Saturday, May 9, 2026
For the twenty-first time in twenty-four years friends, family, high school classmates, and fans of the book, "Beltsville Shell | You Are What You Drive" gathered for the 14th time at Herman's garage in Beltsville, Maryland for a reunion.
What
had begun in 2002 as a reunion of seven people who worked at, or
frequented, the Shell service station on Route 1 in Beltsville, Maryland
has grown to include an extended circle of friends and high school
classmates. We share remembrances of a small town from a time that was
extraordinarily special, a fondness for each other, and hope for
continued health and happiness in the years ahead.
None of this would be possible without Herman, his daughter, Tammy, and other family members and close friends. Everyone who participates in this habitual event recognizes and appreciates their many kindnesses.
Our reunion was timed to take advantage of two important dates:
May 9th was Herman's 80th Birthday . . .
. . . and our reunion date coincided the reunion of the High Point High School Class of 1965 (we had our BSYAWYD reunion in the afternoon, and the HPHS reunion was in the evening).
This year we enjoyed the company of a host of ten first-timers! The group included: Joel Garner; Diane Geshwind (Young); Bill Gibson; Bill Groves; Chris Nelson; Gayle Sunde; Rob Sunde; Jay Smith; Bill Wellford; and the newest new comer, Nayeli Williams (Tammy's granddaughter and Herman's great grand daughter).
This year, some things were the same as prior years, but a few things were new.
Herman's Truck
One of my favorite things to see while in Herman's garage is the pickup truck that he crafted from pieces of steel -- he fabricated all the parts himself in his home garage. Herman uses both vintage and modern tools in his well-equipped shop -- a CNC Plasma table, tubing bender, a "Brake" bending tool, slip roll, an "English Wheel" metal shaping tool, and a bead roller.
Herman constructed the frame from 10 gauge hot rolled steel in three sections and the frame is boxed for extra strength. The body was constructed from 1" by 1" by 1/8" square tubing covered with 18 gauge cold rolled steel panels. The truck has all the goodies you would expect from a first-class hot rod -- a Chevy 350 Cu. In. crate motor putting out 385 horsepower, backed by a turbo 350 transmission. The chassis sports a Mustang II front end and a Ford 9" rear end riding on coil over springs.
Watch this blog site for a future post describing the construction of this feature-filled creation!
Everyone was astonished when a replica of the Batmobile drove into the parking area.
Created and driven by Bill Gibson, this car is amazingly similar to the first version of the Batmobile from 1966. Bill has reproduced so many features of the original car in creative and clever ways.
Everyone enjoyed looking at some very special cars and just having fun together. The BSYAWYD uniform was omnipresent.
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| Phil Corbin, Steve Anderson, Cary, Nan, Malcolm Van Kirk, Tom Hontz, Nace De Lauter, Pat Thomas |
Hannah Gaffigan and Herman prepared chicken for the main entree, and Herman and Tom took turns at the grill. Soon it was time for the traditional buffet lunch. Everyone brings something yummy and I have trouble choosing what to eat.
Herman always starts the lunch off by making introductions and welcoming everyone to his home. As soon as he finished, we all began singing "Happy Birthday".
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| Malcolm Van Kirk and Bev and Steve Abdalla |
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| Nan and Nace De Lauter Note: Nace has attended all 21 reunions going back to 2002! |
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| Diane Geshwin (Young) and Mike Calhoun |
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| Doug Jones, Steve Anderson, and Phil Corbin |
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| Herman, Phil Cleary and Jim Ziepold |
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| Chris Nelson, Bill Gibson and Pat Thomas |
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| Tick Mangum and Anne McFarland |
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| Janet Merkel and Bud Duley |
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| Rob Sunde and Gary Manley |
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| Joel Garner and Tom and Bonnie Hontz |
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| Jay Smith and Sandi Watt (Johnson) |
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| Phil Marcus (almost smiling!) |
After lunch, it was time to devour the multiple birthday cakes. In addition to Herman's birthday cake (see above), Sam Whitmore also brought a reunion cake with a picture of the book cover!
We had enjoyed excellent weather all day, even though the weather forecast was for a chance of rain. Just as we gathered for the traditional group photo, it started sprinkling. Undeterred, and sheltered by the roof line of Herman's garage, we got almost everyone in the group shot -- courtesy of Tammy's photographic expertise.
Back row - Steve Anderson, Jim Ziepolt, Bill Groves, Phil Corbin, Malcolm Van Kirk, Herman Knauer, Gayle Sunde, Rob Sunde, Anne McFarland, Tick Mangum, Joel Garner, Jay Smith, Bill Gibson, Mike Calhoun, Steve Abdalla, Charles Crowson
Front row, standing - Rick and Barbara Ransom, Tom and Bonnie Hontz, Phil Marcus, Bev Abdalla, Sam Whitmore, Hannah Gaffigan, Nace DeLauter, Sandi Watt (Johnson), Doug Jones, Diane Geshwin (Young), Gary Manley, Phil Cleary, Matthew Vasquez
Front row, kneeling - Nancy Paul Thomas, Cary Thomas, Pat Thomas
Attending, but not in photo - Bud Duley, Buddy Goldsworthy, Janet Merkel, Chris Nelson, Bill Wellford, Bonnie Williams, Nayeli Williams, Tammy Yokum
With us in spirit, but unable to attend - Frank Bollinger, Bill and Maryjane Goodwin, Suzanne Lees, Don and Shirley Kingery, Thomas Payne, Wayne Thomas, and Sharon Winne
Soon, everyone began to drift off, many of them heading to Annapolis for our high school reunion later in the day. As we said our goodbyes, and exchanged hugs, the song imprinted on the first page of the book began playing in my head . . .
I'm grateful for these reunions and everyone who goes to the effort to make this unique experience possible.
Cary Thomas, May 14, 2026