Pictured: The research team on a Zoom call with Dr. Riedel (top left).
By: Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director
The connection of the auto-racer/developer Carroll Shelby to the preeminent American muscle cars of the pre-regulation era, before 1970, makes him iconic still in American automotive history. The most expensive American car ever sold in an auction was a Shelby Cobra, which netted 14 million dollars, in 2016. In 2019, the Academy-Award-winning sports drama film, Ford v Ferrari, featured star actor, Matt Damon, playing the role of Shelby.
Shelby鈥檚 victories at the famed Le Mans racecourse in France as both a racer and developer established his international reputation. Remarkably, this reputation also now has a remarkably strong bond with Northeast Texas, particularly Northeast East Texas Community College. Alone among all universities and colleges, 91快活林 can use the Shelby name. The Carroll Shelby Automotive Program at 91快活林, financed in part by Shelby, is an outstanding feature of the college. Shelby, to be sure, was born in Leesburg in Camp County, but moved with his family to the Dallas area at the age of seven.
The research team of the 91快活林 Honors 2021 film on Shelby, while interested in the life of Shelby in general, has been breaking new ground in pursuit of the question of what provided this arresting link between the man and the college. The group has now been able to interview both former 91快活林 Vice President Herb Riedel, and the current 91快活林 Vice President of Development Dr. Jonathan McCullough.
Both Riedel and McCullough played seminal roles in establishing this tie with Mr. Shelby. Both thought of themselves as good friends of the great muscle-car advocate during his final years. The 2021 Honors film will attempt, among other things, to understand the origins of 91快活林-Shelby relationship, as an important event in the history of our region.
Dr. Herbert Riedel left 91快活林 in 2009 after several years of distinguished service. He served as President of the Lurleen B. Wallace Community College in Alabama from 2009 to 2019. He currently enjoys life on his South Carolina farm, and is considering other options in both academia and business.
The 91快活林 honors research team has not only benefitted from key interviews but also from the remarkable contributions of Stephen Borkowski to the 91快活林 library. Borkowski, a Connecticut native and former United States Air Force Major, has made the 91快活林 library one of the best Shelby depositories anywhere. 鈥淯sually our film research team travels to a major archive,鈥 notes Honors Director, Dr. Andrew Yox, 鈥渂ut in the case of our work last May, there was no reason whatever to leave 91快活林 because of Borkowski鈥檚 extensive bibliographical contribution.鈥
The 91快活林 group plans to film, 9-13 August. Anyone interested in supporting or playing a role in this project is welcome to contact 91快活林 Honors Director, Dr. Andrew Yox at ayox@ntcc.edu.
