TULSA STAR NEWS February - March 2017

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EASTERN OKLAHOMA SECTION OF THE MERCEDES-BENZ CLUB OF AMERICA TULSA STAR NEWS February - March 2017 How do you want me to drive?

I just wanted to fit in. To be honest I was a little scared. Who were these people?

Thankfully the group was welcoming, inclusive, and not intimidating at all. I personally want to thank Walt Miller. He was my buddy and guardian angel for the first few meetings.

1 EASTERN OKLAHOMA SECTION OF THE MERCEDES-BENZ CLUB OF AMERICA TULSA STAR NEWS February - March 2017 How do you want me to drive? Recently I was elected as your new President of the Eastern Oklahoma section. Thank you for your trust and confidence in me. Three years ago, I attended my first section meeting. I just wanted to fit in. To be honest I was a little scared. Who were these people? Did they share my love of cars or were they a pretentious group of people who only wanted to brag on how great their car was and how much money they spent? Thankfully the group was welcoming, inclusive, and not intimidating at all. I personally want to thank Walt Miller. He was my buddy and guardian angel for the first few meetings. John Kushnerick President In this issue President s Message Page 1 Benzin Ad Page 2 Our Facebook Page Member Profile Page 3 Parke Ad Autohaus Winkler Ad Jackie Cooper Ad Page 4 Awards Page 5-6 Past Events Page 7-10 Meeting Schedule Member Information Page 11 Officers and Board Page 12 Each meeting I became more comfortable and wanted to contribute more. In January of 2014 I started doing the member profiles for the newsletter. The more I got to know each person through writing the newsletter profiles, the more I appreciated each member s success, values, and openness. Doing these profiles gave me an advantage few in the club have. I was able to speak one on one with you and listen to your life story. As I approach this leadership position, I want to know how you want me to drive and steer this club? Do you want to stay in NEUTRAL and just keep the club moving forward as we have been? Do you want me to go in REVERSE, cut back on activities, stick with the traditions of the past, meet once a month, and enjoy dinner at an old familiar restaurant? Do you want me to go forward in DRIVE and chart a new course with more enthusiasm, planning, and activities? I hope you want me to DRIVE. Having been in the field of marketing most of my career, I m always thinking and observing ideas that work. I want to take successful ideas from other sections and apply them to our organization. I m not afraid to borrow a good idea when I see it. I intent to share many ideas. Some the Board may like and some you will ask what were you thinking? If you expect this club to move forward, then join me. As we go forward, I want to hear from the silent majority. You know who you are. You are a member most likely a member for many years but just stopped coming to meetings or events. We welcome you to come join us. If not, I want to hear from you as how to make this organization a better one that serves all of its members. My goal over the next two years is to make you WANT to come to a meeting or event and feel bad when you miss something. We will have fun, we will acquire new members, and I will ask you to help me and the Board make this a better club. We cannot do it all. We need your help. Help us to plan, give us ideas, share a connection or relationship with a person or organization that you have that will make our meetings better and more engaging. Let s do this together: me at jkushnerick@zebco.com Page 1

Our Face Book Page Web Site http://easternok.mbca.

Page We continue to see increased activity on our Facebook Page and encourage everyone to

2 Our Face Book Page Web Site Mike Eddy does a great job posting to our Face Book Page as well as the Jackie Cooper Page We continue to see increased activity on our Facebook Page and encourage everyone to like our page as an easy way to keep updated on the club activities. Please encourage your friends to like us on Facebook Page 2

Eastern Oklahoma MBCA Profiles by John Kushnerick Jim Rice Tulsa, OK Jim grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and graduated from Will Rogers s high school in 1960.

3 Eastern Oklahoma MBCA Profiles by John Kushnerick Jim Rice Tulsa, OK Jim grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and graduated from Will Rogers s high school in Within a few days of graduation he was off to see the world. His first stop was a summer job working for the National Park Service in Yellowstone National Park. After assisting in closing up West Thumb Geyser Basin area in September for the winter he headed home but not for long. Within a couple of weeks he was off again, Jim joined the U.S. Army and in 1961 was stationed in Germany. Jim s travel was off in earnest as he spent over 23 years with the Army with 13 of those years stationed outside the United States (10 years in Germany, 2 years in South Korea, and 1 year in South Vietnam). During his quest Jim traveled to over 22 countries. East to Izmir Turkey, west to Bangkok, Thailand. Jim retired at the rank of Master Sergeant in 1984 and settled in Augusta Georgia. My civilian career was spent working for EZ Go. I was on the development team for transition from a metal body to polymer body golf car. This was a new ground up car. Once into production, I transferred to Technical Publications doing owner s manuals and parts and repair manuals for the new car and its derivatives. Jim remained there until 2003 when he returned to Tulsa to assist his brother in the caring of his aging parents. In 2014, my dear wife of 35 years passed away from cancer, just three days before we were to close on our retirement home. My First Mercedes In the early 1980 s, just before leaving Germany, I contacted a Sergeant Major in Heidelberg about purchasing a 3-year-old SL500 he had for sale for $12,500! Taking a test drive on the autobahn with the top down, I discovered I was going 100 mph! Asking his wife what she thought about it, she relied I don t like it. Taken aback, Jim asked her why? Her reply it messed up my hair. Maybe not this time but someday I will have one Jim said to himself. That day came in May of 2016 when Jim sold his custom 1953 Ford hardtop that he had wanted to build since high school. (He did build the car and finished it in 2007 and enjoyed my driving creation.) My dream car is a newer SL. We welcome Jim to our club and honor his dedicated service to our freedom and this country. Page 3

4 Place an Ad in our Newsletter 1. Full Page $ Half Page $ Business Card $65 Price is for a year 6 Issues Page 4

5 Mike Eddy was presented a Past President Award Paula Snider Recognized for her service as Secretary and Activities Chairperson Page 5

6 Ben Kehe Selected as our Member of the year for 2016 Page 6

7 At The Christmas Party we collected Full Bags of Non- Perishable food to Donate to the Broken Arrow Neighbors The following is the Thank You Letter that we received. Page 7

December meeting full of cheer. Twenty-six members gathered on Thursday, December 15, 2016 to participate in the annual section Christmas party at Freddie s Steakhouse on Route 66 in Sapulpa OK.

Everyone loves the annual Dirty Santa gift exchange as long as you get a good gift. Chocolate, cookies, and wine were favorites. Unfortunately, if you received a Chia pet you were looking for a steal.

8 December meeting full of cheer. Twenty-six members gathered on Thursday, December 15, 2016 to participate in the annual section Christmas party at Freddie s Steakhouse on Route 66 in Sapulpa OK. This meeting always proves to be one where the combination of holiday cheer, good food, and a dirty Santa creates a combination that s tough to beat. Everyone loves the annual Dirty Santa gift exchange as long as you get a good gift. Chocolate, cookies, and wine were favorites. Unfortunately, if you received a Chia pet you were looking for a steal. The most unusual gift was a toy woodpecker that pecked all the way down his tree. An ugly sweater contest generated lots of participation from both male and female members. We saw sweaters that were complete with Christmas lights, a snowman with a big carrot nose, and a custom designed Mercedes Benz sweater made out of a trash bag. Recognition awards were presented to Ben Kehe for Member of the Year, Mike Eddy for his 3 year term as President, and Paula Snyder for her 3+ year service as Section Secretary. Page 8

Kristen Doyle, Marketing and Development Manager for Jackie Cooper Mercedes Benz was our speaker.

9 January meeting features fine Italian food and energetic speaker Our January 19, 2017 meeting was held at Ti Amo Ristorante Italiano. Twenty-four members and guests attended and enjoyed a specially prepared Italian meal complete with Ti Amo s specialty Bruschetta appetizers, salad, entrée, and a delicious chocolate dessert. Kristen Doyle, Marketing and Development Manager for Jackie Cooper Mercedes Benz was our speaker. Kristen provided some Mercedes trivia and also informed the group of the changing marketing and advertising methods of today s modern dealership and consumer purchasing patterns. Saturday January 21, 2017 We met At Jackie Coopers and at 9:30 am We Caravanned to the Tulsa Air and Space Museum for tour at 10:00 Nineteen members traveled to the Tulsa Air & Space Museum to learn about the history of aviation in Tulsa Oklahoma. John Ferrante, MBCA member and board member of TASM was our host and Dick McElwee served as our outstanding tour guide. The museum chronicles flight from an 1897 balloon flight in the city, Spartan aircraft, Douglas B24 bomber factory during World War 2, and up to today s fighter pilots and home to American Airlines largest maintenance base in the United States. The museum also has a theater inside of a decommissioned American Airlines MD80 jet airliner. After touring, the group went on to the local favorite White River Fish Market for generous portions of delicious seafood. Page 9

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After the tour we went to The White River Fish Market

Thursday March 16, 2017 7:00 PM ieakecar.com/buy/?

Okla 918-749-3287 918-940-2808 New Members December

Membership December Don Hamilton Robert Parker January

Members December Darwin Childs Van Nowlin Ted Riseling

11 After the tour we went to The White River Fish Market for Lunch Meeting Schedule Thursday Feburary 16, 2017 Thursday March 16, :00 PM ieakecar.com/buy/? 7:00 PM Guest Speaker Dick Faurot Membership Information Claret Cafe Charleston s 3726 S. Peoria 3302 W Kenosha (71 st ) Tulsa, Okla Broken Arrow Okla New Members December Stephen Canada Jeffrey Jackson K R Parker Expired Membership December Don Hamilton Robert Parker January Shawn Church John Fender Allen Vaughn Eric Weber Renewed Members December Darwin Childs Van Nowlin Ted Riseling Garrett Russell Walter Exon January Katy Brocksmith Donald East Bruce Smith Thanks for Renewing Page 11

12 Mercedes-Benz Club of America, Inc Eastern Oklahoma Section Ben Cunningham, Editor East 120 th St N Collinsville, Oklahoma Regional Director, South Central Region Gene Jurick, 6008 Bracknell Drive Parker, TX Ph: (h) , or gjurick@tx.rr.com Officers, Eastern Oklahoma Section President: John Kushnerick or jkushnerick@zebco.com Vice President: Ben Cunningham or cunnben@yahoo.com Treasurer: Richard Jagel or richjagel@gmail.com Secretary: Paula Snider or hopes2reality@yahoo.com Membership Chair: Fritz Winkler Other Board Members of Eastern Oklahoma Section Ben Cunningham Newsletter Editor John Mueller Bruce Smith Ron Hardage Ben Kehe Page 12

TULSA STAR NEWS August - September 2017

EASTERN OKLAHOMA SECTION OF THE MERCEDES-BENZ CLUB OF AMERICA TULSA STAR NEWS August - September 2017 Care enough to raise your hand? John Kushnerick President In this issue President s Message Page 1