a:27:{s:9:"weblog_id";s:1:"5";s:8:"entry_id";s:3:"626";s:6:"sticky";s:1:"n";s:14:"allow_comments";s:1:"n";s:16:"allow_trackbacks";s:1:"n";s:10:"entry_date";s:19:"2009-07-19 07:53 PM";s:15:"expiration_date";s:0:"";s:23:"comment_expiration_date";s:0:"";s:8:"category";a:2:{i:0;s:2:"11";i:1;s:2:"63";}s:9:"author_id";s:1:"2";s:10:"new_weblog";s:1:"5";s:6:"status";s:4:"open";s:14:"trackback_urls";s:0:"";s:18:"versioning_enabled";s:1:"y";s:5:"title";s:13:"Hot Rod Heart";s:9:"url_title";s:13:"hot_rod_heart";s:6:"submit";s:6:"Update";s:11:"field_id_20";s:13:"Hot Rod Heart";s:11:"field_ft_20";s:4:"none";s:11:"field_id_25";s:1:"4";s:11:"field_id_45";s:203:"On June 15th, a black Monday morning with rain coming down so hard that it sloshed into my shoes, I followed a large and diverse crowd into the Shrine of St. Joseph, just north of the Convention Center. ";s:11:"field_ft_45";s:4:"none";s:11:"field_id_22";s:38:"Arteaga, Wayne, Willys, Geezer Gassers";s:11:"field_ft_22";s:4:"none";s:11:"field_id_23";s:5810:"<p class=\"MsoNormal\">&ldquo;Ooh, let\'s go ridin\'<br />Cruisin\' down the open road<br />We can put the top down<br />Listen to the radio<br />Big ol\' Buick<br />And a big ol\' sky<br />Wheels on fire<br />And I\'ll tell you why<br />I got a hot rod heart.&rdquo;</p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\">From <em>Hot Rod Heart </em><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">by John Fogerty</span></p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\">On June 15<sup>th</sup>,
a black Monda<img alt=\"Wayne Arteaga car\" class=\"image-left\" height=\"201\" src=\"/images/uploads/arteaga-car.jpg\" style=\"float: left;\" width=\"300\" />y morning with rain coming down so hard that it sloshed
into my shoes, I followed a large and diverse crowd into the Shrine of
St. Joseph,<span> </span>just north of the Convention Center.</p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\">There were men in suits, women in pearls and other folks in dressy casual. Then there were the guys in the &ldquo;<a href=\"http://www.geezergassers.com/\">Geezer Gassers</a>&rdquo; T-shirts.</p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I was attending the memorial service for Wayne Arteaga.<span> </span>Wayne was the &ldquo;quiet&rdquo; Arteaga<span> </span>&ndash; and that was saying a lot.<span> </span>Robert
Wayne Arteaga was the son of Robert &ldquo;Bob&rdquo; Arteaga, brother of Eldon
Arteaga, and uncle of Bradley Arteaga of Arteaga Studios.<span> </span></p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The
Arteagas have been intertwined in the history of St. Louis and the
building industry here for almost three-quarters of a century. Bob
began by working for others, photographing legendary celebrities such
as Charles Lindbergh and Babe Ruth. Then the Arteagas received a
commission to photograph the Arch&rsquo;s construction. The assignment was to
shoot once a month, but instead the Arteagas shot thousands of photos,
creating an unprecedented record of the construction of a national
monument.</p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The
Arteagas have been passionate advocates for St. Louis, and particularly
for Downtown. On the wall of Arteaga Studios at the corner of Brannon
and Delor is a sign from their old studio, which was located from 1946
to 1953 on what is now part of the Arch Grounds. The &ldquo;A&rdquo; in Arteaga is
an Arch, which is really strange when you consider that the design for
the Arch had not even been conceived at that time.</p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The
Arch photography was a defining moment for the Arteagas. Eldon, Wayne,
and Bradley have become familiar figures at industry events, and for
their documentation of the construction in St. Louis.<span> </span>The breathtaking restoration of the Shrine of St. Joseph was an Arteaga family mission.<span> </span>Sitting in the church on June 15 I couldn&rsquo;t believe it was the same pigeon-infested disaster they&rsquo;d shown me before work began.</p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Bob
Arteaga was a walking dichotomy, profane in one breath and deeply
spiritual in the next, but always passionate. Eldon is everybody&rsquo;s best
friend, always good for a bad joke. I&rsquo;ve never had a conversation with
him that lasted less than half an hour. Eldon&rsquo;s son Bradley is the
consummate businessman/entrepreneur &shy;&ndash; outgoing, smart, and direct.</p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\">
<meta content=\"text/html; charset=utf-8\" />
Then
there was Wayne. Wayne could be funny with a dry wit that could be
hysterical at times. But mostly he was quiet in counterbalance to the
almost manic enthusiasm of Bob and Eldon. He was devoted to his wife
Bernie and daughter Chris. Wayne could almost seem boring&hellip; until you
saw his cars. When I met Wayne he was driving a lime green Willys that
he&rsquo;d converted into a pickup truck.</p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Wayne
became legendary in drag racing circles for his maroon 1939 Willys with
a blown 360-inch Chrysler Hemi engine. Wayne and his friend John
Hellmuth blew up engines and had fun through the 1960s. Eventually
Wayne&rsquo;s daughter Chris caught the bug. Wayne converted the green truck
into a racer and painted it blue for her.</p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Wayne
is legendary in hot rod/drag racing circles, as a Google search of his
name quickly reveals. Brad Arteaga told me that a couple of weeks
before his uncle died there was a get-together of the old gasser racers
that Wayne attended. &ldquo;Some young guys were in awe. They were asking him
to sign their dashboards,&rdquo; Brad said.</p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\">In
his own way, Wayne Arteaga was just as passionate as his more
vociferous dad, brother, and nephew. But it isn&rsquo;t his passion for
pre-WWII Willys that I&rsquo;ll remember him for. When I think of Wayne I
recall his devotion to his family and friends, his steadiness in a
crisis and the grace that he gave me in some of my less graceful
moments.</p>
<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--></p>
<p>As John Fogerty would say, Wayne Arteaga had a hot rod heart.</p>";s:10:"category_0";s:2:"11";s:10:"category_1";s:2:"63";}