CLC September 2010 President's Message

Thanks to you, the Club membership, and the board of directors for having the confidence in me to lead the Club for the next two years. I am excited to take over for Glenn and wish to thank him for his superb leadership the last four years.

I just returned from the 2010 Grand National meet in Kansas City and what a great event it was! I have attended Grand Nationals since my first o ne in 1991 in Cincinnati and have enjoyed every single one. I hope every member will make the effort to attend one; you won't be disappointed. Many thanks to the Missouri Valley Region for a fine event.

On my 11-hour drive home from Kansas City, I had the time to reflect on why the Club means a lot to me. The purchase of my 1966 Deville Convertible is why I joined the Club 19 years ago. Since then, I have come to appreciate all the cars that Cadillac and LaSalle have made and continue to make.

The Club members I've met and become good friends with are a perk I never expected back then. Our Club has so many opportunities to forge lifelong friendships with people of similar interests through our Regional, Chapter and National events. I am grateful to be part of such a great organization!

I am most excited about our sister organization, the Cadillac-LaSalle Club Museum and Research Center, of which all of us are members due to our CLC membership. As you know, the CLCMRC board of directors has picked the Gilmore Museum complex in Hickory Corners, Mich., for the site of our permanent museum. We have a current display in its carriage house.

The board picked an architectural design at its recent meeting at the Grand National, which will be presented to the Gilmore board in late August. A $2 million fundraising campaign was announced at the Grand National Awards Banquet. $1 million is needed to erect the first phase of our building and $1 million is for the endowment to maintain the museum.

We will all hear more about this campaign in the near future. A permanent museum for a great Club and marque will soon be a reality! Please plan to attend our inaugural event at Gilmore Sept. 5. I will be there and look forward to seeing everyone.

By the time this issue reaches your hands, the 2010 National Driving Tour hosted by the Pacific Northwest Region will be history and the CLC Grand European will just about be complete. No matter where you live, and whether your interest is in viewing or driving your cars, CLC activities are abundant. Join a Region or Chapter(s) if you haven't and there will be no turning back.

I have asked Glenn to keep us up to date on his Brougham and he has made hints that it may appear at next year's Grand National in Columbus, Ohio! I don't have any current projects, having just finished the 1972 Eldorado convertible I brought to this year's Grand National. My stable of cars always has needs to be attended to, so I doubt I will be bored anytime soon.

See you down the road!

-Lars