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Wednesday, February 21, 2007 · Page 19 Jack McLeod's 1930 Durant Sedan An avid reader of CarStory in the Essex Free Press, Jack McLeod still remembers his first car, a 1930 Durant four-door sedan purchased in Windsor, Ontario, around 1946: "From the front bumper to the back, I owned it all. How proud I felt driving along with my arm out the window, hoping I might spot one of my friends along the way. What a satisfying feeling to be independent and not having to ask for the family car anymore. "I installed a couple of blankets to dress up the old seats, a pair of purple lights in the corner of the windshield, and mud flaps on both rear fenders. For those of us who couldn't afford whitewall tires, a coat of whitewall tire paint once a week always added some class to the old car. "Setting the points and cleaning the spark plugs was the limit of my mechanical ability back then. But whenever I did this, along with a wash and polish job and a new coat of tire paint, there wasn't a car in town that ran any better than mine. "I had no idea how many miles the old car had on it, and as time went by, the old Body by Fisher was getting a little loose, the motor was developing an odd noise, and the rear end had a slight hum when I let my foot off the gas. (When the hum got louder, Jack resorted to an old-time and very effective remedy: he stuffed the rear end with bananas and sawdust.) "One Saturday, after its weekly clean-up job under the old maple tree, along came a friend of mine who had just gotten out of the navy with a pocketful of money and looking for a Essex baseball teams may be forced to relocate BY DANIEL SCHWAB Some local baseball players are worried they may be forced to relocate outside of town for games when construction begins on a new elementary school in May on the site of two baseball diamonds on Maplewood Public School property. Doug Sweet, director of parks and recreation, said the Town of Essex is exploring its options to accommodate the EMBA, including the possibility of striking a deal with the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board to construct a new diamond on the property of Holy Name School. A school board representative said they have been talking with members of the town and will meet again soon to discuss further details. Sweet said a preliminary proposal has been brought to Essex council, but nothing will be approved until budget deliberations begin later this month. "We have to find a way to accommodate those teams," Sweet said. "There is concern from everybody." The two diamonds on the Maplewood Public School property have in the past been used by a women's league and other minor league teams. EMBA president Joe Grondin said the town has said "the kids will come first," and if any teams are forced to relocate out of the area for games, it'll be those with adult players. There are a currently a total of seven baseball diamonds in Essex. Sweet said the town wasn't counting on losing the two diamonds so soon. During initial talks with the school board in late 2005, he was told the new school wouldn't be built this year because of a lack of funding. But once the funding was secured, the school board decided it would start construction of the school, which will be a merger of Sun Parlor Junior School and Maplewood Public School, in May ­ the same month that baseball season starts. There are two other diamonds on the Maplewood property and Grondin said he hopes there is a possibility that they might be used to accommodate the EMBA teams. Sweet said there are restrictions on the diamonds, adding that they are smaller T-Ball sized fields and may not be usable for adult teams. In Essex, baseball leagues include women's and men's teams, a co-ed league, a church team, two senior teams and youth teams of the EMBA. There are approximately 300 players in the EMBA. car to buy. He kicked all the tires, sat behind the steering wheel grinning from ear to ear, and started it up. We talked dollars back and forth and finally agreed on a price. I signed the ownership and he drove away. "My heart sank and I had a tear in my eye watching my old car go out the drive. I will never forget those carefree days I spent with my first car. The happiness that old car brought me will live in my memory forever. How can I ever forget that faithful friend, my 1930 Durant?" The Durant was manufactured by Billy Durant, the entrepreneurial genius who formed General Motors in 1908. He began building cars bearing his own name in 1921 and sold a lot of them until the Depression forced him out of business in 1932. Canadian Durants were built in Leaside (now part of Toronto). The factory stood empty for 60 years and was finally demolished in the 1990s to make way for a shopping centre. Do you have any photos of old cars to share with our readers? Email bill@car story.com or write to Bill Sherk, P.O. Box 10012, Leamington, ON, N8H 2C3. CARSTORY I S SPONSORED BY Your Security. Our Responsibility. Amherstburg Ladies Slo-Pitch Thursday Nights at the Malden Diamonds Contact Marisa at 519-736-9699 Enter your TEAM by March 1, 2007. Season begins May 3, 2007. (Must be 18 years or older) Essex Minor Hockey Association ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Wednesday March 7th, 2007 · 7:00 PM Essex Civic Centre Council Chambers BASKETBALL Friday, February 23, 2007 Registration 6:30-7:00 PM Essex Community Centre Gymnasium These items will be on the agenda: Reports on 2006/2007 Season Election of the 2007/2008 Executive New Business brought before the meeting for discussion The EMHA Executive has proposed several changes to the Constitution & By-Laws, to be voted on at the Annual General Meeting. Please review these changes by visiting the EMHA website at: www.essexhockey.ca Please submit any proposed changes to the Constitution & By-Laws in writing by February 21st, 2007. Please mail your proposed changes to: Essex Minor Hockey Association Box 111, Essex ON, N8M 2Y2 TRI-STAR Essex Optimist FINAL REGISTRATION (O.B.A. & SUN PARLOUR AFFILIATED) McGregor Minor Baseball Feb 25 & March 4, 2007 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm 3 TRAVEL TEAMS ROOKIE, MOSQUITO, PEE WEE 3 HOUSE LEAGUE DIVISIONS Runs May - July. Children must be 4 yr. by Dec. 31st. Tyke · Rookie · Pee Wee All games played at Co-An Park One Child 2 Children Family $35.00 Register early $55.00 for a chance to $75.00 win a Baseball Glove! For further info. contact JOHN ALEXANDER 726-5756 or DAVE OSTROW 726-6335 TRAVEL COACHES NEEDED! Umpires & Coaches must Register at this time. At Ecole Sainte-Ursule Gym Visit us at http://essexfreepress.reinvented.net We're re-inventing the news! BIRTH CERTIFICATES & HEALTH CARDS REQUIRED FOR FIRST TIME REGISTRANTS *PENALTY FOR LATE REGISTRATION