Participation Needed for Academic Survey on Interest in Cars and Hot Rods
My name is Gary Cross and I'm a Professor of American history at Penn State. I am currently writing a book on the development of car culture in America during the twentieth century and I'm looking to have some conversations with hot rod enthusiasts about how they became interested in cars and how cars have helped shape their lives (Disclaimer: as an academic book, this project will result in only nominal financial compensation).
I have developed a website that describes some of the questions I am interested in asking -- Untitled Document -- and gives you an opportunity to answer those questions and submit them, but I'd also be happy to discuss these questions on this forum.
Here are some of the questions I'm particularly interested in discussing. This is a relatively long list of questions. If you'd only like to answer a few of them, that would be perfectly fine as well. For my purposes, the more specific and detailed an answer you can give, the better. I want to include as many of your voices in this project as possible.
1) How old were you when you first became interested in cars? And who introduced you to your interest - a brother, dad, or friend? What was their interest in cars?
2) How did your driving and/or owning a car affect your relationships with your parents and other members of your family?
3) What kind of car did you drive in high school? Did you own it? If so, how did you pay for it?
4) What was your "dream car" in high school? Did you ever own it?
5) Did you work on your own car? Did you do any modifications to it?
6) What is your greatest memory of you and your car in high school?
7) While in high school did you hang out with others who shared your interest in cars? How would you describe these friends and how were they different from students you didn't hang out with?
8) Did you also participate in any school or community clubs or organized sports? Which ones? What was your favorite subject in high school?
9) Describe a typical night out for you in high school especially after you or your friends started driving? Where did you go? What did you do? Did it involve the opposite sex?
10) How did you feel about the police regarding your driving?
11) Did your interest in cars change as you became an adult? If so, how?
12) What year were you born?
13) Are you male or female?
14) Where did you grow up?
15) How far in school did you go?
16) What is or was your occupation?
