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Volume XLVI, Issue 5 Edsel Owners Club Inc. September 2014 T HE B IG E 2014 EOC National Meet in Dayton, Ohio INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Report on EOC 1 National Edsel meet (above:) We were treated to this billboard advertising our national meet on I-75, a short distance from the host hotel in Dayton, Ohio - photo by Dean Brown President’s 2 Letter The long anticipated 46th annual national EOC meet in Dayton is now history. A wonderful EOC National 3 time was had by all - with many thanks to the Dayton Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, who Edsel meet con- were able to find us a hotel in a very short notice, when another hotel that was originally selected to be our convention site abruptly shut down and went out of business. The continued. vention and visitor’s bureau went an extra step by surprising us with a huge electronic bill- EOC National 4—5 board right on the interstate freeway announcing our national meet as seen above. Edsel meet pic- There were about 28 beautiful Edsels, and many EOC members in attendance. and there tures were also vendors in the parking lot offering a large amount of hard-to-find Edsel parts and some NOS Edsel upholstery for sale. Minutes from 6 EOC Officers’ One of the highlights of the meet, was that all of those in attendance had the special honor meeting and privilege of being in the presence of Jim Arnold and Thomas Norwalk, who were employees of the Edsel Division. Jim Arnold was on the styling team and Thomas Norwalk designed the Edsel brochures. 7 Calendar of Events and wel- On Wednesday, the early birds who had arrived enjoyed the hospitality room and getting come new mem- acquainted with fellow Edsel folks. There were a lot of goodies for sale in the hospitality bers room such as t-shirts with Edsels on them, Edsel pennants, Edsel key chains and license plate frames and also drawings and illustrations of Edsels were offered. Green Line Edsel 8-9 On Thursday, we had a tour to the US Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Action Ads a lunch stop at the Spaghetti Warehouse downtown Dayton, then a visit to the Packard Mu- seum. This museum is housed in a former Packard dealership building that was Citizen Mo- tor Co from 1917 -1940, with an adjoining building filled with Packards from 1903 to a pro- About The Edsel 10 totype 1958 Packard Hawk convertible. Then it was on to Carillion Park, a history park dedi- Owners Club cated to major historical buildings and history of Dayton. Continued on Page 3 The Big E Page 2 Hello Edsel friends; Life certainly is a series of twists and turns. No sooner does the EOC have another great convention, than we get the sad news that we have lost Roger Hill of Arvonia, Virginia, on August 27th. Roger had been dealing with health issues and succumbed to melanoma. This year's EOC convention was only the second one he'd missed since the first meet in 1969. He sincerely wanted to be with friends but simply wasn't well enough to attend. Roger was our third president, serving from 1973 to 1978. He served again from 1998 to 2002. He helped our club and our hobby in so many ways, and was always there. An enthusiast of many types of cars, he put most of his efforts into the Edsel and the EOC. A man of dignity and grace, Roger personified the image of The Southern Gentleman, without being cliche. I have asked Dave Sinclair to write an article about Roger for the next Big E. Roger and Dave were Edsel friends from almost the very beginning of EOC. Our condolences to Roger's wife Marie, and their family. Roger Hill will be missed, and will never be replaced. George From the President’s Desk! Volume XLVI, Issue 5 Page 3 Friday was a rather busy day. Those who brought Edsels to the meet were cleaning and shining up their cars for the judging that took place in the morning. There were also two meetings, one for the EOC staff, (the minutes from this meeting are listed on page 6) and other was a general meeting for all the members. In the evening there was a parts auction and Mike Cowles served as the auctioneer. One of our members from Dayton, Bob Swartz, offered many rare, hard to find, parts for sale in the parking lot. On Saturday, there was an Edsel caravan to see a private collection of cars, Blad Boys Hot Rods in Dayton, which had about 90- 100 cars---rods, customs, restored, originals, and project cars. In the evening, a banquet was hosted in a room that was filled to capacity with EOC members. After we had our dinner, Jim Arnold and Thomas Norwalk each gave a talk about their experiences during their days as employees of the Edsel Division. We had the opportunity to raise our hands and ask Mr. Arnold and Mr. Norwalk questions afterwards. (above:) Two original Edsel Division employees were present. Jim Arnold (left) and Thomas Norwalk (right) visit with past EOC President Dean Brown (center). Jim Arnold was on the styling team and Thomas Norwalk designed the Edsel sales brochures. Dave Sinclair, who is the last surviving founding father of the EOC, gave a talk about how he became interested in Edsels and meeting Edsel Henry Ford for the first time, helping him during the formation of the EOC, and the purchase of his first Edsel in 1967. Dave Sinclair has attended every National EOC meet since the first one that took place in Indianapolis in 1969! Finally, the trophies were given out to the Edsel owners. The list of winners and photos are on page five. Truthfully, everyone who brought an Edsel to the meet IS a winner—as it is no small feat to be able to bring an Edsel to a national meet. Many, many thanks to ALL of you for your enthusiastic contribution to the success of our 46th Annual National Edsel Owners Club meet in Dayton! I wish to make special mention of Dean Brown, our former EOC president, for bringing FOUR of his Edsels to the meet. He did this with the help of his son, as he would tow one Edsel on a trailer, with his son following in another Edsel. Then he and his son drove the truck/trailer back home and repeated trip with two more Edsels! I also wish to acknowledge Ray and Jean- nine Phipps, who drove all the way from Vancouver, Washington in a motor home with their Edsel hitched along on a tow bar. They bravely pulled their Edsel more than half way across the country to bring the car to the meet. The Big E Page 4 (above:) A most beautiful sight to behold—a row of Edsels in attendance at the 46th Annual EOC meet in Dayton: (above:) Glenn Brueckner brought an outstanding example of the most popular 1959 Edsel model to the meet. (above:) Jim Perrault’s beautifully preserved 1959 Villager, which he purchased from the original owner. (above:) John Fredericks’ Pacer 2-door hardtop in a eye- pleasing two tone white and horizon blue color. (above:) Edsels returning from the tour of the Blad Boys Hot Rod collection. Jim Ludovici is driving his unique single-tone spring green Ranger followed by Ray & Jeannine Phipps’ two-toned green Pacer. (above:) A highly coveted Citation convertible in perfectly restored condition. This example, in all white with gold interior, is proudly owned by Mervin Moyer. (Below:) Hank Davis just purchased this 58 Villager at an auction less than a week before the national meet. (above:) EOC President George Foran arrives in style as a passenger in Tom Frey’s recently acquired 58 Ranger 2-door hardtop in ember red and white. (Front page, top right corner:) Bob Swartz’s famous “Pink E” Citation 2-door ht. Volume XLVI, Issue 5 Page 5 1958 Gold: Dean Brown - turq Citation conv Mervin Moyer - white Citation conv Mark Hense - turq Pacer 2-dr ht 1958 Silver: Tom Frey - red Ranger 2-dr ht Brad Knapp - powder blue Citation 4-dr ht Dean Brown - turq Citation 4-dr ht Hank Davis - spring green Villager Ray Phipps - ice green Pacer 2-dr ht Bob Swartz - pink Citation 2-dr ht 1958 Bronze: Jim Ludovici - spring green Ranger 4-dr sed John Fredericks - white/blue Pacer 2-dr ht Tom Frey - turq Pacer 4-dr ht 1959 Gold: (above) Jim Perrault Jim Perrault - black Villager 1959 Silver: (above) Dean Brown Mervin Moyer Aaron Hense Jak Crossley - white/red Ranger 2-dr Gene Weeks - white/turq Corsair conv 1959 Bronze: Tom Yorke - turq Corsair conv 1960 Gold: Dean Brown - yellow Villager 1960 Silver: Dean Brown - blue Ranger 4-dr sed Presidents Choice: Glenn Brueckner - mint green 59 Ranger 4-dr sedan (above) Tom Yorke (below) Jak Crossley Gene Weeks Peoples Choice: (above) Dean Brown Brad Knapp Tom Frey Ray Phipps Jim Perrault - black 59 Villager Ford Trophy: Mervin Moyer - white Citation conv Founders Trophy: Steve and Debbie Jones Best of Show: Glenn Brueckner - mint green 59 Ranger-4 dr sed (below) Debbie & Steve Jones Modified: Marshall Peters - red/black Ranger 2-dr Special Award for having attended all 46 EOC Annual Meets: Dave Sinclair (above) (above) (above) James Ludovici - left Glenn Brueckner Dave Sinclair Tom Frey - right The Big E Page 6 EDSEL OWNERS CLUB, INC. 46th ANNUAL GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING Dayton, Ohio -- August 1, 2014 The Business meeting of the Edsel Owners Club, Inc.

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