Paul Hilton:  

After graduation I quit my part time job at Herc's Buffet on 8 MI. Rd.and took to the beaches for the summer.Coming close to September my parents were becoming antsy about my future plans. I told them I would rather put off going to college immediately and work full time for a little while....yeah....sure!! It so happened that my best friend Bob Niemi had a relative working in the personnel dept. at the Ford Rouge Plant. I was hired and assigned to work the afternoon shift at the frame plant. Three monthes of production line work convinced me to find another job. I inquired and took some tests at Chrysler Eng. and was hired into Body Shop Administration as a file clerk. Some of my duties involved delivering info. to the individual body shops....wood shop,metal shop,plastic shop and paint shop.Having taken wood shop classes all through school I was fascinated when I would see those model makers building full size car parts out of wood!! After time the dog eat dog presence of office politics was wearing on me.I decided to try for an apprenticeship.Personnel said they could put me on a waiting list but it was long due to the Federal Govt. giving deferments to skilled trade apprentices. I was offered an apprenticeship from an automotive supplier and I accepted.----It was great! For the next 22 years I was not only a journeyman model maker ...Expand for more