Riding in President George H. W. Bush’s motorcade is just one of the perks of working as a vehicle mechanic for the University, if you’re Gordy Peters.
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The heavy equipment mechanic, a University employee 33 years, was asked to transport a van of press people in that motorcade during a Bush visit in 1991.
“You won’t find that working at an auto dealership,” Peters says. You’ll typically spot him working on cars, vans or light trucks in the Transportation Services garage on Kipke Drive just north of the football stadium, and Peters says it’s the variety he encounters on the job that he appreciates.
The Ann Arbor native recalls as a boy first getting into things mechanical.
“We moved to a house next to a little service garage when I was about 10 or 12 years old,” Peters says. “I’d tinker with my bicycle and stuff like that when I was a kid. When I was probably 13 or 14 the guy gave me a part-time job sweeping up and changing oil and doing tune ups on cars. I just worked all the way through high school part time. I always liked taking stuff apart and putting stuff back together to see how it worked, it just seemed like a fun thing to do.”
The1974 Pioneer High School graduate wanted to work as a mechanic at U-M. While waiting for a slot to open, he worked two years as a custodian at the Kresge Building and the Student Activities Building then landed a mechanic job in 1977.
Peters, who lives in Saline, worked five years on big trucks and for the next 17 years on buses, before switching to cars, vans and light trucks. “I always like to find a new challenge,” Peters says. “The buses were dramatically different than working on trucks. I looked at the change as a good opportunity to expand my knowledge base and learn some new things. I always had a tremendous amount of pride working here, growing up in Ann Arbor and then working for the University.”
U-M has more than 1,000 vehicles maintained by 10 mechanics and a bodywork specialist. “Our primary focus is to do the maintenance and repairs; we do whatever isn’t covered by warranty,” Peters says.
While the number of vehicles has soared since he started working at U-M, computerization also has changed vehicle service. “One thing in the old days was that every component we could rebuild or repair; it was a very hands-on old school job being a mechanic. Today you’ve got a lot more sophisticated electronic and control systems on all the vehicles.
“Back when I first started you needed fuel, and you needed a spark to make things run,” Peters says. “Nowadays you rarely replace spark plugs, with the computer controlled systems and fuel injection. I don’t remember the last time I saw a carburetor.”
When he’s off the job, Peters enjoys maintaining his 2003 Mustang convertible and wife Karen’s 1994 Dodge Intrepid, which has more than 125,000 miles.
“Cars today are really quite dependable — change the oil, rotate the tires and do the maintenance, then you can stretch those dollars. I’ve never had a major engine failure; I generally try to stick to that 3,000-mile parameter for oil changes. It’s cheap insurance.”
In his spare time Peters enjoys woodworking, particularly making small tables. “You can take a piece of wood that’s got some real character and turn it into something quite beautiful,” he says.
The weekly Spotlight features staff members at the University. To nominate a candidate, please contact the Record staff at [email protected].
