The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

(j@ __________________ T_h_e_Po_le_m_ic_•_W_ed_ne_sd_a.:.:.y,_Fe_br_u_ary:...21..:.:.:...;, 1:.:..99:..:6~ Up here in Northern Michigan, where road salt and harsh temperatures wreak havoc on au- tomobiles, Alpena Community College is teaching the few, the proud, the patient how to fight Mother Nature's wrath. ACC's Auto Body Repair instructor is Roger Finch. Finch was a graduate from Auto Body Repair in December 1982. The experience he brings to his class is valu- able, for true life is the real teacher. When he teaches, he brings reality into focus for his stu- dents. Finch has owned his own shop in the past and is concering reopening it after this school year. Some of his students have expressed a desire to work with him when and if he reopens. Some of his students have already had hands on experiences in the field. One of his current students (Joe Dupuis), has spent years remodel- ing hot rods as a hobby. Five of the cars the Auto Body class has worked on this school year are to appear in the Alpena C a r show this spring. ... skill "There are even of magic c a r s f r o m former students that will b e shown in the and metal C a r Show," marvel. Finch s a i d , smiling. There are many areas of Auto Body Repair that people seldom think about, such as the fact that many cars can be repaired in the first stages of auto cancer. The corrosive salt on the roads that help us keep traction while we drive, is also the cancer- eating plague for automobiles. Auto Body Technicians sand off the rust, which is the by-product of the salt. When and where it is necessary, they apply patches to the body. This is called "Metal Fabrication." They sand and blend until the area is smooth and then apply the face lift, or cosmetic paint job, to finish it off. In the first semester, the students learn rust repair, and often use students cars for the class projects. In the second semester they learn how the painting process works. It is not as easy as it looks. In many ways the students learn that they are like artists. Much of what they do is to beau- tify the auto community around us. The students also learn how to do welding, which is called "Oxy Acetylene." Often students can see a "welder" working while on their way to the Natural Resource Center. The Auto Body shop does not do interior work such as reupholstering. But they do work together with the Auto Motive Shop in some areas, such as learning wheel aliments, brake replacements, and electrical work. The two shops complement each other. Finch, who stepped in for Tom Winter, who is on a one-year sabbetical, has been given no word if, his teaching career will extended to the fall semester, but he added, "I have been hav- ing a lot of fun, and wouldn't mind coming back to teach again." The Auto Body Repair class taught here at ACC is a skill of magic and metal marvel. The students are taught how to make won- drous miracles happen out of would-be tragedies. Students that come out of ACC Auto Body Shop must first pass two State Certified tests before they can receive their degree. If you have an interest in this kind of Magic, contact Roger Finch or the Auto Body Shop for further information. ."'.1 ►awa "'lW~. ) ~,( W' . . ,,,. " , ·~ JP J