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February, 2007

2100 Walnut Street

Kansas City, MO 64108

Local Chapter of MAFCA and MARC

NEWS

‘A’

LETTER

Heart of America Model A Ford Club

“

Certificate of M erit” 2006

“

A ward of

Continuing Excellence, 2005

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

As far as our club is concerned, the New Year started off with canceling our January meeting due to snow, ice and the

extreme cold. We mourn the death of Dean and Delores Weller’s grandson who was killed in an interstate auto accident

during the recent ice storm. We also mourn the death of our dear friend and long-time member of HOA Model A Club,

Ivan Wallen. I joined the club shortly after the death of Ivan’s wife. Several people have shared with me what a wonder-

ful couple they were. On one occasion I had the opportunity to visit Ivan. We sat in his living room and just visited. He

was a very interesting guy whose ethnic background was Native American. Once our visit was over, we proceeded to his

basement workshop. It was truly amazing. As I recall, there were a couple of cars in various stages of restoration. Back

against the wall was Ivan’s spare parts storage space. I was hoping that Ivan might have a driver’s side emergency brake

backing plate. During the restoration of my frame and running gear, Don Bockelman discovered the backing plate on my

car was totally missing. Ivan rummaged around and in less than a minute found the exact plate we needed. Several peo-

ple shared with me Ivan’s skill at spotting quality parts at a swap meet. I found out there is a tradition in our club that

whenever our members attend an overnight swap meet, they gather in one of the motel rooms and show each other the

parts they purchased. Often times a member thought they had a real bargain. Ivan would closely examine the part and

gently point out its flaw. In other words, what seemed to be a great bargain was sometimes something less. Several

members related to me they adopted the wisdom that if Ivan were going to a swap meet, they let him look for the part

they wanted. He knew what to look for and he knew what was a good buy. Ivan was honest, straight forward, and had a

deep interest in the Model A hobby. We miss him.

Several people have asked about the new Northland Model A club. I understand John Osborn has been elected president.

Several northlanders have indicated to me that they will be members of both clubs. We wish the Northland group well

and will be supportive of them in any way we can.

Mimi Deel has accepted the position of Sunshine lady. She was quickly put to the test initiating our phone tree so folks

would get the news that our Monday evening meeting was cancelled. I know Mimi will do a great job and I would like to

have everyone in the club support her.

This year we invited Jim Spawn to be our Fund Raiser Chairman. Jim declined our invitation due to increased profes-

sional responsibilities, and the fact that he would like to slow down for a while. He said he would be willing to act in an

advisory capacity. I respect Jim’s decision, however we now need someone to step up to the plate. Please contact me or

any member of the board if you are interested in serving as our Fund Raiser Chairman for this year.

I want to thank the club members who came to our annual Christmas Party. Several members declined to come because

they felt the $30.00 was too much to pay for a meal even though the club picked up the $30.00 tab for the second meal.

I’d like to make a comment regarding our club’s finances. Since we hosted the 2000 National MAFCA gathering, our

club has enjoyed a wonderful financial windfall. Last year we realized a three thousand plus dollar profit from the Union

Station Heart of America Model A Appreciation Day. However, if we are not careful, these funds can be quickly de-

pleted. We are trying to be financially conservative to preserve funds for the 2008 MAFCA Regional Meet. I received

comments from several folks regarding the location of our Christmas party. Currently, I’m looking at several options,

including one of the riverboat casinos and/or a country club. I’ll keep you posted.

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