My first encounter with Beltz was years ago at Gemutleichtkeit (sp) when it
was at Elkhart lake. He was one of the people I didn't want to be
around. One year, his wife, Anna rolled her car on the course, and they
laughed about it. Now if I had just rolled a new $40k car on a track where
my insurance was no good, I would not be laughing.
I met some wonderful people at Elkhart Lake the years we went. Al and
Betty Funkhouser, David and Marjorie Fee, Leadfoot Fern Gardner, and
Leonard Gardner, and Fleischmann's from Michigan, to name a few. Some went
on to become national president of MBCA. Al had already been.
I was barred from the track by a snob who later became MBCA national
president because i dared to drive a 110 on the track. He said it was a
danger to the other drivers, although it was during practice laps. If I
could have afforded a new 123 at the time, I would have been glad to drive
a 123. I never found anything in the rules that said a car had to be less
than 10 years old to enter the track events.
I believe Beltz was a leader or advocate for the group that kidnapped the
event from Elkhart lake and moved it to some obscure track in Michigan, to
which I will never go. There was something very special about Elkhart
Lake. The Iowa Section had an effort to get members to attend the event,
and I think that really offended some of the snob contingent. For the last
2 or 3 years the event was at Elkhart Lake, the Iowa section had more in
attendance than any other section.
When I started the Hawaii Section, Kathy Kennell was of great assistance as
the RVP. When we got our charter, Beltz was president, and dang if he
didn't use that as an excuse for the club to fund a trip for him to
Hawaii. So there we were at the Cannon Club, me accepting the charter,
from Kathy and Bob. It struck me as very odd at the time, and as events
unfolded, it grew even more bizarre. I treated Beltz with respect due his
office and got through the ordeal.
Murphy, I never met, Barrett, I think i may have met once, before he became
the publisher of the Star. I believe what Hursty is saying is true. I
watched the snob crew at one national event ridicule Andy Love so terribly
that he never came back to a national event. After we got the charter for
the Hawaii section, I stayed in contact with Kathy, but avoided the
national office people. The last national event I went to was the Startech
in St Louis in 1990.
I never understood the power struggle, but I trusted Kathy to be on the
right side.
Anyhow, with Chuck as a DAL, at least those of us with more MBs than money
will have a voice. Thanks Chuck!
Don't let the shenanigans of the past prevent you from becoming a member of
the "new" MBCA. Membership still has its benefits. There are a lot of
wonderful people in MBCA, you just have to dodge the snobs to see
them. One thing I observed long ago, is that the snobs usually drop out
after a year or two, because there is always a snob with a larger net
worth. Who wants to be a snob if you are not the top snob?
GO to your local MBCA events. Hang with the members who have been members
for a long time, or new members with not pristine older cars. They are
generally the real people.
Loren
MBCA member since 1975 And, yes, I lived long enough to see a lowly 110 as
the cover and centerfold car! And there was an unrestored high mile /8
Diesel as the feature one issue! I am still waiting for a feature on a 110
200D
BMWMOA member since 74? Somewhere in there....
AND.... I am STILL way younger than LT Don!
At 08:40 PM 10/9/2006, you wrote:
I thought it was a pretty well known story, but i will tell my version of it
anyway.
once upon a time, there was a mailing list for MBCA members. It was a
fairly benign list, but some of the content seemed to offend George Murphy,
who then shut down the list.
This really rubbed me the wrong way. The list belongs to the members, not
to George. It struck me as the ultimate in hubris, in irresponsiblity, in
ugliness, in foul play, etc, that George just shut down that list. So i
suggested that it would behoove the members to "elliminate" George as I felt
someone like this had no business in a position of any club responsibility.
I was then contacted by MBCA counsel Robert Beltz who, in an official
capacity, informed me that this statement regarding George is being treated
as a death threat and that the FBI has been brought in to investigate. so
i'm thinking that the MBCA members are paying this guy a couple of hundred
bucks an hour to threaten me because i hurt george's feelings by. What kind
of people are these MBCA representatives?
It was just too sick a freakshow for me to be involved in, which is saying
a lot as few people love a sick freakshow more than I do.
But, again, you guys enjoy it! i wish you well with it. you will just have
to manage without me.
On 10/9/06, Chris Kueny <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> OK Gary, you owe us a story. And a good one at that.
>
>
> Chris K
> Cayce, SC
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Gary Hurst" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <[email protected]>
> Sent: Monday, October 09, 2006 9:01 PM
> Subject: Re: [MBZ] JOINED MBCA
>
>
> >I just don't associate with this kind of group. why would i want to be
> in
> >a
> > club where bob beltz and george murphy try to get the FBI after me
> because
> > i
> > don't agree with them? I am as puzzled why any of you would want to
> > belong
> > to such a club as you seem to be puzzled why I would not want to be. I
> > just
> > don't get involved in this sort of unbalanced stuff.
> >
> > But I'm basically for liberty. you want to associate with this sort of
> > thing, then i'm all for you doing so. I, however, will not.
> >
>
>
> _______________________________________
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_______________________________________
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Loren Faeth
