FI MessiahLifeways UnscriptedMagazine Spring2025 - Flipbook - Page 24
Cruising THROUGH TIME
B
ob Shultz and Al Maybee, two residents of
To this day, Al’s love for classic cars continues. In the
Messiah Village, have known each other since
warmer months, you can find him cruising around town
the 1960s when they both worked for the now defunct
in his 1978 25th Anniversary Corvette, nicknamed
Atlantic Oil Refinery. Fueled by a shared passion for
Silver Bullet, which he jokes gets 12 miles to the gallon
antique cars, their lives have been filled to the brim
downhill. Although he doesn’t have a big project on
with restoration, innovation, and community.
the horizon, there’s always a list of ways he can care
Growing up with a mechanic father who wasn’t eager
to talk shop after a long day, Al’s fascination with
cars blossomed on its own. One of his first projects
for his car, including improving the exhaust on his
Corvette. For aspiring antique car hobbyists,
Al advises learning to “turn your own wrenches.”
involved swapping out the engine of his 1950 Mercury
Bob’s current car of choice is his 1967 Chrysler
on his parents’ front lawn with an engine sourced
convertible, but his memories begin with his first
from the local “junk man.”
car, a 1947 Studebaker and then a 1936 Dodge coupe
“As long as I can remember, I’ve loved cars,” he says.
Although his career, first at Atlantic Oil Refinery—
where he met Bob—and then in medical supply sales,
had little to do with cars, Al’s knack for fixing things
never waned. Over the years, Al became an active
member of the Gettysburg and Hershey antique auto
clubs, meeting car enthusiasts from around the globe.
he equipped with a V8 engine—and, as he chuckles,
“ran into the ground.”
In the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, Bob put his mechanic
skills to work serving as a jet engine mechanic for the
Air Force, during which time he deployed to Japan and
even worked on Air Force One. After his service, he
worked at Atlantic Oil Refinery, where he met his wife,
Dottie, in addition to Al.
Even though he misses the garage lift that his
previous home had before moving to Messiah Village
in 2019, Bob finds joy in his basement tinker shop,
woodworking, and restoring cars donated to the
Antique Automobile Museum in Hershey. Bob is also
involved with the Gettysburg Region of the Antique
Automobile Club of America, and is proud of his work
restoring the club’s Model T.
Whether they’re out for a cruise ride or making
improvements to their cars, Bob and Al’s passion
for antiques have proven that some friendships—
and hobbies—only get better with time.
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