Suncoast Mustang Club
Volume 28 Issue 7
July 2008
A Word From Wayne
Hello again,
Happy 4th of July. I hope you had a great Independence Day celebration.
I
know most of you have heard by now, but for those who have not, Orrie Engle
passed away on June 12th. Orrie was the co-founder of our Suncoast Mustang Club.
Since our club’s inception Orrie has always been one you could count on whenever
you needed him.
On a lighter note, our next meeting will be on Monday,
July 14th at
I
hope to see all of you there. (I promise I will not forget this month’s meeting
like I did last month). Until then…
Wayne
Farnham
SMC Pony Tales Page 2
Up to the Minutes
Suncoast Mustang Club
Meeting Minutes
June 9, 2008
The June meeting was held at the Perkins Restaurant in Clearwater. I did not make it to the meeting due to the bad thunderstorms in Seminole, but I have it on good authority that approximately 25 people braved the weather and showed up.
There was not really any business discussed since President Farnham also was absent.
Well, I hope everyone is enjoying the summer and enjoying their family and friends.
The next meeting will be take place on Monday, July 14th at 7:30 PM at AutoWay Ford in St. Petersburg.
Respectfully submitted
Steve Hansen
Club Secretary
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SMC Pony Tales Page 3
Suncoast Mustang Club loses its founder and a dear friend, Orrie Engle
by Allen Rice
One of our club's founding fathers, Orrie Engle, passed away on June 12th. Many of us had the pleasure of knowing Orrie and it is difficult to imagine SMC without him. In loosing him, we lost a great teacher, a loyal patriot, and most of all, a very dear friend.
Orrie was born in Butler, Pa., and was a graduate Engineer from the Aeronautical University, Chicago, Illinois. He was a World War II Veteran having flown P-38 reconnaissance missions in the European Theater. After the war, Orrie worked for the ill-fated Tucker Automotive Corp. In 1978 he retired as Vice President at Donnelley Printing Corporation in Chicago and moved to Clearwater. Orrie was a member of several local vintage car clubs including, the Florida Sunbirds (T-Bird Club), The Lincoln Club, the Classic Mustangs of Tampa, and he co-founded the SUNCOAST MUSTANG CLUB in 1980.
Orrie was a master craftsman and did all of his own work. He was an expert in all aspects of restoration whether it was mechanical, interior, upholstery, or paint & body. Orrie and his sister, Betty, attended most of the major car shows and always took top awards with cars he restored whether it was his white '66 convertible or Betty’s '66 burgundy convertible.
Orrie was more than willing to share his skills and knowledge with others. Whether one on one or with one of Orrie's superb technical presentations. Orrie’s talks and presentations at club meetings set a high standard for content and entertainment. Once you saw one you were not likely to miss any of his future presentations.
Orrie was always first to volunteer and last to complain. He established guidelines for judging at local mustang shows, and was always there to help in any way. Orrie served as Club President in 1983, assisted Betty with the SMC Newsletter for several years. As a member of the Board of Directors he provided wisdom and insight and helped make SMC a better club because of his ideas and values.
Orrie was a friend to everyone. Like Will Rogers, Orrie never met a man he didn't like. But unlike any other, I believe, that Orrie never met anyone that didn't like him too. His warm smile and firm handshakes (hugs for the women) were genuine and sincere. You just knew by the way he looked you in the eyes, that here was a friend indeed. Indeed, a friend that we will dearly miss but never forget.
Orrie was 84. He is survived by his sister, Betty, who is still an active SMC member.
Along with Orrie, Bob Wilhelm was also one of SMC’s Founders. Here are excerpts from a letter written by Bob and Sharon to the club.
We will always treasure and hold dear to our hearts many fond memories of Orrie! Times of great joy when he won the "block sealer”, or when he rescued us from going the "wrong" way to one of the countless car shows that we all enjoyed together. Orrie was always so humble in accepting his many, many awards and trophies. He truly was a WINNER and his love for everyone was unconditional!
Orrie's faith walk was evident in all aspects of his life............being a Child of God's was NEVER in doubt! We find comfort in KNOWING that he is with his Heavenly Father where there is no more pain or suffering. WE can just see him now, driving around with the top down on either the T-Bird or the Mustang, hugging all of the women and shaking every man's hand in Heaven!
As newsletter editor, I only can only add the deep sorrow I have for the loss of Orrie. I thank God that I could call him my friend. So many times I enjoyed his company, whether it was at a car show, club meeting, or at his and Betty’s home. He was a remarkable man with a variety of interests who enjoyed showing you things without showing off. I know many of us in the club will always have a smile when we think of Orrie and as our club continues on we will remember his values to guide us. I’m sure many of you have wonderful memories of him and if you would like to share them or a story about Orrie, please feel free to e-mail it to me.
SMC Pony Tales Page 4
My Pony Drive (without my Pony)
By Karen Frank
I missed May’s meeting because I was on the Pony Drive. It was the best time I’ve had in a long time. I was originally going to join the Pony Drive at Bill Curie Ford on Wednesday night and then at Old Town Saturday night but Lucy Carroll did a little twisting of my arm to join for a longer drive. Not only was this trip a lot of fun (Thanks Lucy) but it was a learning experience for me. Here are some of the things that I learned…
First, I learned that you don’t have to drive a Mustang on the Pony Drive. It doesn’t even have to be Ford powered car. Since my pony was still in the shop, I drove my Toyota Sequoia, hardly a sporty little pony car.
Next, I also learned that you don’t have to start with everyone on Day 1. One couple, Michael and Gabbi flew in from Germany, rented a Mustang and started in Tampa, almost a week full week into the Pony Drive.
I learned you can be a weekender only and be part of the Pony Drive. A number of people showed up for just the Saturday portion of the trip and were as welcome as those who’d been going the distance. Some people showed up for more than one weekend and a number of people used the Pony Drive as their “trip” to the Mustang Show in Jacksonville.
I also learned the power of the Pony Drive to break tradition. At Old Town, in Orlando, they even let new Mustangs participate in their parade on Saturday night. This just doesn’t happen very often there as this is an “old car” parade. Power to the Pony Drive!!!
I learned that Pony Drives always seemed to have some form of activity or destination planned for each day. When the activity was a car show by the local club, we were treated like royalty. It was a lot of fun meeting with other clubs and seeing their cars. I saw a lot of really nice cars right here on the west coast of Florida that we don’t get a chance to see at the local shows.
Finally, what I learned was the only thing I really had to do on the Pony Drive was to have fun. You don’t have start on day one, or stay to the last day or be there all the other days in between, just have fun. The people I met were all great. Everyone was friendly and accepted me (and my Toyota) with open arms.
Next year, MCA’s 45th Anniversary Show will be in Birmingham. If you are planning on going to that show, consider joining the Pony Drive, at least for the drive to Alabama. Maybe, we could get a group of SMC members to be part of it. To be honest, I can’t say enough great things about the Pony Drive. I am already making plans for next year’s trek. I hope many of you will think about joining me.
Pony Tales
is the Suncoast Mustang Club’s newsletter.
The newsletter’s function is to keep members informed of what is going on
in the club and other Mustang-related subjects.
The newsletter is assembled by the Editor, but by definition, an
editor is supposed to prepare other persons’ writings for
publication. I am grateful to the members who have provided articles in the
past, but I continue to ask for articles from YOU.
“Auto-biographies”, technical information or anything else you’d like to
share with club members is greatly appreciated.
Don’t worry about perfect spelling or grammar, just write SOMETHING and
e-mail it, snail mail it, or give it to me at the July meeting.
(I’ll be out of town for the June meeting.
Thanks,
Bill
SMC Pony Tales Page 5
HAPPY
BIRTHDAY TO:
Tom Gaul –
July 15
Betty Engle
– July 23
Happy Anniversary To:
John & Cheryl Stockowski
July 15th
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In last month’s newsletter I wrote my opinion about which year Mustang is the best, hoping that I could start a lively “discussion” about which year Mustang was the best ever? I heard from a couple of people but no one has yet to wanted to put their words in print. How about sharing your opinion? For those of you who missed this here it is again.
1967 was the BEST!!! Look at today’s Mustang, which car did they use as the basis for many of the styling features of the early Mustangs? ’67!!! It was the best Mustang because of it took the best of the original 65-66 look and made it look “muscular”. The wider stance, tweaking of the side, front, and rear body design made this car the best looking ever in all of its body styles. The interior was still “simple” but it lost the “economy” car look and feel. ‘67’s also saw many other chassis, transmissions, and adding a big block made the 67 Mustang the original “Muscle” Mustang. I think the reason that the original “Bullitt” Mustang was “stripped” of its emblems and trim was because the 67 looked cooler and when you removed the trim it looked more like a ’67.
The Mustang is a constantly evolving automobile. The ones made today are “state of the art” especially when compared with the classics. Line up the Mustangs from 65 through 08 and then take a good look at which is the “coolest” – it’s the ’67.
Want the weigh in on this important topic? Let’s hear from you? Send an e-mail – bdellert3@hotmail.com or support your Post Office and their faithful employees by mailing it to the newsletter’s return address.
SUNCOAST MUSTANG CLUB OFFICERS:
President
Wayne Farnham
727-573-9696
Vice President
John Stockowski 727-321-6341
jstockowski@tampabay.rr.com
Secretary
Steve Hansen
727 397-0100 hansenskmb@yahoo.com
Treasurer & Newsletter
Editor Bill Dellert
727-343-4187
Suncoast Mustang Club
6705 Cardinal Drive South
St. Petersburg, Florida 33707-3803
Check out the club website at
SMC Classified Ads
(Free to all club members – contact Newsletter Editor)
1966 Mustang Coupe - Springtime Yellow with Black Vinyl Top and Interior. 289 (C-Code) V-8, Cruise-O-Matic Transmission, Power Steering and Brakes. Completely restored with all paperwork and maintenance records. An Excellent Occasional or Daily Driver Show Car which has won Gold and Silver Awards in these classes. Asking $18,000 or best offer. Contact Donna Park 727-432-8594 or e-mail pimsqueen@aol.com
DATES TO REMEMBER
·
July 14th –
SMC Meeting at AutoWay
Ford,
·
August 11th – SMC Meeting at
restaurant to be announced. Dinner
meetings begin at