President's Message

 

Runabouts to Rockets
Volume 42 #1-2
January - February 2023

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I would have never guessed that I would someday be the President of this great organization when Al Sandy recruited me to be a member in October, 1982 at Hershey.  I am very honored and grateful to the board for selecting me as the President of NAOC for the next two years.

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Special thanks to Rick Winn for serving the club as President for the last 5 years.  Rick served two full terms as President and received a bonus year since the board decided to hold off all officer elections one year due to COVID.  Rick has left the club in great shape.  We have a great group of officers, board members, Model Year Advisors, and  our membership has remained steady.  We are also in good shape financially since we have reduced our magazine publication to every other month.  I have always enjoyed reading Rick’s President’s Message every issue and he has set a very high bar that far exceeds my writing ability.  I also appreciate that he agreed to be Vice-President for the next two years.  Sharon Mang is leaving her role as Secretary to become our new Treasurer replacing Dick White, and Suzette Hall is replacing Sharon as our new club Secretary.  Special thanks to Dick and Sharon for the many years of great service in these roles, and I look forward to working with Sharon and Suzette in their new roles.  Election results for 2023 directors will be announced in the next issue since elections do not end until December 31st.

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I would also like to thank Judy and Doug Badgley for hosting another very successful NAOC Meet in Lansing this past year.  The meet was planned for 2020, so they had to dedicate two extra years to reap the benefits of their great planning.  If you were in attendance, I am sure that you would agree that it was worth the wait!

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Jan and Mark Santos also have a great meet planned for this year in La Crosse Wisconsin.  They have been working with local business, the Riverfest committee, and the hotel for several years to plan a great event.  They have been able to secure the Radisson Hotel on the Mississippi River as the host hotel and our cars will be displayed in Riverside Park adjacent to the hotel on Saturday during the annual Riverfest celebration.  The registration form and details of the event are included in this issue.  Please consider attending this year’s meet and please try to book your hotel and complete your registration as soon as possible.  All events are on a first come, first serve basis.  It really helps the meet hosts and the club if you register early and stay at the host hotel.

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On a sad note, I have received word that several of our members have passed away recently. I received a note from Bob and Ferne Keesler’s daughter this evening as I was writing this article, that Bob passed away a few days ago on December 8th at the age of 97.  Bob and Ferne have been long-term members and have attended many NAOC Meets over the years driving their unrestored 1941 Model 78 Dynamic Cruiser, or their 1962 Starfire to the meets.  Despite their age, they were able to be vendors at Hershey and attend the NAOC Meets up until a few years ago.  I have also been informed that Bruce Prichard from Vorhees, NJ, and Sonny Iverson, former NAOC Director from Lake City, MN also passed away recently.  These members will be greatly missed by the NAOC.  Please keep the Keesler, Prichard, and Iverson families in your prayers.

 

I wish everyone a Happy New Year, and look forward to seeing everyone at this year’s NAOC Nationals in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

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—Greg Minges, President