W hat happened to the year 2009 A.D? The past twelve months have been a total blur for my wife Marcy and me. As many of you are aware, the beginning of the year was a bit surreal as we did not have the opportunity of any advanced planning for the role we were to assume!  However, we managed to get through it just fine and from all accounts came through it all with flying colors! Our rear view mirror and/or the mirror on a jet or two saw us travel over 20,000 miles on behalf of AACA. Through the year I was on the road almost 80 days, which now seems like a lot of time and points out the amount of work our officers and directors give on behalf of you, our members. Remember, these are not paid positions and do require a great deal of sacrifice. I am pleased to report that twenty one other AACA members made every meet in 2009 and achieved perfect attendance records!

Mike and Marcy Jones and their 1923 Oldsmobile

It would take more than the Rummage Box to properly list all the events and people who made this past year so wonderful and productive as well. However, I would like to express some highlights of our journey in 2009. 

Right after the Annual Meeting in Philadelphia the year got off to a jump-start in Lakeland, Florida where Paul Dimbath and his Orange Blossom Region staged a terrific Winter Meet. From sunny Florida we headed to the Foothills of the Sierra Mountains with a fantastic Gold Country Divisional Tour in Sonora, California, hosted by Frank Kilpatrick and the Mother Lode Region. Shortly thereafter the trail led to Charlotte, North Carolina where the Hornets Nest Region performed its annual magic with the Charlotte Auto Fair at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway. That same month saw us headed to the Pittsburgh of the South for the Dixie Region Tour, headed up by Ernie Gauld in Birmingham, Alabama. The Lone Star State was next on the agenda where the McLean’s and the Austin’s put together an award winning and awe inspiring Founders Tour in the Midland/Odessa area of the Permian Basin. Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Gloom of Night deterred Don Barlup and the Gettysburg Region from finding enough dry ground to pull off a well attended Eastern Spring Meet in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  The rain followed us to Prior Lake, Minnesota where Tom Anderson’s Minnesota Region hosted the Central Spring Meet and the site of our National Spring Board of Directors Meeting.  Glenn Edwards found the most unique venue at the Wilson County Fair Grounds to hold the Special Southeastern Spring Meet in Lebanon, Tennessee. 

There came a short and welcome summer hiatus before we headed to Golden, Colorado where Mel Bacon and the Rocky Mountain Region were hosts to the 64th Annual Revival of the AAA Glidden Tour held August 23rd to 28th. That was a joint tour with many members of the Veteran Motor Car Club of America in attendance. Within weeks of our visit to the Rockies we were back on an airplane to attend the dual meet in Topeka, Kansas where the Annual Grand National and the Central Fall Meet were so well planned by the Topeka Region’s Herb Whitlow and Todd Schafer.

Everyone knows what came next. With the days passing in a blur it was already time to pack up the trailer and head for Hershey, Pennsylvania.  Fall meet chairman, Rich Amspacher, didn’t disappoint anyone when the Hershey Region put on another extravaganza that met everyone’s expectations with a few wind gusts to spare! Shortly after putting away all of our flea market treasures it was time to load up the Model A Roadster to attend the Vintage Tour in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, a small agricultural town near Raleigh, NC. Judy and Barker Edwards planned a terrific tour in that picturesque part of the country for automobiles up to 1931. It was my pleasure to have Mayor John Byrne ride with me one day after which we visited his home where he and his wife, Patty, gave us a wonderful taste of true southern hospitality. The year was drawing to a close, but not before another trip to sunny California where the Baltzar’s and the Sun’n’Sand Region organized the Western Fall Meet in LaQuinta-Palm Springs, California.                    

In addition to all of the above travel I do want to particularly mention that the board was able to go on a weekend “retreat” to have meaningful and serious discussions regarding the club’s future.  Our regular board meetings are so tight on time that it is rare we get a chance to talk about philosophical issues and true long range planning.  We were fortunate to find a great location, visit a very supportive member and get pro bono, the services of two nationally known facilitators!  The work started at this meeting may be paying dividends for decades to come. You know the old saying. “if you do not know where you are going, any road will get you there.”  We intend on taking the road to success!

Traditionally a Past President may want to talk about the honor of being your President but I would like to conclude by telling you how humbling it was for both Marcy and me. When you get to meet so many people who have such incredible passion for AACA, and the hobby, you quickly know you are not alone in the “battle.” We got to see first hand how hard so many of you work for the benefit of others. We were happy to represent you and what you do! It was a wonderful year but the coming year will be even greater with our gala celebration of our 75th Anniversary. We will be there and hope that you will be there as well!

When I get back in the office on Monday mornings, I listen a while to the usual conversation – how tall the grass grows, how crummy the weather was, what was on TV or at the movies, etc. Eventually, someone will ask what Susan and I did over the weekend. The responses will generally open mouths in amazement. Well, last weekend we went to Kansas City. In a couple of weeks, we’re going to California for a car show. In between we went up to PA, and then off to Tennessee. We always look forward to those great Florida get-aways in the middle of winter too.

AACA meets and tours get us in the right place, and then we always try to include some additional sight-seeing wherever we go. Of course there is always an antique shop or two involved, but over the years, we’ve seen some amazing sights. Tours themselves often open doors that you would not imagine possible. Whether it’s stately homes, private car collections, historic sights, or even special dinners, AACA provides a wealth of opportunity for you to enjoy life.

This past year, the meet in Florida gave us a chance to tour a great aircraft museum.

Do you have any idea how many antique shops are between Virginia and Tennessee? The meet in Topeka was great, and gave us the chance to see something we’ve long wanted to see – the Steamboat Arabia museum in downtown Kansas City. Check it out on the web-you’ll be amazed! The trip to California gave us the chance to spend a night on the Queen Mary in Long Beach and take a Jeep ride up the canyons near La Quinta. Can’t beat a sunset on the Pacific Coast Highway either.

It’s safe to say that, thanks to the AACA, we’ve seen and done things we probably wouldn’t have. It’s much more than cars – it’s a way of life with the greatest people in the world, enjoying the greatest hobby in the world.

Help celebrate our 75th anniversary this year by turning off the TV, putting down your copy of Hemmings, and doing something special. Get out there and enjoy life – and the AACA. There is so much to see and do, and so many friends to enjoy being with. Join us on the AACA road to the future in 2010.

Using one of my Dad’s Favorite sayings,  “So Long, Boys” 

BY EARL D. BEAUCHAMP, JR.
VP – National Headquarters, 2009

I n February, 2010 I finished fifteen years of service to AACA. My journey began in April, 1962 when I joined the Club, full of excited interest in old cars of the 1930s and 1940s. I was but 23 years old at the time, and where I grew up, in Arlington, Virginia, I had never seen more than five or six cars older than 1932, so the world of older antique cars was entirely new to me. I began to learn about them, and enjoy them, as well as the ways of AACA. I learned to enjoy and respect the cars built before 1932, but over the next 48 years I only came to own one, a 1931 Hudson 8 that I did not finish restoring.

Over these 48 years, I’ve been part of the flea market world, mail order parts world, Region leadership world, Region founding world, National Meet and Tour world, restoration world, club founding world, AACA leadership world and old car editorial and authoring world. You could say, “I’ve been there and done that” with regard to a great number of facets of the old car hobby. And I’ll tell you, it’s been a great ride, and if you’re still a younger enthusiast, take this from me, get involved and you’ll have a lifetime experience that will light up your entire life. Become a part of your Region or Chapter leadership, help make this hobby last well on past your lifetime, if not forever. You could move up the line as I was fortunate to do, but at any level of membership, you can make a difference. You will be surprised at the satisfaction it will bring you over your lifetime.

When I first joined the AACA, back in 1962, I was astounded to find that the cars I was most interested in, built from 1936-1942 were not allowed, not considered antique cars, or even recognized as interesting old cars. These experiences I encountered from gentlemen my father’s age set my psyche for the rest of my old car life. Rather than turn me off, it turned me on to becoming involved and working for change.

Over these 48 years I’ve seen an astonishing change in our hobby and our club, and I’ve been involved in a lot of it. The 1936 cars finally came into AACA in 1968 and the cars 25 years old came on board in 1974. I saw the AACA Glidden Tours moved up from 1929 to 1932 to 1935 and only recently to 1942. I was not a leader in any of these Glidden Tour changes, but I approved of them.

Then, in 1994 I was approached to be a nominee to AACA office. I’ve got to say, that this was the greatest honor I was ever given in the hobby to that time, and I was extraordinarily humble at being elected to begin service on the AACA National Board in 1995. Being re-elected five straight times certainly was a tremendous honor, too. Eventually serving as National President in 2004 was a high honor I would never have imagined in…let’s say 1980. Along the way, I have met and served with a number of really talented and dedicated people I have truly felt privileged to know. Yes, it’s been a great ride, and I hope members feel I’ve served honestly, honorably and with good character during my time here.

Of my accomplishments while on the Board, I do not view being President as the high water mark, but it is the AACA Sentimental Tour (1928-1958), which I designed and so strongly worked to achieve approval for, that I view as my greatest accomplishment in the old car hobby. Secondly, my other most satisfying experience is having served on the selection committee that selected Steve Moskowitz as our current Executive Director. Finally, enjoying knowing so many members of AACA can never be topped.

So, as I leave office, I’m the same old guy, who is still mesmerized by those 1936-1942 cars. I’m still an enthusiastic AACA member, who remains excited by the old car hobby you and I enjoy. So, you’ll be seeing Judy and me around, at a lot of events yet to come, as long as our health holds out.

In closing, as Bob Hope used to say, “Thanks for the Memories”.

Your Role in the Future of the AACA

By Brenda Shore Kaiser
AACA VP Judges Administration
 

It’s now 2010 and we will celebrate our 75th anniversary this year. There will be a special meet to recognize this event as well as activities and memorabilia to commemorate this phenomenal achievement. Since the beginning in 1935 when 14 gentlemen, and one woman, met to share the common love of antique cars we have grown to be an internationally recognized organization with over 60,000 members representing 50 countries. There is nothing that says that bigger is better, but our growth has been remarkable and would certainly surprise our original founders.

If you could do it all again would you join the AACA? What makes you continue to participate with local and national events? What would it take to share your thoughts with a potential member?

This past year I have served as your Vice President of Membership. This position is responsible for facilitating the Membership Roundtables that are held at each meet, working with you the member to identify ways to increase our membership and coordinate the staffing of the Membership Booths at Hershey. All of this is important and a lot of fun but it is not my job alone; attracting and retaining members is the responsibility of all of us. There is no one person that can build our membership or who alone represents the organization; it takes all of us working together to get ready for the next 75 years of the AACA.

Every time you welcome a person to your local meeting, say hello to someone at a car show or talk about your favorite car, you are representing the AACA. Do you realize how important you are to our future? You have direct access to people who might like to join our club. You can let someone know what we do, how much fun belonging to the AACA can be, and how he or she can join. Show someone our phenomenal magazine. Invite a guest to go to a meeting with you and introduce them to your friends.
Remember that the more you know about the club the better you can be at generating enthusiasm and getting new members. Attend our meets, visit the Library and the Museum (at least online) and participate on our tours. Better yet, volunteer to help with some part of the club ~ locally or nationally. Come to a Membership Roundtable or make a suggestion to a Board Member of something we can do to improve or do differently to get new members.

I need you and the future of AACA needs you. Just like our founders when they started the club we also want to believe that the AACA will be around to celebrate its 100th anniversary and more. This isn’t just the responsibility of the Vice President of Membership. It is your job too! Hope to see you soon at a Membership Roundtable, a meet, a tour or in Kentucky this year for our Diamond Jubilee! Go get a new member and get ready for our future.