By Alec Carlson
Staff Writer
Giving back to the community is an honorable endeavor that can be accomplished in a variety of ways. One Costa junior and one Manhattan Beach Middle School eighth grader explore their interest in cars at El Segundo’s Automobile Driving Museum.
Junior Emerson Nichols and eighth grader Jordan Canik volunteer regularly at this museum, helping with chores such as cleanig and fixing cars. In addition to learning about cars, volunteers can learn about vintage cars and earn hours for community service.
“We wanted to eliminate the intimidation of ropes around exhibits and let the visitors see the cars up close,” museum curator Earl Rubenstein said. “It’s a totally different experience when you can see inside the cars.”
The Automobile Driving Museum is a 501C3 non-profit organization and is completely volunteer based. The museum provides a hands-on experience for its visitors by allowing them to ride in vintage automobiles on site.
“We are always looking for people to join our museum,” automobile docent Paul Idleson said. “The more young people we can get, the better. It is up to them to carry on the hobby after our generation passes on.”
Nichols joined the museum the summer before freshman year and has now been a volunteer docent for three years. Nichols helps by sustaining cosmetic maintenance of the collection and guides the guests on tours of the facilities. Nichols says his favorite part of volunteering as a docent is telling the histories of each car.
“It’s fun sharing stories about the cars with people,” Nichols said. “Guests are able to relate to the cars through memories of cars that their parents or grandparents may have had.”
Nichols has worked his way up from the bottom after starting three years ago. At first, Nichols had to spend months learning the history of the cars and the process for cleaning the museum’s cars.
“It’s a lot of work keeping 150 cars clean,” Nichols said. “Memorizing the information regarding the mechanics of the vehicles and the history of the cars was near impossible.”
Canik is one of the museum’s newest and youngest docents. According to Canik, he has always had an interest in cars and did not want to pass up the opportunity to work in a place that is so in-tune with his passion.
“My love of cars goes back to when I was a toddler,” Canik said. “I would point out cars I liked in traffic.When I found this place, I saw it as a golden opportunity.”
Canik has been a member of the museum since January and works from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Sunday. While working, Canik assists drivers by helping them maneuver the cars out of the showroom.
“It’s quite the process getting these cars out and ready,” Canik said. “Trying to start cars that are over 50 years old can be a challenge.”
Canik and Nichols cherish the value and history behind vintage automobiles. For them, it is more than just a hobby; it is a way to preserve history.
“I love working with the cars at the museum,” Nichols said. “For me it’s like time travel. I can pick an era and see exactly what it was like to live in those times.”
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