October 2024 Minutes

St Johns Austin-Healey Club
Jacksonville, Florida

a chapter of the

Austin-Healey Club of America

St. Johns Austin-Healey Club Member Meeting Minutes for Oct. 7, 2024

The lightly attended October SJAHC member meeting was called to order by President Bill Young at 7:30 p.m. at Casa Amigos Mexican Bar and Grill on San Jose Blvd. In addition to Bill and wife Judy, attending were Bill and Char Maroney, Bob Pippin, Tony Martini and Ron Keysor. The threat of an extremely concerning hurricane likely kept many members home.

The minutes of the Sept. 9 member meeting were approved. In the absence of club treasurer Paul Sandifer, Bill read his detailed report. The club’s bank balance of $$$$ last month was considerably reduced by the one-time expense of $1,173.98 paid for the creation of the club’s 50th anniversary grill badge. Other expenses included the Sept. 28 club birthday party and shrimp boil hosted by Rick and Marilynn Stevenson at their Mandarin home and lunch for a tech session also held at their home Sept. 5. Marilynn received accolades for her diligence in arranging the event and Tony Martini was recognized for his assistance.

Those SJAHC members who have not received the club badge Bill created and had produced will be receiving one from him at his expense at some point. The badge was revealed and many members received their’s at the anniversary party. As a special treat, long-time club member Robb Handshuh came from his home in Colorado Springs, bringing with him a large quantity of SJAHC key fobs he had designed and produced. Most of those at the party grabbed a couple of those. Their availability isn’t known to the secretary, but that likely will emerge with publication of this information. Robb will be attending the Southeastern Classic XXXVII, the major regional Healey event, in Dobson, NC, at the end of October. The hardy Leenhouts, John and Nancy, are also planning to attend, Bill Young said, likely driving their side-curtain Healey that considerable distance to a destination that appears to have survived the tragic Hurricane Helene.

Membership Chair Bill Maroney said club members still number 35, 33 of those also belonging to our parent Austin-Healey Club of America (AHCA) and two holding local club membership only.

Briefly touched on was AHCA’s impending decision on whether to cease sending members the Healey Marque, our national publication, or having the former contents supplied members in a magazine format via the internet. The mailing of the magazines to members has been somewhat reduced by the Marque’s editor’s production of on-line issues at intervals. The sentiment of those attending last night’s meeting was the potential cost savings and small dues cost reduction were less important than the pleasure members get from receiving the magazine. SJAHC has many paid members who continue to pay their annual dues while receiving little direct benefit beyond getting the magazine, receiving club communications and expressing their support of the Austin-Healey legend. It must be mentioned that our club president and among SJAHC’s founders, Bill Young, has contributed monthly technical articles to the magazine for more than five years and apparently has been induced to continue that (unpaid) work.

Bill and wife Judy, Wisconsin natives, attended the major AHCA annual event, the Conclave, held in Sheboygan and Elkhart Lake, the latter considered the home of the famous Road America race track. The track hosted the two-day Healey Challenge races, both of the major events won by a Healey brought to America by Jack Rawles Racing, a rather famed British proponent of the Healey racing tradition. That car was brought to America especially for the races. Conclave visitors had the opportunity to see, close-up the extraordinary level of detail Rawles devotes to their race cars. (Those who would like to see plenty of video of a Rawles push-rod Healey competing successfully against more sophisticated twin-cam Jaguar E Types, 356 Porsches, etc., will find that by visiting the Rawles site on You Tube. The car brought to Elkhart Lake won a race at Lime Rock in Connecticut before heading to Wisconsin, and that race video is on the Rawles channel site. Coverage of the Wisconsin races has yet to appear.)

Activities chair Tony Martini reported on the club cruise and luncheon at St. Marys Seafood near World Golf Village on Sept. 26. Attending were Alan Winer, his car fanatic friend Chuck, and Rick Stevenson. Ron Keysor messaged his regrets shortly after his BN7 expired (again) as it rolled to a stop in a Hardee’s parking lot in Green Cove Springs. He had a relaxed ride home to Orange Park in the wrecker seat, missing the luncheon. Keysor’s observation of the happening: “I had never eaten at at Hardee’s and the meal, enjoyed in air conditioned comfort, was pretty good. I only wished I had carried a .45 so I could have immitated the Bill Mauldin WWII GI infantry cartoon characters, Willie and Joe, dispatching a disabled Jeep with a service pistol.”

Members were reminded that the annual British Car Classic sponsored this year by MG Classics of Jacksonville will be held Saturday, Oct. 19, at the King’s Head British Pub on U.S. 1 south. Members are urged to consider registering and attending. That restaurant closed Sept. 15, but in a sort of last hurrah will serve lunch at the car show. SJAHC member Bob Pippin said he understands that the restaurant will resume operation under new management, good news for the British car and dining enthusiasts.

The next member meeting will be hosted once again by Bob and Norma Pippin at their Mandarin home on Monday, Nov. 4.

Likely the nomination and election of officers will take place at that time, as will planning, if necessary for a Christmas party. The evening’s host, Bob Pippin, has already agreed to assist Tony Martini in planning club activities as club leadership comes up for election at that meeting. It is likely Treasurer Sandifer and Secretary Keysor will continue in those offices if nominated and elected, but Bill Young’s successor as president (a number of times) and vice president, Dave Morton, are also on the to-do list. Dave has been helping people in North Carolina dig out from the Helene Hurricane disaster and wasn’t on hand to indicate whether he wants to retain the vice presidency or ascend to the presidency. Dave, as most members know, is a commercial pilot flying internationally, meaning he’s a lot busier than most of we retired club activists.

R.Keysor, Sec.