<VV> Hank, the Book, the Canopy, and the Director

[Vairtec Corporation]

In follow-up to a message posted on VV by Hank Kaczmarek I now write:


Was the Corvair Basics book a good idea?  Indeed it was.

Does that mean that it should have been automatically approved in 
advance by all directors?  No, it does not.

The one former director whose past decisions still irritate Hank voted 
the way he saw fit.  The book was approved.  So it wasn't unanimous.  
Most such decisions aren't.

Since Hank noted that the director in question is a friend of mine, I 
will expand:  He is a 35-year member of my local chapter, and a past 
officer of the chapter.  We are friends, but we have disagreed, 
sometimes greatly, on everything from club matters to national 
politics.  But -- here's the key -- we respect each other's individual 
thinking and opinions.  That enabled us, for example, to work together 
on last year's 50th anniversary event, even though our thoughts on what 
the event should be were wildly different.

As for the CORSA canopy, it was then and remains today a good idea -- 
executed miserably.  Did you notice this summer's "CPF Tour" conceived, 
organized, and conducted by Pete Koehler?  The idea behind the CORSA 
canopy was similar -- use it to put CORSA in front of non-CORSA members, 
at non-CORSA events such as those Pete visited this year.  The problem 
was then and is now, few are willing to do the sort of things that Pete 
did this summer, so the canopy went to waste.  That's not the fault of 
the individual who thought up the idea, it's the fault of the balance of 
the Board that approved it without a plan of action and it's the fault 
of all the rest of us who contribute to CORSA's naval-gazing mindset.

The Basics book succeeded, but it was still badly underutilized.  It 
should have been on display and available for purchase under that canopy 
at major car shows and events such as those Pete visited this year.  It 
should have been a prominent feature on the CORSA home page, so that 
first-time visitors to the site would find this helpful resource right 
off the bat.  It should have been offered as an available title to 
auto-related booksellers.  Instead, it was rather routinely promoted 
within the existing hobby.

Pete Koehler this summer got more public exposure for the CPF, for 
CORSA, and for the Corvair hobby in general than anyone has ever 
gotten.  He sold a significant quantity of CORSA merchandise.  He did 
these things to demonstrate that they can be done.  They should have 
been done beginning ten years ago, with that canopy.  My fear is that 
now, with Pete having completed his tour, the ball will now be dropped.  
A cohesive plan for 2011 and beyond is needed.

--Bob Marlow