Opinion: Freedom & Whiskey: Saying Goodbye to David E., Jerry Flint, and Other Luminaries of the Automotive World

Sam Fiorani remembers those who influenced his life and career.

When a famous actor or athlete or politician dies, everyone recognizes the loss. The event makes the national news while talk shows and blogs discuss their contributions and legacy ad nauseum. Whether the individual is an Oscar winner, Super Bowl MVP, or powerful Senator, almost everyone knows what the person did and why so many people care.

For those of us in and around the automotive industry, our stars and statesmen are just a little more obscure. Their contributions are just as (in some cases, more) important. They're rarely mentioned on the evening news, if noticed beyond the trade rags at all.

In my circle, I've lost six of these automotive stars in the last several years, all of whom influenced me and most of whom are far from well known outside their little niche.

And since you're on this site, your love of all things automotive may be a bit more hardcore than the average "car guy." So you, too, might appreciate what each of these people gave to the industry and hobby we love.

Taylor Vinson, Fred Roe, Stan Stephenson, and Beverly Rae Kimes were very special to me. Each of them had an impact on my career path and added quite a bit to my knowledge and respect for the history of the automobile.

Whether it was Taylor and me walking through the Detroit Auto Show correcting errors... or Fred telling stories of how he and his friends salvaged many classics from the scrap heap... or Beverly's amazing way of putting perspective on the cars at the Burn Prevention Concours... or Stan at Motor Age helping me get my first real job... each has had a strong influence on my life and my writing. I hope to "pay it forward" when the opportunity arises.

I sat at the keyboard today to talk more about the two individuals I knew the least, however, and whom we lost the most recently. They were both called "icons" by many, and each was referred to as a "dean of automotive writing." And both carried auras (physical and otherwise) that were unmistakable when you saw them.

Last August, we lost Jerry Flint. His work appeared regularly in Forbes and other publications. He was quite opinionated, usually for good reason, since he had been in and around the automotive industry for generations. He was highly critical of the American industry in the hopes of getting U.S. companies to fix their own problems before they were forced to close their doors permanently.

We disagreed on ideas at times,