The Shelby American (Fall 2021)

ing. That kind of influenced me a lot; I expected them more open and sharing. But it was a business for them and they weren’t interested in the things I thought they could share. That led me to do a lot of my own research and de- velop my own knowledge about the cars. SAAC: There was a time when people who were restoring cars professionally were very protective of the things they had learned. Especially with concours cars. A lot of enthusiasts – hobbyists – didn’t understand the distinction be- tween themselves and those in the business of restoring cars. Enthusiasts are willing to spend a great deal of time with each other, answering ques- tions and sharing information (this be- fore the Internet days of the forums). Those in business understand that time is money and do not wish to spend their time engaging enthusi- asts, which they cannot charge for. They prefer to spend their time work- ing on cars, which they can charge for. It’s how they make their living. Addi- tionally, their specific knowledge is part of what they are charging for. Many consider it proprietary and think of it as part of what enables to charge a premium for their work. They have no desire to give it away. DISHER: I understand that point of view, but it was certainly eye-opening for me at the time. I expected there would be more camaraderie and will- ingness to share information. SAAC: There probably was, but you just happened on the wrong people. DISHER: I think you’re right. SAAC: That’s the difference between a club and a business, and sometimes there’s very little overlap. On the busi- ness end, once that information gets out and becomes common knowledge, they don’t have as much to sell any- more. Thankfully, it’s not really like that anymore. Most of this “propri- etary” information is now common knowledge – at least to those who are most active in the hobby. So for the professional restorers, the balance be- tween knowledge and skill has tipped. With most of the knowledge out there (thanks in many cases, to the forums) what differentiates the pros is their skill. DISHER: That first car was, as I think it is with everyone, a learning experience. It turned out rather well, all things considered. Eventually I did sell the car and it led to my first restoration. When it was done I was hired by a gentleman to find him a car and then later to oversee its restora- tion. And that led to, probably, a dozen more restorations, total. Most were pretty successful, I think. SAAC: So was this a hobby that mor- phed into a business? DISHER: No, it was always a hobby. I’ve always had a full-time “real job” as I call it, on the side. At one time I had as many as four restorations going at one time, and that was an- other lesson learned. You don’t want to do that if it is a hobby, because it is very time-consuming. SAAC: What is your regular job? DISHER: I work at the University of Wisconsin. I’ve been there for thirty- plus years. SAAC: As a tenured professor? DISHER: [ Laughs. } No, I work for the police department. I’m not a police of- ficer but I work for the department. There’s another common thread to my law enforcement background. When I was seventeen I joined the Air Force National Guard and served for twenty-six years. That was all military police. SAAC: You must have deen deployed to the Gulf. DISHER: I had spent some time over- seas before with the military but after 2001 I had two tours in the Middle East. The first was in Bahrain during the conflict with Afghanistan. I was stationed at a base that provided fuel for all the missions in Afghanistan. Then on the second tour I was actually in Kuwait up to and past the time of the invasion. That was 2003. When we first got there we had expected to stay for ninety days, and we were actually at the most forward operating location to Iraq. We ended up staying a little over six months.We were there during the time the invasion started. SAAC: When you were there you crossed paths with Lt. Col. Oliver North, a former ‘68 Shelby owner. Tell us about that. DISHER: I had been dealing with Shelbys for quite some time and I was watching the news one day and he was reporting. He didn’t say where he was, but I thought I recognized part of the base I was at. At that time I was one The SHELBY AMERICAN Fall 2021 34 A ‘73 Grande was only an appetizer. A ‘66 stick-six got him a little closer. #1701 was a Disher restoration. The owner chose not to take the concours route.