2023 President Messages

JERSEY LATE GREATS, INC

PO BOX 1294 Highstown N.J.08520

 

Chevrolets 1958 to 1972 Chevrolets

     January 2023

President’s Message From Leigh

Happy New Year

I would like to wish all a Happy New Year in 2023.

A big thank you goes out to each member for bringing their favorite side dish to our Annual Christmas Party. As always, the food was great and the desserts were even better! I thank our secretary/chairwoman Maureen Humphreys who wowed the members as they walked into the meeting to beautifully decorated tables, coordinating the food menu, shopping and her part with cooking and baking. I would also thank Lydia Schmit for coordinating the Right/Left game, this is always a blast of fun.

This will be the last President message for me. It has been an honor to represent this club for the last three years. We came through the Pandemic while still staying together. I could not have done this by myself without the help from Tom Merring. He did a great job with Zoom during that time with keeping us all in touch. Speaking of Tom Merring, he will now be our new President for 2023. Ron McDermott is our new Vice President, Maureen Humphreys will remain as our Secretary, Warren Jablonski is our new Treasurer and Al Barnotas will remain as our Sergeant at Arms. Congratulation to all!

We are already starting to plan new and exciting events for 2023. One plan is to host the 2023 National Impala Convention in July, Maureen will be hosting our club picnic in May, the Smithville Village Car Show in June and a couple events in North Jersey. Keep your eyes open for more information in the next few months.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the next meeting. Have a great New Year.

“Life Is Good” Leigh

January 2023

President’s Message From Tom

Welcome to the Year 2023!

Hard to believe, but it’s here! We are looking forward to a great year for the club, with lots of activities with our cars. The National Impala Association has chosen to hold their 2023 convention here in New Jersey, and in addition that we will be planning trips throughout the year to cars shows, museums and other places of interests. In April we will be celebrating the club’s 41st Anniversary, hard to believe how much time has passed and all the great times we have enjoyed.

At our last meeting, we celebrated the Holidays in style! The event committee headed by Maureen Humphreys supported by Lydia Schmidt and Dawn Dennery did a FANTASTIC job decorating and managing the Food set up-Kudos to them all. Our Members enjoyed a feast fit for a King, what a nice event.

We held out annual elections, and I would like to welcome the new Board:

Al Bernotas / Sgt at Arms

Warren Jablonski / Treasurer

Maureen Humphreys/Dawn Dennery (alternate) Secretary,

Ron McDermott/Vice President

Tom Merring/President.

I would like to especially like thank the past 3 year’s board lead by Leigh Humphreys / President, Maureen / Secretary, Al Bernotas / Sgt at Arms and Mike Berry / Treasurer position. They lead us through a particularly challenging time-The Covid Years.

Just as a reminder- the new dues schedule requests that your $25 are due as of January 1st, please send the in on time, Thank You!

We are in the process of configuring the events Calendar for 2023, so please give it some thought and share your ideas with us. I have been a member of this club since its inception and I would like us to enjoy a Fun Filled year packed with enjoyable activities. That’s all for now….but more to follow 😉

Tom

February 2023

President’s Message

All I can say is hurry Spring! Please review the calendar included elsewhere in the newsletter and make plans now to join us for fun times. January’s meeting was very productive, planning the upcoming year’s events. We were light on members in attendance, but some excellent discussions took place.

Dawn Dennery has printed club informational flyers to be distributed at car events this year. We would like each member to have them when they attend a car function to talk up our club with others who share our interest. Looking back on the history of the club we have enjoyed a member roster of over 130 at certain times. It would be nice to see that again. There is survivability in numbers, so we are counting on our members to spread the word. I look forward to seeing new and old faces at the meetings, so please plan to join us.

February’s meeting will feature a mini parts swap meet and auto memorabilia session. Please bring items you may like to sell, or interesting publications related to the hobby you would like to share.

Currently being researched is the possibility of a club junkyard trip in March in the eastern Penn area. The NIA will be hosting its National Convention this year in our area. We look forward to participating with our Late Greats.

Please remember to send in your dues, we are now collecting them annually in the month of January. That’s all for now, see you at the meeting on February 12th at 3:00 in the afternoon at the Bordentown Community Center.

Keep ‘em rollin’
Tom

   

March 2023

   President’s Message

We are on the cusp of Spring, so hang in there and have your Chevys tuned up and ready to Roll!

At our February meeting there was a lot of discussion regarding upcoming club events. After that we had a small Club Parts Swap meet and Memorabilia Items out for display. There were some interesting parts for sale, Tony DiMarinis, Ron McDermott, Fran Pfeil and others brought out some of their best. The meeting was short, but Productive and it was great to see the folks in attendance.

The next meeting will be March 12 at the Bordentown Community Center-don’t forget to reset your clocks the night before! After that, we will finally be out on the road for April’s event, it will be at the Boyertown Transportation museum to be held on April 15 at 11 AM. After the Museum tour we will cruise slightly north to the Americana Diner on Rt. 100 for some late lunch and a short meeting. Hopefully (weather Permitting) this will be our first outing with our Chevys, so please plan on joining us.

On another note-I wanted to recognize our Newsletter Editor John Lucas for his diligence in putting out such a fine publication – Our JLG Newsletter! I would also like to thank Dawn Dennery for covering for John during his absence as he took care of some personal business last summer.

That’s all for now, look forward to seeing new faces at March’s meeting!

Keep ‘em rollin’
Tom

April 2023

President’s Message

Happy Spring to you!

Finally, we can dust off our cars and commence cruising! We had a good turnout for our March meeting with a lot of productive discussion. Thanks to those who joined in.

I would be remiss in my duties if I didn’t mention some special items. Thank you to Emil Philibosian for his generous donation to the club treasury. Additionally, I would like to recognize Dawn Dennery for printing our new club flyers, they look great! Our former president Leigh Humphries, has been managing our website for 23 years and the Facebook page for 13 years – a big thanks for that! These are the acts of dedication that perpetuate our club.

We look forward to our next gathering on April 15 at the Boyertown Transportation Museum, located in Boyertown PA. We will meet at 11am for a tour of the Museum, then off to a restoration shop suggested by Jim Krous. After that, we will travel a slight bit north to the Americana Diner for some lunch and a brief meeting. We encourage you to join us and hopefully you will be in your Chevy. This promises to be a fun-filled event. Details regarding this trip will be listed later in this newsletter.

On another note-it seems some of our members attended the Springtime Hamburg Pennsylvania event. Our own Treasurer, Warren “parts” Jablonski scored a homemade Late Great Dual Snorkel 4 Barrel Air Cleaner. While at the event, he spotted some other JLG members- Andy Evanoski, Ron Strisofsky, and Don Bock. That’s all for now

Keep ‘em Rollin!
Tom

 May 2023

     Missing Newsletter 

June 2023

President’s Message

 

Summer is on the way – hope your cruiser is up and running. Our Club rendezvoused at the Washington Lake Park this past Sunday the 21st to celebrate the 41st year of the Jersey Late Greats. What a fun time we had, many thanks to the Humphreys for reserving the pavilion at the park. In addition, I would like to thank the Thackeray’s for bringing and cooking all the meat for our club. They did an excellent job! There were 7 Late Great Chevys in attendance, and they really caught the attention of the other park goers. This is one of my favorite club events – the food was excellent, the weather cooperated, and everyone seemed to enjoy the day. We held our traditional meeting under the pavilion, working out some details for upcoming meetings and events. Our past president, Leigh Humphreys was awarded a club plaque for his Club Leadership through the past 3 Pandemic Years – congratulations to him for a job well done.

Our next meeting will be held in Smithville, NJ located in the Atlantic City area. Smithville is a quaint old town with restaurants and I believe even a winery. The Corvette Club is running this show. Many of us went last year and enjoyed the day. The meeting will be held on June 10. Further details are listed later in this newsletter edition. Hope to see you there!

Looking ahead to July, I am pleased to announce that the Dennery’s are holding their annual JLG Club picnic at their home on Saturday July 15. This is always a great club gathering, so please plan to attend. The Dennery’s home is in Gloucester City, NJ. Directions will be in July’s newsletter.


KEEP ‘EM ROLLIN’

 

Tom

July 2023

President’s Message

Welcome Summer – it seemed to be a long time coming but we are all glad it has arrived!

I would like to thank the Humphreys, the Thackerays, the McDermotts, Mike Berry and Joe Torrance for participating in the Smithville Car Show on June 10th. A very good time was had by all, and we won $100 for the Club Participation Award. Mike Berry took home a trophy for the Most Desirable Convertible in Attendance, and I have to agree – it is quite a sweet ride. The weather was perfect, and it always seems to be a well-run show. We held a brief meeting in the parking lot to discuss club business and review upcoming events.

Our next meeting will be held at the Dennery’s backyard picnic on July 15 in Gloucester City, NJ. Look for more details in this newsletter. Dawn and John always host a great event, so I highly encourage our membership to roll out their Late Greats and join the fun. 

Please remember to look for information further in this newsletter about the NIA convention being held this year in nearby Gettysburg, PA. We already have a few club members committing to attend, including myself. This event won’t get much closer to us, so if you have an interest, please make your arrangements as soon as you can.

That’s all for now, see you on July 15th at the Dennery’s!

Keep ‘em Rollin’

Tom

August 2023

President’s Message

Simply over the top! The Dennery’s hosted a wonderful backyard picnic for the Jersey Late Great Club. We can’t thank them enough for their warm hospitality, generosity and club support. Special thanks to Steve Calandra for providing great tunes throughout the event. It was a very special club gathering as we celebrated Al Bernotas’ 80th Birthday – our long-time dedicated club Sergeant-at-Arms. What a great gathering of friends and old cars, and best of all, the pool was open! The Club also awarded a testimonial plaque to Al Bernotas for his many years of support to the club in the capacity of Sergeant-at-Arms. I believe he has done this for 15 years, thanks Big Al!

I hope you all are out and about cruising in your old Chevys. Commencing July 23, the National Impala Convention will be held in Gettysburg, Pa. Some of our club members will be in attendance and it’s not too late for you to join in. Please refer to the flyer later in the newsletter. It promises to be a funfilled event that you won’t want to miss.

Our next meeting will be in September. Mike Berry is running a Shore Cruise for us. It will either be on September 10th or 17th; we are waiting for the date to be finalized. There will be no club meeting in August.

Hope you all enjoy your summer and stay safe.

Keep ‘em Rollin’

Tom

September 2023

President’s Message

It’s been a busy summer, but unfortunately, it’s coming to a rapid close. I was able to attend the NIA convention held in Gettysburg Pa in late July, along with fellow club members Mike Berry, Ron McDermott, John Dennery, Scott Haring and Don Bock. There were some beautiful vehicles at the event, although it wasn’t a good showing as there were less than 25 cars in attendance. I hope this isn’t a sign of the future.

Shifting gears, a little bit, we have some exciting club events on the horizon. Mike Berry has formulated a club Shore Cruise and the Thackeray’s have planned a Covered Bridge Tour for October. Please see the details elsewhere in this newsletter as these will prove to be some great outings. Mark the dates and make your plans now to join us.

As we look toward November, we will be back in the Bordentown community center for an early Thanksgiving celebration. Please start to consider who you would like to recommend/nominate for your club officers. Nominations will commence in October and the last call for them will be in November. It’s your club, so please give it some serious thought.

That’s all for now, enjoy the last few days of summer and get out there and cruise!

Keep ‘em Rollin’

Tom

     

October 2023

President’s Message

Welcome Fall and some of the best cruising weather anyone could ask for. Some of our members joined Mike Berry for the wonderful Shore Cruise and had a most enjoyable time. I would like to thank Mike on behalf of the club for managing this event. Please see the article covering this elsewhere in this edition. A club meeting was held at this event presided by our club VP, Ron McDermott at the rendezvous restaurant. Other events this Fall will be Carlisle and Hershey. You won’t want to miss them if you are searching for Late Great car parts. Our next club outing will be managed by the Karen and Jim Thackeray which will be a Covered Bridge tour just over the border in PA.

We did this over 10 years ago and it was great fun. Please see details for this elsewhere in this newsletter. We will hold a meeting at this event which will include opening nominations for the Club Officer positions. Put your thinking caps on now and decide who you would like to nominate to lead the Club. In the meantime I hope to see you all at the October Cruise!

Keep ‘em Rollin’

Tom

 

November 2023

President’s Message

It’s hard to believe we are headed into the Holiday Season already, how fast have the months passed! The Covered Bridge Tour was an outstanding success. Many thanks go out to Karen and Jim Thackeray for planning such a great outing. We cruised the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside, crossed multiple covered bridges, stopped at Van Sant Airport, and Sandcastle Winery where we held a meeting. After the meeting, we cruised to the Italian Restaurant and enjoyed a delicious dinner. All in all, what a fantastic day! There aren’t many car cruises left so get your Old Chevy out before the snow starts to fall.

Regarding next month’s meeting, Dawn Dennery is looking for input on food dishes for our Thanksgiving meeting to be held at the Bordentown Center on Sunday November 12. You won’t want to miss this one as it will certainly prove to be a nice club social time. We will also hold further nominations for next year’s Club Officers, so please come out with your suggestions. The December meeting will feature the return of the ever-popular Dennery Awards. Please contact John as soon as possible with your ideas – simply citing events of the past year that are noteworthy and could create some mischievous and humorous awards. Don’t wait, contact him as soon as possible so he has time to form your ideas into his style of award. Please see event details elsewhere in the newsletter.

That’s all for now.

Keep ‘em Rollin’

Tom

December 2023

President’s Message

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all club members and their families! Old Man Winter is just waiting around the corner so now is the time to mothball your prized Chevy. I wanted to shout out a very special thanks to Dawn Dennery and company for the outstanding and well-planned Thanksgiving Club Party. There were all kinds of food and goodies as well as decorated tables. Many thanks to contributions from the Dunnery’s and other club members. If anyone walked away hungry after such a nice meal, they only had themselves to blame.

Looking ahead, our December Meeting is scheduled for 3PM on Sunday December 10 at the Community Center. It was decided to move the meeting time up earlier due to the time change and the sun setting much earlier. Please consider bringing a covered dish to share as part of the gathering. Please contact Dawn Dennery to coordinate what you will be bringing. Additional information is available elsewhere in this newsletter.

Our meetings at the Bordentown Community Center will now commence at 3PM instead of 5PM unless otherwise noted throughout the winter months. Dues should be submitted no later than January 2024. The club’s normal dues are $25 for the year. However, due to the increased cost of postage and printing, those members who receive a “hard” copy of the newsletter in the mail will be charged an extra $5 surcharge for a total of $30. It costs the club more than twice the $5 to print and mail the copies. It drains funding that could be used for other club purposes. If you provide your email address, you will be switched to receive the newsletter electronically and your dues will revert to the normal $25 annual dues. Thank you for your understanding!

Don’t forget, December is club board elections! If you have a nomination please contact Mike Berry, Nominations Clerk, with your recommendations. We will be holding final elections for the 2024 Board at the December 10th Meeting.

Keep ‘em rollin’

Tom