{"357211":{"#nid":"357211","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A Ride in the Ramblin\u0027 Wreck","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s easily one of the most recognizable cars in America, but only a handful of people ever get to ride in it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Ramblin\u2019 Wreck serves as the mechanical mascot of the student body. The old gold and white 1930 Ford Model A can be seen leading the Georgia Tech football team into Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturdays in the fall.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe sports coupe serves as a symbol of the hands-on hard work that has become so entrenched in Georgia Tech\u2019s culture. There is no team of expert mechanics or automotive geniuses that keep the 84-year-old car running. Fifty students in the Georgia Tech Ramblin\u2019 Reck Club keep the car pristine.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI kind of like to stay behind the scenes,\u201d says Raj Desai, the elected driver of Georgia Tech\u0027s Ramblin\u0027 Wreck. \u201cIt\u2019s more about the Wreck than me.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut it\u2019s more than just keeping the car in working order. Desai and the Reck Club use the iconic vehicle to boost morale and instill pride in Yellow Jackets who may need some encouragement.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhat if the Wreck went to the Library or [Clough Commons] and picked up students who were down or depressed about having to study for finals?\u201d Desai explains.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMany late nights during exams, you can find Desai in the driver\u0027s seat, waiting to give a ride to an unsuspecting student.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI have been doing integrals for hours,\u201d says one student, who cheered with delight touching the car for the first time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe could barely contain her excitement on her ride back to her residence hall.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cJason! Jason! It\u2019s me!\u201d she yelled to a group of friends from the passenger seat as she passed by.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDesai will spend several hours just giving rides to students who are exhausted from studying.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s more to just kind of lift their spirits,\u201d Desai says. \u201cYou get really excited. You\u2019re like, \u2018Wow! I just got a ride in the Wreck! That was awesome! I was having this terrible night and now this night\u2019s going way better!\u2019\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDesai approaches his role as driver of the Ramblin\u2019 Wreck with pride and professionalism. He says he\u2019s always mindful of being the best representative of Georgia Tech he can be.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut when asked why he goes the extra mile to give a once-in-a-lifetime experience to a fellow student, Desai\u2019s answer is simple.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cHonestly, I just really like making people smile.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"The driver of Georgia Tech\u2019s 1930 Model A Ford gives late-night rides home to students studying for exams."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFinals week may be the most stressful time on Georgia Tech\u0027s campus. That\u0027s primetime for the driver of Georgia Tech\u0027s Ramblin\u0027 Wreck to give students a once-in-a-lifetime ride.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The driver of Georgia Tech\u2019s 1930 Model A Ford gives late-night rides home to students studying for exams."}],"uid":"28058","created_gmt":"2014-12-16 16:17:08","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:04:08","author":"Steven Norris","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-12-16T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2014-12-16T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"357221":{"id":"357221","type":"image","title":"Georgia Tech\u0027s Wreck Driver","body":null,"created":"1449245767","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:16:07","changed":"1475894463","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:41:03","alt":"Georgia Tech\u0027s Wreck Driver","file":{"fid":"201438","name":"raj_w_reck_.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/raj_w_reck__0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/raj_w_reck__0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":212081,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/raj_w_reck__0.jpg?itok=fi4Js68h"}}},"media_ids":["357221"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"489","name":"atlanta"},{"id":"349","name":"campus"},{"id":"9073","name":"Clough Commons"},{"id":"1361","name":"driver"},{"id":"1019","name":"finals"},{"id":"109","name":"Georgia Tech"},{"id":"112601","name":"raj desai"},{"id":"27401","name":"ramblin reck"},{"id":"6984","name":"Ramblin Wreck"},{"id":"14134","name":"reck club"},{"id":"167229","name":"stress"},{"id":"4824","name":"traditions"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESteven Norris \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/SociallySteven\u0022\u003E@sociallysteven\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Social Media\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["snorris@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}