Director’s Thoughts, February 2016

In this month of February 2016, there are 29 days, making it a leap year. I have often wondered how a person who was born on the leap year day, February 29th, would celebrate their Birthday. Well, in browsing, this is what I found: Birthdays of Leap Year A person born on February 29 may be called a “leapling” or a “leaper”. In common years, they usually celebrate their birthdays on February 28. In some situations, March 1 is used as the birthday in a non-leap year, since it is the day following February 28. Technically, a leapling will have fewer birthday anniversaries than their age in years. This phenomenon is exploited when a person claims to be only a quarter of their actual age, by counting their leap-year birthday anniversaries only. In Gilbert and Sullivan’s 1879 comic opera The Pirates of Penzance, Frederic the pirate apprentice discovers that he is bound to serve the pirates until his 21st birthday (that is, when he turns 84 years old), rather than until his 21st year. For legal purposes, legal birthdays depend on how local laws count time intervals.It sounds to me like they get cheated out of Birthday gifts when it is not a leap year, as does a person having been born on Christmas Day! Mother Nature rules the roost!! Your Director, Sally Getz

BOD Meeting Minutes, January 5, 2016

At 5:05 pm, a warm “Welcome” started the meeting. Sally then handed out the 2016 Phone Chain to be used for inclement weather. 4 officers, 5 BOD, 1 membership person, & 3 members present.
Calendar of Events:

February:
2 = Chapter Meeting with guest speaker
11-13 = AACA meeting, Philadelphia, Pa. David/Debbie Brady to receive the John Melton Memorial Cup Award with their 1932 Buick, 68C.

March:
1 = chapter meeting with guest speaker
6 = Hamburg Swap meet

April:
5 = chapter meeting with guest speaker

May:
3 = chapter meeting with guest speaker

June:
12 = Annual chapter picnic

July
27-30 = 50th BCA Anniversary Celebration

August:
6 = DAF

September:
6 = chapter meeting

October:
3 = chapter meeting
4-8 = Hershey Fall Meet
30 = Kempton Old Car show

November:
1 = chapter meeting

December:
6 = Annual “Holiday Gathering”

Tours (ideas)

• Bill’s Barn & Bikes, Bloomsburg, Pa
• Harrisburg Farm Show, Jan. 2017
• Skippack Days, Sept. 2016
• Allen Organ, Fogelsville, Pa
• QVC, West Chester, Pa
• John Rich Auto Museum, Frackville, Pa
• Bob Green’s, Orwigsburg, Pa
• Koziars Christmas Village, Bernville, Pa, November
• Thomas A. Edison Museum, Edison, NJ
• Mack Truck Museum, Allentown, Pa

Other Discussions:

Clarence discuss 3 new signs to be made for the Kempton Show. Motion to accept by Dolores Kennedy, second by Kathleen Duckett, so carried.

BOD meeting to be held, February 2nd @ 5 pm, Starlite Diner & Lounge.

Motion to adjourn, Don Atwood, seconded by Thomas Sylvester, so carried @ 5:45 pm.

Respectfully submitted, Thomas Duckett, Secretary

“Free Spirit” Chapter Meeting Minutes, January, 2016

Director Sally Getz called the meeting to order @ 7:28 pm. There were 19 members & 1 guest present. Tonight’s guest speaker is Mrs. Dawn Sellers, Manager of Community Outreach & Special Projects Center for Vision Loss. Ms. Sellers discussed the 4 major eye diseases that is seen in the LV. They are: Cataracts, Diabetic Retinopathy, glaucoma, & Macular Degeneration. While she covered each one w/ much detail, PREVENTION was the main focus of each. By scheduling yearly exams, many eye problems can be prevented because once some damage is done, it is not recoverable. This Center covers Lehigh, Monroe & Northampton Counties. They not only see & help adults, but young pre-school & school aged children who are sometimes misdiagnosed as “Slow” or “Mentally handicapped” because they do not tell parents or teachers they do not see well. Most times their visual handicaps are found upon doing eye exams on the children. Funding is obtained through many other entities in the area, the most well-known one is the Lions. She welcomes anyone, adult or young, to stop by the Center @ anytime with problems/questions, no appointment necessary.

Treasurer’s report given by Clarence Getz. Motion to accept report for December by Don Sterner, seconded by Stacy Sterner, so carried. No motion to accept Decembers meeting minutes, annual “Holiday Gathering” was held.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:
A. Historian – pictures of Kempton & 2015 “Holiday Gathering” on web site
B. Kempton – no report
C. Membership – new members from November, Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Raymond, Andreas, Pa w/ their 1963 Buick Wildcat.
D. Newsletter – new advertiser, “Pappy’s Smokes & More”, Mahoning Farmer’s Market, Lehighton, Pa. Sent out 12 ad renewals, received 8 renewals. Do you know of anyone who would like to take out an ad? Contact Sally Getz.
E. Programs – Guest speakers for 2016 are being scheduled.
F. Publicity – no report
G. Ways and Means – 2 blankets sold in November: CT& NY
I. OLD BUSINESS:
Any member who would like to volunteer their time during the 50th Anniversary Celebration in July, please contact Mr. Dick Beckley, P O Box 128, Lewisberry, Pa. 17339. H=717-395-7128, dbeckley@epix.net
Received a “Thank you” note from Dream Come True, Blue Ridge Chapter for this chapters’ 2015 annual charitable contribution.
Received a “Thank you” note w/ a check from Mr./Mrs. Kile, Georgia, for assistance (Ed/Isabel Lenny) in the Hospitality Room during the 2015 National Meet held @ Springfield, Missouri.
I. NEW BUSINESS
A BOD meeting to be held, February 2nd, Starlite Diner & Lounge @ 5 pm.
Motion to adjourn by Kathleen Duckett, seconded by Dolores Kennedy, so carried 8:55 pm.

Respectfully submitted: Thomas Duckett, Secretary

Revised Tri-Shield Insignia Introduces New Face of Buick

Automotive logo builds on more than 55 years of history and a family legacy.

Buick’s tri-shield insignia, one of the most recognizable in the global auto industry, is receiving a makeover that advances the brand’s identity while retaining Buick’s instantly identifiable symbol. Featuring wing-shaped elements and the return of three-color shields – red, silver and blue – the new insignia debuts on the 2017 LaCrosse. It is part of an all-new grille design inspired by the award-winning Avenir concept, which sets the new, chrome insignia against darkened waterfall grille bars. All Buick models will adopt the new insignia by 2018. “The new tri-shield insignia represents the next chapter in Buick’s storied design history and introduces a new face for the brand,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global Buick. “It’s a progressive, contemporary design reflective of Buick’s newest vehicles and cognitive of the brand’s heritage.” Introduced more than 55 years ago, the tri-shield design has its roots in company founder David Dunbar Buick’s ancestral heraldry. It has evolved over the decades, but honors the proportions and historical origins of the original.

The Avenir was presented with the 2015 Eyes on Design Award for “Best Concept Vehicle” at the North American International Auto Show.

When Buick was formed in 1903, the company didn’t incorporate a shield logo for about the first 35 years. Instead, the earliest models featured a bold Buick script on the grille. Later, a number of stylized emblems featuring Buick on the prominent radiator grille shrouds that characterized practically all motorcars of the time. As legend has it, a designer researching the Buick family history at the Detroit Public Library in the 1930s found a description of the ancestral coat of arms in an approximately 80-year-old book of heraldry. Buick’s familial roots were in Scotland and while the book didn’t have an illustration of the crest, it described a red shield with a contrasting, checkered line bisecting it from the upper-left to the lower-right corners. The description also included a stag’s head in the upper right of the shield and a gold cross in the lower left.

The crest’s description was interpreted for a new, single-shield insignia that debuted on 1937 Buick models. It evolved over the next couple of decades, growing wider and, at times, taking on additional flourishes, but the shield crest adorned and identified Buick models through 1959 – although its prominence admittedly diminished during the 1950s.

The tri-shield insignia with distinctive, diagonally arranged red, white and blue shields, was widely introduced in 1960 and was featured front-and-center in the grilles of the LeSabre, Electra and Invicta models. The three-model lineup inspired the three shields in the new design. Each carried over the stag head and gold cross cues from the previous single-shield design. As with the original shield design, the tri-shield design evolved. By the early 1970s, a ring motif surrounded the shields and the white color of one of the shields changed to silver. By the late 1970s, the tri-shield was used primarily on hood ornaments on some models, while the symbol of a hawk on the Buick name was used as the official logo, particularly in print and television advertising.

The hawk logo carried through the 1980s, but the tri-shield didn’t disappear entirely. It was still used on hood ornaments and on other identifying features, including, ironically, the front fascia on the two generations of Skyhawk models – the car that inspired the hawk logo. It also lost the stag head and cross cues in the shields, for a more streamlined and contemporary appearance. The tri-shield logo returned to prominence again in the 1990s, and has continued for the last two decades as a signature styling cue. Its evolution in that time saw the colors removed from the shields, for an even more streamlined appearance, on landmark vehicles such as the Enclave.

Buick is an international modern luxury brand offering vehicles with sculpted designs, luxurious interiors and thoughtful personal technologies, along with responsive-yet-efficient performance. Buick is attracting new customers with its portfolio of award-winning luxury models in North America and China. Since the inception of the Buick brand, the Buick logo has undergone quite the transformation, going from a simple text-based insignia to a single shield derived from the Buick family’s ancestral arms, and from the first iteration of the Tri-Shield to an eagle named Happy, and then back to the modern Tri-Shield we have today.

Today, there are two different versions of the Buick Tri-Shield logo — the variant with chrome shields used on Buick vehicles in North America, and the version that fills in the three shields in red, white, and blue on Buick in China. But that’s about to change.

Present Tri-Shield Buick Insignia – Revised Tri-Shield Buick Insignia

Which do you like more, the monochrome Buick Tri-Shield, or colored version?

President’s Day, February 15, 2016

George Washington, February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799 age 67,
Known as “The Father of Our Country”, was the first President of the United States of America. He played a major role in the drafting of the Declaration of In-independence signed on July 4, 1776, declaring the Colonies to be free and independent states. He fought valiantly in the American Revolution and led the Colonists to Freedom as the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. He was a wise and courageous man admired for his honesty & strength of character.

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

Washington’s Tomb, Mount Vernon, VA

Abraham Lincoln, February 12, 1809 ~ April 12, 1865 age 56,
was our 16th President. He is known as “The Great Emancipator” who signed
the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862 giving freedom to slaves held in any state in the confederacy that did not return to the Union by the end of the year. Nicknamed “Honest Abe” for his honesty and fairness and coming from very humble beginnings, Abraham Lincoln is the finest example of what an individual can achieve with hard work and the ambition to learn and to lead. He read constantly and went to great pains to get his hands on any books he could find to further his quest for knowledge. In his youth he walked miles to get to the only school house in his region. He did his homework by the light of the fire and used the back of a shovel to work out his sums, mathematics. His earliest reading material was the family bible and he relied on the truths it offered him and the comfort he derived from them throughout his whole life.

The Ford’s Theatre, where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.

Abraham Lincoln’s hearse, 1865

Major Announcement!!

I am counting on the weather being on its best behavior for us to conduct our February 2nd monthly chapter meeting. Our guest speaker will be Mr. Brett Feldman of the Lehigh Valley. He, & his wife are highly respected in the Valleys community in that they are very instrumental in a program called, “STREET MEDICINE”. Now, for you to learn more about this program, you will want to attend February’s meeting to hear about them, right? But, before you come, think about this, for this could happen to you, someday:

You lose your home, you lose your car, for whatever reason(s).
You lose your job, again, for whatever reason(s). You have no close relatives you can stay with till you get back on your feet. Things just are not going well in your favor. What do you do? What can you do? How are you going to live? Where do you sleep? How do you keep yourself clean, or to wash your clothes? What & how are you going to eat? You have no means of heating or cooling things to eat or to keep them. What if you become ill? What do you do? Things look grim. WHAT DO YOU DO?

When you are getting ready to attend the February meeting, please donate, from your hearts, anything you can, thinking of the above story. REMEMBER, there is no can opener, microwave, stove, or refrigerator to prepare or to keep perishables. The following list of items are ideas, see what you can come up with to donate to a very good cause:

• Canned items, FLIP LIDS ONLY, cereal, crackers, jellies, marshmallow Cream, Peanut butter, cookies, granola bars, fruit, juices, bottles of water, Toothpaste & brush, towel & washcloth, shampoo, paper/pens/pencils, Gloves, hats, scarf, socks, razor with shave cream, deodorant, sweaters, Blankets, pillows, soap, tissues. Again, the above are only suggestions. See what you can bring to the meeting to help out those less fortunate than you right now.

Thank you, Sally G.

BCA 50th Anniversary Celebration, July 27-30, 2016, Allentown, PA

Now it’s’ only 5 months away for this SPECIAL CELEBRATION to take place! If you haven’t registered yet, please do so for only 1000 cars will be allowed for display! REMEMBER, YOU MUST BE A NATIONAL BCA MEMBER TO DISPLAY YOUR BUICK!! It has been printed in the local newspaper that this event will definitely by-bypass the 100th Buick Anniversary Celebration held in Flint, Michigan in 2003! Aren’t you curious to know whether or not this statement will be fact or fiction?

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

FEBRUARY 2016 (HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY)
2 – Monthly chapter meeting, Starlite Diner & Lounge, Rts. 78/100, Allentown, Pa. Supper @ 6 pm, business meeting @ 7:30 pm. Guest speaker is Brett Feldman, associated w/ the Lehigh Valley Health Network “Street Medicine”. Be sure to mark your calendars for you won’t want to miss this meeting!! Don’t forget to bring your non-perishable donation!!
11-13 – 80th AACA Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pa

MARCH 2016 (WEATHER PERMITTING)
1 – Monthly chapter meeting, Starlite Diner & Lounge, Rts 100/78, Allentown, Pa. Supper @ 6 pm, business meeting @ 7:30 pm. Guest speaker, Mr. David Webster, to inform us about E-CO Friendly Engineered Products, called “XTREME GREEN”. You will be amazed at the numerous products offered!
6 – Hamburg Swap Meet, Hamburg, Pa

April 2016
5 – Monthly meeting, Starlite Diner & Lounge, Allentown, Pa. Supper @ 6 pm, Business meeting @ 7:30 pm. Guest speaker is our own Mrs. Mary Ann Snell. “Do you have a Living Will? Is a Living Will recognized in PA? Do you have a Medical Durable Power of Attorney?” If you are unsure of what this document is, please join us for a very informative presentation!

CARS/PARTS “FOR SALE”

1939 Buick Special (41) 4-DR Trunk back Sedan, unrestored original car, Straight 8, manual transmission. Runs well! Rebuilt engine & components, brake system, drive train, transmission. Upgraded carb, electronic ignition, oil filter, NEW exhaust system. WW tires. Pics available. $16,500/negotiable. Ken Davis, 610-489-1649. kwmcdavis@verizon.net
1951 Buick Super (51) 4 dr. Excellent condition. Everything works, drive anywhere. Original paint interior. All mechanical things have been replaced or improved. 59,000 original miles. $11,500. William@ 610-970-7183, 484-948-6213.
1962 Buick Skylark Conv. Overall GOOD condition. Various NOS chrome installed. Runs/drives nice! Transmission, rear, top & rear window good. Dave’s Int. restorations, 525 Chestnut St., Emmaus, Pa 18049
1981 Buick Regal 4 DR dark green, garage kept. 75K mi. 717-576-7588
1987 Buick GN, T-Top blk w/ grey/blk int., orig parts, EXCELLENT condition, 3200 ORIGINAL miles. Stored in heat controlled garage. $28,500 (OBO), gbrentano@verizon.net
1951-52 Buick Mustache Bar to be rechromed, very hard to find! $400.00. William, 610-970-7183, 484-948-6213.

In Search Of

1948 Buick Special 2 door back chrome. Doug @ 570-573-0948.
1951-52 Buick Roadmaster RH grille bar extension. C. Wenger, 433-710-6624, crewzn@broadstripe.net
1967 Buick Electra Conv. 610-730-4599, dwebster80@gmail.com