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FEBRUARY, 2021 OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF RICHMOND REGION ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF AMERICA. INSIDE FRONT COVER SEE PAGE 2 FOR INSTRUCTIONS FEBRUARY, 2021 - OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF RICHMOND REGION, AACA ON THE COVER Russel Shon in Georgina See story, pages 4-6 JOE GUCKERT President C O N T E N T S [email protected] FROM THE PRESIDENT ........................ 3 ANTIQUE & UNIQUE .............................. 4-6 ANDY FUHRMAN 2021 AACA National Activities ................ 6 Vice-President CAR CLUB COUNCIL [email protected] OF CENTRAL VIRGINIA................ 7-8 A SPECIAL TRIBUTE ............................... 8 DEBBIE NOLEN MINUTES ................................................. 9 Secretary BITTEN OR INHERITED? .................. 10-11 IT’S NOT THE CARS, MERT FOWLKES IT’S THE MEMORIES ....................... 12 Treasurer WHEN DID CHECKER [email protected] CHECK OUT? .................................... 13 NEW VIRGINIA LAWS ............................ 14 BRUCE WOODSON HOW MANY CAN YOU IDENTIFY? ....... 14 Director 1916 FORD POSTCARDS ...................... 15 FROM THE EDITOR ............................... 15 JOHN SMITH CLASSIFIEDS ......................................... 16 Director [email protected] VIRTUAL MEETINGS BEFORE EACH VIRTUAL MEETING YOU WILL RECEIVE IINSTRUCTOINS BY EMAIL KENNY BAKER ON HOW TO JOIN IN THE MEETINGS. Director YOU MAY JOIN IN BY COMPUTER [email protected] OR BY TELEPHONE. 2 - FEBRUARY, 2021 Joe Guckert FEBRUARY, 2021 - 3 Antique & Unique By Jennifer Schontg S I STEPPED OUT of the bit- chanics and says that everything A ing cold and into the garage, a he knows about cars and motors small propane heater added has come from taking things enough warmth to take the edge apart to see how they work and of winter’s chill. On the table to from going to the library to read Russel SHon & Carolyn Belgrad my right lay a clutter of fasteners, up on things when he gets tools, and scrap materials, like so stumped. “I did join a 4-H tractor school,” he said. “My father bribed many pieces to an unassembled club as a teenager and learned a me and said that if I read three jigsaw puzzle. To my left, Georgi- few things, too. But I was ahead books over the summer, he would na sat, a task lamp fixed to her bed of the class, because I figured out help me buy the tractor. I was with even more pieces of the puz- a lot of things on my own tractor tickled to read those three books!” zle sprawled across her. She was before that. By the end of summer, he got his Russel Shon’s latest project – a The tractor was his very first tractor. The young Russel eagerly dilapidated 1921 Ford Model T motorized vehicle. When he saw set to work taking it apart, put- touring car that he was converting it for sale for $75, the fourteen- ting it together, and figuring it into a pickup truck. It had been year-old Russel was eager to pur- out. christened ‘Georgina’ by his wife, chase it, but the cost was beyond At age 15, Russel got some ex- Carolyn. “It was time to give one the means of a poor country boy. perience working on cars as well, of the old cars a girl’s name,” she His father offered to help him thanks to a wealthy older man in chuckled. make the purchase, but his offer the area with a thirty-year-old “I stumbled upon this one; I had a catch. “I had trouble read- Packard. “It had sat for ten years like her because she’s cute and ing and wasn’t doing well in and the old man let me play with rusty.” Russel was talk- ing about the car, of course. I asked him why he was making the car into a pickup. “Well, the seller had the parts for both options, for re- storing the car to a tour- ing sedan and for turn- ing it into a pickup, and I opted for the pickup version as opposed to putting it back the way it was. It was more fun working with the wood, it let me be creative and do it ‘my way’”. Doing it “his way” is something that has been driving force surround- ing Russel’s interest with motor vehicles his entire life. He has never gone to school for me- Russel in Georgina. 4 - FEBRUARY, 2021 it. I got it running again.” His en- cars and trucks is that he counter with the Packard not only prefers to keep them look- gave him experience with working ing old, as opposed to fix- on cars, but also resulted in the ing them up. “Some people shady acquisition of an unusual like to fix it up and paint it automobile decoration that is still and shine it and polish it in his possession over fifty years and have all the wheels later – a small, cut glass, wall- match and have all the mounted flower vase. spark plugs match, but I “I stole that flower vase. There want to drive it and make were two of them in the 1929 it dig and make it spin and Packard I was working on. I can’t make it do donuts in the 1930 2-door. tell you why I stole that vase – it field!” he says enthusias- just attracted me. The old man was tically. Russel explains wealthy, and he let me play with that he likes a vehicle that is dual time, he was driving his second that car. I knew it was going to -purpose and who’s paint you road-worthy car, a 1930 model. It end up in the junkyard, so I decid- don’t have to worry about elicited laughter from some of his ed to take one. I’m glad I stole it, scratching up, one that you can peers, but he was always proud to but I feel bad about the fact that I “throw a pile of logs” in the back say that it was paid for. The older was willing to steal.” of. Mostly, though, he enjoys the cars were easy for him to work on, Today, the vase has taken up thrill of making something work which was a real plus for the fugal residence in a vehicle once again, again. “There is an excitement in young man and owning and work- mounted inside of one of his other making a motor run that hasn’t ing on old cars became a fulfilling antique projects, a 1923 delivery run in fifty years.” hobby for him throughout the truck. It is an unexpected decora- Drawn to old cars from the years. Retired and in his seventies tive touch to an otherwise rusty beginning, Russel even drove a now, his hobby has grown in the and rough-hewn creation. One of thirty-year-old car in high school. last ten years to a full-blown pas- the hallmarks of Russel’s antique He graduated from in 1960; at the sion. “It keeps me busy, but it’s expensive, and I don’t like that part of it, because it seems imprac- tical and that’s not my nature. On the Model A sedan (yet another project of Russel’s), I’ve spent twenty thousand on that car and I’d have trouble selling it for ten.” Ironically, what was once a hobby borne in part out of frugality has blossomed into a costly venture. Today, Russel frequents an- tique auto shows, where his crea- tions are a real hit. Unlike the pris- tine and fully restored antique ve- hicles so common at such events, his rough and rusty cars and trucks attract women, minorities, and anyone that can identify with being poor. He isn’t really sure why his vehicles are such a draw, but he speculates that it is a com- bination of the “making do” image coupled with the fact that his ve- 1930 Dump Truck (Continued on page 6) FEBRUARY, 2021 - 5 (Continued from page 5) Then it was just a matter of fixing it. 2021 While he grew up on a farm, AACA National Activities hicles just don’t look like anything where caring for chickens, picking strawberries, and taming a goat to pull April 8-10 else out there. The flower vase in Southeastern Spring Nationals - Char- his old delivery truck is a particu- a wagon were common activities for a lotte, NC lar hit with the women. “When boy with his aptitude, it took watch- April 15-17 (rescheduled) they see that, they just fall in love!” ing the school bus driver for him to Annual Convention - Philadelphia, PA April 19-22 He chuckles that this is a real learn how to double-clutch. Southeastern Divisional Tour - Central ‘woman magnet’ and that he keeps Self-employed at 22, he sold Am- Florida his wedding ring on so that they May 20-25 way and Earl Nightingale tapes. He Founders Tour - Davis, WV know he is married. rented rooms to bachelors until he June 2-5 When asked what traits make was able to support a family. By pur- Eastern Divisional Tour - Eastern him good at what he does, he chasing some run-down vacant apart- Shore of MD shrugs. “I’ve always been a fixer; June 17-19 ments, then three small trailer parks, Eastern Spring Nationals - Saratoga I’ve always liked solving problems, Russel was able to rent nice places to Springs, NY troubleshooting and being able to July 1-3 (rescheduled) nice people for less. He helped some of zero in on the cause, for seeing the Central Spring Nationals - Auburn, IN his renters to purchase their first home July 11-16 cause and effect. We can see the with unconventional and creative Vintage Tour - Lock Haven/Wellsboro, effects so often, but my mind likes PA to zero in on the cause.