<VV> Membership Count and Publications

[Bill Hubbell]

James,

Bylaws can always be changed.  Believe, me, I know.

As for forming alliances with other groups, all I can say is that it won't
ever happen as long as we have board members unwilling to at least study the
issue.

As for WHY we should even bother to study the issue, I think the answer is
obvious; our pool of potential members is steadily shrinking due to aging
cars and members, along with fading memories of a once-revolutionary but now
50 year-old technologically obsolete car.

If we are serious about preserving the Corvair and our ability to enjoy it
in all ways possible then we cannot afford to shut our minds to any ideas
which might keep our organization afloat.  Corvairs are and always have been
Chevrolets, but ever since Chevrolet cancelled the Corvair in the 1960s so
many Corvair owners (CORSA members in particular) have been acting like they
want nothing to do with Chevrolet.  Yet, if you take a look outside our
insular organization you will find that there are other car clubs out there,
many of them facing and dealing (often better, I might add) with the same
problems we are, and many of these clubs not only welcome Corvairs and their
owners, but actually become Corvair owners themselves once they are exposed
to our cars.

It is foolish for CORSA to continue to think that it alone "owns" or
represents the Corvair when other organizations are attracting Corvair
owners because they are giving them what they want.  CORSA needs to wake up
and smell the coffee and start talking with the other Chevy and antique auto
clubs to see how we can become an integrated member of the old car club
hobby.

I invite all VV and CORSA members to explore some of the other antique car
club sites to see how their web pages look, see what services they offer,
see how they attract and keep their members, see what dues they charge, and
then come back to this discussion and tell me that we don't need to pay any
attention to any of that.

You might want to start with the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America (VCCA)
site: http://vcca.org/index.html.  I think you will find ample evidence of
Corvair owner membership there if you look.  I think some of our members
might be surprised to find some of the services, programs, awards, etc. we
have long coveted for CORSA to be present in this club.  I think you might
all be surprised at their dues structure.
   
Don't' take this the wrong way; I am not quitting CORSA to join the VCCA
(although I am thinking of joining them in addition to CORSA).  I think
there is a place for CORSA to continue as an independent organization for a
long time, but I definitely think it is past time we got over the notion
that we can continue to exist as a niche organization with no connection to
the rest of the car hobby world.


Bill Hubbell


-----Original Message-----
From: James P. Rice
Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 12:42 PM
To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
Subject: <VV> Membership Count and Publications


Oh. One other thing.  Someone has suggested forming alliances (maybe
merging?) with other (Chevrolet) clubs.  Someone will have to check the
by-laws first on that subject.  Me, I can't think of any of them I'd want to
be part of.  Nor do I think they would want us.  We are to weird...um, I
mean...independent.

Historically Yours,
                   James Rice