When the loved ones of a retired firefighter couldn’t complete a family project following their patriarch’s death, a group of Inland Empire students stepped in to help make their vision come to fruition.
When he wasn’t fighting fires in Riverside County, Cal Fire Capt. Shane Porter enjoyed spending time in his garage with his two sons, Michael and Tim. The trio spent countless hours restoring a 1969 Jeepster Commando since Porter wanted a special way to bond with his sons. According to his wife, Tigger Porter, he was pressed to spend time with them since he knew time wasn’t on his side.
“He was diagnosed with bladder cancer in the early 2000s and we were actually told by the doctors, ‘Make this your last Christmas because you’re not going to get any more,’” Tigger said.
More than 12 years later, however, the fire captain was still active and spent time with his kids working on their family project until he died in 2022.
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Following Shane’s death, his family was unsure what to do with the Jeepster – until family friend Bob Mauger stepped in.
"I saw the Jeep sitting in the garage and asked Tigger about it,” Mauger, an automotive instructor at Corona High School, said. “(She) told me the story Shane had purchased it and they were working on it together, and I thought that would be a great opportunity for my students to finish the restoration for the family.”
The Corona teacher said his students were enthusiastic to take on the project after he shared the Porters’ story with them. However, it didn’t come without challenges.
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"The engine had problems with it, the interior was just a complete mess; dirty. (There was) no dashboard on it,” said Uriel Valdivia, a student at Corona High School.
After putting in extra hours after school, the students completed their passion project over a year after they took on the restoration. Presenting the finished Jeepster to the family was as touching for them as it was to the Porters.
“As soon as I saw it, it was just a dream come true,” said Tim Porter. “It was just incredible that they were able to come together as a team and work on it.”
