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MAY 2024
Growing Together With You
Rediscovering My Dad’s Pro Race Car 50 YEARS IN A DELAWARE BARN
The call came out of nowhere about three months ago. “Hi Carmen,” said the guy on the other end. “I think I bought your dad’s race car.” I’m thinking, this guy is bonkers. As readers of this newsletter know, my dad was a professional race car driver in New Jersey, and he was one of the best in the country. But his race car disappeared in 1970. I don’t know what happened to it. I’m like, “Okay, how can I help you?” The guy started asking questions about the car, about the style and the model. The guy knew a little too much to have it wrong. About a year ago, he explained, he was at a swap meet for car parts in Delaware. He’s a drag-racing enthusiast — we’ll call him Bob. He saw this car parked there and he fell in love with the paint job. It looked like the real deal, a real race car, he said to himself. So Bob bought the car and started tracking it down. One sticker on the window was a clue: It said “Raceway Park, Englishtown, N.J.,” where my dad used to race. I needed to break away for a minute to take another call, but I asked Bob. “Is there any way you can send me a picture of what you bought?” He agreed.
As readers of this newsletter know, I grew up in a gas station. My dad would stay there nights and weekends, working on the race car. But the big rule in our house was, “Don’t touch the car!” You just didn’t touch it, whether it was on the back of the car carrier or in the bay at the gas station. When I was about 5 years old, the car just disappeared. We never knew why my dad sold it.
Believe it or not, the photo was of my dad’s race car — a 1966 Chevelle! It had been sitting in a barn in Delaware for 50 years!
I called Bob back, and he was excited to hear my news. What can you tell me about the car? he asked.
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“I don’t know what happened to the car,” I told him. “One day it was just gone. But I know somebody who knows everything about it.”
Who? Bob asked.
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“My dad.”
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Englishtown, N.J.,” he found two Facebook pages, including one about memories from life at the track. Looking through the photos, he found one that looked like my dad’s car and posted it somewhere. Another race car enthusiast responded: That looks like Joe Dellutri’s car! But he left New Jersey about 40 years ago. Bob continued digging, telling himself the car was just too good to not have a story. How could it just disappear? How could there be no loose ends? How could there be no story here? The answers didn’t come easily. My dad is like a ghost on the internet. He has an email address but he doesn’t use it. He has no social media presence. He has an iPad, but he opens it only to look at pictures of cars. On the internet, he doesn’t exist. Bob searched for Joe Dellutri for eight months, but all he could find was a picture of Dad standing in front of a 1930 Ford. He kept hitting dead ends. But Dellutri is an unusual name. He kept coming across my name on the internet and finally tracked me down. When I arrived at his home and he showed me the car, I had goosebumps just looking at it. It’s the real deal! “Bob, I can’t believe you have this car here!”
“He is still alive?” Bob asked.
“Yeah, he’s still alive.” Electricity was flowing through Bob’s body. “He’s still alive! Omigod!” Bob lives in Easton, MD, a little town about 30 minutes from Annapolis. “I have a son in the Naval Academy at Annapolis,” I told him. “I’m flying up tomorrow. Do you mind if I come see the car?” He was thrilled, and gave me his address, phone, and email. “Let me know when you can come!” he said. We ended our call, and I told my wife Marjorie the story of Bob’s find. She was amazed. “Are you serious?” she asked. I arrived in Maryland the next day and took an Uber to Bob’s house, and he is the nicest guy in the world. Guess what Bob does for a living? He collects old race cars. That’s his hobby. But to earn a living, he does lettering on cars in the city of Easton. When the police buy a dozen cop cars, he puts all the graphics and lettering on them for the whole city of Easton.
Within minutes, I had hatched a plan. My dad is 82, and he has been through some tough times. He had cancer. He’s a survivor. I want to give him the gift of remembering how great a driver he was. His birthday was coming soon. As an early birthday present, I could fly him up to meet Bob and see his car! “I’m going to get my dad up here,” I told Bob. I knew he’d never come if I just asked him, so I’ll have to come up with some more convincing reason for him to make the trip. “I’ll lie to him, I’ll do whatever I have to do to get him up here.”
Bob is also a researcher. Starting with that little sticker, “Raceway Park,
Next month: Carmen orchestrates a Dellutri family trip to Maryland.
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Testimonial Our Clients Say It Best
“Where can I begin? Carmen Dellutri, you are such a kind-hearted human being! As I am writing this, I am crying because I know it is still not over for me, this is the beginning — but you have given me such amazing advice and help. I spoke to an attorney the day prior to talking with Mr. Dellutri, and he acted like he did not care at all about my case. I have been sick to my stomach and my blood pressure has been through the roof, and this attorney made it worse. Mr. Dellutri took his time to listen to me and my concerns, and he educated me and gave me great advice. He made me feel at ease and I am so thankful and grateful to him. I know that whatever happens next, if I need him, I know I can count on him! Oh, and let’s not forget Claudia; she is the sweetest and she really did care for me too. She made sure that Mr. Dellutri knew before we spoke what I really wanted from him at this time. At the end of our call she made sure to tell me to take it easy, that it will all work out. Thank you, Claudia. God bless you all, talk soon!!” –M.I.
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SHARE THE ROAD SAFELY WITH MOTORCYCLISTS DRIVE SMART As the summer travel season approaches, drivers would do well to heed the advice on a bumper sticker that is popular among motorcyclists: “Look twice. Save a life!” The death rate of motorcyclists per mile traveled is almost 24 times that of people driving in cars, federal data show, and the risks are rising. Motorcycles registered for road travel in the United States have doubled since 2002 to 8.6 million, sharply increasing the number of highway encounters with cars and trucks. In recognition of May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, here are some practical tips for drivers on sharing the road with motorcycles. Check your blind spots. Motorcycle safety instructors advise riders to pretend they are invisible — because to many drivers, they are. “You, in all your narrowness, may not register in the visual cortex of even the most alert drivers,” says a Motorcycle Safety Foundation safety bulletin. “Car drivers only see what they expect to see.” Motorcyclists are even less noticeable in drivers’ blind spots, so check twice before making turns or changing lanes. Signal your plans. Drivers who fail to notice an oncoming motorcyclist may turn left directly in front of it or change lanes right into their path. That makes it especially important for drivers to use their turn signals, to give motorcyclists more time to react and protect themselves.
CITRUS BBQ CHICKEN Inspired by FoodNetwork.com
INGREDIENTS
• 8 skin-on chicken leg and thigh pieces • 1 1/3 cups ketchup • 2 tbsp brown sugar • Juice and zest of 1 orange
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon • 3 cloves garlic, minced • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce • 2 tsp ground cumin • 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika • Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
A referral is the greatest gift we can receive from a client or fellow business! Last month we had ... • 42 referrals from friends, family, or previous clients • 23 returning clients for new matters • 19 referrals from other attorneys • 5 referrals from doctors and other professionals • We also send out referrals to our trusted referral partners. A Huge Thank-You to Our Referral Partners! 1. Place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag. Combine all other ingredients in a small bowl. 2. Reserve 1 cup of the sauce and add the rest to the plastic bag. Toss to evenly coat the chicken and marinate overnight. 3. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add remaining sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer to thicken sauce, about 10 minutes. Set aside. 4. On grill set for medium-high heat, arrange chicken skin side down. Cook until grill marks form, about 4 minutes. Flip chicken, cover grill, and cook until a thermometer inserted into thighs reads 165 F, about 20–25 minutes. 5. Serve with remaining sauce. What’s the Good News ? “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” ROMANS 15:13
Respect motorcyclists. They have the same rights as other users of the road, so don’t tailgate! Motorcyclists can stop even more quickly than a small car, so if you are following one, leave a larger-than-usual distance between you and the biker.
With these safety tips in mind, we can all help keep the highways safe for motorcyclists and drivers alike, so everyone can enjoy the exhilaration and freedom of the open road. If you are a motorcyclist concerned about safety and have any doubts about whether you are carrying adequate insurance, we will be happy to review your coverage. We don’t sell insurance, but we are equipped to assess your needs and provide reliable advice to ensure that you are well-protected as you travel.
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Inside This Issue
1 Believe It or Not: Carmen Finds His Dad’s Long-Lost Race Car 2 Our Clients Say It Best 3 Practical Tips on Sharing the Road With Motorcyclists
Citrus BBQ Chicken
4 May Tribute: Honoring Our Armed Forces and Cinco de Mayo
DOUBLE CELEBRATION Celebrating Our Armed Forces and Cinco de Mayo
May is a special time for the Dellutri Law Group, when the nation pauses to celebrate two holidays of great importance to us. May was designated National Military Appreciation Month by Congress in 1999, in honor of military members past and present. This is a time to recognize the dedication
and courage of members of the armed forces throughout our nation’s history and the huge sacrifices they and their families have made. Our family is especially proud that my son Nicholas has completed his first year of training at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. Nick passed all of his Naval exams and is moving on to summer training. The Naval Academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Graduates of its highly acclaimed undergraduate programs receive Bachelor of Science degrees and serve as commissioned officers for at least five years in the Navy or Marine Corps. Another important May holiday, Cinco de Mayo, also has its origins in military history. On this day in 1862, Mexican soldiers scored a remarkable victory against much larger, better-equipped French troops in the Battle of Puebla. The French fighters
tried and failed repeatedly to storm two forts near the city of Puebla and eventually were forced to retreat. The Mexican victory has inspired patriotic Mexicans and serves as an example of valor. Over time, Cinco de Mayo has evolved in the U.S. into a celebration of Mexican-American culture and has become popular nationwide. We are proud to employ many Spanish- speaking attorneys and team members at Dellutri Law Group, and we maintain our firm’s website in both English and Spanish for the convenience of our Spanish-speaking clients. We are pleased to celebrate Mexican- American history and its many contributions to our nation’s culture and progress. As you celebrate your young family members’ promotions and graduations this month, we hope you will pause for a moment to appreciate both of these important holidays. Wishing you all a joyous Cinco de Mayo and a Happy Military Month!
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