Luke Judge

Just the Facts:

• Chrysler says it is “pulling ahead” the introduction of a new, as-yet-unnamed entry-level Ram 1500 pickup, developed under the code name Adventurer and aimed at first-time buyers.
• The Adventurer joins the Ram Tradesman as two new entries in Chrysler’s full-size pickup lineup for 2011.
• The Adventurer goes on sale in the second quarter, priced from $23,830.

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan — on the heels of launching the 2011 Ram Tradesman, Chrysler said it is “pulling ahead” the introduction of a second value-priced pickup, which it is calling the Ram “Code Name: Adventurer.”

Like the Tradesman, the newest Ram 1500 model will go on sale in the second quarter, priced from $23,830 — $1,050 more than the Tradesman. The sticker includes a $975 shipping charge.

Where the Tradesman is aimed at commercial users, the Adventurer will be pitched to first-time buyers looking for an affordable, well-equipped truck that will serve as something of a blank canvas that they can personalize with a raft of accessories and optional hardware.

The Adventurer will share the Tradesman’s 390-horsepower 5.7-liter Hemi V8 and will be sold as a regular-cab, short-bed model, with a choice of 4×2 or 4×4 configuration and a wide variety of exterior colors.

The Adventurer gets a body-colored grille with black honeycomb inserts, plus body-colored front and rear fascias. The exterior hardware includes 20-inch aluminum wheels with locking lug nuts, chrome-tipped dual exhausts, foglamps, locking tailgate, cargo lamp, rear-bumper step pad, large sideview mirrors and rear wheelwell liners.

The standard-equipment list is lengthy: Heavy-duty front and rear shocks, front and rear stabilizer bars, power rack-and-pinion steering, halogen headlamps, heavy-duty engine and transmission cooling and a full-size spare tire, as well as a heavy-duty vinyl split-bench seat, air conditioning, 12-volt auxiliary power outlet, four-spoke tilt steering wheel, six-speaker media center with CD player, iPhone jack, automatic headlamps and behind-the-seat storage bins.

Among the available factory-installed options are Mopar chrome tubular side steps, Mopar chrome steel bed rails, heated trailer-tow power mirrors, spray-in bedliner and under-rail bedliner.

Inside Line says: This sounds like either a very clever way to launch a new trim-series name — or complete confusion on the part of the sales and marketing departments. Your call. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent

embroidery Parts & Accessories 4x2, horsepower, optional hardware

Epilogue | Dr. Joseph Campo

By Andrew Meacham, Times Staff Writer In Print: Thursday, December 23, 2010

Social Bookmarking ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT

TAMPA — while still in elementary school in his native Tampa, Joseph Campo dutifully attended piano lessons ordered by his parents.

Soon, his piano teacher sent him home with a note of apology. Young Joseph had no musical ability, she said.

He soldiered on alone, and within a few years was playing everything from classical music to peppy jitterbug tunes. he would go on to teach himself boat building, clock repair and residential construction.

Dr. Campo, a founding faculty member of the University of South Florida College of Medicine, died Dec. 10, at Kindred Hospital Central Tampa, of heart trouble and other illnesses. he was 81.

He was born in Tampa, the grandson of a Sicilian immigrant. Friends recall a droll sense of humor.

“In English class, there was a question about what was inscribed on King Arthur’s sword,” said Jack Fernandez, an organic chemist who once attended Hills­borough High with Dr. Campo. “He wrote, ‘Made in Japan.’ “

That was wrong (the correct answer is “Excalibur”), but the teacher praised his creativity.

“He was a good egg,” Fernandez said. “Everybody liked Joe.”

In the early 1950s, as he worked on a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical chemistry, Dr. Campo built a 30-foot cabin cruiser with his father, who also was a pharmacist. a teaching position came up before he could test drive it, so he sold the boat and headed to Rutgers University.

He would go on to teach at the University of Mississippi and some of USF’s first medical students in the early 1970s. In the meantime, he directed the pharmacy at Tampa General Hospital form 1963 to 1980.

He married Carmela Fonte in 1956. She came from a much larger family and was more talkative than he.

At the same time, he answered all questions thoroughly. Carmela Campo recalled a pharmaceutical conference in Miami Beach, where her husband was a featured speaker.

“There were 2,000 people at the Fountainbleau (hotel), and you could hear a pin drop,” she said. “They wouldn’t let him go.”

He seemed happiest, however, when working with his hands. he frequented Stan Good Clocks on S MacDill Avenue, where he sought parts for the anniversary clocks he acquired and repaired.

“I think he liked the cause-and-effect challenge,” said his son, chiropractor John Campo, 52. “This causes this and that causes that, and we can tweak this and make it work.”

In later years, Dr. Campo worked at another hospital pharmacy and for the Merck Pharmaceuticals. Mounting health problems forced his retirement about 10 years ago.

He handled the infirmities with self-taught patience, more concerned with how others were faring than his own declining health.

Andrew Meacham can be reached at (727) 892-2248 or ameacham@sptimes.com.

.Biography

Dr. Joseph
Michael Campo

Born: July 29, 1929.

Died: Dec. 10, 2010.

Survivors: Wife Carmela; son Dr. John Campo and his wife Alicia; daughter Camille Ciachella and her husband Dr. John Ciachella; and two granddaughters.

[Last modified: Dec 22, 2010 07:44 PM] Click here for reuse options! Copyright 2010 St. Petersburg Times Click here to post a comment
Join the discussion: Click to view comments, add yours

embroidery Parts & Accessories musical ability, piano lessons