[Chrysler300] Re: John Hertog

["David Coston" <dcoston@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Like everyone else in the Club, I was stunned by Pete's email this week regarding John's passing.  John was extremely special to me.  I remember my birthday surprise in March of 2001.  My son, Aaron who was in college at the time, bought me a membership in the Chrysler 300 Club and made arrangements for me to visit the Detroit meet that year with my wife, Marcia.  Unknown to me at the time, Aaron had been corresponding with John quite a lot and had also made arrangements for me to drive John's red "G" convertible while I was in Detroit.  I'm not sure who enjoyed the surprise most, John or Aaron.  I do know that no one enjoyed it more than me!  When it came time to take the drive from the hotel to the WPC Museum, John handed me the keys and said, "You want to drive?" I couldn't believe it at first, that someone who had only met me that weekend would hand me the keys to his precious "G" and expect me drive it several miles on the freeway.  Of course I accepted that offer and so began a very rewarding but too short friendship.  Through several meets and emails, and countless messages on the listserver, I became more aware of just how good a friend John was, not only to me but many others as well.  

One day, exactly 4 years later in March 2005, it was suggested by a club member, Rich Barber, that it would be nice to make a video documentary of the upcoming club meet in Lake Tahoe.  I talked to Aaron about it (by this time he was out of college and running his own video production company) and he thought it was a great idea.  After conferring with John and other directors, the plans were made and the rest is history.  Not only did John help to get the project underway, but he was one of the "stars" of the show granting us an interview at the Detroit meet that year.  It was ironic that John's interview took place with the Automotive Hall of Fame as a backdrop.  As we all know, John would likely be one of the first inductees into the "Chrysler 300 enthusiasts hall of fame" if there were such an institution.  After that trip to Detroit and trips to Lake Tahoe, Carlisle and several members' homes, we finally completed the project just in time for Rob Kern's Lawton, OK meet a year and one-half later.  I spoke to John a week before the meet and found out he wasn't going to be able to make it so I FedEx'd him a copy that he could view at the same time that other club members were getting to see the finished product in Oklahoma.  

It was about that time that I started noticing a change in John.  While we still communicated, he seemed to be growing distant.  Then, I received an email from him just before Thanksgiving of 2006.  He was dealing issues in his life and while he didn't explain a lot, he said: "Friends should be honest with each other so here goes:  I haven't been myself recently, David...  kind of just putting one foot ahead of the other..."  Three days later he wrote: "... I do expect things to get better, with some time...one day at a time is good enough for me."

John loved to talk about the cars but as anyone who watched his interview in "The 300 Project" DVD can see, John was just as, or even more passionate about the people that made up the Club.  In his words: "The Club transcends the cars...I've often said we could have a meet and not bring any cars and still have a wonderful weekend together..."  The club members were truly his extended "family".  So, along with the rest of the "family" members, Aaron and I celebrate his life and mourn his passing.  God bless you, John.   

David Coston

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