Meredith Conrow recently acquired a new Hyundai Elantra. Of greater note is the vehicle she exchanged: a well-used Honda Odyssey minivan that had surpassed 150,000 miles.

Those miles did not result only from routine drives with her four children to school, sports, and events, although such trips were frequent. This household truly enjoys road travel.

"All of my kids have visited each of the 48 lower states," Conrow states. "The pleasure lies in the journey."

Her route to becoming part of the C/D group of language specialists, who review articles prior to publication for conciseness and proper grammar, proved lengthy and varied. She obtained a bachelor's degree in music with a voice emphasis as a trained opera singer, then earned a graduate degree in church history.

While in graduate school she earned additional income by correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation in other students' thesis papers.

"That is where I mastered the Chicago Manual of Style," says Conrow. For those less familiar with editing, the Chicago Manual of Style acts as the primary guide for copyediting at numerous publications, including C/D. It helps maintain proper and uniform English usage among writers. Conrow enjoyed word work enough to continue freelance copyediting for 15 years.

Beyond adding miles to the family Odyssey, Conrow has covered impressive ground on foot. She has finished 14 half marathons and one full marathon.

The steady, focused mindset of a long-distance runner helps when managing the constant stream of text that must be checked against strict deadlines. Now we simply need to persuade her to sing a selection from La Traviata between editing assignments.

Rich Ceppos has reviewed automobiles and automotive technology across a career that included 10 years at General Motors, two periods at Car and Driver totaling 20 years, and thousands of racing miles. He attended music school before realizing his true calling, and the path has succeeded. Between his C/D tenures he served as executive editor of Automobile Magazine, as an executive vice president at Campbell Marketing and Communications, in GM's product-development division, and as publisher of Autoweek. He has raced since college, held SCCA and IMSA professional licenses, and competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona. He currently cares for a 1999 Miata and appreciates that none of his younger colleagues have said "Okay, Boomer" when he shares stories from the earlier days at C/D.