Kudos All Around

Man, this year went quick! Between chairing the autocross series, acting as VP and Activities Director for the first half of the year and President for the second half, moving from Brookline (where I landed to attend grad school 4 years ago) to Melrose (the burbs), working full time, and attending more than a dozen driving schools, my year just evaporated. But hey, I had fun, made new friends, learned a lot, and accomplished a few things along the way. It has been a good year, and I hope it has been a great year for all our club members.

As we head into November and the frequency of Chapter events slows down, I'd like to take some space to thank the many people who volunteer their time and energy to make this all possible.

Many thanks to Luka and Alenka Serdar, Dennis Friedman, Steve Fitzgerald, Sue Rathbone, and Carlos Giron, who brought us an incredible and professionally run driving school and club race series. We are the only BMW CCA chapter that held driving schools at three tracks (count 'em) and in two countries in one year! Many thanks to the Jackson family, who brought us a great Ice Racing series, and a parcel of thanks to all the volunteers (John, Aimee, Martin, Phil, Justin, Eldon, and many more) that made the Autocross series a success!

Thanks to Ron Sisco and Dan Mull, who have brought us excellent event photos throughout the year, and to Dan Mull for Chairing three concours events this year. A big thanks to Maria Anggraeni, who has done an excellent job in her role as Activities Director this Summer and Fall.

I also want to thank all the people who coordinated and chaired our many social events and tech sessions - club members, board members, spouses, and vendors alike. There are too many to list, but every event was great! Many, many thanks go to Greg Scott and Suzin Koehler, who have turned the BIMMER into the award-winning publication that it is, and to Greg for his unending time and effort in creating, updating, and improving the Chapter website. The BIMMER and web site are among the very best in the BMW CCA, and they make me proud to be a Boston Chapter member.

A big thanks to all of the Board and Staff members, who spend many hours behind the scenes making sure the Chapter is healthy, happy, and growing. Do the Board a favor and thank them for their efforts by voting in the Chapter election. We like to feel that people really want us to do the jobs we have taken on, and your vote sends this message.

In addition to events and activities, many thanks to the folks who provide services for the club - our Regalia Coordinators Tammi Karsin and Victor Cruz, our librarian David Christman, our tech rep Jim Albright, and our current and past RI Reps, Bruce Machon and John Whetstone.

Take a few moments and thank the staff and event chairs for their efforts when you see them. A few words of appreciation go a long way in an all-volunteer organization! Last but not least, thanks to all of our members, without whom we wouldn't even have this great Chapter in the first place!

Finally, a bit of Chapter business. Did you know that we have a set of Chapter bylaws that govern how our Chapter is run? Yep, we do. Many bylaws have a Mission Statement, a paragraph or two that tells what the organization is all about, what it's vision and guiding principles for decision making are. I would like to see such a mission statement for our Chapter (we do not currently have one in the Bylaws), and think it would be great if the heart of that statement comes from our members.

So, I invite you to think about what the BMW CCA and the Boston Chapter mean to you, and how you would capture the essence of our mission in a few sentences. Please send me your thoughts, I will bring them to the Board as we work through the latest revision of the bylaws. I look forward to hearing from each of you.

As always, if you have questions, comments, or suggestions regarding the Boston Chapter or the BMW CCA, please feel free to contact me. Drive safe, enjoy your BMW, and have fun!

November/December 1999 BIMMER

Behind the Wheel: Kudos All Around by Fred Beck

Under the Hood: Aught Aught? by Greg Scott

Crushing The Cones: Autocross 7 runs at 110% efficiency! by Fred Beck and Justin Hughes

November/December 1999 New Members by Barry Tarr

Turns To Take: Watch The Sign by Maria Anggraeni

1999 Boston Chapter Concours: Fit To Be Tied by Dan Mull

1999 Boston Chapter Concours: Fit To Be Tied Photo Gallery by Dan Mull and Kathy Mull

Dinan Tech Session at BMW Gallery Norwood: Performance Without Sacrifice by John Sullivan

1999 New England Grand Prix Chapter Challenge: Four For Four by Fred Beck

BMW CCA 30th Anniversary Model Cars by Wynne Smith

2000 Boston Chapter Elections by Greg Scott

October 1999 Board Meeting Minutes: Special Voting Board Only Meeting by Will Farnsworth

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