For 50 years, the Automotive Service Association (ASA) has done many things to get its name out to both the automotive professional and the motoring public. Since ASA's birth in 1951, we have always encouraged our members to share their experiences and to recruit others.

For you history buffs out there, 1951 was also the year two notorious people were in big trouble for sharing information. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of passing military secrets to the Soviet Union. A worldwide campaign for mercy failed, and they were executed two years later at Sing Sing Prison. The Rosenbergs were the first American civilians to be put to death for espionage and the first to suffer that penalty during peacetime.

The Rosenberg trial was the first to challenge the Espionage Act of 1917, and since then thousands of new laws, acts and statutes have been enacted at both the local and national levels. The face of government has changed greatly since that time.

It was 1951 that Congress passed the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, limiting presidents to two terms in office. And in 1981, the face and makeup of the Supreme Court changed forever, when President Ronald Reagan appointed Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to the bench, abolishing the 191-year history of an all-male Supreme Court.

Since 1951, there have been 11 U.S. presidents: Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. And lastly, the 107th Congress features a unique senator - former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. She is the first former first lady to hold an elected position.

As you can see, our government has changed in many ways since 1951, and so has ASA. Our presidents have changed, our board of directors has changed - even our name and location have changed. However, the commitment that we have to advancing the professionalism of the automotive industry has not changed during our 50-year history. It is a commitment we strive for daily, and one that we look forward to achieving for many years to come.

History Quiz:

What Ford model concept car bearing the name of a Ford classic car, was introduced at the International Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE) in December 2000? Hint: The car will be released in 2002, and was featured on NBC news in January 2001.

See the April issue of AutoInc. for the answer.

History Quiz answer for February:

Besides George Herbert Walker Bush and George W. Bush, who is the only other father-son duo to serve as U.S. president?

Answer: John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

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