[David R.]

Years ago I worked as a fleet mechanic for a bakery company. They had GM 1 ton P30 aluminum body step vans. I had 1960-1973 trucks in my fleet. Local Chevrolet parts counter man would immediately recite part numbers when you told him what you wanted, and tell you how many he had in stock, no matter how obscure the part was. I could walk in and say I need an emergency brake drum for a ‘63 P30 and he would rattle off a part number and usually tell how many were on the shelf, unless someone sold one on his day off. He even knew what stock all the bakeries in town carried in their shops.
He called me one day and asked if I had a spare P30 I beam front axle. I said yes, how did you know. Well I sold it to them a few years ago he said. One of the other bakeries in town had broken one. He wanted to know if he could borrow it and order me another. I said OK. Good he replied, Purity Maid’s mechanic is on his way to your shop and I have yours ordered.
Never knew what happened but a few years after he retired he jumped off a bridge, left his car sitting on the bridge with door open they said.