December 22, 2010

Morgan's Service — Clarkston, Michigan

I suppose I first went to Morgan's Service in 1971, but I don't remember it. 

My grandpa, Richard Morgan, opened Morgan's Service back in 1932. 

I remember going to the gas station throughout my life. Whenever we would go visit the family in Clarkston, we would go to the station. Sometimes, I would hang out at the station. It just seemed like a fun place to go. Hanging out there was fun. People were in left and right and it was always busy. I don't ever remember it "slowing down."

I remember a fire that gutted the station. I don't even know if they shut down or just kept going. I remember some break ins. Grandpa witnessed a bank robbery across the street from the station some years back. Yeah, Morgan's Service was the place to be. 

The coolest thing was that these "old guys," you know people in their 70s, would call Grandpa, Mr. Morgan. My Grandpa was respected by everyone. He was honest and a straight–shooter. If your car needed to be fixed, they would fix it. If it didn't, the guys at Morgan's would tell you. 

Uncle John started working there in the early '70s, when he was 12. He retired this past April. I used to stop by Clarkston on the way to Detroit for Tigers games. It was always fun popping in to see everyone. When we lived in Vestaburg, it was an easy two hour drive to get some work done on a vehicle. Now, it's closer to a four–hour drive, but there are no relatives to go visit. It's still fun to see the guys who've been working there so long, though. But, it's strange not to walk in and see Grandpa or Uncle John! 

Uncle John lives up north now, too. I've been emailing with him and my dad to determine what to do about the '99 Sierra. Apparently, the heater core has decided to die and I have to figure out a way to replace it. I had been adding anti–freeze lately and wondered why. I did a little investigating and discovered that the hose is broken, but part of the heater core is broken inside of the hose … Just my luck!

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