The Corvetter Volume 67 Issue 1 - January 2015 Corvette Club of Texas PO Box 36022 - Dallas TX, 75235-1022 www.corvettecluboftexas.org Sponsored by Friendly Chevrolet 2754 N. Stemmons Fwy - Dallas TX, 75207
Upcoming Events Before attending any event listed in this calendar please double check with the organizers for any last minute changes. CCT is not responsible for the accuracy of any listing except of CCT events. For NCCC events check http://www.corvettesnccc.org/ On the Cover: Rare picture of the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette Assembly Line St. Louis Missouri. Here the 53 body is being mated to the frame, much the way it is done today. Monthly Meeting Held every third Friday of the month, at 7:30 p.m. at Friendly Chevrolet, 2754 North Stemmons Freeway, Dallas. All members, visitors and Corvette owners are welcome. Following each CCT membership meeting, a CCT after club social event is hosted by a CCT member, starting at approximately 8:30 p.m. Monthly Board Meeting Held before the monthly Membership Meeting at 7:00 p.m. at Friendly Chevrolet. All members are invited to attend. Our Friendly Rep! Friendly Chevrolet s representative to the Corvette Club of Texas is Doug Mabe. When you need to replace your Corvette with a new C7, or when you are upgrading the family car for a new one, be sure and give him a call at 817-718-5335 or 214-920-1900. In addition to his regular work schedule, Doug is normally at the dealership during our monthly Friday night membership meeting. Email: dougmabe@ymail.com The Corvetter Volume 67 Issue 1 The Corvetter, the offi cial newsletter of the Corvette Club of Texas (CCT), is published monthly by The Corvette Club of Texas P.O. Box 36022, Dallas, Texas 75235-1022 for the exclusive use of its members and invited guests. Initial distribution is done electronically by e-mail. A small number of paper copies are delivered via First Class mail or by hand when necessary. The newsletter is also available on the CCT web site: www.corvettecluboftexas. org Subscriptions to The Corvetter are free to CCT members. 2015 Corvette Club of Texas. All rights reserved. Reprints of original material are available on a per article basis only with written permission of a CCT offi cer, the author or the Editor. Previously copyrighted material if any retains the original author s copyright. Please send all submissions via e-mail to the editor at jwagner@gte.net. All submissions become intellectual property of The Corvetter. 2015 Jan. 16 CCT Board Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:00 PM Jan. 16 CCT Membership Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:30 PM Jan. 24 CCT Brunch TBA The monthly brunch meeting is held at a different local restaurant each month. The location for Jan. will be determined later. Check next month s newsletter for info. Feb. 7 Nocona Mardi Gras Parade 10:30 AM New Orleans comes to downtown Nocona,Texas with all the regalia & entertainment, including a parade. See fl yer below Feb. 20 CCT Board Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:00 PM Feb. 20 CCT Membership Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:30 PM Feb. 27-28 NCCC National Meetings Held in St. Louis, Mo Mar. 20 CCT Board Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:00 PM Mar. 20 CCT Membership Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:30 PM Mar 7 Southwest Region NCCC Awards Banquet The Annual awards banquet is still in the planning stages. More information will be forthcoming. Mar. 8 Southwest Region NCCC Governors Meeting The quarterly Governor s meeting. Location and times TBD Mar. 14-15 ETCC Fundraising autocross 10 Low Speed Autocrosses. Location TBD Mar. 28-29 CMCT Time Trials 4 High Speed time trials held at Bryan/College Station TX. Apr. 11-12 CTCC and MCCC Autocrosses 7 low speed autocrosses each day, held at Waco TX. Apr. 17 CCT Board Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:00 PM 2
From the Editor Officers President Bob Kee 469-215-0101 dpskee@aol.com Vice President Sharon Norris 214-793-2371 ssnorris@verizon.net Treasurer Jim Iuele 817-428-1300 carguy0347@aol.com Secretary Donna Snyder 817-428-2183 donmarvettes@sbcglobal.net NCCC Governor Paul Wolter 817-478-6096 pwol1962@sbcglobal.net Board Members Marvin Snyder Term ends 12-2015 817-428-2183 donmarvettes@sbcglobal.net Michael Garrison Term ends 12-2015 214-202-3012 mdgarrison@tx.rr.com Ray Kimminau Term ends 12-2015 817-656-5355 rpkimm@sbcglobal.net Tom Grabos Term ends 12-2014 501-733-9752 tpthumper57@sbcglobal.net Ken Bradley Term ends 12-2014 214-348-0775 k.bradley@sbc.global.net Staff Chairpersons Activities TBA Charities Coordinator Mary Wolter 817-478-6096 mwol1990@sbcglobal.net Club Merchandise Mary Wolter 817-478-6096 mwol1990@sbcglobal.net Membership Mary Wolter 817-478-6096 mwol1990@sbcglobal.net Property Mary Wolter 817-478-6096 mwol1990@sbcglobal.net Historian Ken Bradley 214-348-0775 k.bradley@sbcglobal.net Newsletter Joe Wagner 817-282-1355 joe@y2k7.com Photographer Charles Whitaker 972-239-0485 whitaker@flash.net Raffl e Sandy Kapcsos 972-230-0833 sk47tx@sbcglobal.net Webmaster Joe Wagner 817-282-1355 joe@y2k7.com NCM Ambassador James Powdrill 972-838-4330 jamespowdrill@mypbmail.com It is always diffi cult when a member of the family suddenly passes away. Gene Whitaker was, most defi nitely, a member of the CCT family and a friend to all who knew her. Moreover Gene had become a special friend to Paulette and I over the past year. Our condolences to Charles for his loss. He and Gene will be in our thoughts for a long time. It is hard in times like this to get back to the normal business of the Club and Newsletter. I was asked recently if I would run non-corvette related articles in the Newsletter. And the answer is: Of course I will. The Newsletter is the voice of the Club and people in the Club are into a lot of things besides Corvettes. So, if you have some interests you would like to pass on in an article, or even some creative writing, a joke (clean) or a limerick or two that you would like to share, go for it. I would welcome even some original artwork. There is no space restriction, anything will fi t. (Of course if you want to publish the Great American Novel, I would have to serialize it... You could be the next Dickens.) Joe Wagner After Meeting Drive & Eat CCT Event Coordinator Sign up at a meeting or email jwagner@gte.net Sign up with the CCT Activities Chair or any offi cer. Month Host Month Coordinator January 16th Open January Open February 20th Open February Open March 20th Open March Open April 17th Open April Open May 15th Open May Open June 19th Open June Open July 17th Open July Open August 21st Open August Open September 18th Open September Open October 16th Open October Open November 20th Open November Open December See you at the CCT Christmas Party! December Open 3
Gene Germain Whitaker was born on July 12, 1940 in Janesville, Wisconsin and passed away unexpectedly on December 22, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. Gene s love of cooking and passion for reading were only surpassed by her devotion to her husband, children and grandchildren. Gene received a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Kentucky in 1963 and taught elementary school briefl y in the Richardson School District before becoming a homemaker and mother. Gene was an active member of the Richardson Woman s Club and the Corvette Club of Texas. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ivan Thomas Germain and Elizabeth Ann Hartman Germain. She is survived in death by her high school sweetheart and loving husband of 51 years, Charles Mannon Whitaker; daughter, Anne Elizabeth Whitaker; granddaughter, Mason Elizabeth Crumpacker; son, Walter Thomas Whitaker; daughterin-law, Funda Ҫalapӧver Whitaker; grandson, Derin Thomas Whitaker; brother, Gordon Thomas Germain, his wife, Barbara; and sister-in-law, Anne Owen Whitaker. 4
The CCT Brunch The next CCT Brunch Bunch meeting will be held on Saturday, January 24, 2015 at 10am at: Egg & I 3328 E Hebron Pkwy (SW Corner of Hebron and Midway Rd) Carrollton, TX 75010, 972-307-2344 http://www.theeggandirestaurants.com/locations/carrollton.html Send an RSVP to Paulette@ themoralefairy.com or call 817-253- 4030. Always call or text with last minute changes, please. Dear Joe, Would you please put a notice in the Corvette club newsletter that I have a set of 4 tires that I have decided not to use on my 66 Corvette. They are in perfect condition with less than 100 miles on them. I bought them from Wallace Wade for $1,125. I would like to sell the set for $800. They are Firestone Super Sports Red Line Nylon bias ply tires. I have attached 2 photos. Thanks, Denny Hunt 214-908-8975 5
Gill Children Family Services Christmas (Submitted by Mary Wolter) I want to thank all the CCT members for being so generous by adopting 18 children in fi ve families in 2015. The families and their children picked up the gifts our members purchased on Wednesday evening, December 17th at the Gill Family Services facility in Ft. Worth. Some of our members were present again this year to witness the children visiting with Santa Claus, seeing the children receive their bags of gifts of us and snacking on drinks & snacks. We have doing this charitable tradition for the past 18 years and during that time we have averaged adopting 15 children per year who would not have experienced the happy Merry Christmas brought to them by your presents. This equates to 270 children in approximately 90 families. This is something that they and their parents will forever remember. We also purchased and donated Target gift cards to the families totaling $630. This will help enable the families to purchase food, diapers, clothing and other items. Children s Individual Bags of Presents Special Gift Bags for each of the 5 Families CCT Members Waiting for Families Hospitality Treats for Families & CCT 6
Mother with 3 Children Child Receiving Gifts Visiting with one of the Families Family with Two Children Hope they came in a Large SUV! Family with Three Children (One not Shown) 7
I am Riding my New Bike All the Way Home! CCT Members Visiting With One of the Families Family thanking us for Their X-mas Gifts It is very rewarding to be able to be at the Gill Children Family Services facility to see the parents bring their children and see them talking to Santa Claus. The very young children are very apprehensive at approaching or sitting on Santa s lap. It is rewarding to see the children s faces light up when they see the big bag of nicely wrapped gifts that is meant only for them, and they don t have to receive hand-me-downs. If you weren t able to participate and watch the delivery of all the nice gifts that we purchased and wrapped to individual child, hopefully you can make it to the 2015 gift delivery and see the children s reaction to seeing Santa Claus and receiving their very own presents. Santa talks to each child and gives them a large decorated specialty cookie and a peppermint candy cane. We also found out that Santa must have been good in 2014 and Mrs. Santa Claus gave him his very own 57 Corvette. Santa also told us that he also received a turquoise & white 1957 Nash Metropolitan convertible which he is going to tow to the big Sturgis motorcycle bash in August behind his LS1-powered trike that resembles a 1957 Chevrolet. When he is not driving his sleight pulled by the reindeer, he is cruising around the North Pole in his 1950 s Cadillac convertible. WOW, and Santa sure has some very nice benefi ts! 8
Clifton Classic Chassis trip. On Saturday the 8th of November we had 7 cars depart from Arlington on a country road trip to Clifton, Texas. Only 6 cars made the whole trip as President Kee had a fl at tire and needed to get it repaired and head back to east Texas. All other cars made the trip successfully, and it was a beautiful day for a drive and eat. The fi rst stop was in Clifton where we visited a car display owned by a dentist, whose home town is Clifton. In this old grocery store he has several cars that are original and restored. All but 3 if the cars are his personal collection. In addition to the cars. he has collected a lot of the stuff we all throw away, lunch boxes, radios, telephones, projectors and even a phone booth. After the visit we rolled east to Laguna Park, Texas for lunch at the Bosque Resort. And as luck would have it we arrived at a car show in progress. After lunch we rode to Hillsboro, caught 35EandW, and headed home. 9
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Governor s Report (Submitted by Paul Wolter). I want to express our sincere regrets over the unexpected recent loss of Gene Whitaker. Gene and her husband Charles joined CCT in 1995 and rarely missed a membership meeting or club event. We also lost Joe Duncan s spouse Phyllis this past November. Joe is a lifetime CCT member who moved to Corsicana, TX years ago. Our thoughts and prayers are with both their families and friends during this time of grief. The Southwest Region competition year is over and participants will be recognized at the Annual Awards dinner on Saturday, March 7 th in Frisco. The 2015 southwest region schedule is on the website http://www.ncccswregion.org/. Our annual fi rst choice weekend event will be the 7 autocrosses we will host at the Mineral Wells airport on Sunday, April 19th. The new regional offi cers for 2015 are Doug McMahan (CTV member) for Regional Competition Director (RCD) and Ron Ruston (OCCC member) for Regional Membership Director (RMD). The NCCC National offi cer election results have been tallied and have been announced. The competition rulebook passed, and you can go to the website http://www.corvettesnccc.org/ to read the new rules. All the by-laws passed, with the exception for the proposal for limiting appointed offi cer terms. Humm??? The NCCC new offi cers are: President Dave Heinemann VP of Membership Steve Johnson Treasurer Betty Parks Parliamentarian Jim Walton Director of Public Relations Denny Luther 11
Nocona Mardi Gras Parade! New Orleans comes to downtown Nocona,Texas with all the regalia & entertainment, including a parade - February 7th, 2015 (it s all about the beads). Come join fellow CCT Members for our fi rst parade event in 2015. We will depart from the Racetrack gas station in Denton and arriving in Nocona, Texas where we will participate in the Nocona Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday, February 7th. (CCT members participated in a day trip on October 4, 2014 to the Horton Classic Car Museum in Nocona). http://www.nocona.org/ Meeting Location: Racetrack gas station, 2834 W. University Dr., Denton at I-35 & Hwy 380 at 10:30 AM http://www.yellowpages.com/denton-tx/mip/racetrac-6261736?lid=6261736 Departure Time: 10:30 AM We will have lunch at the Times Forgotten Steak House located at 204 Clay St. @ 12:30 PM in Nocona prior to participating in the parade. At 2:30 PM we will line up for the parade at the Dairy Queen. The parade begins at 3:30 PM. After the parade Cajun Food will be served at the Fire Station. Please plan on joining us for this trip, and RSVP Paul & Mary Wolter by email at pwol1962@ sbcglobal.net or mwol1990@sbcglobal.net or by cell phone at 817-296-1958 no later than Thursday, February 5 th, 2015. Don t forget to bring along your parade car flags. 12
1 St Annual Corvettes Crusin Galveston (Submitted by Paul Wolter). Christopher Tine is the General Manager of Corvette World Houston. Owned by Mark Eddins, second generation owner/ operator of Friendly Chevrolet in Dallas, TX (Established in 1956), Corvette World, (three locations; Austin, Dallas, and Houston) is the Premier; Top selling, Pre-Owned Corvette Dealer in the nation. When the new team took over the helm of Corvette World Houston it was very evident that something was missing.the support of the people that live the Corvette Lifestyle. After researching forums and other reviews on the internet they found that it was time to make some wrongs right. They embarked on this mission by addressing the issues one problem at a time and correcting them. They also noticed that there was no support for the 5 major Corvette Clubs in Houston. When Christopher Tine interviewed with Mark Eddins and Thomas Quintana (partner), one of the remarks that he made was that he had a vision of 1000+ Corvettes headed down I-45 to beautiful Galveston Island for a week end of showing Corvettes and enjoying several events and fellowships. Not to mention the fact that it will be a huge fundraiser with all of the proceeds after expenses being donated directly to the affi liated clubs charities Sure there is Carlisle and Bowling Green that are substantial trips to large Corvette Events, but until now there was not even a thought of a big Corvette venue in the South. Corvette World is hosting the 1st Annual Corvettes Cruisin Galveston an Annual Fundraiser to benefi t the Clubs directly affi liated with the company. They hope to make this the biggest Corvette Event in the South!!!! The last day of the event will be a massive 80 mile round trip cruise. This will be an 80 mile drive along the Texas coastline from the bustling port and tourist center of Galveston to the sleepy beach town of Surfside Beach. Be sure and register to participate in this event. The registration form is provided on the event website shown below. We will be providing information soon that will identify the DFW metroplex departure date, time and location for caravanning to Houston. Additional event and hotel information is provided on Corvette World s Crusin Galveston website at http://corvettescruisingalveston.com/ When you go to the website you will notice that it includes our CCT logo since we are one of the event sponsors. 13
Calendar cont. from page 2 Apr. 17 CCT Membership Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:30 PM Apr. 18-19 CTV and CCT Autocrosses 7 low speed autocrosses each day, held at Mineral Wells TX. The second day is CCT s fundraising event for the year. Apr. 23-25 National Corvette Museum High Performance Date Tent. Drivers Education At the new NCM Motorsports Track. Check the NCM website for more details Apr. 23-25 NCM Bash at National Corvette Museum Check the NCM website for more details Apr. 26-29 Bash Dragon Run Tour Check the NCM website for more details Date Tent. Date Tent. May 2-3? May 8-10 LCC Autocrosses Low speed autocrosses. Location TBD SWR and THT Highpeed events Non-sanctioned driver s school on the 8th. 14 High speed events on the 9th and 10th. Held at the Hallett OK racetrack. May. 14-16 C4 Gathering at National Corvette Museum Date Tent. Check the NCM website for more details May. 15 CCT Board Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:00 PM May. 15 CCT Membership Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:30 PM May 23-24? OCCC Autocross and Drags 7 low speed autocrosses in Oklahoma City and drag races at Thunder Valley in Noble OK. May 24-25 NCCC National Meetings Held in St. Louis, MO May 29-31 Corvettes Crusin Galveston Friendly Chevrolet, CCT and others sponsor a weekend tour of Galveston. They expect 1000 or more Corvettes on the Island. More info at http:// corvettescruisingalveston.com/ and a fl yer below. Jun. 19 CCT Board Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:00 PM Jun. 19 CCT Membership Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:30 PM Jul. 17 CCT Board Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:00 PM 14
Jul. 17 CCT Membership Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:30 PM Aug. 21 CCT Board Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:00 PM Aug. 21 CCT Membership Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:30 PM Sep. 3-5 21th Anniversary Celebration at National Corvette Museum Check the NCM website for more details Date Tent. Sep. 18 CCT Board Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:00 PM Sep. 18 CCT Membership Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:30 PM Oct. 16 CCT Board Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:00 PM Oct. 16 CCT Membership Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:30 PM Nov. 5-7 Vets n Vettes at National Corvette Museum Date Tent. Check the NCM website for more details Nov. 20 CCT Board Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:00 PM Nov. 20 CCT Membership Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet 7:30 PM TBA CCT Christmas Party at the Texas Motor Speedway Clubhouse More Information later TBA CCT Board Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet N/A --- No board meeting in December. Normally held one half hour before the Membership Meeting on the third Friday of the month. --- CCT Membership Meeting at Friendly Chevrolet N/A No membership meeting in December. A short meeting may be held at the CCT Christmas Party. 15