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Frank Washington Charity Auction begins: bid now, bid often
We meet more and more automotive journalists in the industry with every auto show we attend, and we've noticed a definite sense of brotherhood that exists among all who get to do this insanely sweet job for a living. We appreciate those veterans who've been kind enough to befriend a little blog like ours, and we try to repay the favor when we can. Frank Washington is not an automotive journalist we've met personally, but many of our new friends know him and were horrified to learn that he had been severely mugged while taking an early morning walk around his Detroit neighborhood in January. This past Friday, Frank underwent reconstructive surgery on his face to repair nearly all of the bones that were crushed in the attack.
Famous spy photog Brenda Priddy has gathered a few interesting items up for auction on eBay and will be donating all of the money raised to help pay for Frank's medical bills. Among the items are a series of five Dodge Challenger prototype pistol grip shifters, two original framed mid-engine Corvette sketches from 1973, a rare BMW sculpture from 1981, a $1,200 Michelin gift certificate and a five-hour Bob Bondurant high performance driving class. Please bid if you're able and interested in helping a veteran automotive journalist who finds himself in this tragic and painful situation. Thanks!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
imoore 3:20PM (3/27/2008)
My prayers go out ot Frank for a speedy recovery. I'll make a bid for some the items to help oot. But I really hoe the guys who did this are locked up for the rest of their lives with no chance of parole. No one should have to suffer this or any kind of crime while their aggressors go free.
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summazooma 3:33PM (3/27/2008)
Amen to that... If Mr. Washington is like a lot of other journos, he's probably freelance and probably has limited health insurance, so his ability to withstand the costs associated with anything even remotely serious is probably equally limited.
mk 3:36PM (3/27/2008)
My sympathy to Mr. Washington. I hope a quick and restful recovery.
and my IRE to the animals who saw fit to attack someone, entirely likely without any provocation.
Animals that attack like that need to get put down. Civilized people don't behave that way for any reason.
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bakerlaw67 3:45PM (3/27/2008)
Kudos to Autoblog for running the story. I got an email from Brenda last night about this, so I expect that all of the blogosphere was told, and I've only seen it here.
The text:
I'll keep this brief: As many of you know, I've been working on a series of auctions to help fellow journalist, Frank Washington, with his medical bills after he was attacked on the street in his Detroit neighborhood. This is the first of several auctions, and I hope we'll be adding new ones every day for the next week or two.
The first 5 auctions include:
A series of 5 DODGE CHALLENGER PROTOTYPE PISTOL GRIP SHIFTERS from the Dodge Design Studio!
Two ORIGINAL framed mid-engine CORVETTE sketches from the CORVETTE DESIGN STUDIO, circa 1973.
RARE BMW 'sculpture' / model (circa 1981) donated by Jim Dunne.
A $1200 MICHELIN gift certificate.
And a 5-hour BOB BONDURANT High Performance driving class!
**All proceeds go directly to the Frank Washington Fund at Charter One Bank in Michigan.
Any (and all) publicity would be greatly appreciated!!!!
And - ask your readers to check back in a day or two for more surprises!!
Thanks in advance from everyone involved in this project!
Kindest regards,
Brenda Priddy
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZbrendapriddycharityauctions
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John R 3:47PM (3/27/2008)
My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. Here's to a swift recovery.
And swift justice to the degenerates who aren't worth their weight in carbon molocules. I hope they find no solace.
Also, it'd be nice, Autoblog, as to the status of the auction every now and again.
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GTX141 5:06PM (3/27/2008)
I personally know Frank, and he's easily one of the nicest people I've ever been around. Please, if any of you can bid, try to help him out!
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J. D. Billiford 5:10PM (3/27/2008)
>>> Damn criminals! Hang in there, Frank!
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Rob 5:18PM (3/27/2008)
I bid on something, and I really hope everything works out for this gentleman.
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Luis 4:29PM (3/28/2008)
Get well soon Mr.W!
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