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Trevor & Barrett -
Trevor & John
By Jenny Kirk There’s something very special about a boy and his first car. And when a young person shares those experiences with a family member, it’s likely to include even more priceless memories.
A 1967 Camaro is now sparking a three-generational link for the Humphrey family, thanks to a recent car swap between a father and son. “Growing up, the Camaro was central to our relationship,” Trevor Humphrey said of his dad, John. “It was a huge connection for us. I’m hoping it’s something my son, Barrett, and I can now connect on throughout the years.”
John Humphrey recently traded the red cherished Camaro, for his son’s gray Tesla. “It’s all about the technology, that’s what is cool about a Tesla,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of it. I’ve been thinking of getting one for a while. The battery cars are kind of fun. But a big piece of it is my 7-year-old grandson. Trevor and I made memories with the car. Now it’s time for Trevor and Barrett to make memories with it.”
The 1977 Slayton graduate from Hadley bought the 1967 Camaro when he was a teenager. “That was kind of the year of Camaros or Chevelles,” he said. “I didn’t have enough money for a Corvette. And most people I hung with were Chevy people.”
Humphrey was the third owner of the Camaro. “I bought it from Rich Hafner, Trace Hafner’s son. Buddy Biegler from Lake Wilson bought it new. He ended up having a baby and traded the Camaro in for an Impala, I think.”
Humphrey had a great deal of fun with the pony car ‒ the Chevrolet Camaro was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang and first went on sale in September 1966, for the 1967 model year. “Dad did a lot of street racing in the 70s,” Trevor Humphrey said. “His Camaro was the fastest car in Murray County for a few months.”
Trevor remembers sitting in the car and just being around the car practically since he was a baby in diapers. Then there were all the car shows or swap meets they went to, or just working alongside each other on the vehicle. “What’s so unique about it is that people are drawn to different things, but we were both drawn to this car,” he said. “The Camaro has such beautiful body lines. I just can’t believe Dad was able to hang onto the car for 48 years ‒ through the Navy, working all over the Midwest and having kids.”
John worked in nuclear power plants throughout the Midwest. He and his wife, Mary Ann, lived in Nebraska in the late 80s, but relocated elsewhere before finally settling there for good in 1993. The couple has been married for 37 years, and in addition to Trevor, has two other children (John and Jessica).
The Humphrey men have a strong military legacy in the Navy. “My dad was in the Navy, and I was in the Navy, and both Trevor and his brother John were in the Navy,” John Humphrey said. “I was on nuclear submarines, and John, too. Trevor was on a destroyer. That’s another piece of our family that is kind of cool.”
Trevor and his dad both attended Minnesota West Community and Technical College in Canby to become electricians. John retired from an electric utility in Nebraska, while his son, John, has worked at an electric utility in Michigan for eight years. Trevor currently owns and operates his own business, Mears Electric, located just outside Slayton. “I’ve been into cars for most of my life,” Trevor said. “Some people think of Tesla as being like the anti-car, but I disagree. It’s all about technology, which is a natural extension of what I do for a living. Even Dad, who is a ‘kicking tires around’ kind of guy, appreciates that.”
John Humphrey said he especially welcomes the value proposition versus gas at the pump. “I’m paying 8 cents a kilowatt (for the Tesla),” he said. “And it’s something fun to have. It’s different. It’s not the same as a regular car. They’ve got it full self-driving. There’s still a few bugs in the automation, but it’s pretty good.”
The Tesla has a battery it runs on. “It gets 320 miles of range on a charge,” John said. “So you just pull it into your garage and plug it in. It’s fully charged in three hours and ready to go again. That’s just with 240 volts in the house. They do have super chargers, too, in case you take a trip.”
While he likes the technological advances a Tesla offers, Trevor knew the vehicle wouldn’t provide the bonding opportunities with his son like the Camaro did with his dad. “The modern cars are not the same,” Trevor said. “What could you work on these days? I can remember being 16 years old and my dad challenging me to rebuild the carburetor without his help. It was such a transformative experience for me. It empowered me, and I was like, ‘What else can I do?’” While the countless hours of time spent together with his dad had a positive impact on Trevor’s life, he also learned a great deal about problem solving and other lifelong skills. “It’s a pretty special feeling after you do all the work and get it fixed up,” he said. “You know it’s a culmination of all your work. It’s like ‘turning the lights on.’ And over time, you collect all these little tidbits out there and they become a lifeline for skills you need later in life.”
Along with Barrett, Trevor and his wife, Amber, live on the west side of Lake Shetek. Growing up, Trevor, who graduated from Tracy Area High School in 1999, said they lived on the Tracy side of the lake. With so many ties to the area, it’s likely that a lot of people will recognize the 1967 Camaro. “People will come out of the stores to look at it,” Trevor said. “It’s such a unique car. I picked Barrett up on Friday and we stopped at the service station and had three people come out to see it.”
With the car swap complete, Trevor Humphrey didn’t waste any time making memories. He and Barrett went to their first car show. It was during Tracy’s Box Car Days this past weekend. “Growing up, we went to swap meets and all that,” he said. “It’s something Barrett and I can do on a Saturday that’s together and doesn’t involve being on a phone or a tablet. In Tracy, he won a clock, so now he has a hotrod clock in his bedroom.”
Of course, they wanted to include Amber as well. “She think’s the car is nostalgic,” Trevor said. “We told her we had to play the music that Dad used to listen too when he was cruising around.”
While new memories are being made, John said the toughest part was that he only had one car but three children. He’s not worried, though, because of their strong family connections. “If one of the other kids wants it sometime in the future, they’ll make it happen,” he said. “We all just wish to keep it in the family.”
