Back plate character
David Steffen
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: Features
A brief stroll through a Hillsdale College parking lot can reveal quite a bit about the drivers of the cars parked there. Vanity license plates from an array of American states give glimpses into the personalities behind each wheel.
From nicknames to lifelong passions, Hillsdale students and faculty turn a mere seven characters on a license plate into a personal statement.
In sophomore Hilary Hough's family, everyone's vehicle sports a vanity license plate. She said her father insisted that everyone have one.
"My mom really likes gardening, so hers is JARDIN - it's the French version of garden," Hough said. "And mine is HILBEAR because my nickname is…Hilbear…and my brother likes Metallica, so that's what his is."
Hough is currently borrowing her father's car, which shows the family's passion for their favorite vacation spot.
"Every summer we go out to Montana, so my dad wanted BIG SKY as his license plate," Hough said.
Dow Journalism Director Tracy Simmons obtained his GRK<N vanity license plate in Virginia 10 years ago. The combination was a natural fit for the man holding undergraduate and graduate classics degrees.
"I have had several educated people say, 'Gosh, those aren't your initials…Are they the initials of a former girlfriend?' " said Simmons, laughing. "They were really trying to figure it out, but it was this mechanic who figured it out immediately."
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles gave him the plate free of charge, he said. Employees had to switch out his old plate due to records of fraudulent use of his plate number. They awarded him a free vanity plate for the inconvenience.
"I had about 10 seconds - and I mean 10 seconds - and I said, 'Well, classics; that's obvious, so how about GRK<N,' " Simmons said. "She typed it in and said, 'Okay, got it - No one had it, so it's yours.' "
Vanity plates are available from the Michigan Secretary of State for an additional $30 for the first year and an annual fee of $15 from then on, according to the Michigan Secretary of State Web site.
From nicknames to lifelong passions, Hillsdale students and faculty turn a mere seven characters on a license plate into a personal statement.
In sophomore Hilary Hough's family, everyone's vehicle sports a vanity license plate. She said her father insisted that everyone have one.
"My mom really likes gardening, so hers is JARDIN - it's the French version of garden," Hough said. "And mine is HILBEAR because my nickname is…Hilbear…and my brother likes Metallica, so that's what his is."
Hough is currently borrowing her father's car, which shows the family's passion for their favorite vacation spot.
"Every summer we go out to Montana, so my dad wanted BIG SKY as his license plate," Hough said.
Dow Journalism Director Tracy Simmons obtained his GRK<N vanity license plate in Virginia 10 years ago. The combination was a natural fit for the man holding undergraduate and graduate classics degrees.
"I have had several educated people say, 'Gosh, those aren't your initials…Are they the initials of a former girlfriend?' " said Simmons, laughing. "They were really trying to figure it out, but it was this mechanic who figured it out immediately."
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles gave him the plate free of charge, he said. Employees had to switch out his old plate due to records of fraudulent use of his plate number. They awarded him a free vanity plate for the inconvenience.
"I had about 10 seconds - and I mean 10 seconds - and I said, 'Well, classics; that's obvious, so how about GRK<N,' " Simmons said. "She typed it in and said, 'Okay, got it - No one had it, so it's yours.' "
Vanity plates are available from the Michigan Secretary of State for an additional $30 for the first year and an annual fee of $15 from then on, according to the Michigan Secretary of State Web site.
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