December '02 Chargin' Thunder Editorals
- Thread starter gldiii
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gldiii
SCCoA Lifetime Member
Bill's Editorial
From The Bird’s Nest
By Bill Evanoff
Every three months for the past three years, I have produced a Chargin’ Thunder newsletter for SCCoA members. I have always waited until the newsletter was virtually finished to begin writing this editorial. Perhaps I felt I was saving the best till last.
I’ll admit, some of my editorials have been very brief, while others have been quite lengthy and I have run out of space to write more pages. I have always thought that this section was important to members, as it was the club coordinator’s opportunity to share what may be new, important, or just share what’s on my mind.
Well, as everyone knows, I shared a lot of what has been on my mind in the September issue. The general feedback from those who have called me in the past few months is that they REALLY do not want the SCCoA to go away. They would like the CT to continue and generally like the club just as it is.
Unfortunately, I’m going to bring out the old “Change is good” line again. The changes as detailed in the last CT are still on schedule and George Davenport, the interim coordinator, has several pages describing the direction for the club in 2003. His editorial is on the following page.
I encourage everyone to embrace the opportunities that are to come. The membership will be able to shape and mold the SCCoA into what would best suite the group as a whole. All major decisions will be voted upon and the whole process will be as democratic as possible. There will be more opportunities to get involved with the new SCCoA as responsibilities will be shared. The club needs everyone to stay active and visit the SCCoA.com web site so they can vote on all the issues that will be brought forward. This whole process will begin in January of 2003.
What will I be doing from now on? I certainly do not plan to disappear from the SC/XR7 scene. I’ll be assisting George, as needed, of course. I’ll most certainly be attending all the big T-Bird shows too. I will also continue to operate, and hopefully expand, the Super Coupe Performance business that I have been doing since September of 2000. I’ve received many calls asking if my phone number will remain active, if people can still call for advice, and buy parts. Yes, Yes, and Yes!
In conclusion, it has been my pleasure to serve the membership of this great club. I am quite certain that I have chosen the correct person to bring about the numerous changes that the club will be undergoing. I wish George all the best and ask that everyone work with him as a team to move the SCCoA onward and upwards
From The Bird’s Nest
By Bill Evanoff
Every three months for the past three years, I have produced a Chargin’ Thunder newsletter for SCCoA members. I have always waited until the newsletter was virtually finished to begin writing this editorial. Perhaps I felt I was saving the best till last.
I’ll admit, some of my editorials have been very brief, while others have been quite lengthy and I have run out of space to write more pages. I have always thought that this section was important to members, as it was the club coordinator’s opportunity to share what may be new, important, or just share what’s on my mind.
Well, as everyone knows, I shared a lot of what has been on my mind in the September issue. The general feedback from those who have called me in the past few months is that they REALLY do not want the SCCoA to go away. They would like the CT to continue and generally like the club just as it is.
Unfortunately, I’m going to bring out the old “Change is good” line again. The changes as detailed in the last CT are still on schedule and George Davenport, the interim coordinator, has several pages describing the direction for the club in 2003. His editorial is on the following page.
I encourage everyone to embrace the opportunities that are to come. The membership will be able to shape and mold the SCCoA into what would best suite the group as a whole. All major decisions will be voted upon and the whole process will be as democratic as possible. There will be more opportunities to get involved with the new SCCoA as responsibilities will be shared. The club needs everyone to stay active and visit the SCCoA.com web site so they can vote on all the issues that will be brought forward. This whole process will begin in January of 2003.
What will I be doing from now on? I certainly do not plan to disappear from the SC/XR7 scene. I’ll be assisting George, as needed, of course. I’ll most certainly be attending all the big T-Bird shows too. I will also continue to operate, and hopefully expand, the Super Coupe Performance business that I have been doing since September of 2000. I’ve received many calls asking if my phone number will remain active, if people can still call for advice, and buy parts. Yes, Yes, and Yes!
In conclusion, it has been my pleasure to serve the membership of this great club. I am quite certain that I have chosen the correct person to bring about the numerous changes that the club will be undergoing. I wish George all the best and ask that everyone work with him as a team to move the SCCoA onward and upwards
gldiii
SCCoA Lifetime Member
George's Editorial
SCCoA Future Directions
By George Davenport
From the frying pan….
It’s not without some sadness that I watch Chargin’ Thunder disappear from the automotive scene. It is the only publication I know of that is entirely dedicated to our supercharged V6 cars. I have to give credit to Bill Hull for getting it all started those many years ago and also to give thanks to Bill Evanoff for giving us the high quality publication that we enjoy today. Last, but not least, I’d like to give a big pat on the back to the loyal members both past and current who have supported the SCCoA, Super Coupes and XR7s throughout this whole time. Without their contributions we never would have made it this far.
Last issue Bill stated his reasons for stepping aside as coordinator and turning over the keys to me. This leaves some people deliriously happy that the club will no longer be run by someone that owns a thriving SC parts business. It also leaves some people wanting to keep things the way they are. This leaves all of us responsible for helping choose the club’s future direction. The way the dues have been collected for the current membership means that all memberships end on 12/31/03! Essentially the current incarnation of the SCCoA will be finished on that day.
But don’t worry; the club is not going to disappear. Bill and I have been in serious negotiations about where the assets of the club will end up. We arm wrestled over some things and settled other things the old fashioned way by seeing who could toss an M90 the farthest! Additional details on what the club received will be available in early January on the SCCoA Boards. Suffice it to say, Bill is being very fair and generous as always. I’m just not sure I should have agreed to let Patty do the distance measuring on the M90 tossing!
Bill Evanoff told me a few weeks ago while I was at his house discussing the club’s future with both he and Patty, that the lifespan of the club coordinator was about three years. Bill Hull had lasted that long and Bill Evanoff had also lasted that long. It’s yet to be seen how long a “George” can (or should) last!
…Into the fire!
So, I really lucked out. I got picked to be an interim coordinator of a large automobile club that has no members, no organizational structure and no money! Well, at least, my name is not Bill! Many will ask, what makes me qualified for the task ahead? I don’t have a good answer for that one! But I do have a plan.
Essentially, I want to keep the club going until we can get some type of elected officers in place. I also am trying to refrain from getting the club into any long-term commitments that it cannot get of when the legitimate leaders are in power.
Here’s the approach:
1.) Determine which club assets will be in the club’s possession on 1/1/03 (Domain name, Chargin’ Thunders, club goodies, etc.)
2.) Establish the SCCoA as a not for profit organization.
3.) Establish a checking account for the organization.
4.) Establish nominal membership fees to cover organizational costs (Web site hosting, club setup costs, etc.)
5.) Collect membership fees (Fees will be based on estimated club costs and estimated membership numbers. Not designed to create a big cash surplus at the start. Fees will most certainly be changed as the club gets organized.)
6.) Publish accounting for all monies collected and spent (Simple accounting of what comes in and what goes out.)
7.) Poll the newly established membership to gather ideas on what management structure to establish (This membership would be the dues paying guys/gals.)
8.) Have membership vote on the club structure and officers
9.) Turn club over to officers
10.) Sell all my SC cars, move to an island far away, because I’ll have no friends left in the SC community once we get this far!
From bullet #6-on I can start to enlist more and more help, since we will have a defined membership group. Fortunately, I am not alone at the start since Ron DiPaola has offered his assistance on all the web stuff. Hopefully he and I can stay on friendly terms until the cavalry (membership) arrives! This big plan is moving slowly than anticipated through the Holiday Season and will get into high gear early in ’03.
Since we are becoming a web-based club, it is critical that we have enough capacity to provide service to all who visit our site, both member and visitor. In the short term, web hosting will only be done by established providers that are providing the server machine. We had several different offers from people who post on the board, but Ron and I did not want to get into arrangements like that at this time. The elected officers and members can certainly handle web hosting differently. My gift and show of commitment to the club was to purchase the first three months of service with our new provider. This roughly covers the October-January time period. Until we start collecting membership fees, additional service may be covered through the donations previously received for a new server. There have been some snags with the new provider, but we are working through them to eliminate the “server busy” messages that we all hate.
Now a few words on what I will not be doing. I won’t entertain too many suggestions from BBS users until membership is in place. I am not currently seeking any position with the club. I don’t know what capacity if any I’d run for in the yet to be defined elected structure. I won’t limit the board forums and postings to members only. The exception to this will be that only members will be able to vote and decide on club structure and officers. I’m also not seeking to merge with other clubs or bring back lost chapters. I do hope to establish a working relationship with all SC/XR7 related clubs to present a unity of force for our vehicle.
I don’t expect that everyone will agree with some of the decisions and policies I’ll put in place during this interim period. I have always tried to be fair and like I said before I am trying very hard not to make any moves that will hamstring the club for future endeavors. So keep collecting your ideas for the club. We’ll try to get them all in the big compromise pot of democracy early in 2003.
I realize this is all bad news for all you web challenged members of the club. With the demise of Chargin’ Thunder, I don’t really have a way to reach out to you without a web connection. I do hope you can get on a friend’s computer and stay in touch. I also hope to bring Chargin’ Thunder back to life as soon as possible in an electronic format that could possibly be printed and mailed, if there is enough interest. Many have suggested this and I know when the leadership is in place, we can get people to assist in this endeavor.
There are a lot of issues we will be working out over the next many months. The process will always take too long for some and final plans will not include the ideas of others. I hope we can hammer out the compromises and still appeal to a large majority of car owners. In this brave new world at least we will have no one to blame except the membership for what we did or did not do!
SCCoA Future Directions
By George Davenport
From the frying pan….
It’s not without some sadness that I watch Chargin’ Thunder disappear from the automotive scene. It is the only publication I know of that is entirely dedicated to our supercharged V6 cars. I have to give credit to Bill Hull for getting it all started those many years ago and also to give thanks to Bill Evanoff for giving us the high quality publication that we enjoy today. Last, but not least, I’d like to give a big pat on the back to the loyal members both past and current who have supported the SCCoA, Super Coupes and XR7s throughout this whole time. Without their contributions we never would have made it this far.
Last issue Bill stated his reasons for stepping aside as coordinator and turning over the keys to me. This leaves some people deliriously happy that the club will no longer be run by someone that owns a thriving SC parts business. It also leaves some people wanting to keep things the way they are. This leaves all of us responsible for helping choose the club’s future direction. The way the dues have been collected for the current membership means that all memberships end on 12/31/03! Essentially the current incarnation of the SCCoA will be finished on that day.
But don’t worry; the club is not going to disappear. Bill and I have been in serious negotiations about where the assets of the club will end up. We arm wrestled over some things and settled other things the old fashioned way by seeing who could toss an M90 the farthest! Additional details on what the club received will be available in early January on the SCCoA Boards. Suffice it to say, Bill is being very fair and generous as always. I’m just not sure I should have agreed to let Patty do the distance measuring on the M90 tossing!
Bill Evanoff told me a few weeks ago while I was at his house discussing the club’s future with both he and Patty, that the lifespan of the club coordinator was about three years. Bill Hull had lasted that long and Bill Evanoff had also lasted that long. It’s yet to be seen how long a “George” can (or should) last!
…Into the fire!
So, I really lucked out. I got picked to be an interim coordinator of a large automobile club that has no members, no organizational structure and no money! Well, at least, my name is not Bill! Many will ask, what makes me qualified for the task ahead? I don’t have a good answer for that one! But I do have a plan.
Essentially, I want to keep the club going until we can get some type of elected officers in place. I also am trying to refrain from getting the club into any long-term commitments that it cannot get of when the legitimate leaders are in power.
Here’s the approach:
1.) Determine which club assets will be in the club’s possession on 1/1/03 (Domain name, Chargin’ Thunders, club goodies, etc.)
2.) Establish the SCCoA as a not for profit organization.
3.) Establish a checking account for the organization.
4.) Establish nominal membership fees to cover organizational costs (Web site hosting, club setup costs, etc.)
5.) Collect membership fees (Fees will be based on estimated club costs and estimated membership numbers. Not designed to create a big cash surplus at the start. Fees will most certainly be changed as the club gets organized.)
6.) Publish accounting for all monies collected and spent (Simple accounting of what comes in and what goes out.)
7.) Poll the newly established membership to gather ideas on what management structure to establish (This membership would be the dues paying guys/gals.)
8.) Have membership vote on the club structure and officers
9.) Turn club over to officers
10.) Sell all my SC cars, move to an island far away, because I’ll have no friends left in the SC community once we get this far!
From bullet #6-on I can start to enlist more and more help, since we will have a defined membership group. Fortunately, I am not alone at the start since Ron DiPaola has offered his assistance on all the web stuff. Hopefully he and I can stay on friendly terms until the cavalry (membership) arrives! This big plan is moving slowly than anticipated through the Holiday Season and will get into high gear early in ’03.
Since we are becoming a web-based club, it is critical that we have enough capacity to provide service to all who visit our site, both member and visitor. In the short term, web hosting will only be done by established providers that are providing the server machine. We had several different offers from people who post on the board, but Ron and I did not want to get into arrangements like that at this time. The elected officers and members can certainly handle web hosting differently. My gift and show of commitment to the club was to purchase the first three months of service with our new provider. This roughly covers the October-January time period. Until we start collecting membership fees, additional service may be covered through the donations previously received for a new server. There have been some snags with the new provider, but we are working through them to eliminate the “server busy” messages that we all hate.
Now a few words on what I will not be doing. I won’t entertain too many suggestions from BBS users until membership is in place. I am not currently seeking any position with the club. I don’t know what capacity if any I’d run for in the yet to be defined elected structure. I won’t limit the board forums and postings to members only. The exception to this will be that only members will be able to vote and decide on club structure and officers. I’m also not seeking to merge with other clubs or bring back lost chapters. I do hope to establish a working relationship with all SC/XR7 related clubs to present a unity of force for our vehicle.
I don’t expect that everyone will agree with some of the decisions and policies I’ll put in place during this interim period. I have always tried to be fair and like I said before I am trying very hard not to make any moves that will hamstring the club for future endeavors. So keep collecting your ideas for the club. We’ll try to get them all in the big compromise pot of democracy early in 2003.
I realize this is all bad news for all you web challenged members of the club. With the demise of Chargin’ Thunder, I don’t really have a way to reach out to you without a web connection. I do hope you can get on a friend’s computer and stay in touch. I also hope to bring Chargin’ Thunder back to life as soon as possible in an electronic format that could possibly be printed and mailed, if there is enough interest. Many have suggested this and I know when the leadership is in place, we can get people to assist in this endeavor.
There are a lot of issues we will be working out over the next many months. The process will always take too long for some and final plans will not include the ideas of others. I hope we can hammer out the compromises and still appeal to a large majority of car owners. In this brave new world at least we will have no one to blame except the membership for what we did or did not do!
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