A busted alternator and a tow truck ride turned into an unexpectedly pleasant delay Monday for Genevieve Tebeau.

And a surprising history lesson for the Baker City mechanic who got her minivan running again.

Genevieve, 94, of Salem, returns to Baker City each July during Miners Jubilee to meet with old friends, said Cheri, one of her six daughters.

Genevieve lived in Baker City as a young woman and it was here that she met her husband, William “Bill” Tebeau.

The couple were married in 1950. Bill died on July 5, 2013, at age 87.

Bill, a Baker City native, graduated from Baker High School in 1943.

He wanted to be an engineer, and later that year he mailed his application to Oregon State University.

Bill didn’t mention that he was black, and OSU’s admissions office apparently didn’t ask.

Five years later he became the first black man to graduate from the university in Corvallis, earning a degree in chemical engineering.

Bill was hired by the Oregon Highway Department that same year, 1948, and he moved back to Baker City to work here and to study for his civil engineering license.

Genevieve, who was born and raised in Pendleton, was working as a housekeeper for Dr. Bartlett in Baker when she met Bill, Cheri Tebeau wrote in an email Tuesday.

“We’ve been traveling back to Baker at least annually since Daddy and Mom moved to Salem in 1956 due to a job transfer,” Cheri wrote. “We’ve been driving over for the Miners Jubilee for at least 20 years, and look forward to the activities, and visiting with friends.”

After Bill and Genevieve were married, they lived in a house on First Street before moving into a house on Clark Street just north of Campbell Street.

In the decades since, a new building went up nearby — Paul’s Transmissions, a repair shop owned by Paul Townsend.

About 11:20 a.m. on Monday the Tebeau clan — Genevieve and 10 of her children and grandchildren — left Baker City in two vehicles, heading west on Interstate 84.

A couple miles from town the “check engine” light illuminated in the Dodge Grand Caravan minivan Genevieve was riding in, Cheri said.

Genevieve’s son-in-law, Roland, who is married to her daughter, Janine, pulled over, but the minivan’s engine wouldn’t restart.

The family called AAA, and a tow truck delivered the minivan to Paul’s Transmissions.

Before long Genevieve was telling Townsend how close his shop was to her former home.

And then the camera came out.

Genevieve’s grandson, David Jr., whose dad, David, is her only son, took two photos of Paul kneeling beside Genevieve’s wheelchair. In one, Genevieve has her hand on Paul’s cheek.

Paul’s wife, Debbie, posted the photos on her Facebook page along with this caption: “Genevieve stole Paul’s heart.”

“She’s quite a lady,” Paul said Tuesday morning.

Cheri Tebeau returned the compliment.

“Paul is a really nice guy,” Cheri said.

In her email to the Herald, Cheri wrote: “We were so appreciative of Paul’s extremely friendly and pleasant personality. We had a lot of fun visiting with him. We couldn’t have picked a better place to be stranded for several hours! Believe it or not, we had a wonderful time. It’s such an honor to have roots in Baker City.”

The Tebeau family, who got back to Genevieve’s home in Salem about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, sent the Townsends an email reading: “Thanks for helping us get back on the road!! We love Baker City and all of the wonderful folks like you!!”

See more in the July 20, 2016, issue of the Baker City Herald.