VETTE NEWS Volume 28, Issue 01 January 2009 President s Corner 2009 has arrived and I am looking forward to another great C.O.B. year. The membership has spoken and I am honored to serve as your president for the next year. My congratulations to the "electees" for this term and a special thanks to Skip Polowy and last years slate of officers for a job well done. Since becoming a club member, I have seen a tremendous increase in our ranks and this is a testament to the reputation Corvettes of Buffalo has earned in Western New York and elsewhere. I believe that it is due to the leadership and the commitment of our members. As mentioned in my pre-election letter, I would like the membership to become more involved. I cited the by-laws which state that each member shall be required to help with a club activity. We all realize that we have family and job responsibilities which take a considerable amount of our time, but the very fact that a person joined C.O.B. tells me that at some point they want to be involved in the various activities. Therefore, I am requesting each and every one of you to come forward at some time during the coming year and offer your services to your club. I've stated in the past that we have many talented people among us, but many of these talents have gone unnoticed. Now, with the influx of many new members, it is my hope that the spirit of volunteer ism will prevail so that the people who have helped year after year can take a step back and allow some new folks come to the forefront.. What s Happening Swearing in of Officers at January s meeting New members to be voted on George Hirsh, Barb Lipome, Bruce and Dee Urban, Mary Ann Hobar and Janet & Mike Whittaker NCCC Convention this year is being held in Denver Colorado on August 8 th thru the 14 th. Hotel reservations will be able to be made starting February 1 st COB MEMBERS PLEASE RESERVE THIS DATE MARCH 21 ST 2009 Saturday COB DINNER DANCE 2009 AT Michael s Banquet Facility 4885 Southwestern Boulevard Hamburg New York 14075 Continued on pg2 Skips last message to the membership OFFICAL PUBLICATION OF www.corvettesofbuffalo.com CORVETTES of BUFFALO pg 1
Officers President Bruce Mussehl 716-685-3281 Vice President Skip Polowy 716-741-7677 Secretary Diane Skeide 716-876-1194 Treasurer Mel Skeide 716-876-1194 Board of Directors Frank Pastore 716-694-9024 Jim Bonus 716-695-7643 Jim Lawson 716-838-2920 Ron Giovino 716-691-8684 Reas Graber 716-830-7500 Committees Membership Dan & Debbie Wroblewski 716-542-2041 Newsletter Jim & Linda Bonus 716-695-7643 Phone Comm. Nancy Graber 716-634-4656 Sunshine Comm. Karen Rothenberger 716-675-9467 Webmaster Jim Bonus Meeting every second Saturday of the month at First Presbyterian Church 9675 Main St. Clarence, NY Meeting starts 7:00 p.m. Continued from pg1 That said, I'm encouraged that we already have volunteers to chair our car show, cruise, and our popular caravan. These chairpersons cannot and will not do it all alone and this is where the rest of us come in to assist. Shortly we will began planning this year s activities at subsequent board meetings and will require input from our members. This is your club and the officers serve on your behalf, so if you have a idea for a event, speak up so that it can be considered. I look forward to C.O.B. presence at area car shows and cruises in addition to some trips to Bowling Green Ky. and Carlisle Pa. and any other location we may visit. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at the January meeting and those of you who are down south or west, you can stay in touch via E-mail. Revive the wave! Bruce Mussehl February Pizza Party The club is sponsoring a Pizza & Wings Party following the February meeting at the First Presbyterian Church, 9875 Main Street, Clarence, NY. All are welcome There will be a sign up sheet at the January meeting so we can order enough pizza & wings for all in attendance. Recommendations on pizza toppings are welcomed! Corvettes of Buffalo is open to all Corvette owners and enthusiasts over the age of 21 Visit us at http://www.corvettesofbuffalo.com/ Send Articles To: Jim Bonus, 1012 Castlebar Drive North Tonawanda, NY 14120 E-Mail : mailto:jwbonus@roadrunner.com Submissions must be in by 26 th CORVETTES of BUFFALO pg 2
New Members The Quest for 2 Corvettes After returning to Buffalo from 4 years in Europe, my wife and I wanted to buy another corvette. Just prior to leaving for Europe in June of 2002, we sold our 1995 red coupe as we were not sure how long we would be away. I began looking for a new corvette in June 2006. The car had to be a C5, low miles and a roadster. I looked all over the USA using the internet. I place bids on ebay for cars that interested me, however, I was not successful. It seemed that I was either out bid or the car came off the auction before the end of the bidding. So in January 2007 when I found (on ebay) a 2003 anniversary edition with 560 miles on it, I was determined to get it. I did not bid on the car but called the seller. To my surprise he lived in Anchorage, Alaska. He was having difficulty selling the car for what he thought it was worth. He did not say but the fact that no one would spend the time or money to go to Anchorage might have been a factor. Also shipping to the lower 48 would present its challenges. My main concern as well as other people I am sure was how do you make sure that the car is in new condition as the seller stated and how do you make sure that when you send the money, he will send the car. Well to make a long story short, the seller had bought a new corvette from a dealer in Idaho and the dealer volunteered to act as the broker for a $100 fee. So I send the dealer in Idaho the money, and the seller sent me the car. It arrived in March 2007 in pristine condition with the plastic still on the rugs and the seats. Well one corvette wasn t enough so in January 2008, I started the hunt for a 2004 roadster. It had to be torch red with red interior. I found it on ebay and called the seller. The telephone number had the area code 716, and the seller lived in Lewiston. The car had 6500 miles on it. I asked to see the car before making an offer. The seller told me he had the car stored on Grand Island about 2 miles from our house which is also on the Island. The rest is history. So one car was located 4000 miles from home and the other located 2 miles from home. Mike Whittaker Hi my name is David Sobolewski. I live in Alden and work at United Precious Metals. I also have MS. It doesn t stop me from doing the things I enjoy; like fishing, hunting, ATV riding, bingo and my car. I had a 1976 Corvette for 18 years and sold it in the year 2000 because it was a 4 speed and no A/C. In 2005 I found a great 2002 red coupe with automatic and A/C. The previous owner really took care of the car and didn t drive it in the rain. I enjoy the car very much. It makes me feel good when I see people checking my car out. Please consider me for your club so I can be with other Corvette owners who enjoy Corvettes as much as I do David Sobolewski CORVETTES of BUFFALO pg 3
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January COB Birthdays 7th 6th 16th 26th 28th Lorry Kwiek Mike Buccilli Nicolet Brett George Frank Donn Schubert Corvette History January 17, 1953: The prototype Chevrolet Corvette "Dream Car" is displayed at the Motorama show at New York's Waldorf- Astoria Hotel. January 1, 1956: The 1956 Corvette makes its debut at the Waldorf Astoria in New York for the Motorama show. January 1956: Zora Arkus Duntov, sets a twoway record breaking average of 150.583 mph at the Daytona Beach Raceway in a modified 240hp V8 powered Corvette. January 1, 1975: Zora Arkus Duntov officially resigns from Chevrolet. David McLellan takes over as Chief Engineer. January 6, 1997: Chevrolet unveils the 1997 Covetted, dubbed "C5". A new small block V- 8 engine is introduced, the LS1, with 345hp and 10:1 compression ratio. January 1999: At the 24 Hours of Daytona race, Chevrolet debuts the GT2 class C5R Corvette race car. Ron Fellows and Chris Kneifel drive one to third in GTS class. CORVETTES of BUFFALO pg 7
P. O. Box 161 West Seneca, NY 14224 ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED CORVETTES of BUFFALO pg 8