President's Message

Greetings and Happy New Year!

The new year brings changes to the club’s Executive Board. Before I get to introductions, I will take a moment to express my sincere appreciation to Tim Costa and Tim Eisel for their hard work and dedication to the region as past President and Vice President. Now on to introductions. I am pleased to serve as your president for the next two years along with Steve Kinsley, Vice President; John Patterson, Executive Vice President; Ken Bullough, Secretary; and Drew Hollingsworth, Treasurer. Committee Chairs remain the same as last year, with a few exceptions. Tim Costa will be heading up Driver's Ed; Gina Gonzalez has taken over the most difficult position as Patter Editor; and Linda Toth, my wife and best friend, has taken over as Webmaster. I am very fortunate to have the pleasure of working with such an outstanding group of people. I appreciate their dedication of time to help guide your region.

I am encouraged by the fact that two of the board position vacancies have been filled by women. Diversity on the board will help us to view the club with a well-rounded perspective and plan events that reach a wider audience.

Several committee chair vacancies remain on the board. The most important to fill is the position of Autocross chair. We have leads on venues to run autocross events this year, but without someone to coordinate the effort, we will not have the staffing to follow up on those leads and run the events. This is a popular activity in the club, and I hope that someone steps up to the task. Several people who autocross have expressed to me the importance of running these events. I am hoping that the autocross community will get together and find a chair - or co-chairs - to help run a successful program. We need your commitment.

If you take some time to look at the list of Board members, you'll notice several people hold more than one position. This is partly a testament to their dedication and enthusiasm, but it is also an indication of a need for more people to participate in organizing activities and conducting the business of your region. Getting involved doesn't mean giving up all your spare time, just whatever fits your schedule. Every bit helps. We will have our first Board meeting, held at Harbor View in Baltimore, on January 23rd at 7:00 PM. Why not come out and see what it's all about? I'll sweeten the offer by letting you know that it's an informal atmosphere and pizza is provided. Details are available on the web site at pcachs.org or feel free to send an email message to me at president@pcachs.org.

If the After Holiday Party is an indication of the caliber of club events we have in store, then 2008 will be a very good year. Ellen Beck masterfully executed one of the best attended parties in years. Many thanks to Ellen for an enjoyable evening and a job well done! The Yankee Gift Swap was peppered with its usual greed-filled antics, while Manny Alban and Bob Gutjahr called the play-by-play. Also, congratulations to Ken Bullough on receiving the first annual Lynn Eckels Memorial Enthusiast of the Year Trophy presented by Scott Eckels. Everyone who knows Ken knows the level of enthusiasm he brings to club events.

I'll wrap up by mentioning some upcoming events. A New Member party is in the works for March 22 or 29. Also, we have a Driver's Ed event at VIR March 14-16 and a Chesapeake/Delaware DE event at the new Thunderbolt Raceway in Millville, NJ scheduled for sometime in September. As always, watch the web site for the latest news.

Andrew