As Time Goes By

by Thomas Greco, Publisher

I got the inspiration for starting this column over 30 years ago when I became a father.

My life was changing so quickly and I got the crazy idea that maybe some people would like to read about my adventures and misadventures. Every other industry magazine wrote strictly about the issues and the opinions of the automotive industry. My idea was to have all of that, but also one column that would kind of give our readers a break from thinking about their day-to-day struggles in this difficult profession.

It seems to have worked. Over the years, I’ve received so many comments about the columns and that is really really humbling. But I recently got to thinking about the origins of it and looking back, there is no doubt that at least 50 percent of the articles were written about my kids. Obviously as they have gotten older and lived their own lives, they have not been as prominent as they once were. Looking back, I realize my daughter Michelle got the majority of the coverage since she was our only child when I started. Allow me to provide some examples:

“I have been coaching my daughter in basketball and softball for the last five years (she’s 11)…”

“As I write this article, my daughter is attending her first day of junior high. Junior high??? Where the hell did all the time go…”

“In a few months, my daughter will become a teenager. A teenager!!! Where did all the time go? Is it just me, or does every father feel sad when his little girl is growing up…”

“Last week, my 15-year-old daughter came home and asked me if she could go away with one of her friends for a week this summer…”

“Over the years, I’ve written about my family quite often in this space, more often than not about my daughter. Well, now that these publications are online and my son has reached his teenage years, he has started to read my column. A few weeks ago, he asked me an interesting question: “How come you ALWAYS write about HER…”

“By the time you read this, my little girl will have graduated from high school. Wait…what??? When I started writing this column, she must have been about five. Now, she’s a high school graduate. Where did all the time go…”

“If you’re a regular reader of this column, you must know that my daughter went away to college this past September…”

Notice a pattern here?

Now you may be wondering if there is a point to all of this, and there is.

A big point.

In two weeks, my little girl, the one who inspired over 260 articles, over 300,000 words and at least a dozen “Where did the time go’s?” is…

Getting married.

WHERE.

DID.

ALL.

THE.

TIME.

GO?

God bless Michelle and Drew – June 13, 2026.

ps: Yes, I am wearing a tie!

Want more? Check out the June 2026 issue of New Jersey Automotive!