Photo: Bob Mauger
Shane Porter was dying of cancer in 2016 when he came home with a battered 1969 Jeepster Commando as a project to work on with his wife and sons Michael and Tim. Shane, a fire captain with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, died in January 2022 and the car sat there until family friend Bob Mauger, an automotive technology teacher at Corona High School, pitched the idea of repairing it to his advanced class. Students regularly work on teachers' and parents' vehicles. Car owners cover the cost of parts, but students work free. In addition to gaining new skills, "the kids are learning how to give back," Mauger said. About 22 students worked 15 months to fix the Jeepster. When the students presented it to the Porter family July 27, everyone was crying, Mauger said. Tigger, a paramedic who once attended Corona High School, said she feels closest to her husband when she is behind the wheel of his Jeep.
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