Over the past three decades I have met all sorts of Drywall Dogs. The first 20 or so years I was on the business end of a Bazooka and the last 15 have been on the sales side. Based on my experience, I have decided that most guys fit into two categories: the early adopters (New Skool) and the die-hard traditionalists (Old School). I have waxed poetic about this subject numerous times over the past years in these pages, and I recently reconnected with a guy I have known for almost 25 years who really is the epitome of a New Skool Drywall Dog.
When I first reconnected with Joe Klaumenzer, it was at a car show in my hometown. As some of you know, I helped my son Christopher restore a '73 Dodge Dart Swinger. Last year, we took it to the Duryea Days car show and ended up in the same section as Joe. He has a 1956 Desoto, four-door Firedome with a 330 Hemi under the hood that is his pride and joy. He actually has a remote ordering stand and a tray from Big Pixie, a local '50s carhop drive-in that he sets up for added nostalgia. We ended up sitting next to each other and spent a few hours talking about the "old days" and yes, it's hard for me to come to terms with the fact that I am one of the old guys now!