Back'n the Beginning
by Chris Weld
It's a quiet enough Thursday evening, revelling on the Club's 30th
celebration of the previous weekend .. and Don Allison makes the
phone ring - not that this is unusual, but the phone's for me! Those
with teenagers will understand. Huh? Uh.... (how do you get outta
this one Chris...) Write an article for the club newsletter asks Don?
Haven't done that since I was Club Secretary - that last back in '67 -
when everything was done on, first a ditto, then, in the advanced
years of my tenure, by camera ready copy and an offset press. Don
now seeks reflections on the Club's 30th, and years past. And, I can
submit on a diskette? Wow! Don is seemingly prompted, in part, by
having seeing the old color slides brother Huntzinger and I brought
to the 30th celebration. The photos, both mine and Alan's, would
have been better displayed if we'd had a screwdriver so as to
remove the trim-strip from the door of Greg Hutchinson's BMW
sedan. However, Greg did show, albeit late, and was kind enough to
later move his car around so we could use his raised-hood as a
screen. Dave Reimers, past Club President (74-75), who attended
the meeting and dinner but had to split, was well remembered long
after he left as I'd brought some pictures of our four-person two-unit
sidecar trip to Alaska in '73 [ I didn't bore anyone with the other
hundred slides...], this along with a couple hundred slides taken at
club meetings back in the pre 'Slash-Five' days.
It was great to once again see Jack Breeze and Hollis Button. I
hadn't spoken with Hollis since he had his Panther (read 'British
Iron') for sale years ago, and Jack for a couple of years. ( I regularly
see Alan Huntzinger at Joe Greoger's shop in Redwood City - having
met Joe in the club in '66, and Lee Stillman, who was there in the
beginning, at the sundry MOA Nationals). It was neat to hear Fran
Crane answer questions about her exploits in challenging the Guniess
Book of World Records, this by beating an established, previously
recorded record and setting yet another. And, to hear about Bill
Titcomb, the Club's first Pres...hell, I'da paid good money to see that
man again - understand he's promised to appear for the 35th. That
true Bill? I learned from a reliable source (Dave Reimers), that Dave
Reimers just bought a police -furbished K75 - good chance we may
see more of Dave and his lovely wife. Remind me some time to tell
you about their first 'date'...
Back in the ol-days, before 'letric starters and them new-fangled
'alternators', it was a different club. The emphasis was strictly on
camping and one member'd try to out-do the other. I remember the
bachelors (they had the travel room to do these things...), people
who'd make-up velour 'tool-rolls' which doubled as place mats with
pockets for knives/forks'n spoons, this with their two-piece,
screw-together wine goblets. You get the picture... Wine tasting was
a regular activity and members' would plan tours to take-in yet a
different winery. And, I ask you to recall that wine wasn't the
yuppie-fad beverage in '65 that it is today - this is back in the days
when there probably weren't more'n 150 wineries in the whole
damn state! So anyway, back then, Hollis Button had THE set-up,
(and I have other slides of this too...), rectangular panniers that
opened-up, bags which included built-in spice-racks et al, it was the
consummate rolling kitchen.
Those early days saw the club 'centered' in the Sacramento area
where we had the greatest 'member numbers'. However, this
situation quickly 'shifted' to the south Bay Area where it seemingly
remains to this day. I've maintained my membership through all
these years as I was still an active BMW enthusiast, though not
always an active Club member. My late wife was the long-distance
female sidecarist at both the Escanaba and Maddison nationals and
all the nationals I've missed you could count on one hand. Where
was I? Well, it's the nature of police work, ask Al Hom to explain it
to you... People I've met through the Club are it's true value. I put a
club card on a parked BMW back in '66 at an AMA Tall Timber Tour,
that owner turned out to be a rookie Berkeley Cop whose retirement
party I attended 28+ years later (Dave Reimers). I regularly see
(several times yearly), the Club's second 49er Rally Chairman -
which, by the way, was BMWMOA's very first "National." I think the
point that most needs to be made is that BMW builds an enduring
machine - more importantly it builds friendships more durable than
any motorcycle. Today I look forward to once again being a regular
(read "attending") member - to make new friends and remember
some great old friends and members who've gone to that great
parking lot'n the sky, people to whom all active club members can be
appreciative. It's been a great organization - one which today offers
great potential. How do I know? Well, in the old days we never had
the $$ to pre-pay members camping and throw-in dinner and beer
too! I look forward to the 35th celebration and know my enthusiasm
is shared by Hollis, Alan, Lee and Jack - and to know Bill Titcomb's
coming...come on! Last, I want to thank all of you who brought your
photo albums to the 30th, they were a real joy to us 'old-timers' like
Fred Carr. Thanks all!
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