Tribute Photo Album of Russ Dolbear    1950 - 2023

New Retro Thophy

George Lake & Fred Schmoyer

The Original Miles Driven Trophy 

for the Classics

October 19                     Hosted by Suzan & Jim O'Neale             

                    Location:  Jake’s Place

                    511 Thompson St.

                    Ashland, VA 23005

Jake's Place is in a 1928 Sinclair Gas Station and a unique place to dine.

     Menu:     Pulled Pork, Fried catfish, Coleslaw, Mac n Cheese, Slider Rolls, Green Beans

     Beverages:  Sweet Tea, Unsweetened Tea and Lemon Water

     Dessert

Cost:  $23.00 per person (tax and gratuity included)

Time:  Arrive between 11:15 and 11:30

Eating time:  12 to 12:15

DEADLINE:  Email by OCTOBER 12 to Suzan O’Neale.                Questions:  call Suzan 

(Please bring exact change to Jakes on the 19th)

November            Hosted by Susan & Eric Thorson                Date and Place To Be Determined

December             Hosted by Lynn & Ron Padrick                  Date and Place To Be Determined

     Russ had the honor of having his car photo grace the back-cover of CTCI's Early Bird magazine. Here is what Russ submitted, and was published that month:

Please send all correspondence to:

TbirdInfo@vaclassictbirdclub.com

VCTC officer's emails will be forwarded to the designated individual

Footnote:  President's Message page is a "throw-back" to the original T-Bird Times newsletter.

Trophy Award History

                  The idea for a ”most miles driven” trophy began back  in 2006. Then VCTC President, Fred Schmoyer thought it would be fun to have a friendly competition to promote driving of our classics. Our trophy was designed and crafted by club members George Lake and Fred Schmoyer.

                  Mileage is tracked for Classic Tbirds driven to club events simply by noting the mileage from member’s home to the club meeting location using Google Maps.  The noted mileage is doubled to create a round-trip total and then tabulated.  The club member who travels the most miles for the year has their name placed on the trophy and is awarded The Trophy for a year.

       In 2023 CTCI membership voted to include the "Modern Classic" Retro-Birds. In accordance, VCTC also includes Retro-Bird ownership. (VCTC has always welcomed Retro-Bird owners into the club.) In the latter months of 2023, VCTC membership voted to include a 'Miles Driven' competition for those driving Retros. George Lake and Fred Schmoyer were then 'commissioned' to build a new Trophy to recognize the 'Most Miles Driven' winner of the Retro Division.
      The new trophy was exhibited at the November VCTC meeting. Mileage tabulation began in January, with a winner to be declared for the year 2024.

CURRENT TROPHY HOLDER

      Some of you may be thinking about hosting a club event but are hesitant because you haven’t done it before or have concerns about organizing it. If that’s the case, no worries…it’s relatively easy to plan, there are no hard-and-fast requirements, and other club members will answer questions, provide advice, or help you plan. There are a few considerations to make things go smoothly and create the environment for an enjoyable social experience for club members.

     Usually, plan for guests to arrive by 11:30 with things kicking off at 12:00. It’s best if there is a dedicated/designated parking area for those driving classic and retro TBirds. If meeting at a restaurant, the business management can often help identify and reserve a suitable area. When weather cooperates, we can have 10 or more classics at the event. Hosts should plan to arrive a bit early to confirm plans with the restaurant and direct parking.

     For planning, usually 20-40 members attend our monthly events. The host will be required to provide the basic details such as who, what, where, when, and RSVP information to the club secretary for posting to the club web site. The club secretary will then post and send event notice to all members. This notification needs to be posted as soon as details are available. Ideally, the meeting would be held in a room large enough to seat everyone comfortably. If in a restaurant, it’s best (though not required) if the area is separated in some way from other customers to facilitate group discussion and business.

     Since the pandemic some venues have started charging a room or service fee. In this case, VCTC will provide hosts with up to $150.00 to offset the cost of these room/service fees. These funds cannot be used for alcoholic beverages.

     Options for lunch can vary depending on the venue. Regardless of choice, hosts should talk to restaurant management to inform them of the overall plan and coordinate necessary details. Ordering and paying individually from the standard menu is one option. If going this route, it’s best to coordinate with restaurant management to make ordering and serving go smoothly without excessive delay. Selecting menu items in advance or catering a buffet line is another possibility. Another option depending on the venue is to determine/provide the main course and have attendees contribute to the meal by bringing a dish to share. Generally, try to keep costs for lunch about $25 per person. Meeting hosts can collect lunch fees from guests as they arrive or guests can pay checks individually after lunch, depending on which option was used.

     At the meeting site, you can expect the club President to discuss the plan and manage timing to briefly conduct VCTC business and make any pertinent announcements prior to serving lunch. This business generally takes less than 15 minutes. When complete, lunch is served and expect the rest of the day to go smoothly as the servers do their thing and attendees can continue mixing, meeting and eating.

     As an after-lunch option, consider if there are additional activities available at or near the meeting location which can be visited following lunch. While not required, this can provide opportunities for attendees to visit places they otherwise would not have known about. Previous examples include wineries, car/tractor museums, botanical gardens, and various historic sites. These can be set up as group activities or merely offered as information for those who might want to check it out.

     Please consider if you have a great restaurant or unique idea for hosting an upcoming event. We are always looking for new places we haven’t visited before.

PRESIDENT          

VICE PRESIDENT   

TREASURER 

Bill Brown

Patsy Gregory

Eric Best

SECRETARY

ACTIVITIES 

CHAPLAINS

Stan Hostetler

Linda Twilley

Brenda Morrison / Carrie Hillman

CTCI Early Bird Back-cover Photo 2007

January - February 2007

Back Cover Car

A Caboose and a 'Bird in the Backyard—Doesn't everybody have one?

     If it weren't for my love of electric and real trains, we would never have gotten into Thunderbirds. It all started in 1998 when I began a part-time auction business to help people liquidate electric train collections. I called my company The Wooden Caboose, Inc. Two years later, it came to my attention that a real wooden caboose within 30 miles of my house was in jeopardy of being scrapped by the City of Richmond, Virginia. They wanted it off their property at no liability to the City.  After discussions with the decision makers at City Hall, I purchased the 1942, wood-sided caboose formerly used by the Richmond Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, for ONE DOLLAR. I set the ties, laid the rails, and then paid $4,500.00 to move it. My local county had to authorize the move, so an additional $1,217.50 was spent, and the move was made.

     I removed the plywood siding on the rear of the caboose and discovered original graphics on the original tongue and groove wood siding beneath. Being a draftsman for 30 years, I duplicated those graphics, made templates, and recreated them on the plywood side you see in the photo, Built in 1942, retired in 1969, it is somewhat rare as most surviving cabooses are steel, not wood.

     Years later, I attended an estate auction held by the widow of a deceased friend and fellow train collector, as we had discussed the possibility of auctioning her husband's train-related items through our company. That is where I came across my first Tbird. A red 1956, unrestored, jewel in-the-rough which looked great from 15 feet away, was on the block and after the bidding settled down, I raised my little ol’ hand one time and ended up buying our first T-Bird. I didn't have the courage to tell my wife what I had done for a couple weeks, as I cleared out a spot in garage to bring her home. A visiting fellow train collector accidentally broke the news to my wife, asking, "How do you like your new Thunderbird?" The cat was out of the bag. Alice never warmed up to the Redbird, due to the way it came into the family. But we enjoyed taking her out for long drives. You can read about our exploits in the July-Aug 2003 issue of the EarlyBird when we took our bucket of bolts on a three hour one-way drive to Callao for a parade at the invitation of long time members Lew and Jane Wright, CTCI #7867.

     I was cruising around the Internet one day looking at Thunderbirds for sale and Alice happened to pass behind me, and she commented, "Oh that’s a pretty one, we should get that one!" You could have knocked me over with a feather! My Alice, interested in another Thunderbird? I didn't need to hear it twice. I started searching for a restored '56. Enter our purchase, a 1956 Thunderbird Green (Sage Green interior) built only 11 days after our original Redbird in March of 1956. It was restored by a Volvo Museum in Illinois, was purchased by a pilot and his wife back in the mid-nineties, and then went with them to Tennessee when they moved. It was for sale on eBay, and we bid on it, but someone outbid us by $100.00 at the last minute. However, neither of us had met the reserve, so there was no sale. The high bidder had zero feedback on eBay, and we had over 300 transactions with 100% positive feedback on eBay, so the owners of the "GREEN HORNET” (my nickname for our new car) contacted us with a SECOND CHANCE OFFER. After some photo exchanges, phone calls, and lots of questions, we officially bought the car on July 4, 2006. We trucked it in, sight unseen and with the exception of a tapping noise in engine, which we can’t decide if it is a lifter, valve guide, or rocker arm, we have enjoyed "OLIVE OIL" (Alice's nickname for the Green Hornet!)

     Help us decide what we should call our new baby. Drop us a line at wooden-caboose@att.net. We really enjoy our friends at Chapter 36 CTCI and look forward to years of T-Birding here in the Commonwealth Of Virginia.

     Stay safe everybody. Cordially,                                       Russ and Alice Dolbear

                                                                                                    CTCI #32754 Chester, Virginia

2023 Trophy Winners Lee & Stan

1st Award Winner

Russ Dolbear & Fred Schmoyer

Bill Brown & Stan Hostetler

Bill is a multiple winner (4 times)

and has the highest mileage total!

     If you are interested in hosting a monthly club meeting, contact       Activities Coordinator, Linda Twilley  

President’s Report                                                                                                           September 2024

          We had 20 members and 2 guests join us at the Kitchen 33 Restaurant in Glen Allen on Saturday 21 September. I want to give out a big THANK YOU to Gill and Ellen Moody for hosting this meeting. There were 9 Thunderbirds (6 classics and 3 retros) that made the flight on the perfect day for cruising. We had some sad news from Stan Hostetler concerning the passing of long-time member Ken Lownes. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Judi.

          Reminder to all, that elections for board members for 2025 will be held in November. We have one vacancy for the Recording-Secretary position, and we will be looking for a volunteer. The responsibilities include Club Communicator, Business meeting recorder, and track attendees to each meeting and recording miles driven. If you are interested in volunteering for this position, please contact Bill Brown by October 25th. 

Upcoming events:

       Saturday October 19^th will be in Ashland at Jake’s Place hosted by Suzan and Jim O’Neale, more details to follow.

       November will be hosted by Susan and Eric Thorson.

       December will be hosted by Lyn and Ron Padrick.

          It is not too early to start planning for 2025 so please, if you are interested in hosting, contact Linda Twilley, Activities Coordinator.

CTCI

          CTCI is proposing a joint convention for 2025. This convention will be in coordination with VTCI and is planned for September 9-13, 2025 in North Grapevine, TX (Dallas-Fort Worth area). While the Convention will be a “Joint Production,” CTCI and VTCI will each hold separate judging for their organization’s cars.

Tech Tip:

          I presented two Retro Bird topics this month for sharing with the members. The first had to do with the “Glass Drop” feature and how to correct the problem. The other topic addressed the calibration of the “Dual Coolant Control Valve” when the air conditioner is not responding to your desired temperature settings. The details are posted in the Tech section on our webpage.

Here is a tidbit for the month of September concerning the history of the Ford Thunderbirds:

              9/9/1954- The first production Thunderbird rolls off the assembly line in Dearborn, MI (P5FH 100005)

              9/16/1955- the last 55 Tbird production unit rolls off the assembly line

              9/25/2000- (200) Neiman Marcus limited editions made available. Sold out in just over 2 hours

      I am looking forward to seeing all of you at Jake’s Place in Ashland on 21 October, and remember,

          IT’S ALL ABOUT FUN X 3!                               Bill Brown

"Trophy Love"

Nancy Schmoyer

George Lake

The Davidson's  April 2009

The Most Tbirds at a Club Event  20 Classics & 4 Retros

Thunderbird Appreciation Day 2019

Chesterfield

November 2020

Photo taken at Graves Mt. Lodge  Syria, VA  2008

Note:  Click on photos to enlarge and see more.

PAST AWARD WINNERS

2007     Alice & Russ Dolbear

2008     Alice & Russ Dolbear

2009     Linda & Bill Brown

2010     Linda & Bill Brown

2011     Peg & Gene Marianetti

2012     Sue & Steve Patterson

2013     Nancy & Fred Schmoyer

2014     Carrie & Lynn Hillman

2015     Nancy & Fred Schmoyer

2016     Linda & Bill Brown

2017     Peg & Gene Marianetti

2018     Paula & Eric Best

2019     Lee & Stan Hostetler

2020     Defered - pandemic2021     Linda & Bill Brown                  510

2022     Lee & Stan Hostetler              786

2023     Lee & Stan Hostetler              748

Dedicated to the enjoyment, restoration, and preservation of the Classic Thunderbirds 

All 'two-seater' Ford Thunderbirds

miles

1252

1050

2064

1222

1346

1276

1116

1068

  946

1300

1030

1112

1126