posted 03-10-2003 11:39 AM         

I tried to find it online, but I think the web site could be a day behind or something. Maybe someone else can find it. The author is Loretta Green
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/

Anyway, thought some might be interested. This guy has some classic cars, and use to race with the big boys way back.

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posted 03-10-2003 04:13 PM         

Her latest column was "Car doors tough to get a handle on". Appears to be an article in todays paper so I would assume that the list is complete. Are you sure it was by Loretta Green?

If you scroll down the page the left side lists all colimnists for which you can call up articles.

Hope this helps.

Rick

posted 03-10-2003 05:30 PM         

Classic Car Garden Party Benefits San Francisco MDA/ALS Center

by Bill Greenberg

Marshall Matthews was just 12 years old when he got his first antique automobile — an old Model A Ford. And though he got rid of that car years ago, he kept his passion for classic cars.

In 1967, when Matthews finished his stint in the U.S. Navy, he bought his first new car — a 1967 Porsche 912 — and a collection was born.

"Today, I'd say he has about 50 cars in all, including both classic cars and early sports cars," Matthews' wife, Nancy, reports. "It's a hobby that's run amok," she laughs.

"But he didn't restore them just to look at them," she adds. "He's very proud of the fact that they all run, and he's driven every one of them."

He doesn't drive much anymore since receiving a diagnosis of ALS in September 2001. In fact, he can walk only short distances with the help of a cane or a walker. Matthews also uses a BiPAP device for respiration and will soon start using a PEG tube for nutrition. He has an augmentative communication device and a dry-eraser board for communication.

Recently he found a way to use his car collection to benefit MDA.

Marshall Matthews in his 1914 Stutz Bearcat

Helping Others

Matthews, 56, lives in Woodside, Calif., and has two children, ages 16 and 20. The owner of Matthews-Carlsen Body Works in Palo Alto for 25 years, he remains active in his business, though he's no longer able to work full-time.

"He still goes in when he can, and he has a few projects of his own, but it isn't like it was before ALS came along," Nancy says. "He keeps a lot of his collection there, and I think he enjoys just being around the people and keeping involved."

Matthews also attends clinic at the Forbes Norris MDA/ALS Center at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.

"We're lucky, in that we have good insurance so Marshall's ALS won't wipe us out financially," Nancy explains. "But when you see what this disease costs people who aren't as fortunate as we are, it's just amazing."

That's why they established the Marshall Matthews Family Fund, to help raise awareness — and money — specifically to help support the ALS center's services program.

"We saw that most of the money being raised goes to research, and obviously we support that," she relates. "We just felt that this was where we could really make a difference."

And what a difference!

Raising Friends and Funds

In September, the Matthewses hosted a Classic Car Garden Party at their home, an event that Nancy Matthews describes as a "friend raiser." Attendees heard speakers from the MDA/ALS Center discuss ALS research and treatment, enjoyed refreshments and toured Marshall's car collection.

With the help of family friend Chris Carter and his employees at Motion Pro (a Redwood City, Calif., manufacturer of motorcycle parts where Matthews' 16-year-old son works part-time), the event brought in voluntary contributions totaling close to $200,000.

"It was wonderful," Nancy says simply. "We have so many terrific friends, and since Marshall's diagnosis, we've had friends we hadn't heard from in a long time contact us to see if they could help. It"s been very good for Marshall, especially."