Thursday, September 24th, 2015 10:12:36

Reliability and Engineering

When I was growing up, my mother ran carpool in our family’s red 1969 Volkswagen Beetle. As the youngest, at age 5, I rode in the “back back,” the small space behind the second seat that was intended not for people, but for packages or groceries. I shared this sliver of room with my neighbor, Bobby, who was a year older. The front seat was reserved for older siblings — Bobby’s brother Andy, whose French horn was stashed in the front trunk. I can’t remember where my sister Kathy put her trombone. But somehow, my mother fit in five kids (including Susie, sister to Andy and Bobby) and the two instruments. Suffice it to say we were close.