On the Friday that I wrote this piece, one of my favorite business associates whom I’ve know for a good while was being laid to rest. Let’s call him “Carl”. Carl and I had done good business together for almost six years. Carl and his son, “Ben”, ran a father-son insurance brokerage on the northwest side of Chicago, in a small office, where they kept things serious but light, logical, efficient, and often very humorous. A strange thing can happen when you’ve developed more than just a superficial rapport with a business associate. You may actually start to care about his or her life, family, health, and stories from their past.
Business lunches can sometimes be tedious, especially with someone you’ve never met in person before. It’s a fact of being human that we almost invariably form a first opinion based on appearances and mannerisms. Often, this can lead to presumptions about what you may or may not have in common with someone, which can then play into what is (or isn’t) discussed during the meal.
Sure, business meals are intended for just that – business, which should be addressed, but ultimately and realistically, the point of meeting face-to-face in this digital age is often to develop a relationship and to help you and your client see each other as actual people and not just stepping stones or obstacles. This can be especially important when discussing difficult scenarios or delivering tough messages.
It’s a given that a few, certain topics are automatically off limits, but still, finding common ground can be tricky, and on my first business lunch with Carl and Ben, the ice breaker came in the form of the early-70’s Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. No, Sir – I can’t talk sports, home construction or repairs, marriage (or divorce), or kids, but you and I can talk cars all day long.
Introductions usually involve sharing something personal about what you like, and when the marketing representative I was with, “Mike”, threw out into the conversation that I like to photograph old cars, Carl wanted me to give an example of a car I like or find interesting. Having just finished editing these shots of our featured car (with the intent of leaving prints in an envelope under the windshield wiper for the owner which, sadly, never came to be), the ’71 Olds Cutlass Supreme was the first thing that came to mind and out of my mouth.
Ben, who is another Gen-X’er like me, seemed only somewhat interested in the conversation (though still engaged in it), but Carl’s face lit up as he described such a car that he had owned at one time, years ago. Things I remember that Carl had mentioned from that lunchtime conversation: How the early 70’s was a great era for GM styling; How the lines on that Cutlass were so sharp; How he wished he still had it. Most interestingly, Carl mentioned how he also liked sharing his first and last initials with the Cutlass Supreme, “C” and “S”. This stuck. With the ice thoroughly broken, the four of us continued to talk about cars (and golf) for a while before moving on to business, relaxed and with smiles on our faces.
Nobody in my immediate family ever really shared my passion for cars, even if everyone seemed to genuinely respect it. Carl seemed almost like that really cool uncle who was in your corner and saw as much value in your differences as in your similarities, and that’s part of what made him so easy to do business with. This two-way respect proved to be mutually beneficial as I did a lot of good business with their brokerage. I am very comforted to know that like his father, Ben also really knows what he’s doing and is a good guy, himself. Carl will certainly be missed, and my thoughts are with his wife as well as with Ben and the rest of their family. To you, Carl, thank you for being not just a business associate, but also a friend.
Downtown, The Loop, Chicago, Illinois.
As photographed between May 28 – June 15, 2010.
Related reading from Paul Niedermeyer: CCCCC Part 5: 1970 Cutlass Supreme Coupe – A New Supreme Era Begins.
A nice story; it brought up a similar fond memory for me.
My first job out of school I was fortunate to work with a terrific lead engineer who started me off with a great example (the word “mentor” wasn’t much in use back then, but it certainly would have fit). He was almost exactly a decade older than I was, and I think right as he had started his first professional job, he had bought his first nice car, think it was probably a ’70 rather than a ’71 Cutlass. He still had it when I worked with him, but had added a ’77 Cutlass I’m sure based on the good experience with the ’70.
I moved on and hadn’t worked with him in years, but he passed away about 7 years ago; though I moved far away and hadn’t seen him in many years we started exchanging emails a few years before he died. Though these years of Cutlass were very popular, and I know other people who similarly owned them, he’s the one I think of whenever someone mentions a Cutlass of this era. Somehow I equate losing Oldsmobile brand to losing him, though they were separated by about 7 years (though my own Father owned earlier Oldsmobiles, but despite his recent passing I don’t think of him in a similar way).
Zwep, thank you for sharing this. Mentors are underrated, and I’m a strong believer in keeping in touch when possible with those who have helped shape who I am and what I know today.
Olds’s discontinuation also seems analogous with a few people and things in my own life. We still have the legacy of Olds, and those people and things Olds reminds us of, with us.
Always enjoy reading your entries Joseph.
Thank you so much.
Great vignette, I enjoyed reading it.
Not a fan of business luncheons and dinners…I grit my teeth and get through them as best I can. I have the state cemetery association dinner and banquet this coming Saturday…should be a load of laughs.
When I was about 7 years old, we knew a family who was moving to Australia, and selling a nearly-new Cutlass Supreme 4 door in this bodystyle…silver, black vinyl top, black interior, and AM/FM radio. I bugged the hell out of my dad to buy it, and get rid of my mom’s light green ’69 Delta 88 base model 4 door hardtop with lowly AM radio…didn’t happen.
My Mother had a 72, so I have strong associations with this car, particularly on the day that my sister and I are getting her moved in to a memory care facility. Another kind of CC effect I suppose.
I have wondered for awhile if I like the 72 better than the 70 or 71 because the details really were executed better or just because of familiarity.
In my part of the Midwest, it is not hard to find older folks with fond memories of Oldsmobiles.
Sorry to hear of your Mother’s situation. My parents are getting up there and I can relate.
Yes, as Joseph noted, those of us that are a little car crazy can associate them deeply with life events.
And Oldsmobile was definitely quite ingrained in Midwest life from the ’60s through the ’80s.
“In my part of the Midwest, it is not hard to find older folks with fond memories of Oldsmobiles.”
I had a 1972 442. It was one of the best cars to have during my early/mid 20’s. It was a tank, it could take almost any abuse a young guy could dish out.
Sorry to hear about your mother. My family went through the same thing several years ago with my mother. It may not be the easiest time, but at least it’s still time.
Wow. JP, today couldn’t have been easy for you… I hope it at least went as smoothly as possible.
As for the Cutlass, I liked the ’72 best, with its checked grille texture and six-segment taillamps.
Agree on the execution of the details on the ’72. It made a difference, at least in my opinion.
We had a similar situation with my grandfather, which was hard as he and I were close. Really sorry to hear about the situation with your mother.
Another write-up that hits close to home. I’m not a fan of the early ’70’s CS, probably due to over-saturation during my childhood, but as previously mentioned, Joseph and I share an industry from whence our livelihoods are derived. For me, while the shots and car references are of some interest, it’s comforting to gain insight into someone’s more “personal” thoughts on business relationships. I come from an insurance family, my father having owned a mid-sized agency throughout my youth. We tried for about 4 years prior to his death from Lymphoma to work together, but Dad and I were either too alike or too different (depending on whom you ask), so that unfortunately ended with a certain degree of heartbreak, but most definitely a larger degree of relief on both parts. The biggest thing I miss from those days is the bi-generational aspect of doing business. The lunches with Marketing Reps and Underwriters in those days were invariably peppered with stories of the “Good Old Days” of the ’70’s and ’80’s, which was Dad’s heyday, and was still remembered by many of the company bigwigs that he had long-term rapport with. It really gave me some interesting insight and perspective, as by the early 00’s the business was becoming less and less “personal” in the age of more tech-based agent/underwriter interactions.
Joseph, judging by your still rather hands-on agency relationships, and based on the knowledge that your expertise is on the Personal Lines side of the business I can just about narrow down your employer to 2 or 3 carriers I did a fair amount of business with in the earlier days of my career. Those business ties and experiences are still some of my fondest work-related memories. As time has marched on and my work life has “evolved” into a more high-volume “transaction-based” environment I often find myself longing for a mid-day respite in the form of a burger and a beer with a congenial comrade in arms. It’s heartening to read of how you enjoy your work and the relationships you build there. I really enjoy your posts.
MTN, thank you for this, and for the kind words. It it true that our insurance industry has changed even in just the ~20 years I’ve been in it, in the ways you described.
You also make a keen observation about two different generations in one family sometimes being either too similar or too different to work together effectively. I’m not sure how well I would have worked with my dad in a professional setting. *No one* is a direct clone of one parent or the other, and I think a level of understanding can make or break the success of working directly with family members.
Joseph, I always love your write-ups. And this one is no exception. The cars from our past can sadly be just that to so many, simply a hunk of metal that got them from place to place at one point in their lives. But for us car guys (and gals) they represent much more. I too am a Gen-X’er, and growing up in the 70’s and 80’s was a great time for auto lovers. The auto show was always much anticipated, seeing how the yearly change was for a certain model and how they would equip them for the show. Heck, the memory of a blue 1977 Bonneville coupe with no A/C still resonates in my head! I even had my Dad ask the Pontiac rep why there was no A/C in that car, and I remember the response VIVIDLY – he said it was done to “keep the sticker price down”…..hmmmm. But little things like this were what fascinated me with cars as a kid and still do to this day. Granted the newer cars aren’t as unique as those of the pre-90’s era, yet I will always have that place in my heart for all of them.
For car people, seeing a model that your folks once owned, or a person you admired/mentor or the car you always wanted but never got can quickly stir up so many emotions. I think the sad thing about Oldsmobile, and especially for a Gen-X’er, is that they were EVERYWHERE. They were a huge part of so many lives. The Cutlass Supreme was a household name. And they were loved by their owners. GM handled the demise of the Olds/Pontiac brand and to a lesser extent the Saturn in such a poor manner they should be ashamed of themselves. But all that aside, until I die I will be a car guy. I’ve been mocked and ridiculed about it, oh yeah….cousins have made remarks like “Wow, you know a lot of useless information about cars” or “You should open your own dealership you know so much about cars” in a very condescending tone or “You are the only person I know that remembers someone by their car and not the actual person.” I don’t know if it was ever said as a jealous thing but it almost came out like it was and I would simply chuckle to myself inside, if not truly happy about the negative statement, because I am proud of what I know about cars!
Thanks, Tom. One thing I really miss is the yearly changes between model years, which started to go away right when I had started to really nail detail changes like taillamp lenses (say, on a Pontiac Grand Prix, going from ’78, to ’79, to ’80…).
I guess I’m fortunate in that I never felt like anyone in my family was making fun of what I was learning about cars – it felt more like there wasn’t anyone really to share my interest in it, but that was okay because I spent a lot of time with my own thoughts. Still need that time even today, from time to time. 🙂
This Cutlass is a little sad, it seems quite complete at first glance, but like fragile humans can be, it is rather riddled with cancer and other ailments.
While later Cutlass models sold in even greater numbers, the third generation 1968-1972 models were probably Peak Cutlass, particularly the coupes and convertibles. These cars brought Cutlass into the sweet spot of the American market, setting the ground for the popularity of the 4th and 5th generation versions.
How this brings back memories. I worked at an A&P in Westfield, Mass. in the mid-1970s and we had one gent – Edwin Weed – who only worked Saturdays on a cash register, for extra money. (He worked for the Post Office during the week, was widowed and he liked having something to do on Saturdays.) He was a great guy and terrific co-worker. Anyhow, he had a 1972 Olds Cutlass with the Olds 350 Rocket V8 and automatic, and not too broughamed out inside. Maroon two-tone paint job with white roof, not vinyl. Strikingly-good-looking car. He never would sell it, but gave me a ride home once when my Corvair had a dead battery.. That car could FLY.
Thanks for the post!
Anyone wonder about my love for hardtops, especially GM’s? Those GM, Ford & Chrysler mid-sizers were the best, GM being over and above, though, at that time.
Another well written, deep article .
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I too heard mostly negative things about my obviously life long infatuation with things Vehicular but, looking back I see I’m far more contented than any of them were, are or ever will be .
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This is a good looking Olds ! .
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-Nate
My hobby has come up in many of my job interviews. My second job, when the boss asked me if I was mechanically inclined, I replied about my Volkswagen hobby. (I was 20, he was in his early 50s) he smiled, sort of kicked his chair back and told me about the two Beetles he used to own. I was called the next day and told I was hired.
My last two jobs I got through friends I’ve made in the Volkswagen hobby.
Sometimes these things drive me crazy (like last weekend when my ’63 Bus left me stranded on the side of the interstate) but through them I have great friends all across the country, a bond with my youngest brother and father because of the shared interest. The positives far outweigh the negatives in my opinion.
Thanks, everyone, for taking the time to read this and for the kind words. It felt great to draft this that day, and to honor “Carl” and give a shout-out to “Ben” and the family by doing so.
The one I wanted was the Cutlass Supreme SX, basically 442 hardware in the Supreme body/trim, though many SX’s came with the Olds Rocket 455 2bbl.
Great story, BTW.
We were an Olds family, we had a ’68, ’71, and two ’73’s. My dad had an Avacado green Caddy, but the rest of us had Cutlasses. My sister got one as her first car, a medium blue ’68, that was a very good car, but wow, it rusted at an amazing rate, like a ’70’s Toyota pickup’s bed. In ’71, she got a new one, the same color as the first. Sadly, it would be the last good color choice my sister has made. In ’72, I started driving and my sister was taken to my dad’s buddy in Bowling Green and she ordered a ’73 Cutlass in bronze, and I got my sister’s ’71 as soon as it appeared in the fall of ’72. Two weeks later, it was in the boneyard, totalled after being hit by a ’62 VW Beetle at high speed. I wound up with my mother’s car, a red ’72 Cutlass Supreme. It was problem plagued until shortly before we got rid of it, eating starters and alternators at a rapid pace. In early ’74, the dealer kept it for a while, and the problems with starters and alternators were gone, and the flat spot it had under light acceleration was finally gone. By then, it was on borrowed time, I wanted something else, and unlike most kids my age(17), I had the $$$ to buy a new car, so in May 1974, my mother signed the papers to order a ’74 Roadrunner. Due to a messed up order form, the Roadrunner had to be reordered, and the Cutlass stayed around to almost Thanksgiving. My mom bought a ’73 that was totally trouble free from day one. She sold it in July ’75 to a used car dealer neighbor who wanted it for his wife. My sister kept her problem plagued ’73 until ’79, when she ordered her next car, a shit brown over shit brown Cutlass. That car had more problems than all the other Cutlasses put together. My sister finally had enough of Olds, and bought her first import, some horrible color Nissan. She’s never picked a decent color since.
Cool story. During the 1970’s I was into cars and could easily tell most any American make, model and year even in the dark (very hard to do today) and often drove dad and grandpa nuts talking cars with facts, figures and information that boggled there minds.
I would literally be chomping at the bit when uncle Ted came over with his 1974 green Cutlass coupe which he loved dearly. Before he had the car shut off and was out of the driver’s seat I would have the hood popped and any little things that needed attention diagnosed in seconds. Often it was just little things like a little corrosion on the battery terminal or a noisy power steering belt or oil that looked a little dark.
Then while shopping in a grocery store with mom in the Fall of 1981 I spotted a magazine called Consumer Guide Autos 1982. Something clicked inside of me that day and I literally begged mom to purchase it for me for the price of $2.50. I haven’t been right since and have been a rabid car fan ever since though my enthusiasm has died down quite a bit the past 10 years.
There were a lot of Oldsmobiles in our family right up until the 2000’s. Mom and dad had a 1982 green 231 V6 Supreme coupe and a 1984 Ciera Brougham sedan. Grandma and grandpa had a 1985 gold coupe with a 307 Olds V8. Dad often rented Aurora’s during his stint working at Enterprise rent-a car. I had a total of 10 Oldsmobiles spanning from 1979-2002 and the folks had 5. None and I repeat none of them were ever bad cars. Always very reliable with not one engine or transmission ever going bad. The worst issue I had with any of them was the 1981 sedan which was a year around driver. The backing plates were thin in those years up until 1982 when they were beefed up and had to be replaced. The limited slip rear end also grenaded with about 120K on the odometer because of a broken screw. My 1983 307 Brougham coupe needed an intake with 100K miles but little else ever went wrong or broke on any of them. If Oldsmobile existed today I wouldn’t be surprised to find one in my driveway. Failing that a nice new Pontiac.
Back in 1999 I read an article about the estate sale of the late actress, Elizabeth Montgomery, who had died from cancer at the age of 62 in 1995. As the star of the classic TV sitcom, “Bewitched,” she regularly drove Chevrolets and a few Pontiacs and she even appeared in commercials for Chevy in the mid- through late-1960s.
At her estate sale were two cars that belonged to her, a brown metallic 1977 Bentley T 4-door sedan that had a personalized license plate that read “BENTLIZ” for $15,000 and a white 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme with what looked like a dark blue, or maybe a black, vinyl room that went for $4,000.