Unconventional Wisdom

You may recall the reason why I chose the name “Unconventional Wisdom” for this column — it was because I had long ago tired of assumptions mistaken for presumptions that so often arise in the collector-car world. Usually the province of the “always/never” crowd, conventional wisdom most often leads to rock-solid opinions based on sand.…

I named this column “Unconventional Wisdom” for a specific reason. So often through the years, I have been involved in situations in which statements were made that were considered absolute by the speaker. “They never did that.” Or its inevitable twin, “They always did that.” The topics that engender these absolutes can wildly vary, but one that comes up time…

By all accounts, Dean S. Edmonds Jr. was quite a man. Briefly summarized, he earned his Ph.D. at MIT in 1958 for work on the cesium atomic clock, following his U.S. Army service from 1943 to 1947. He was a professor of physics at Boston University for 30 years until his retirement in 1991. An…

I have always connected to the world of cars with a passion and level of enthusiasm that was sometimes embarrassing. I recall occasions as a child when I felt that no one else was moved as deeply as I was when I saw a car that excited me. I recently participated as a judge for the…

It is always interesting to judge a concours — and sometimes new challenges arise. Most judging assignments are made based on the expertise and interests of the judge, but sometimes it’s necessary to stretch your limits. This is not a bad thing, as anyone who doesn’t want to learn more must truly be tired of…