FEBRUARY 2020 TUMBLEWEED CLUB OF NEW MEXICO

RG #79, EARLY FORD V-8 CLUB OF AMERICA, PO BOX 21538, ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87154-1538

MEETS FIRST TUESDAY OF THE MONTH, 7:00 P.M., OLD CAR GARAGE, 3232 GIRARD BLVD NE

TIMES

PLEASE NOTE: All meetings include Show & Tell. Members are encouraged to bring items to share.

NEXT MEETING: Next meeting is Tuesday, February 4, 2020 at 7pm. Program – 100 Years of the NFL and The Super Bowl by Demetrio Lee, Refreshments by Clement’s and Bost’s.

NEXT BOARD MEETING: Tuesday, February 18th, 7pm at Jay’s garage.

BREAKFAST GROUP: Saturday, February 15th, 8:30am at the Mustang Café, 8601 Lomas Blvd NE – at Rich Ford.

CLUB WEBSITE: Be sure to check out our website at www.abqfordflatheadv8.com Updated “current Information and calendar” is on the current information page. More club pictures are on the website.

FORD V8 FOUNDATION WEBSITE: Another interesting website to check out is www.fordv8foundation.org

EARLY FORD V8 CLUB OF AMERICA WEBSITE: www.earlyfordv8.org

FEBRUARY BREAKFAST

Breakfast this month will be held Saturday, February 15th, 8:30 am at one of Joe’s favorite breakfast spots, the Mustang Café at Rich Ford, 8601 Lomas Blvd NE. Please join us for good food and good conversation. After breakfast, you can check out the new Fords. See you there!

February Meeting Program by Demetrio Lee

I will be speaking on The Evolution of the NFL, celebrating 100 years. I will be participating in the halftime show for the Super Bowl. Come on and learn some interesting facts about the game as well as see some awesome pictures.

Membership Renewal Reminder

Demetrio Lee

Please note that your membership renewal dues of $25 are now due and payable. You can send a check to the club’s address which is in the newsletter heading or you may pay at the February 4th meeting. If there is any change to the information printed about you in the roster, please let Beth know, as a new roster will be coming out as soon as renewals are completed.

President’s Message for February 2019

Joe Abbin

One of my favorite times of the year is right now. Last week the auctions in Scottsdale were in full swing and I went to the Barrett-Jackson and the Leake auctions. My how things have changed since I first started going about 30 years ago. Who would have thought trucks and SUVs would be hot items! 1970’s Ford and Chevy pickups going for $80-100,000. A late 90s, low mileage Jeep Grand Cherokee went for $110,000! Vehicles I never even thought about. One vehicle that I did think about but never dreamed would fetch $3.47M was the Bullitt Mustang. It was the star car in the 1971 movie “Bullitt” with Steve McQueen that made an impression on me. That was almost 50 years ago. Time flies as they say and the auctions prove it. Last year only 10% of the cars being auctioned were older than 1960 and 10% of the cars were newer than 2000. Wow! The overall sales were down a little this year I understand, but I would say the market is still strong. I will have some pictures to share if I can figure out how to download my smarty pants phone. I am a victim of progress!

(See Joe’s pictures later in this newsletter.)

Minutes of the January 7th 2020 Meeting

Beth Jackson, Secretary

The meeting was called to order by President Joe Abbin. There were 26 present including 3 Chevy Club members and 4 guests. Guests Gus and Debbie Van de Velde joined at the end of the meeting – welcome to them. Also attending was Cary, Roger Wilbur’s nephew, and Mike Goodrich.

The November minutes were approved as printed in the December newsletter. There was no Treasurer’s report.

Joyce reported that there has yet to be a New Mexico Council of Car Clubs meeting this year but dates are set for the yearly events. The May 17th Museum Car Show will feature pre WWII cars. Philip Lovato will be holding another Feed NM Kids event on March 7th at his 4th street garage. (Delayed to March 21st)

The Supernationals is being held on January 24, 25 and 26th at Expo NM. 6 members indicated that they have entered.

Beth announced that it is time to renew your membership - $25. She will accept the money and forms for the treasurer.

Ads and the refreshment list for the year were circulated. Thanks to Joe Abbin for providing the delicious refreshments this evening, left from his New Year’s Day Party. Joe handed around lots of calendars, Bio Park and Museum information.

Max noted that the White Sands National Monument is now White Sands National Park and would be a good destination for a tour.

Possible programs mentioned for this coming year were; Manuals and information on cars, Frank Corey donated some for our raffle; and Dave Straub, a world class modeler, volunteered to give a talk on history; and Ford tractors.

The breakfast this month will be January 18th, 8:30am at Monica’s El Portal on Rio Grande Blvd. Joe suggested going to the Mustang Café at Rich Ford on Saturday, February 15th.

Refreshments were enjoyed and then a good raffle was held. The favorite prize was a model donated from Art Leupold’s collection. There will be one a month for several months.

Joe Abbin entertained the club with his talk on distributors, with several models on hand for demonstration purposes. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, Joe.

MEMBER OF THE MONTH

Gus Van De Verde

Gus and Debbie

Do you know anyone who was a row crop farmer in California, served in Iraq, has seen the world, drives vintage cars, and can trace the ownership of a 1944 truck directly to his grandfather? Yes, you do. While the history lesson is interesting enough, owning a government approved family pass-down war era 1944 truck is amazing!

Gus Van De Verde was born in Oregon, because that’s where his father was going to college. But his high school years were near Anaheim, California in the mid 1960’s where the cool cars were and still are. What a great place to be in the 1960’s - listening to pop music and being surrounded by cool cars.

After high school Gus attended Cal-Poly in San Luis Obispo, California. For those who haven’t been there, San Luis Obispo is a beautiful place on the famous Highway 101 near the Pacific Ocean. I know there is a good college there if you are dedicated and can tear yourself from the beach enough to attend classes. Gus’s family had farms near Anaheim and in Tulare county (north of Bakersfield) California. He chose to go to the farm in Tulare - apparently liking the hot desert area.

After row crop farming in Tulare, Gus joined the Navy. The Navy had him tour the world including Thailand, Iraq, as well as the East and West Coasts of the US. After doing his service duty Gus went back to the family farm in Tulare. He also worked jobs outside of farming and is an excellent dc voltage Tig welder, working mainly with stainless steel.
Gus has always been a car guy and has a 912 Porsche and several vintage VW’s. He married his lovely wife Debbie in 2005 (“No Gus, 2004”, she calls from the other room, correcting him on his error).

When the family sold the family farm, Debbie and Gus needed to find a place to live so they took a road trip. They drove here and there and decided to settle here- that is Corrales, in 2016. While Gus has a collection of tractors, he longed to get his grandfather’s truck running. January of 2020 he attended a Tumbleweed V8 meeting and immediately joined. He credits a discussion of distributors by Joe Abbin as being the spark to get back to work on the truck. He went home and got the 1944 truck started for the first time in 16 years. He was having difficulty with the brakes but ran into Bob Agnew at the Super Nationals and got advice which helped him with the brake issues. He says the knowledge within the club and the willingness of people to help is “amazing”.

Gus’s truck has only 15,000 miles and the original Goodyear tires are in his garage! He noted his wife Debbie was dubious of touring the country in a vintage vehicle. But, she discovered that even when they have an issue there are always nice folks around who help them get going again. He and Debbie are interested in touring. Debbie is now a car buff also. Gus says he and Debbie also like the Tumbleweed Club because there are several women who attend meetings and breakfasts, in addition to the knowledge in the club. Welcome to our newest members, Gus and Debbie.

February Birthdays

Tom Patterson (5) Bob Quirici (5) Pat Bost (9)

Debbie Van de Velde (9) Chris Joiner (12) Richard Polk (28)

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Cowboy Caviar - Karen & Kenny Campbell

Mix together the dressing, set aside:

• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar or I use lime juice

• 1 teaspoon Salt or seasoning salt

• 1or more tsps. hot sauce, like Tabasco

• ½ tsp cumin

• 3 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

• 1/3 cup extra–virgin olive oil

Gently toss together:

• 1 cup fresh tomatoes chopped

• 1 cup or more up to a can of, black-eyed peas drained and rinsed

• 1 cup or more, black beans drained and rinsed

• 1 cup or more can super sweet corn, drained

• 1 small red onion diced

• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

• 1/2 cup diced red/ orange bell pepper

• 1 avocado chopped or sliced and added on top for garnish, after dipping in lemon juice, or use extra fresh cilantro for topping

Toss together dressing with salad, and scoop with corn chips for serving. Enjoy

1940: AN INTERESTING YEAR

1940 was a year to remember. The U.S. was beginning to pull out of the depression, and Europe was being overrun by the Nazis. The British were fighting back.

People here were attending movies, theaters and concerts in great numbers; boxing, baseball and tennis were very popular. If you had no money, listening to the radio kept you up-to-date and brought you music, mystery, comedy and drama. Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey provided romantic dance music; the Andrews Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald, the Ink Spots, Bob Wills, Bill Monroe, Jimmy Davis (You are My Sunshine), Kate Smith and “crooner” Bing Crosby sang their way into fame; Bing Crosby had the most “hits” of the year. Musical movies were very popular: “Broadway Melody of 1940” starred Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell and put “Begin the Beguine” on the Pop Charts. Who can forget the zany escapades of Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour traveling the “Road to Singapore.” The Marx Brothers, Mae West, W.C. Fields, Laurel and Hardy provided more laughs. Remember Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Audrey Hepburn, Rosalind Russell, Vivian Leigh, Shirley Temple, Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn and the other great actors and actresses of that year? “Rebecca,” directed by Alfred Hitchcock, won the Academy Award for Best Movie. Ginger Rogers was Best Actress for her role in “Kitty Foyle,” and Jimmy Stewart in “The Philadelphia Story” was Best Actor. Walt Disney’s animated “Fantasia” was still drawing audiences, and the song, “When You Wish Upon a Star” from his “Pinocchio” won an Academy Award.

On the sports front, Cincinnati edged out Detroit to win the World Series, 4 games to 3. Joe Louis, Billy Conn, Al Hostak, Henry Armstrong, Lew Jenkins and Joey Archibald were boxing champs in their respective classes. Don McNeill and Alice Marble were tennis champs. There was no “SuperBowl.”

The new Fords featured a new column shift, vent wings, small center disc wheels, a sway bar and no crank-out windshield; thus the windshield wipers moved to the cowl, providing easier access for service. These changes made for more passenger comfort and easier driving.

As to politics, FDR was running for his third term as President and was nicknamed “The Third Termite” by his opponents; he won anyway. Congress authorized the sale of surplus war materials to Great Britain for her defense; on June 3, 50 Navy destroyers were transferred to Britain. The first peace-time draft in the U.S. was started. For Famous Last Words: “I have said this before, but I shall say it again and again and again: You boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt on October 30, 1940.

Joyce Clements

2020 OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

President: Joe Abbin (roadrunnerengr@msn.com)

Vice-President: Jay Hertz (jdhhag1@comcast.net)

Secretary: Beth Jackson (jbjaxun@gmail.com)

Treasurer: George Abernathy (gabernathy@sunriseveterinary.com)

Director: R. Jeff Jackson (jbjaxun@gmail.com)

Director: Demetrio Lee (Dmost_1@yahoo.com)

Director: Roger Wilbur (rogerwilbur88@gmail.com)

Director: Chris Joiner (Amy2001tweety@hotmail.com)

Director: Larry Bost (LBost11@gmail.com)

Breakfast at Monica’s El Portal

Tumbleweed Early Ford V8 Club Calendar for 2020

February

Tuesday 4th Club Meeting 7pm Program – “The Super Bowl, Now and Then” by Demetrio Lee. Refreshments by Clements and Bost’s

Saturday 15th Breakfast 8:30am the Mustang Cafe

Tuesday 18th Board Meeting at Jay’s Garage 7pm

March

Tuesday 3rd Club Meeting 7pm Program – “Ford Performance Cars” by Jeff Jackson. Refreshments by Jacksons.

Saturday 21st Breakfast 8:30am

April

Tuesday 7th Club Meeting 7pm Refreshments by the Abernathy’s

Tuesday 9th Board Meeting 7pm at the Jackson’s

Saturday 18th Breakfast and Drive to Moriarity

Saturday ?? Spring Thaw-Old Car Garage

May

Tuesday 5th Club Meeting 7pm Refreshments by Don Gutierrez.

Saturday 16th Breakfast 8:30am

Sunday 17th Museum Car Show

Monday 25th Club Birthday Party at Los Ranchos

June

Tuesday 2nd Club Meeting 7pm Refreshments by Demetrio Lee and Bruce Miller.

?? Day trip to Acoma Sky City

Saturday 20th Breakfast

July

Tuesday 7th Club Meeting 7pm Refreshments by Glovers

Friday 4th Parade in Corrales and Hopefully Picnic at Azevedo’s

Saturday 18th Breakfast

August

Tuesday 4th Club Meeting 7pm Refreshments by Van de Velde’s

Sunday 9th All Clubs Picnic

Saturday 15th Breakfast

September

Tuesday 1st Club Meeting 7pm Refreshments by Joiner’s

Sunday 13th State Fair Car Show

Saturday 19th Breakfast

Sunday-Thursday 20-24 Western National Meet, Alamosa, CO

Friday-Sunday 25-27 Annual NMCCC Auto Swap Meet

October

Tuesday 6th Club Meeting 7pm Refreshments by Jay Hertz

?? Overnight Tour being planned

Saturday 17th Breakfast

November

Tuesday 3rd Club Meeting 7pm Officer Election Refreshments by Robert Napier

Saturday 21st Breakfast

December

Saturday 12th Club Christmas Party (tentatively pot luck)

Tuesday 8th (tentative Board meeting with new and old officers and directors to plan for 2021)

Saturday 19th Breakfast

Richard's '46 Pickup

Jay's '36 Cabriolet

Jeff's '32 Fordor Deluxe

Chris and his '35 Pickup

Philip's Rod

UPCOMING EVENTS

FEBRUARY

February 1 – 7th Annual Books Revisited Car Show – White Sands Mall, Alamogordo – $10.00 Registration, 8am-2pm – Hosted by Golden Gears Car Club – Call Jack (575)491-9804

February 8 – Dr George Car Show – Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Indian Wells, CA – Open to all – Jules Varga

(760)625-8191

February 8-9 – Tri-State Indoor Swap Meet – National Western Complex, Denver, CO – 8am-5pm Saturday, 8am-Noon Sunday – www.tristateswapmeet.com

February 9 – Rails, Roads and Ragtime – First Unitarian Church, 3701 Carlisle NE – Benefit concert for WHEELS Museum Silver Iris Private Rail Car – 3pm-5pm – Features World Champion piano player Adam Swanson – Tickets $20 in advance, $25 at door, (505)907-0505 or www.my505tickets.com – Sponsorships available, $1000 for 10 VIP tickets Leba Freed, (505)243-6269 or leba4@aol.com

February 14-16 – 12th Rockabilly Rod Reunion – Lake Havasu State Park, Lake Havasu, AZ – Kennie (928)846-0335

February 16 – Big Boys with Bad Rides Show – El Paso Co Coliseum, El Paso, TX – Open to all – (915)261-7017

February 27-29 – VMCCA National Membership Meeting & Awards Banquet – Las Vegas, NV – John Pendergast jpjmarketing@earthlink.net or John Munoz (702)429-6185

MARCH

March 5-7 – 5th Havasu Deuces Day – Rotary Park, Lake Havasu, AZ – Pre ’58 – Don Schultz (707)372-2843 or

www.havasudeuces.com

March 8 – Fords on Fourth – Fourth Ave between 6th & 9th Sts, Tucson, AZ – Open to Fords – Dave Carroll

(520)668-0402

March 14 – Rich Ford Car Show – Rich Ford, 8601 Lomas Blvd NE (corner of Lomas and Wyoming) – 9:30am-2:30pm – Free event, all makes, models, years welcome – Food, music, Big Foot – Enter at side entrance on Wyoming – Bruce Shaffer, Route 66 Car Show, bcougar67@msn.com, (505)301-8857

March 21 – Feed NM Kids Car Show – Philip & Sons Shop, 4101 4th St. NW, Albuquerque

EARLY FORD V8 TOURS

Go to Early Ford V-8 Web Site for More Information.

June 15-18, 2020 – Eastern National Meet – Morgantown, PA – www.NCR36.com for information.

September 20-24 – 2020 WESTERN NATIONAL MEET – ALAMOSA, COLORADO Sponsored by Hi-Country RG. Register by December 31 for $75, $100 till June 1, $125 after June 1, 2020. Deanie Kennedy (303)489-3944 or 2020EFV8MEET@ecentral.com. It’s only a bit over 200 miles from Albuquerque, and the drive is scenic. The Denver group always puts on a good tour, and Colorado weather is always interesting. Plan to go.

NEWSLETTER NOTE

Members are encouraged to submit articles, ads and photographs for inclusion in the newsletter. Please understand we have a volunteer Newsletter Editor so try and submit typed and proofed articles, comments, and new want ads (for sale items will continue to be updated at the meetings). The deadline for submissions is the 20th of the month. Beth Jackson, 505-908-7564, or email: JBJaxun@gmail.com

Think You Know Your Fords?

1. In 1952, what name was given to the Ford four-door station wagon?

2. What was the last year for the Lincoln Zephyr line?

3. When did Ford first introduce a 6-cylinder engine in a passenger car?

4. What post-war Ford model first offered a factory installed sun roof?

5. In what model did the Touch-O-Matic transmission first appear?

6. When was factory installed air conditioning first offered by Ford?

7. Only 205 Mercury Sportsman convertibles were built, but in what year?

8. What was the first year for fully concealed running boards on a Ford?

(Borrowed from Hawk Mt. RG - Penn.)

(Answers after the ads)

Joe’s Pictures from the Arizona Auctions