Fixed Ops Journal - February 2022 - F4

FIXED OPS JOURNAL
NOT MY FATHER'S FOJ
But the high standards of another former boss ring familiar
I
DAN SHINE
dan.shine@crain.com
Fixed Ops Journal editor
worked for my father
professionally for only one
week before he retired as
publisher of the Detroit Free
Press. And that was by
design. When my two older
brothers and I all decided to follow
in his footsteps into the newspaper
business, he told us we'd have to
fi nd work in a diff erent city. Th e last
thing we wanted, he said, was for
people to think the only reason we
got the job was because we were the
boss's son.
As a result, I never got to
experience what it would have been
like to work for my father. But when
I started working for Dave Versical
in early 2020, I got a pretty good
inkling. Faithful Fixed Ops Journal
readers know Dave retired at the end of 2021 after more than 30 years at
Automotive News. He is the founding editor of FOJ, and this 35th issue is
the fi rst that doesn't have Dave's fi ngerprints and infl uence throughout.
Growing up, I got a pretty good idea of the kind of editor and boss my
father was when he'd recap his day at work over dinner or have heated
phone calls with reporters. He expected a certain level of eff ort . He
demanded hustle, honesty, accuracy and fairness. But there also was a
healthy dose of humor and compassion.
Dave was very similar in his approach. He wanted every FOJ to inform
and inspire. He tweaked stories and headlines until the last possible
minute, looking for any opportunity to improve what was on the page.
My father didn't bombard me with advice. It was mostly basic stuff -
keep your head down, your mouth shut and work hard. But he also told
me when I thought I was fi nished reporting a story to knock on one
more door or make one more phone call.
I couldn't help but think of him in December as Dave and I put the
fi nishing touches on the fi nal issue of the year. For that month's Fixed
in Time photo, there was only the year (1975) and name of the
dealership (Triangle GMC in Lancaster, Pa.) provided by General
Motors' archive. A Google search showed the dealership was no
longer in business. I " wrote around " the fact that I didn't know much
and sent it to Dave.
As I expected, he sent me a note that we should try to fi nd out more
about what happened to Triangle GMC. He suggested ... one more
phone call, this one to the current GMC dealership in Lancaster. I left a
voicemail for Don Lookenbill, the parts and service director at Jones
Buick-GMC, because his staff bio indicated he'd been there a long time.
Th at night, as we toasted Dave's retirement at a Detroit restaurant, my
phone rang. Fittingly, it was Lookenbill with the information Dave
requested.
It was a reminder that, in a way, I did get to work for my father after all.
And that the responsibility to keep Fixed Ops Journal readers informed
and inspired was now mine. And I'll make one more phone call if that's
what it takes. 
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PAGE 4 FEBRUARY 2022
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Fixed Ops Journal - February 2022

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