From the mid-sixties until his retirement in 2011, Columbus F. (Dick) King was known as the man to see in the Corning area for honest, reliable auto repair. Before California's strict paperwork regulations, most of his customers would simply drop off their vehicles and say "fix it", knowing it would be done correctly and the bill would always be fair. In 1990, Dick and his wife Gail purchased Corning Auto Center. Dick had worked there since it opened, and it was known locally as "Dickie King's place", regardless of what it said on the sign. Over the next 21 years Corning Auto went from a two man operation to five full time technicians, always staying true to a policy of honesty before profit. Since retiring, Dick and Gail divide their time between church service, maintaining an amazing garden, antiquing and a pair of very spoiled English Bulldogs.