Magazine
Runabouts to Rockets
President's Message
Runabouts to Rockets
Volume 39 #8
August, 2020
As virtually all of you know by now our national meet in Lansing was cancelled. It was a particularly difficult decision to make but as others in the same situation have said, it was the right thing to do ultimately. I will make a special point to commend Judy Badgley for her herculean efforts to get this done within the constraints of the COVID restrictions set forth by the Governor of Michigan. We had the welcome reception and the banquet changed to outside venues if needed; we had to accommodate the cancellation of the dinner/cruise because the cruise business cancelled for the rest of the season and set up another event at the Zoo; part of the garage tour cancelled; volunteers to help out with our event became concerned over exposures and began dropping out; masks and social distancing became ludicrous to accommodate and finally we decided that the line over which this became irresponsible was crossed. We were sorry to do this so late in the game but until the party at a bar in Lansing resulted in several confirmed cases causing the Governor to ratchet down on the rules we hoped to be able to be the only car club having an event this summer. Alas we joined all the other groups who were forced to throw in the towel, too. Take heart that we are going to try and have a Meet in 2022 in Lansing with Greg Minges’ and Judy’s help. I am personally awarding Judy the “Semper Fi” award (my doing) for her abilities to “adapt and survive” during this pandemic. She would have made a good Marine. Since I also have another personal award I give at the Meet for the Unsung Hero award, I will let everyone know now that I am bestowing this on Joanne Ehrsam for her contributions behind the scenes and for her work as the Merchandise Manager.
On another even more sobering note the Club has experienced issues over the past few years with regard to Club finances; this is not a new problem as we had to address it when I was the Treasurer several years ago. The cancellation of the Meet due to COVID has exacerbated the challenges. Myself and the executive committee and the Board have been deliberating and hyperventilating about moving forward. We have considered several options, some more draconian than others (this is a very serious issue for the Club). Currently the only short term (possibly long term) decision that will ensure continued viability is to change the monthly magazine to every other month. The publication costs and postage are continuing to escalate every year it seems and by decreasing the magazine frequency we shall be able to investigate other avenues aggressively to potentially rectify the situation. Be assured that the magazine, which is the lifeblood of the Club, will continue to be a publication of significance and worthy of consideration for the Golden Quill. Support of the magazine by submissions is still encouraged strongly. Anyone who wishes to express opinions positively or negatively please let me know. My email is on the fly leaf.
In the meantime stay safe and well and thanks to all for the support of the NAOC.
—Rick Winn (#914)
Slaton, Texas