Lone Star Packards May 21, 2022 Report - from Tommy Baccaro, Region Acting Director  

Despite the extreme heat, 96 degrees by early afternoon, thirty Lone Star members and 3 guests ventured west to Bellville and Kenney, Texas. Thanks to our hosts Mary and Jay for braving the heat and bringing their '49 Custom convertible, Doug for bringing the '56 Clipper sedan, Lonnie for bringing the '55 Clipper hard top, and Stephen for bringing the '53 Clipper hard top. We had planned on bringing one but it was approximately 84 miles from our home and the heat scared me off! Those who brought a Packard will be on Assistant Director, John Lortz' list, which will determine the winner of the David Mc Donald activity award at the end of the year. Be sure to read our new improved award program on page 6. Lonnie Gipson won $70 in our 50/50 drawing.

Following a great lunch at The Kenney Store, which has been featured on the TV show The Texas Bucket List, we traveled approximately 5 miles to the home of our hosts Jay and Mary. There were two highlights of our visit. The first was our first look at the new building Jay had built to house his collection. It holds all 9 cars and the original building has been converted to a repair or service garage. The second treat was Jay demonstrating the process of starting the 1910 Stanley Steamer which recently won "Best in Show" at Keels and Wheels. Once started. Jay treated many of us to rides in the Stanley. Let me say this, in 1910 if you realized you left something at work or you needed one thing from the market, you could not just jump in the Stanley and head down the road! It is a complicated process where each step is predicated on the success of the previous step. Along the way, the observer is treated to a symphony of sounds only a steam engine can make. Once it is ready to go, it sounds just like an old train huffing and puffing down the track with the steam horn adding to the experience! I would love to have seen a salesman demonstrating and explaining to a potential buyer why he should buy a Stanley instead of a 1910 Packard or other combustion engine powered car! Thanks, Jay, for a really educational and fun experience! Also, thanks to Mary for the treats inside.

We have not yet determined where we will meet in June. If you are willing to host, please let me know. Thanks to the Sartins, we will have our summer fried chicken picnic in their air-conditioned car barn. The date will be Saturday July 2. More information to follow.

Summer heat is upon us as well as high gas prices, not a good scenario for keeping our Packards going. However, the mornings are nice and you can always take a spin in the early evening.

Lone Star Packards February 26, 2022 Report - from Tommy Baccaro, Region Acting Director  

On February 26, the Lone Star Region met at the Pizza Shack in downtown Willis, Texas. A total of 38 Lone Star Region members and a few guests enjoyed a great Italian lunch. Unfortunately, the cold and steady rain kept the Packards at home.

The Darrow’s conducted our monthly 50/50 drawing and the lucky winner was Ed Fleming winning $67. This was Ed’s first LSP meeting and he was glad he came. Following lunch, we caravanned to the nearby home of Gayle and Bob Bucher. Gayle gave us some history on how the two of them were personally involved in the construction of their beautiful log home and their personal backgrounds. We were also treated to a tour of the house and some great refreshments.

Following the tour, we conducted our monthly business meeting. We welcomed new members Herman and Lynda Dentler to their first meeting. They have several Packards and are anxious to become regulars. We discussed the upcoming calendar and decided we would meet in March. We will try to set something up soon. Probably it will be on the 19th. When we know where we will let you know. At the invitation of Jay and Mary Matthews, we will tour to Belville on Saturday, May 21. Perhaps we can meet along the way and caravan. Though Jay and Mary have a great collection to see, the highlight will probably be the firing up of the Stanley Steamer that Jay has been working on for several years. We had cancelled the January meeting scheduled in The Heights at Ed and Mary Flemings. He said he would be willing to try again in October.

We also announced that Rich Trokey is not doing well and was about to be transferred from the hospital to an assisted living center. They really need to sell their 1938 Packard business coupe. It is a running, fully restored car. Jack Sartin and Doug Carlson have been firing it up periodically.to make sure it is still in running condition. Karen is asking 20K but will entertain offers if interested. Also, Jack and Doug would be happy to answer any questions you might have about this really nice car.

Don't forget to get your Texas Packard Meet registration into Rena soon. See Salado Registration form in the LSP Newsletter. Also, we still have several members who have not paid their $10 dues for 2022. Please get that to Tony as soon as possible if you wish to remain active and receive LSP news.

We voted to make a $200 donation to the Packard Foundation for the restoration of the Packard proving grounds in Shelby Township, Michigan. It was also mentioned that members who wish to add to that donation could send a check to Tony Darrow with PPG in the memo and he will add it to the amount sent to the PPG We were recently told the Foundation will be adding a plaque to hang in the lodge building, recognizing the $3800 our club has given towards the restoration over the years. That sum will be changed when they get our newest donation.

Following our visit to the Bucher home, we caravanned about 2 miles to the facility where most of their collection is housed. This is a great collection of Studebaker/Packard products plus many other interesting cars. There was something for everyone to enjoy! We sincerely appreciate the Bucher's hospitality and look forward to visiting again.

Lone Star Packards December 5, 2021 Report - from Tommy Baccaro, Region Acting Director  

On December 5th, 2021, 47 members and 9 Packards met at Babin's Seafood in Katy, Texas. The Christmas meeting and lunch was made possible mostly by the hard work of the Sartins and the Carters. It was set up and run flawlessly. Thanks to Steven for bringing us the invocation before the program and lunch began. In addition to the good food, we had a short meeting with some important announcements, a singalong of Christmas songs and lots of good tire kicking.

During the short meeting, I announced dues would remain the same at $10 per family and Tony would be happy to accept them for 2022. Members were asked to put on their thinking caps and offer suggestions as to what the club could offer monthly as an incentive for members to bring their Packard to a meeting. This month the Darrows name was drawn and they received $50 for driving their Packard. We also announced we would resume awarding the annual David McDonald participation award which we had suspended two years ago due to Covid We asked members to be prepared to give us suggestions as to what reward the winner would get for that.

December birthdays were recognized and we enjoyed a gorgeous Christmas Packard cake after dinner, which was cut and served by Zoe and Maya. Rena was assisted by Gianna by passing out lovely Christmas napkins. Rena and Jack furnished song sheets for the sing along. Rena led in the singing and Jack accompanied on the guitar. Most of the songs on the sheets were traditional favorites but the highlight was the familiar "Twelve Days of Christmas" which was changed to "The Twelve Days of Packards". Each table was given the name of a specific Packard model and that table would represent one of the 12 days and sing it out when their number came up in the song. Our part of the sing along was "two 900 Roadsters". It was a lot of fun. Evelyn Timmins surprised us with Packard posters she offered to those who wanted one to frame for their car garage. We can’t forget the work our Treasurer, Tony did to collect all the payments for the Christmas Luncheon and paying the bill!

Following the singing, I was surprised by the gift of a really pretty Packard winter jacket. I have never seen one like it before and am really looking forward to wearing it. Thank you very much. If I ever got any accolades as a principal, because my school performed well, I always gave credit to the faculty. I was just there to help them. It proves true with our Packard Club as well. Our region is running against the car club trend in most places as we continue to have activities, a newsletter, a website and we picked up still another new member this month. The success of the club does not depend on me, but of all those people doing the work in the background. I am so grateful for all of them and our members.

There was a really good turnout of Packards, which makes it two months in a row that we have had a good showing. A special treat was getting to see new member Lonnie Gipson's 1955 factory stick Panama for the first time. We had a total of 6 V8 Packards, 2 six-cylinder Packards and 1 straight 8. We brought our trusty '55 Clipper Custom to not only today's event, but also to the AACA Christmas party at the Monument Inn the day before. Calculated between the two events, we added just under 170 miles round trip to our Packard. As far as we know, all made it home safely.

As this is the end of the year, a little reflection on 2021 is appropriate. Despite Covid, we remained a viable and somewhat active club. Our newsletter still went out. Though we did have 3 "zoom" meetings, we also had 8 in person meetings with proper precautions. In addition, we managed to pick up a couple of new members! We are also moving full speed ahead with our plans to again be the chair region of the Annual Texas Packard meet in Salado! The TPM dates are March 31 -April 3. Under the circumstances, we did good in 2021!!

I have confirmed with Ed Fleming that we will tour their collection as well as his shop in the Heights on Saturday, January 15, 2022. Ed owns and operates a music store that sells and repairs musical instruments. Both his home and shop are located in the Heights area of Houston and that makes it one of the most central locations we have had lately. We have arranged to meet at 11:30 am on January 15 at the Spaghetti Western on Shepherd and then we will tour Ed Fleming’s collection.

Report on the November 13, 2021 Meeting of Lone Star Packards - from Jan Carter, Co-Editor of the Owners Manual

On a beautiful fall Saturday, November 13 our meeting was held at the Ole Railroad Café in Rosenberg’s Historic District with a total of 28 members in attendance with 7 Packards, 1 Studebaker truck and Cadillac convertible. In addition to members, we had four guests, Rick and Nancy Mock who drove their ‘62 Studebaker Truck and surprising all of us was Ann Stebenne and her daughter Jennifer. Great to see all of them again.

Since Tommy was not able to attend, our Assistant Director, John Lortz led the meeting for him. It was good to see Jamie and Martha Roberts who drove in from Brenham. Also attending for the first time in a long time was Lenny and Paula Holzband in their ‘41 Packard, Tom Drisdale who drove his ‘91 Red Cadillac Alante Convertible and Dale Wilpers and Donna Williams.

Rena gave an update on the Christmas Luncheon that will be on Sunday, December 5 at 1:00 pm at Babin’s Restaurant in Katy. Cost is $25/person. To make your reservation send your check to our Treasurer, Tony Darrow before the deadline of November 29.

Our Treasurer was kept busy accepting checks and cash for the Christmas Luncheon and the 50/50. Dale Wilpers was the lucky winner and took home $40. Tony says our finances are in good shape. Ben gave the membership update that included a “new” Packard now on our list that belongs to John Dalton. His 1932 coupe convertible is now undergoing a complete restoration. Ben also reminded everyone that we have not collected dues for the past two years, but will start collecting $10 dues again in 2022.

Jan reported the November birthdays, and we recognized Tony and Dale as they were the only members present with a November birthday.

Rena then reported on our upcoming 2022 scheduled meetings and reminder that – WE WILL HAVE THE TEXAS PACKARD MEET IN SALADO MARCH 31 – APRIL 3, 2022!! Tommy has been working on Salado for the past three years and the last two years it was canceled. He is busy getting everything set up for 2022. Everyone should first make their Holiday Inn Express reservation as soon as possible. The hotel rates have not increased and are the same as two years ago. You can complete the Salado Registration form and send to Rena Sartin with your check. She has already received three registrations. Since time flies by so fast, it will be time for TPM before we know it. So don’t delay! You will find the registration form and much more information you will need on the TPM website. One thing is the car classification system being used next year to help you fill in your form.

Jack Sartin gave an interesting program on Tire Safety Tips. Your tires may look good, but not be good! See his presentation handout in the November issue of the Owners Manual.

As the Supinas were to host the November meeting, but were not able to attend, others pitched in to make this meeting successful. Thank you goes out to Patricia and Ron Orr for making arrangements with the Ole Railroad Café owner and had the room set up and ready when we arrived. Also, to Ben for arriving early in the morning to reserve parking spaces in front of the restaurant/Vogelsang building with his orange cones and Reserved for LSP Packard Signs, and to Ron for helping with parking.

We were disappointed that the Editor of The Ft. Bend Herald did not show up. Ben visited Scott Monday morning and gave him Saturday pictures/information and he will publish our story in the newspaper. We will have copies of the newspaper at the December luncheon.

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving and hope to see you at the Christmas Luncheon.

On a beautiful fall Saturday, November 13 our meeting was held at the Ole Railroad Café in Rosenberg’s Historic District with a total of 28 members in attendance with 7 Packards, 1 Studebaker truck and Cadillac convertible. In addition to members, we had four guests, Rick and Nancy Mock who drove their ‘62 Studebaker Truck and surprising all of us was Ann Stebenne and her daughter Jennifer. Great to see all of them again.

Since Tommy was not able to attend, our Assistant Director, John Lortz led the meeting for him. It was good to see Jamie and Martha Roberts who drove in from Brenham. Also attending for the first time in a long time was Lenny and Paula Holzband in their ‘41 Packard, Tom Drisdale who drove his ‘91 Red Cadillac Alante Convertible and Dale Wilpers and Donna Williams.

Rena gave an update on the Christmas Luncheon that will be on Sunday, December 5 at 1:00 pm at Babin’s Restaurant in Katy. Cost is $25/person. To make your reservation send your check to our Treasurer, Tony Darrow before the deadline of November 29.

Our Treasurer was kept busy accepting checks and cash for the Christmas Luncheon and the 50/50. Dale Wilpers was the lucky winner and took home $40. Tony says our finances are in good shape. Ben gave the membership update that included a “new” Packard now on our list that belongs to John Dalton. His 1932 coupe convertible is now undergoing a complete restoration. Ben also reminded everyone that we have not collected dues for the past two years, but will start collecting $10 dues again in 2022.

Jan reported the November birthdays, and we recognized Tony and Dale as they were the only members present with a November birthday.

Rena then reported on our upcoming 2022 scheduled meetings and reminder that – WE WILL HAVE THE TEXAS PACKARD MEET IN SALADO MARCH 31 – APRIL 3, 2022!! Tommy has been working on Salado for the past three years and the last two years it was canceled. He is busy getting everything set up for 2022. Everyone should first make their Holiday Inn Express reservation as soon as possible. The hotel rates have not increased and are the same as two years ago. You can complete the Salado Registration form and send to Rena Sartin with your check. She has already received three registrations. Since time flies by so fast, it will be time for TPM before we know it. So don’t delay! You will find the registration form and much more information you will need on the TPM website. One thing is the car classification system being used next year to help you fill in your form.

Jack Sartin gave an interesting program on Tire Safety Tips. Your tires may look good, but not be good! See his presentation handout in the November issue of the Owners Manual.

As the Supinas were to host the November meeting, but were not able to attend, others pitched in to make this meeting successful. Thank you goes out to Patricia and Ron Orr for making arrangements with the Ole Railroad Café owner and had the room set up and ready when we arrived. Also, to Ben for arriving early in the morning to reserve parking spaces in front of the restaurant/Vogelsang building with his orange cones and Reserved for LSP Packard Signs, and to Ron for helping with parking.

We were disappointed that the Editor of The Ft. Bend Herald did not show up. Ben visited Scott Monday morning and gave him Saturday pictures/information and he will publish our story in the newspaper. We will have copies of the newspaper at the December luncheon.

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving and hope to see you at the Christmas Luncheon.

Lone Star Packards October 16, 2021 Report - from Tommy Baccaro, Region Acting Director  

On October 16th, the Lone Star Region had its regular monthly meeting. Approximately 30 members enjoyed great BBQ as well as fellowship in the private room of Rudy's BBQ and Country Store on the Gulf Freeway in Webster. We had our traditional opening ceremony involving a prayer as well as the pledge of allegiance to our flag.

I began the meeting by sharing the results of a phone call I received just before leaving for the meeting. A lady in the Port Neches area called regarding problems she was having getting the Ultramatic fixed in her late husband's '50 Custom. She had called a month or so ago and asked if I could help her find someone to fix it as the locals did not want to try. I gave her a recommendation after asking club members for suggestions. It is not working out and she wanted to know if someone would go over there on her behalf and check it out. Ben volunteered as it is close to his home, plus the establishment has done work for him and he was pleased. I think she would like to sell once she has it fixed. I texted her that Ben was going to check it out and she was very happy.

We began our committee reports and I reported for Tony regarding our balance. Tony also asked that you either begin sending him the money for the Christmas party meal or bring it to the next meeting. Ben reported that he is in contact with a prospective new member in Huntsville that has a '37 Packard but not sure of the series. It just occurred to me that the late former member, Bob Knight had a mostly restored '37 120 convertible and a project '47 Clipper. Since it is Huntsville where Bob lived, it could very well be the same car. Thanks to our friends in the heart of Texas Region for giving us the lead. Chris reported the next meeting will be in Rosenberg at the Ole' Railroad Cafe. I think the meeting will be on the 13th. We moved it up to get it away from Thanksgiving plans. Jan gave a report on birthdays and both JC and Anthony were present so we had them stand for a picture and we sang Happy Birthday. Jan then gave a report on the Christmas luncheon which will on Sunday, 12/5 at Babin’s Seafood in Katy. Please get your money in to Tony.

I think the Astro game kept our attendance down a little but we still had 4 really nice cars present. Chris brought our family's '48 “sedan for seven" and Anthony, Carol and I brought the '47 Custom. In addition, Stephen brought his 1949 Deluxe Super 8 all the way from Spring. We were also lucky to once again get to see the beautiful 1950 2 tone blue Studebaker belonging to Glen. Glen's two Packards went to someone in Livingston so we will follow up on that lead.

Following the business meeting, I gave a short talk on how I renewed the wood grain on the dashboards, window frames, etc. on our '47 and '48 Packards. Details are found in this October issue of the Owner's Manual, which is distributed by email and is archived on the Lone Star Packards website.

Please do your best to bring a Packard to the Rosenberg meeting. The owner of the cafe always blocks off about 10 spaces in front of the cafe and we usually have pictures and a story on the front page of the Rosenberg newspaper. We know that the Supinas have spoken to the newspaper reporter already.

Lone Star Packards September, 2021 Report - from Tommy Baccaro, Region Acting Director  

Happy Days (Packard driving days) are about to be here again. I heard last night and this morning that within a few days there will be a cold front hitting the Bayou City area. To natives, that means temps in the 80's or below. Looking forward to driving ours and seeing more Packards at LSP functions. Get them polished up and running. I want to thank the AACA Gulf Coast region for inviting us to participate in their hot dog and ice cream social this last Saturday in Tomball. Unfortunately, we needed to stay in League City as I needed to work on finding an electrical issue with our '55. I spent most of the day to no avail. I am sure the picnic was a lot of fun. I have encouraged our members to join the National as it is a requirement of all Regions. Even if it wasn't, there are so many advantages that make it worthwhile. Did you know if someone sued us saying they were injured or suffered a loss due to someone participating in one of our activities, the PAC's liability insurance would help us?

Just last week I learned an important tech tip from a PAC member in Ohio. When I removed the radiator, water pump, and water distribution tube in the block of our '47, I had a really hard time getting the air out of the system when we put it back together. Several times I got a steamy radiator spewing out of the cap. The tech tip was this, " before filling the system remove the temperature sending unit from the back of the block. Clean it and wrap the threads with Teflon tape. Begin filling the cooling system, but do not re-install the sending unit until you see the colored coolant coming out of the hole. This insures you got all of the air out of the system." I would have paid double the dues to get that tip when I was having that overheating issue.

I continue to have increased concerns regarding future meetings as well as Salado because of Covid. Hopefully, we have reached the peak. We have not published the TPM registration information yet. I will try to finalize the banquet arrangements in the next few days and then share it with Rena and Jan. Hopefully, we will have it on our website as well as the Texas Packard Meet site soon.

John Lortz attended the Barret / Jackson auction this past weekend at the NRG, He said a really nice 1950 Custom Victoria convertible was sold to someone in Houston. Was it one of our members? If not, we need to see if we can sign them up.

Please make plans to join us at Rudy's Country Store and BBQ in Webster on Saturday, October 16 at 1 PM. We will start asking for your RSVP after the first. When we do, please tell us if you are going to try to bring a Packard or even one of your other classics if needed. If we know about the cars, we will try to reserve some spaces for them.

Report on the August 21, 2021 Meeting of Lone Star Packards - from Tommy Baccaro, Region Acting Director  

On Saturday, August 21st, we had our monthly LSP meeting. The site was the private room at Spring Creek BBQ in Humble. Despite the blistering heat, we had 33 members present. A big thanks to Tony and Shirley for finding the site and making all the arrangements. The room was nice and clean and there was room for all. The food was excellent and we will have to remember it the next time we rotate to that area.

A big thanks to Pam and Leon for bringing their gorgeous 1941 120 4 door convertible. John also brought the shiny red 1953 convertible with the top down. Kevin and family brought their newly acquired elegant 1956 Patrician. One of the advantages of moving our meetings around is you get to see different cars. This time all three cars that braved the heat were located close to the meeting site.

 In June, we met about 60 miles away in League City on a day almost as hot. Three of the 5 classics present lived close to that site. We brought our '48 and '55 that day. (In the LSP website Activities Schedule you will find events going through April of 2022.) We have a lot of great things planned but we cannot overlook the resurgence of the virus, especially with the new strain. That does cast a shadow over our plans and I urge you to consider the safety of you and your loved ones as you consider attending some of the events. As in the past, if things are really bad I will discuss it with our club leaders and if necessary, cancel meetings. Most of us have had the two doses of vaccine, but most of us are also in the most vulnerable group. They are now recommending a booster shot for those 65 and older. All of our family is vaccinated except for the 7-year-old granddaughter and I worry for her. At first, we were told that age group was the least vulnerable but Texas Children's Hospital now has many cases. Without getting into politics, the situation at the border makes the Houston area particularly vulnerable as it is the destination of choice for many of those folks and most are not vaccinated. I hope not but if the situation continues to worsen, we will revert back to "zoom " meetings. Even Salado may be threatened. Pray for Covid to subside.

If you have news or pictures, you think the group would be interested in, please send that material to Jan. Ideally an editor is just that, they edit by putting everything together. It is a much harder job when you have to do all the research and write it without the submissions from members. Not only do we have one of the best newsletters, we have one of the best websites in the PAC.

We have several new cars in our region, as well as new members. Please send a picture to Doug so he can include it in the Members Cars section of the LSP website. Also, if you would like your car to be considered for the star Featured Member Car, please write a story about it and get some nice pictures and send them to Doug. It might just be your star car.

Report on the July 24, 2021 Meeting of Lone Star Packards - from Tommy Baccaro, Region Acting Director  

Report on the June 26, 2021 Meeting of Lone Star Packards - from Tommy Baccaro, Region Acting Director  

On Saturday, June 26th, 38 members of LSP got to visit a large personal collection near our home in League City. I have wanted to get our group in to see this collection for several years and I think everyone enjoyed seeing the very eclectic collection of classic and military vehicles. A big thanks to Dan Becker for getting the ball rolling for a visit to this collection. Unfortunately, with the 95-degree temperature most of our 38 participants came without their Packards. Carol rode with Chris and his family who brought the family's 1948 "sedan for seven" and Anthony and I brought the 1955 Custom Clipper. (It should be noted that we only live a couple of blocks from the site or we may have come in an air-conditioned SUV ourselves.) In addition, a couple of members brought a non-Packard classic from their stable. New member, Glen Grace brought a really nice 1950 Studebaker and Tom Drisdale brought a sharp Cadillac Allante convertible. I assured them their brand x's were always welcome as long as they get to the meeting. We were also happy to see some of our good friends from the Gulf Coast Region of the AACA. I think we have about six families that are also members of that group including all the Baccaros. I remain very proud of our region as it continues to grow even during a pandemic.

This was the first meeting for Glen Grace and he brought his son Mark and his friend Mary Krill-Erickson. Bill and Diana Osborne traveled from College Station to make their first LSP meeting. Following Siri/GPS took them 2.5 hours to arrive as GPS took them to Sugar Land. (We have all had our problems with GPS!) They toured the collection and the AACA group wanted them to go to lunch at Joe’s BBQ, but Bill said “no, we gotta meet our new Packard friends!” They have a collection of over 20 cars and recently added a '51 Packard convertible to that collection. We are looking forward to seeing it.

We had other guests who came out to see the collection. We enjoyed having Jay Matthews bring his neighbor Tony Stewart who helps Jay with his Stanley Steamer, and the Sartins brought friends Rick & Nancy Mock who expressed interest in joining our club.

Following the tour, we traveled a short distance to Luna's Mexican Restaurant on South Shore Blvd. Luna's is a restaurant our family frequents often but they obviously do better service with individual families rather than large groups. The food did come out in a timely manner but distribution of the plates could have been better. And the billing was confusing, causing a wait for some. Our club has grown and that is a great thing, but it is getting harder and harder to find a place to accommodate us. This time it was further complicated because I made the decision Tuesday that there might be too big a crowd to eat in Alvin with the AACA group so it was short notice, but Luna's was available. When I called, they wanted to set up a buffet at $18/per with a minimum of 40. Finally, they agreed to reserve the room with everyone ordering and paying their own ticket. My first choice was Spring Creek BBQ, but their room was already reserved. There were a couple of other options, but their rules of a private room were inconvenient. Anyway, my late decision limited our options and I accept that responsibility. On a good note, we had the 50/50 drawing and Bob Ess was happy as he won, resulting in a jackpot of over $50.

For up-coming events Jack & Rena Sartin have volunteered to have us back in their air-conditioned car barn for a July get together. More information will be available as plans are formulated. If anyone has an idea for August or would like to host an August event, please let us know. We would appreciate an air-conditioned facility!!

Bob Supina sent me a note regarding a fall or early winter meeting. They have a friend who is the editor of the Ft Bend Herald in Rosenberg who would like to do a story about our club. The gentleman suggested we make another visit to historic downtown Rosenberg and he could tie his story to that visit. Bob explained to him that in our southeast Texas heat the number of Packards in attendance drops significantly in the summer. I asked Bob to relay to the fellow that we would love to come back maybe in October or November.

As I mentioned in a previous note, our family visited Salado recently and we have begun working on the 2022 Texas Packard Meet. I must confess that all this talk about the recently discovered "Delta Variant" of the virus is beginning to make me nervous regarding the planning. Keep your fingers crossed and stay safe!

Every year the National judges the various regional newsletters. Jan and Ben put together a packet of our last year's OWNERS MANUALS to send in for the competition. I know they will do well.

Please remember in your prayers the several in our group that are facing significant health challenges.

I am sure you have heard someone say, "that was worth waiting for". Well, that can be truly said about our LSP meeting held on the 15th at the Dalton's ranch outside of Cleveland. Because of the distance for many of us, the meeting was originally scheduled for late winter or early spring in order for more of us to drive our Packards. However, it had to be postponed 3 or 4 times due to Covid concerns. This was our first face-to-face meeting in over a year and over 40 people and 5 Packards (counting the Dalton's car) showed up. Those of us who came from the south had a real obstacle course due to TX Dot closing Highway 59.

Mary Ann and John were wonderful and gracious hosts as they treated us to a great Mexican buffet in the beautiful facility they built to house their collection. The location was spectacular with their home and car facility in a clearing behind a lake in the thick Texas "Piney Woods". The Dalton’s presented each family a commemorative linen dish towel featuring historic points along Route 66. This was a great souvenir for our first "in person" get together. Again, it was a meeting worth waiting for! Thank you, Mary Ann and John.

The Dalton collection features Willys, Packard, Hudson, Chrysler, Terraplane etc. There are more Willys than any other make, and I think they must be among the top collectors of that brand. When I think of Willys, I think of WW2 Jeeps and the Willys sedans and hardtops produced by Kaiser. This collection includes some really classic Willys models from the company's early days.

Jan made me aware that our meeting coincided with Armed Services Day. We recognized our members that are veterans and recited the pledge of allegiance in their honor.

We picked up two new families at this meeting. Kevin and Shellie Lortz and son Tommy have recently purchased Ron and Juanita Jordan’s ‘56 Packard Patrician and they joined our club at the meeting. They have not taken possession of the Patrician yet but hope to have it at a meeting soon. Carlos and Mary Ann Dos Santos are friends of the Lortz's and the Jordans and they have a 1940 Packard convertible. Carlos called me earlier in the week and I referred him to someone who could help him with his Packard. We look forward to seeing them at future meetings. We were also happy to see Jill Burtchaell and Ginny LaGroue. They have been members for a while, but this was their first LSP meeting with their really nice '58 Packard Hawk. Stephen and Lyn Morris have also been members a while and this was their first LSP meeting arriving in style with their 1950 Custom.

A return to normal with an in person meeting also meant a return to our monthly 50/50 activity. This month Karen & Rich Trokey got to split the $86 proceeds with the LSP treasury.

John Eanes also showed some pictures of his new 1940 convertible. We look forward to seeing it.

We have several members who could use some prayer warriors due to serious health challenges. Please include Vivian Lortz, Judy Anderson, and Jamie Roberts in your prayers.

Though it seems like forever "ago", we went west for about 3 of our last in person meetings and we went pretty far north for this one. Therefore, we have tentative plans to go south next month to League City. Evelyn Timmins and Dan Becker are working on a joint visit of AACA and LSP clubs to a large private collection in League City. Details as to exact date, etc. are being worked out. Since we are members of AACA, we visited the collection with that group 5 or 6 years ago and I have wanted to get LSP in since then. As details emerge, we will keep you posted.

On Saturday, April 17, LSP had its 3rd and maybe last for a while ‘zoom' meeting. There were 25 participants counting spouses and children. In addition to a regular business agenda, we had a special guest speaker. Craig Handley, our PAC National Director, agreed to visit our meeting. Craig had a very interesting career mainly making training films etc. for Chrysler and then General Motors with a little of Ford thrown in. He founded his own film production company and not long ago retired when his partner bought him out. He has been a member of the Packard Club for 23 years and currently serves as its leader. Craig reported that our membership is up about 5% and the number of patrons has also risen. The next national will be in northern Virginia with many activities planned around Washington DC. The 2023 national meet will be in California which will be appropriate because the national was founded there and it will be 70 years old that year. Craig also related that in the future the national officers and trustees will pick the site of coming national meets and make necessary arrangements with the assistance of the nearest region. This will make it much easier on the local region not having to do everything like we did in 1984 and 1998. Craig also answered some questions regarding judging and roster keeping by the national club. We are most appreciative that he took the time to be with us.

I was also pleased to have Heart of Texas Director David Miller and his wife Princess join our group. Like us and most of the other regions, they have been in hibernation but recently had a get together and are hoping to have more in the near future. As you may recall, our January meeting was supposed to have taken place at the Dalton's ranch in Cleveland on our regular weekend but it was postponed due to Covid concerns. It was again postponed in February, March and April. it was decided we would go for it in May. The Daltons are going to have our lunch catered so when we ask for the RSVP, please give it to us as soon as possible as they need a good count for the caterer. The meeting will be the 3rd Saturday in May. We will meet at 11. John said there is plenty of room for trailers if someone wants to tow their car. If enough of us bring a Packard, John will arrange for the local Constable to lead us on a tour through the winding east Texas piney woods following lunch and the meeting.

Chris and I shared that Dan Becker is working on getting us in to see a large private collection in League City. I have mentioned it before as we went there with our AACA group and I have always wanted to take LSP. We just have never been able to work out details but Dan thinks since the owner has retired there is a better chance now. It is actually less than a mile from our house. However, if it does not happen, we have a backup plan for a fun activity in the same area. This will be an opportunity for members in Orange, Friendswood, Santa Fe, League City, and Clear Lake to shine and show their Packards relatively close to home.

Our last Christmas lunch was held at the South Shore Harbor Resort here in League City. We canceled the 2020 event due to Covid. The next one was supposed to be on the opposite side of town and Midway BBQ in Katy was selected. Unfortunately, Midway suffered a serious fire recently and will not re-open in time for the 2021 Christmas Holiday party. Please have your suggestions for a Christmas venue ready at the next meeting.

On Saturday, March 20 we had our second "Zoom" meeting. While these are not as much fun as our in-person meetings, they do give us a chance to actually safely see and talk to each other, bring us up to date on how our friends are doing during the pandemic meet new members, and check on the progress of some of the more than 80 Packards in our region.

The biggest news coming from this month's meeting is the group decision to continue to be cautious and have the April meeting on Zoom. We will watch the news on the several flu variants that have appeared before we make a final decision about May. It is hoped that we can accept the Daltons' invitation to meet at their ranch in Cleveland to see their collection on Saturday, May 15. John said if enough members bring a Packard, he will arrange with the area Constable to lead us in a parade through the scenic woods in the area. When we finally meet there, please bring a Packard if you can.

I offered up several names for a guest speaker at our April meeting and the members present asked me to contact National Director, Craig Handley. I did reach out to Craig and he replied that he would be happy to attend the meeting by Zoom and speak to us.

We reminded members that just because we canceled the 2021 Texas Packard Meet, it does not mean your hotel reservations were canceled. You need to call the Holiday Inn Express personally to cancel your room reservation or you will be charged for at least one night. We also announced that the biggest Texas Packard Meet ever will be April 1 -3, 2022 in Salado. Most of us come on Thursday the 31st to be ready for the "early bird tour" on Friday morning. Ben announced that Keels and Wheels is still on for the first weekend in May and the deadline for registrants was today, the 20th. He also shared that you could do it all on line and he would be happy to share the link. Jack reminded everyone that the annual Second Baptist West Campus Car show will be held next Saturday, March 27 from 10 to 12. This is basically a "show and shine" event with no registration. It typically has more than 100 cars on display. It is outside so it should be safe and there will be food and drinks for sale.

I asked members to send pictures and stories to Jan for the newsletter and also to Doug for the website. Jan said she would send Doug's contact info to each of the new members. Once they send a picture or a write-up, he can post it on the Member's Car section and/or the Packard "Featured Member Car" page.

Tony reported we have not spent any money since last month and we have been reimbursed the Salado refunds.Ben reported we currently have 55 member families, and Jan read the list of March birthdays.

We had 15 families represented this time and our last item of business was a round table. Since the screen looked like Hollywood Squares, we went left to right and asked each family to tell what they had been up to and inquired if they had any Packard stories to relate. That was fun.

Since we had a smaller number for our meeting, some suggested that maybe we need to publicize it closer to he time of the meeting. I feel as though I have sent out more LSP emails since the Covid 19 has kept us home and hope that our members computers will not start treating us as spam. I think there may have been just one reminder this time, therefore I'll try to get an email out loser to the meeting date. Zoom is a great way to have a meeting. There is nothing to download on your computer. Just click the link, join the meeting, and see our friends.

Get your Packard road worthy for the trip to Cleveland in May Hopefully we will be able to make it a date.

Mark this day in history, your director with the able assistance of his wife and family, was able to conduct an LSP meeting on "Zoom". All together we had 19 families represented making a total of around 26 people. Participants included new members Jill Burtchaell who lives close to lake Livingston and Tony Sakkis who lives in Richmond. Since we have been unable to meet our new members, Zoom was a perfect way to put a face on a name. Hopefully we can meet the other four new members on our next Zoom and perhaps in person in April or May (depending on the Covid situation.)

During the meeting, we discussed members who have been ill in recent months. That included Dave Lucas who has been in the hospital for a couple of weeks with Covid. We also mentioned Jamie Roberts who has been in the hospital a couple of weeks but is back home as of last night. After he rests a little, he will resume his cancer treatments. Vivian Lortz has been fighting pneumonia off and on since the summer. John said he is making her return to the doctor soon. We also learned that Keels and Wheels founder and chairman Bob Fuller has been in the hospital and had heart surgery while there. Please say a prayer for these members to have a quick and complete recovery.

If you are comfortable going out, there are several car related activities coming up. Jay mentioned the big car show that Bellville has each year around their square. Rena and Jack told us about the annual show that Second Baptist church sponsors each year. Covid precautions will be followedcarefully. Evelyn mentioned a car show in Tomball,which is coming up.

Tony reported we are solvent and have not spent any club funds in roughly a year. He has made refunds to all our members who had paid their registration fee for Salado. Rena gave Texas Packard Meet treasurer, Beverly Teel, an accounting of all funds collected for the state meet. We will get a refund to our treasury since we refunded the six families in our region who had registered. Ben gave the membership report and we have 55 families and102 cars.

Doug would be happy to get pictures for the web page of new cars in our region as well as stories for the feature car section.

Thanks to all who participated in our February meeting. It was good to see faces that we've not seen in a while and hear from those who did not have video working! We will set a date and time for the March meeting and let you know. Hopefully, even more can participate. It is fairly easy to just click the link if your computer or cell phone is co-operative.

Report on the November 13, 2021 Meeting of Lone Star Packards - from Jan Carter, Co-Editor of the Owners Manual

On a beautiful fall Saturday, November 13 our meeting was held at the Ole Railroad Café in Rosenberg’s Historic District with a total of 28 members in attendance with 7 Packards, 1 Studebaker truck and Cadillac convertible. In addition to members, we had four guests, Rick and Nancy Mock who drove their ‘62 Studebaker Truck and surprising all of us was Ann Stebenne and her daughter Jennifer. Great to see all of them again.

Since Tommy was not able to attend, our Assistant Director, John Lortz led the meeting for him. It was good to see Jamie and Martha Roberts who drove in from Brenham. Also attending for the first time in a long time was Lenny and Paula Holzband in their ‘41 Packard, Tom Drisdale who drove his ‘91 Red Cadillac Alante Convertible and Dale Wilpers and Donna Williams.

Rena gave an update on the Christmas Luncheon that will be on Sunday, December 5 at 1:00 pm at Babin’s Restaurant in Katy. Cost is $25/person. To make your reservation send your check to our Treasurer, Tony Darrow before the deadline of November 29.

Our Treasurer was kept busy accepting checks and cash for the Christmas Luncheon and the 50/50. Dale Wilpers was the lucky winner and took home $40. Tony says our finances are in good shape. Ben gave the membership update that included a “new” Packard now on our list that belongs to John Dalton. His 1932 coupe convertible is now undergoing a complete restoration. Ben also reminded everyone that we have not collected dues for the past two years, but will start collecting $10 dues again in 2022.

Jan reported the November birthdays, and we recognized Tony and Dale as they were the only members present with a November birthday.

Rena then reported on our upcoming 2022 scheduled meetings and reminder that – WE WILL HAVE THE TEXAS PACKARD MEET IN SALADO MARCH 31 – APRIL 3, 2022!! Tommy has been working on Salado for the past three years and the last two years it was canceled. He is busy getting everything set up for 2022. Everyone should first make their Holiday Inn Express reservation as soon as possible. The hotel rates have not increased and are the same as two years ago. You can complete the Salado Registration form and send to Rena Sartin with your check. She has already received three registrations. Since time flies by so fast, it will be time for TPM before we know it. So don’t delay! You will find the registration form and much more information you will need on the TPM website. One thing is the car classification system being used next year to help you fill in your form.

Jack Sartin gave an interesting program on Tire Safety Tips. Your tires may look good, but not be good! See his presentation handout in the November issue of the Owners Manual.

As the Supinas were to host the November meeting, but were not able to attend, others pitched in to make this meeting successful. Thank you goes out to Patricia and Ron Orr for making arrangements with the Ole Railroad Café owner and had the room set up and ready when we arrived. Also, to Ben for arriving early in the morning to reserve parking spaces in front of the restaurant/Vogelsang building with his orange cones and Reserved for LSP Packard Signs, and to Ron for helping with parking.

We were disappointed that the Editor of The Ft. Bend Herald did not show up. Ben visited Scott Monday morning and gave him Saturday pictures/information and he will publish our story in the newspaper. We will have copies of the newspaper at the December luncheon.

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving and hope to see you at the Christmas Luncheon.

On a beautiful fall Saturday, November 13 our meeting was held at the Ole Railroad Café in Rosenberg’s Historic District with a total of 28 members in attendance with 7 Packards, 1 Studebaker truck and Cadillac convertible. In addition to members, we had four guests, Rick and Nancy Mock who drove their ‘62 Studebaker Truck and surprising all of us was Ann Stebenne and her daughter Jennifer. Great to see all of them again.

Since Tommy was not able to attend, our Assistant Director, John Lortz led the meeting for him. It was good to see Jamie and Martha Roberts who drove in from Brenham. Also attending for the first time in a long time was Lenny and Paula Holzband in their ‘41 Packard, Tom Drisdale who drove his ‘91 Red Cadillac Alante Convertible and Dale Wilpers and Donna Williams.

Rena gave an update on the Christmas Luncheon that will be on Sunday, December 5 at 1:00 pm at Babin’s Restaurant in Katy. Cost is $25/person. To make your reservation send your check to our Treasurer, Tony Darrow before the deadline of November 29.

Our Treasurer was kept busy accepting checks and cash for the Christmas Luncheon and the 50/50. Dale Wilpers was the lucky winner and took home $40. Tony says our finances are in good shape. Ben gave the membership update that included a “new” Packard now on our list that belongs to John Dalton. His 1932 coupe convertible is now undergoing a complete restoration. Ben also reminded everyone that we have not collected dues for the past two years, but will start collecting $10 dues again in 2022.

Jan reported the November birthdays, and we recognized Tony and Dale as they were the only members present with a November birthday.

Rena then reported on our upcoming 2022 scheduled meetings and reminder that – WE WILL HAVE THE TEXAS PACKARD MEET IN SALADO MARCH 31 – APRIL 3, 2022!! Tommy has been working on Salado for the past three years and the last two years it was canceled. He is busy getting everything set up for 2022. Everyone should first make their Holiday Inn Express reservation as soon as possible. The hotel rates have not increased and are the same as two years ago. You can complete the Salado Registration form and send to Rena Sartin with your check. She has already received three registrations. Since time flies by so fast, it will be time for TPM before we know it. So don’t delay! You will find the registration form and much more information you will need on the TPM website. One thing is the car classification system being used next year to help you fill in your form.

Jack Sartin gave an interesting program on Tire Safety Tips. Your tires may look good, but not be good! See his presentation handout in the November issue of the Owners Manual.

As the Supinas were to host the November meeting, but were not able to attend, others pitched in to make this meeting successful. Thank you goes out to Patricia and Ron Orr for making arrangements with the Ole Railroad Café owner and had the room set up and ready when we arrived. Also, to Ben for arriving early in the morning to reserve parking spaces in front of the restaurant/Vogelsang building with his orange cones and Reserved for LSP Packard Signs, and to Ron for helping with parking.

We were disappointed that the Editor of The Ft. Bend Herald did not show up. Ben visited Scott Monday morning and gave him Saturday pictures/information and he will publish our story in the newspaper. We will have copies of the newspaper at the December luncheon.

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving and hope to see you at the Christmas Luncheon.

Lone Star Packards October 16, 2021 Report - from Tommy Baccaro, Region Acting Director  

On October 16th, the Lone Star Region had its regular monthly meeting. Approximately 30 members enjoyed great BBQ as well as fellowship in the private room of Rudy's BBQ and Country Store on the Gulf Freeway in Webster. We had our traditional opening ceremony involving a prayer as well as the pledge of allegiance to our flag.

I began the meeting by sharing the results of a phone call I received just before leaving for the meeting. A lady in the Port Neches area called regarding problems she was having getting the Ultramatic fixed in her late husband's '50 Custom. She had called a month or so ago and asked if I could help her find someone to fix it as the locals did not want to try. I gave her a recommendation after asking club members for suggestions. It is not working out and she wanted to know if someone would go over there on her behalf and check it out. Ben volunteered as it is close to his home, plus the establishment has done work for him and he was pleased. I think she would like to sell once she has it fixed. I texted her that Ben was going to check it out and she was very happy.

We began our committee reports and I reported for Tony regarding our balance. Tony also asked that you either begin sending him the money for the Christmas party meal or bring it to the next meeting. Ben reported that he is in contact with a prospective new member in Huntsville that has a '37 Packard but not sure of the series. It just occurred to me that the late former member, Bob Knight had a mostly restored '37 120 convertible and a project '47 Clipper. Since it is Huntsville where Bob lived, it could very well be the same car. Thanks to our friends in the heart of Texas Region for giving us the lead. Chris reported the next meeting will be in Rosenberg at the Ole' Railroad Cafe. I think the meeting will be on the 13th. We moved it up to get it away from Thanksgiving plans. Jan gave a report on birthdays and both JC and Anthony were present so we had them stand for a picture and we sang Happy Birthday. Jan then gave a report on the Christmas luncheon which will on Sunday, 12/5 at Babin’s Seafood in Katy. Please get your money in to Tony.

I think the Astro game kept our attendance down a little but we still had 4 really nice cars present. Chris brought our family's '48 “sedan for seven" and Anthony, Carol and I brought the '47 Custom. In addition, Stephen brought his 1949 Deluxe Super 8 all the way from Spring. We were also lucky to once again get to see the beautiful 1950 2 tone blue Studebaker belonging to Glen. Glen's two Packards went to someone in Livingston so we will follow up on that lead.

Following the business meeting, I gave a short talk on how I renewed the wood grain on the dashboards, window frames, etc. on our '47 and '48 Packards. Details are found in this October issue of the Owner's Manual, which is distributed by email and is archived on the Lone Star Packards website.

Please do your best to bring a Packard to the Rosenberg meeting. The owner of the cafe always blocks off about 10 spaces in front of the cafe and we usually have pictures and a story on the front page of the Rosenberg newspaper. We know that the Supinas have spoken to the newspaper reporter already.

Lone Star Packards September, 2021 Report - from Tommy Baccaro, Region Acting Director  

Happy Days (Packard driving days) are about to be here again. I heard last night and this morning that within a few days there will be a cold front hitting the Bayou City area. To natives, that means temps in the 80's or below. Looking forward to driving ours and seeing more Packards at LSP functions. Get them polished up and running. I want to thank the AACA Gulf Coast region for inviting us to participate in their hot dog and ice cream social this last Saturday in Tomball. Unfortunately, we needed to stay in League City as I needed to work on finding an electrical issue with our '55. I spent most of the day to no avail. I am sure the picnic was a lot of fun. I have encouraged our members to join the National as it is a requirement of all Regions. Even if it wasn't, there are so many advantages that make it worthwhile. Did you know if someone sued us saying they were injured or suffered a loss due to someone participating in one of our activities, the PAC's liability insurance would help us?

Just last week I learned an important tech tip from a PAC member in Ohio. When I removed the radiator, water pump, and water distribution tube in the block of our '47, I had a really hard time getting the air out of the system when we put it back together. Several times I got a steamy radiator spewing out of the cap. The tech tip was this, " before filling the system remove the temperature sending unit from the back of the block. Clean it and wrap the threads with Teflon tape. Begin filling the cooling system, but do not re-install the sending unit until you see the colored coolant coming out of the hole. This insures you got all of the air out of the system." I would have paid double the dues to get that tip when I was having that overheating issue.

I continue to have increased concerns regarding future meetings as well as Salado because of Covid. Hopefully, we have reached the peak. We have not published the TPM registration information yet. I will try to finalize the banquet arrangements in the next few days and then share it with Rena and Jan. Hopefully, we will have it on our website as well as the Texas Packard Meet site soon.

John Lortz attended the Barret / Jackson auction this past weekend at the NRG, He said a really nice 1950 Custom Victoria convertible was sold to someone in Houston. Was it one of our members? If not, we need to see if we can sign them up.

Please make plans to join us at Rudy's Country Store and BBQ in Webster on Saturday, October 16 at 1 PM. We will start asking for your RSVP after the first. When we do, please tell us if you are going to try to bring a Packard or even one of your other classics if needed. If we know about the cars, we will try to reserve some spaces for them.

Report on the August 21, 2021 Meeting of Lone Star Packards - from Tommy Baccaro, Region Acting Director  

On Saturday, August 21st, we had our monthly LSP meeting. The site was the private room at Spring Creek BBQ in Humble. Despite the blistering heat, we had 33 members present. A big thanks to Tony and Shirley for finding the site and making all the arrangements. The room was nice and clean and there was room for all. The food was excellent and we will have to remember it the next time we rotate to that area.

A big thanks to Pam and Leon for bringing their gorgeous 1941 120 4 door convertible. John also brought the shiny red 1953 convertible with the top down. Kevin and family brought their newly acquired elegant 1956 Patrician. One of the advantages of moving our meetings around is you get to see different cars. This time all three cars that braved the heat were located close to the meeting site.

 In June, we met about 60 miles away in League City on a day almost as hot. Three of the 5 classics present lived close to that site. We brought our '48 and '55 that day. (In the LSP website Activities Schedule you will find events going through April of 2022.) We have a lot of great things planned but we cannot overlook the resurgence of the virus, especially with the new strain. That does cast a shadow over our plans and I urge you to consider the safety of you and your loved ones as you consider attending some of the events. As in the past, if things are really bad I will discuss it with our club leaders and if necessary, cancel meetings. Most of us have had the two doses of vaccine, but most of us are also in the most vulnerable group. They are now recommending a booster shot for those 65 and older. All of our family is vaccinated except for the 7-year-old granddaughter and I worry for her. At first, we were told that age group was the least vulnerable but Texas Children's Hospital now has many cases. Without getting into politics, the situation at the border makes the Houston area particularly vulnerable as it is the destination of choice for many of those folks and most are not vaccinated. I hope not but if the situation continues to worsen, we will revert back to "zoom " meetings. Even Salado may be threatened. Pray for Covid to subside.

If you have news or pictures, you think the group would be interested in, please send that material to Jan. Ideally an editor is just that, they edit by putting everything together. It is a much harder job when you have to do all the research and write it without the submissions from members. Not only do we have one of the best newsletters, we have one of the best websites in the PAC.

We have several new cars in our region, as well as new members. Please send a picture to Doug so he can include it in the Members Cars section of the LSP website. Also, if you would like your car to be considered for the star Featured Member Car, please write a story about it and get some nice pictures and send them to Doug. It might just be your star car.

Report on the July 24, 2021 Meeting of Lone Star Packards - from Tommy Baccaro, Region Acting Director  

Report on the June 26, 2021 Meeting of Lone Star Packards - from Tommy Baccaro, Region Acting Director  

On Saturday, June 26th, 38 members of LSP got to visit a large personal collection near our home in League City. I have wanted to get our group in to see this collection for several years and I think everyone enjoyed seeing the very eclectic collection of classic and military vehicles. A big thanks to Dan Becker for getting the ball rolling for a visit to this collection. Unfortunately, with the 95-degree temperature most of our 38 participants came without their Packards. Carol rode with Chris and his family who brought the family's 1948 "sedan for seven" and Anthony and I brought the 1955 Custom Clipper. (It should be noted that we only live a couple of blocks from the site or we may have come in an air-conditioned SUV ourselves.) In addition, a couple of members brought a non-Packard classic from their stable. New member, Glen Grace brought a really nice 1950 Studebaker and Tom Drisdale brought a sharp Cadillac Allante convertible. I assured them their brand x's were always welcome as long as they get to the meeting. We were also happy to see some of our good friends from the Gulf Coast Region of the AACA. I think we have about six families that are also members of that group including all the Baccaros. I remain very proud of our region as it continues to grow even during a pandemic.

This was the first meeting for Glen Grace and he brought his son Mark and his friend Mary Krill-Erickson. Bill and Diana Osborne traveled from College Station to make their first LSP meeting. Following Siri/GPS took them 2.5 hours to arrive as GPS took them to Sugar Land. (We have all had our problems with GPS!) They toured the collection and the AACA group wanted them to go to lunch at Joe’s BBQ, but Bill said “no, we gotta meet our new Packard friends!” They have a collection of over 20 cars and recently added a '51 Packard convertible to that collection. We are looking forward to seeing it.

We had other guests who came out to see the collection. We enjoyed having Jay Matthews bring his neighbor Tony Stewart who helps Jay with his Stanley Steamer, and the Sartins brought friends Rick & Nancy Mock who expressed interest in joining our club.

Following the tour, we traveled a short distance to Luna's Mexican Restaurant on South Shore Blvd. Luna's is a restaurant our family frequents often but they obviously do better service with individual families rather than large groups. The food did come out in a timely manner but distribution of the plates could have been better. And the billing was confusing, causing a wait for some. Our club has grown and that is a great thing, but it is getting harder and harder to find a place to accommodate us. This time it was further complicated because I made the decision Tuesday that there might be too big a crowd to eat in Alvin with the AACA group so it was short notice, but Luna's was available. When I called, they wanted to set up a buffet at $18/per with a minimum of 40. Finally, they agreed to reserve the room with everyone ordering and paying their own ticket. My first choice was Spring Creek BBQ, but their room was already reserved. There were a couple of other options, but their rules of a private room were inconvenient. Anyway, my late decision limited our options and I accept that responsibility. On a good note, we had the 50/50 drawing and Bob Ess was happy as he won, resulting in a jackpot of over $50.

For up-coming events Jack & Rena Sartin have volunteered to have us back in their air-conditioned car barn for a July get together. More information will be available as plans are formulated. If anyone has an idea for August or would like to host an August event, please let us know. We would appreciate an air-conditioned facility!!

Bob Supina sent me a note regarding a fall or early winter meeting. They have a friend who is the editor of the Ft Bend Herald in Rosenberg who would like to do a story about our club. The gentleman suggested we make another visit to historic downtown Rosenberg and he could tie his story to that visit. Bob explained to him that in our southeast Texas heat the number of Packards in attendance drops significantly in the summer. I asked Bob to relay to the fellow that we would love to come back maybe in October or November.

As I mentioned in a previous note, our family visited Salado recently and we have begun working on the 2022 Texas Packard Meet. I must confess that all this talk about the recently discovered "Delta Variant" of the virus is beginning to make me nervous regarding the planning. Keep your fingers crossed and stay safe!

Every year the National judges the various regional newsletters. Jan and Ben put together a packet of our last year's OWNERS MANUALS to send in for the competition. I know they will do well.

Please remember in your prayers the several in our group that are facing significant health challenges.

I am sure you have heard someone say, "that was worth waiting for". Well, that can be truly said about our LSP meeting held on the 15th at the Dalton's ranch outside of Cleveland. Because of the distance for many of us, the meeting was originally scheduled for late winter or early spring in order for more of us to drive our Packards. However, it had to be postponed 3 or 4 times due to Covid concerns. This was our first face-to-face meeting in over a year and over 40 people and 5 Packards (counting the Dalton's car) showed up. Those of us who came from the south had a real obstacle course due to TX Dot closing Highway 59.

Mary Ann and John were wonderful and gracious hosts as they treated us to a great Mexican buffet in the beautiful facility they built to house their collection. The location was spectacular with their home and car facility in a clearing behind a lake in the thick Texas "Piney Woods". The Dalton’s presented each family a commemorative linen dish towel featuring historic points along Route 66. This was a great souvenir for our first "in person" get together. Again, it was a meeting worth waiting for! Thank you, Mary Ann and John.

The Dalton collection features Willys, Packard, Hudson, Chrysler, Terraplane etc. There are more Willys than any other make, and I think they must be among the top collectors of that brand. When I think of Willys, I think of WW2 Jeeps and the Willys sedans and hardtops produced by Kaiser. This collection includes some really classic Willys models from the company's early days.

Jan made me aware that our meeting coincided with Armed Services Day. We recognized our members that are veterans and recited the pledge of allegiance in their honor.

We picked up two new families at this meeting. Kevin and Shellie Lortz and son Tommy have recently purchased Ron and Juanita Jordan’s ‘56 Packard Patrician and they joined our club at the meeting. They have not taken possession of the Patrician yet but hope to have it at a meeting soon. Carlos and Mary Ann Dos Santos are friends of the Lortz's and the Jordans and they have a 1940 Packard convertible. Carlos called me earlier in the week and I referred him to someone who could help him with his Packard. We look forward to seeing them at future meetings. We were also happy to see Jill Burtchaell and Ginny LaGroue. They have been members for a while, but this was their first LSP meeting with their really nice '58 Packard Hawk. Stephen and Lyn Morris have also been members a while and this was their first LSP meeting arriving in style with their 1950 Custom.

A return to normal with an in person meeting also meant a return to our monthly 50/50 activity. This month Karen & Rich Trokey got to split the $86 proceeds with the LSP treasury.

John Eanes also showed some pictures of his new 1940 convertible. We look forward to seeing it.

We have several members who could use some prayer warriors due to serious health challenges. Please include Vivian Lortz, Judy Anderson, and Jamie Roberts in your prayers.

Though it seems like forever "ago", we went west for about 3 of our last in person meetings and we went pretty far north for this one. Therefore, we have tentative plans to go south next month to League City. Evelyn Timmins and Dan Becker are working on a joint visit of AACA and LSP clubs to a large private collection in League City. Details as to exact date, etc. are being worked out. Since we are members of AACA, we visited the collection with that group 5 or 6 years ago and I have wanted to get LSP in since then. As details emerge, we will keep you posted.

On Saturday, April 17, LSP had its 3rd and maybe last for a while ‘zoom' meeting. There were 25 participants counting spouses and children. In addition to a regular business agenda, we had a special guest speaker. Craig Handley, our PAC National Director, agreed to visit our meeting. Craig had a very interesting career mainly making training films etc. for Chrysler and then General Motors with a little of Ford thrown in. He founded his own film production company and not long ago retired when his partner bought him out. He has been a member of the Packard Club for 23 years and currently serves as its leader. Craig reported that our membership is up about 5% and the number of patrons has also risen. The next national will be in northern Virginia with many activities planned around Washington DC. The 2023 national meet will be in California which will be appropriate because the national was founded there and it will be 70 years old that year. Craig also related that in the future the national officers and trustees will pick the site of coming national meets and make necessary arrangements with the assistance of the nearest region. This will make it much easier on the local region not having to do everything like we did in 1984 and 1998. Craig also answered some questions regarding judging and roster keeping by the national club. We are most appreciative that he took the time to be with us.

I was also pleased to have Heart of Texas Director David Miller and his wife Princess join our group. Like us and most of the other regions, they have been in hibernation but recently had a get together and are hoping to have more in the near future. As you may recall, our January meeting was supposed to have taken place at the Dalton's ranch in Cleveland on our regular weekend but it was postponed due to Covid concerns. It was again postponed in February, March and April. it was decided we would go for it in May. The Daltons are going to have our lunch catered so when we ask for the RSVP, please give it to us as soon as possible as they need a good count for the caterer. The meeting will be the 3rd Saturday in May. We will meet at 11. John said there is plenty of room for trailers if someone wants to tow their car. If enough of us bring a Packard, John will arrange for the local Constable to lead us on a tour through the winding east Texas piney woods following lunch and the meeting.

Chris and I shared that Dan Becker is working on getting us in to see a large private collection in League City. I have mentioned it before as we went there with our AACA group and I have always wanted to take LSP. We just have never been able to work out details but Dan thinks since the owner has retired there is a better chance now. It is actually less than a mile from our house. However, if it does not happen, we have a backup plan for a fun activity in the same area. This will be an opportunity for members in Orange, Friendswood, Santa Fe, League City, and Clear Lake to shine and show their Packards relatively close to home.

Our last Christmas lunch was held at the South Shore Harbor Resort here in League City. We canceled the 2020 event due to Covid. The next one was supposed to be on the opposite side of town and Midway BBQ in Katy was selected. Unfortunately, Midway suffered a serious fire recently and will not re-open in time for the 2021 Christmas Holiday party. Please have your suggestions for a Christmas venue ready at the next meeting.

On Saturday, March 20 we had our second "Zoom" meeting. While these are not as much fun as our in-person meetings, they do give us a chance to actually safely see and talk to each other, bring us up to date on how our friends are doing during the pandemic meet new members, and check on the progress of some of the more than 80 Packards in our region.

The biggest news coming from this month's meeting is the group decision to continue to be cautious and have the April meeting on Zoom. We will watch the news on the several flu variants that have appeared before we make a final decision about May. It is hoped that we can accept the Daltons' invitation to meet at their ranch in Cleveland to see their collection on Saturday, May 15. John said if enough members bring a Packard, he will arrange with the area Constable to lead us in a parade through the scenic woods in the area. When we finally meet there, please bring a Packard if you can.

I offered up several names for a guest speaker at our April meeting and the members present asked me to contact National Director, Craig Handley. I did reach out to Craig and he replied that he would be happy to attend the meeting by Zoom and speak to us.

We reminded members that just because we canceled the 2021 Texas Packard Meet, it does not mean your hotel reservations were canceled. You need to call the Holiday Inn Express personally to cancel your room reservation or you will be charged for at least one night. We also announced that the biggest Texas Packard Meet ever will be April 1 -3, 2022 in Salado. Most of us come on Thursday the 31st to be ready for the "early bird tour" on Friday morning. Ben announced that Keels and Wheels is still on for the first weekend in May and the deadline for registrants was today, the 20th. He also shared that you could do it all on line and he would be happy to share the link. Jack reminded everyone that the annual Second Baptist West Campus Car show will be held next Saturday, March 27 from 10 to 12. This is basically a "show and shine" event with no registration. It typically has more than 100 cars on display. It is outside so it should be safe and there will be food and drinks for sale.

I asked members to send pictures and stories to Jan for the newsletter and also to Doug for the website. Jan said she would send Doug's contact info to each of the new members. Once they send a picture or a write-up, he can post it on the Member's Car section and/or the Packard "Featured Member Car" page.

Tony reported we have not spent any money since last month and we have been reimbursed the Salado refunds.Ben reported we currently have 55 member families, and Jan read the list of March birthdays.

We had 15 families represented this time and our last item of business was a round table. Since the screen looked like Hollywood Squares, we went left to right and asked each family to tell what they had been up to and inquired if they had any Packard stories to relate. That was fun.

Since we had a smaller number for our meeting, some suggested that maybe we need to publicize it closer to he time of the meeting. I feel as though I have sent out more LSP emails since the Covid 19 has kept us home and hope that our members computers will not start treating us as spam. I think there may have been just one reminder this time, therefore I'll try to get an email out loser to the meeting date. Zoom is a great way to have a meeting. There is nothing to download on your computer. Just click the link, join the meeting, and see our friends.

Get your Packard road worthy for the trip to Cleveland in May Hopefully we will be able to make it a date.

Mark this day in history, your director with the able assistance of his wife and family, was able to conduct an LSP meeting on "Zoom". All together we had 19 families represented making a total of around 26 people. Participants included new members Jill Burtchaell who lives close to lake Livingston and Tony Sakkis who lives in Richmond. Since we have been unable to meet our new members, Zoom was a perfect way to put a face on a name. Hopefully we can meet the other four new members on our next Zoom and perhaps in person in April or May (depending on the Covid situation.)

During the meeting, we discussed members who have been ill in recent months. That included Dave Lucas who has been in the hospital for a couple of weeks with Covid. We also mentioned Jamie Roberts who has been in the hospital a couple of weeks but is back home as of last night. After he rests a little, he will resume his cancer treatments. Vivian Lortz has been fighting pneumonia off and on since the summer. John said he is making her return to the doctor soon. We also learned that Keels and Wheels founder and chairman Bob Fuller has been in the hospital and had heart surgery while there. Please say a prayer for these members to have a quick and complete recovery.

If you are comfortable going out, there are several car related activities coming up. Jay mentioned the big car show that Bellville has each year around their square. Rena and Jack told us about the annual show that Second Baptist church sponsors each year. Covid precautions will be followedcarefully. Evelyn mentioned a car show in Tomball,which is coming up.

Tony reported we are solvent and have not spent any club funds in roughly a year. He has made refunds to all our members who had paid their registration fee for Salado. Rena gave Texas Packard Meet treasurer, Beverly Teel, an accounting of all funds collected for the state meet. We will get a refund to our treasury since we refunded the six families in our region who had registered. Ben gave the membership report and we have 55 families and102 cars.

Doug would be happy to get pictures for the web page of new cars in our region as well as stories for the feature car section.

Thanks to all who participated in our February meeting. It was good to see faces that we've not seen in a while and hear from those who did not have video working! We will set a date and time for the March meeting and let you know. Hopefully, even more can participate. It is fairly easy to just click the link if your computer or cell phone is co-operative.