In June of 1963, CTCI members were invited by the Thunderbird Sports Car Club of Chicagoland to attend a celebration of Henry Ford’s 100th Anniversary in Dearborn, MI. In 1963 you could buy a soft top for $135 and a “cherry” T-Bird for $1,700! ![]() Thus, the EarlyBird began with CTCI dues of $5.00 per year and a cost of about $100 an issue to print. It was a combination of national CTCI news, and also served as the local BATOC chapter newsletter. 1 & 2 was more of a newsletter, being only 8 pages long, but was the beginning of a method for Classic Thunderbird enthusiasts from around the country to share their ideas and their love for their little beauties. Assisting as Directors were Ann Kvilhaug of Des Moines, WA, and Skip Riggs of Concord, CA. These early volunteers included Phyl Brantley of Dixon, IL, and Ruth Larsen of Wheaton, IL. A CTCI office was established in his Oakland, CA, home where in addition to Roger’s wife, Edna, several club volunteers offered to help keep up with the ever-increasing load of paper work. Roger had a type composition business working with local printers, so he was off to a good start. At this point in time BATOC’s “Birdland” Editor, Roger Neiss, decided to assume this responsibility on his own. ![]() BATOC called a special meeting, but after consideration turned down the idea. Responses poured in and the correspondence newsletter membership boomed.Īs the tasks became too large to handle, Vic approached the Bay Area Thunderbird Owners Club (BATOC which had organized in 1958) inquiring as to the possibility of their organization taking over this fledgling group. 1961), Vic then published an announcement of the founding of CTCI as a fledgling T-Bird Club. Already a subscriber to Ford Times Magazine (Oct. Vic referred to it at the time as a “shoestring organization” operating on a $1.00 donation from each correspondent. He began a correspondence newsletter in May 1961 which raised some interest in starting a club. His first action was to run a short classified ad in a magazine now called Car and Driver. ![]() Classic Thunderbird Club International’s Story, from the BeginningĪfter watching a discussion on the Today Show one morning in 1961 which called the two-seater “Personal Thunderbird” an “American Classic”, CTCI founder Vic Take developed a vision of an organization for fans of the little T-Bird.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |