| On October 25th the MVSCC held their Fall Meeting. In that meeting they discussed, apparently at length, my membership status in the club and came to the conclusion that I should be banned for life for the reasons listed below in the letter I received on Nov. 26th. I wasn’t afforded the opportunity to defend myself at the meeting, I wasn’t informed of the meeting nor what was to be discussed there. So I am now going to take the opportunity to state my side of the story here. To address each item: 1.) Last Fall my services were requested on the Rules Committee. I met with other members, we decided on rules which excluded no one from the club and we felt were a good package. In that package was the bone thrown to me that I wanted. A weight break to allow the fellows who use the antique equipment an opportunity to be more competitive with stronger overhead engines. I was then asked to help with scheduling which I did, the end result being that the Sportsman class we formed had two races and we also got an additional race at Pen Can for the entire club. After this work was completed I was told the weight break for the antiques wasn’t going to be accepted. The president told me that he was pressured by phone calls from members from ‘Florida, Poughkeepsie, Canada and all over New York.’ He also related to me ‘That you are the most hated member in this club.’ I came to the spring meeting and during the executive meeting was told that the club was going to revert to selling pit passes to MVSCC events for $5, and that we no longer would need to have names on associate membership cards, meaning that these cards could be handed to anyone, and that these persons would not be on the membership list. We have been over this several times, and at that point I decided to quit the club. At least for this year, until another group is voted in that has a clearer understanding of incorporation and not for profit guidelines. I resigned as Historian, and asked for my name to be removed from the site and membership list. I just felt this was prudent. So, yes, I quit the club for this season, who wouldn’t under these circumstances? I only raced twice this year, at shows that I scheduled and felt obligated to support. And as long as we’re talking banners, you realize of course the MVSCC letter head this letter is printed on, has the picture of three cars featuring mine in front. 2.) I never mis-lead anyone on the scheduled dates and I’ve asked the executive committee to produce proof of this accusation. They have not responded. 3.) The accident at Thunder Mountain was not caused by me, unless of course I have supernatural powers that turned the trailing cars’ left front wheel into my right rear… Therefore there was no reason for me to apologize, as far as I’m concerned, no breach of ‘Sportsmanship’ occurred, at least not on my part. Seriously, how many bullets should you throw into a corpse? ‘You can’t quit, you’re Expelled!’ Why bother with telling me I’m expelled, I would have left the club alone – if they hadn’t aggravated me again… and come back at a later date. After all I am a LifeTime Member. I’ve left before. And there is nothing in the bylaws that allows expulsion of a LifeTime Member. Hilarious. My best friend stated, “This has to be the Pinnacle of your racing career. It’s like a lifetime achievement award.” It is, I can’t imagine the club honoring me with a higher compliment – this is better than the Member of the Year award I was given in 1998, or the LifeTime Membership awarded in 2003. I have finally made it to the very top, when a group such as this doesn’t want you, you know you have arrived! Well, when you look at this for what it is, unadulterated childishness, it seems pretty foolish. It is. So, should I lower myself to participate with them again? Absolutely. After all, no one can out two year old me, I’ ll show them by gawd. I’m going to show up to every race in the southern tier next year with a new car and it won’t have any pop gun flathead in it either…. Ooorr… It appears to me that the club has a couple of problems that could be easily solved. For instance, malcontent old lifetime members such as myself, my father, my friend Bill Marsh, etc. that speak our minds and call the kettle black. And they have money flow problems as well since they have so many of these lifetime members that don’t pay dues… Now, it can’t come from me so someone else will have to propose this at their next meeting, if it came from me then it’d be roundly panned and discarded as heresy but if say another member was to propose it, well then maybe it’d be brilliant! Ready, here it is --->> Change the Name of the Club. $60 –forms available online at NYS DOT Gov – look for NYS Incorporations… Then, since the MVSCC no longer existed, there would be no more lifetime memberships and you’d be rid of the lot of us. And could extract dues from only those you wanted in the new club. Otherwise, See You At the Races! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. Love, Jeff |
| BANNED!! (for life and a day) |
