Biography for

Jim Claire

Jim attended General Motors Institute (GMI) for three years, studying Pre-Engineering and Industrial Engineering. He then transferred to Kent State and graduated with a BBS degree in Industrial Production. GMI was a co-op program and Jim was able to continue working for the Chevrolet plant in Parma while attending Kent State. Following graduation from Kent, he continued with Chevy as a Quality Assurance Analyst and Inspection Supervisor, as well as taking graduate courses at Cleveland State's College of Industrial Engineering. While working at Chevy, Jim wrote the 250-page plant compliance manual to address the requirements of the new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

In 1974, Jim packed up his young family and moved to Boise, Idaho, where he worked for Morrison-Knudsen's Railroad Division which overhauled diesel-electric locomotives. During this time, he served in several different functions, including Cost Engineer, Contract Administrator and Manager of Estimating and Proposals. In 1983, Jim moved to Hornell, New York, where the company had opened a facility devoted to overhauling passenger rail cars and later into manufacturing new passenger cars for various transit systems. There Jim again held different functions, including Manager of Plant Engineering, Program Engineer, Program Manager and Contract Administrator. In 1994 when the company was the successful bidder for a new-car program for the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART), Jim moved to Antioch, California, as Contract Administrator for the program. Following completion of the BART program, Jim moved to Oakland, California, where he served as the facility manager, overseeing purchasing, warehousing and material handling functions in the company's new service and warranty site. Not wanting to retire on the West Coast, Jim transferred back to Hornell, New York, in 2001 and retired in 2005.

Jim feels very lucky to have grown up in the Brecksville area with an abundance of outdoor activities, including Trailside Museum and scouting. He was able to continue his love of the outdoors by living in Idaho (80% of the state is National Forest), in the Finger Lakes area of New York State, and in the Delta Area of California with hundreds of miles of waterways to enjoy. He believes that some people "live to work" and others "work to live"; he feels that he is part of the latter group, because he and his family have lived in some fantastic areas. They have been able to boat, hunt, fish, camp and water ski in the mountains of Idaho; boat from San Francisco Bay to Sacramento and Stockton; and enjoy various lakes and the Thousand Island area of New York State.

Jim's family includes his wife, Sharon; daughter, Deb, who has 2 children and lives nearby; daughter, Karen, who has 3 sons and recently moved to Frankfurt, Germany; and step-son, Larry, who shares Jim's interest in old cars.

He keeps busy in retirement by doing the accounting work at church and chairing the logistics committee for the local Relay for Life event. He is also active in the Chemung Valley Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America, where he has served as President for two terms and is currently editor of the monthly newsletter and co-chair for the annual car show. Jim is also certified as a Master Judge with AACA and serves on the committee for AACA's National Library & Research Center.