from when I wrote the initial paperwork for the nomination until now. So many good things happened along the way. So much encouragement from many of you. 400 testimonials, now actually close to 600. 400 pages of material including a couple years of John's articles in Corvette Enthusiast magazine. 4 DVDs of John's material. Articles, email forum posts, and John as master of ceremonies of Noland Adams retirement roast as SACC president. I had to use DVDs because CDs don't hold enough data....

For me this is a very, very special day.

Quite simply, it never would have happened if CRPL wasn't a great vehicle to get more satisfaction from a hobby/passion that we all share.

John Broman's testimonial (our moderator) for John is significant and supports the case I made for John's commitment to our hobby.

If you want to have some fun. Take a look at the Michigan NCRS chapter web site. You will see videos on the left hand side of the home page. Steve Rhode did John's video for the site. He is a member of the Michigan NCRS group. Howard Hoover is the chapter president and helped me put the meeting together.

Click on the video list on the home page and you will see where the Michigan Chapter presented a copy of their testimonial to John. Also, see Alex speak on John's behalf and reflect some of the inside war/fun stories as John and he worked together. Alex is 87 now so much credit to him for all his help.

My remarks in the video hopefully reflect your thoughts as well.
http://www.michiganncrs.org/

For all of you who worked with me, encouraged the effort off-line, we super appreciate.

It is so great to say - John Hinckley, Hall of Fame Inductee, Sept. 4, 2009 as part of the museum's fifteenth anniversary festivities.

Hopefully you all feel a sense of how your participation and thoughts made this happen.

Len Palmer
64 roadster or as Carolyn corrects me - convertible....