2025 President Messages
JERSEY LATE GREATS, INC
PO BOX 1294 Highstown N.J.08520
Chevrolets 1958 to 1972 Chevrolets
January 2025
President Massage
This is my first President’s Message in quite a while so I would like to begin by thanking the outgoing Board for their service to the club.
The Christmas Party was a lot of fun this year Dawn Dennery and Maureen Humphreys once again did an out – standing job coordinating the food and decorations. Lydia organized the “Left to Right” gift game and she could participate this year thanks to Amanda Tinnes being the narrator. That’s always a fun time. In addition, we celebrated Bob Kiefer’s 90th birthday.
Looking forward to the new year, the January meeting will be focused on planning the coming year activities. Some ideas are a Drive-In Cruise, perhaps to the Delsea Drive In, a Diner cruise, visiting an auto museum, perhaps some historical sites, the Fall Foliage run, the club Picnic in May and participating in a couple car shows. I would like to ask for a volunteer to be the “Cruise Director” to facilitate these activities. The club will be providing pizza and soft drinks and there will be a slide show of previous club activities. I have been scanning
the old club photos so we no longer need to keep the prints and negatives. I will bring some boxes of these photos so that members can take home with them if they like.
I’m looking forward to another year of good times with the club. See you at the January 5th, 2025 meeting. Please note that our meetings will now be held on the first Sunday of the month due the new facilities schedule. The time remains 3 PM.
Mike
February 2025
President Massage
The January meeting was productive with the new Board in place. Our Vice President, Tom Freund was right up to speed for his first meeting as. Tom has recently acquired both of Verne Frantz’ ’62 409 Impalas so it looks like he’s off to a good start and nice to
see those cars will be staying in the club. The black convertible was the reason our chapter was started in the first place so it’s good to see these cars will be staying with the club.
Our By Laws need to be updated to reflect some changes that have been made over the
years. We will discuss the various items and vote on the changes. Just a reminder, voting
on By-Law changes are by one person per family membership.
Article II
Change 1958- 1964 to 1958 – 1972
Article III
Change the affiliation with Late Great Chevys to The National Impala Association
Article IV
Change 1958-1964 to 1958-1972 Change the dues from $18.00 to $25.00 plus
an extra $15.00 for members who require hard copy newsletters mailed.
Additional Positions:
Newsletter editor to be appointed by the President. Webmaster to be appointed by the President. Sunshine/Hospitality committee volunteers. We will need to add a section to the By-Laws describing the Guidelines for the club to disperse funds should the club disband.
As a reminder, meetings are now the first Sunday of the Month at 3PM.
I would like to see a good turnout for Sunday, February 2nd so we can discuss these proposed changes.
Take it easy,
Mike
March 2025
President Massage
At the February meeting we discussed making necessary changes to the club By- Laws and had preliminary votes on the proposed changes. The proposed changes are else ware in this newsletter along with the latest version of the By Laws. (2008). During the March meeting we will have a final vote on these changes. This is nothing earth shattering, just bringing the document up to date. As a reminder, only one family member is allowed to vote on changes to the By-Laws. Most other club business, all members in good standing are eligible to vote.
Leigh Humphreys has been busy working on a new club website. The club has decided to remove any reference to Ecklers Chevrolet in our recruiting brochure as Ecklers no longer has a Chevy club. We are affiliated with the National Impala Association.
We are making plans for the coming year so submit your ideas for events. Seminars for the cold weather months are always welcome so if you have something to share, let us know about it.
Mike
April 2025
President Massage
There was a substantial rain storm recently which washed away all the salt and the brine from our roads here in New Jersey. That clears the way so we can get our old Chevrolets out of winter storage. Mine just needed a good washing and an oil change. Speaking of changing oil, I thought I would do
one on my 1996 Buick Roadmaster and discovered my old spin on filter wrench wouldn’t work. So, I go to the auto parts store and discovered that now there are a whole bunch of different size (MM) cup sort of wrenches. I think I’ll stay in 1960 for repair and maintenance projects. Speaking of which I have installed original 4-way flashers in both my cars. These are units I have collected in junkyards over the last 30 or so years. Remember when there were junkyards? Many thanks to Don Bock for his assistance.
The March meeting was rather light on attendance, we only had 7 or 8 members present so I tabled the vote on changes to the By-Laws for now. I will be in Florida on Sunday April 6 so our Vice President Tom Freund will be the acting President. I know Tom will do a good job. Looking at the
calendar, we have the annual club picnic coming up on Saturday, May 24 ArmedForces Day). Once again, the Humphreys have secured Washington Lake Park located at: 626 Hurffville-Cross Keys Rd, Sewell, NJ 08080. Mark your calendars and bring your Chevrolet. Perhaps we will have a ’59 show up this year.
Looking at the calendar, we have Spring Carlisle on April 23 – 27, GM Carlisle on June 20-21, and the ever-popular Dennery Picnic on August 9 and then the National Impala Convention in Wisconsin on August 18 – 23. Please email me ( [email protected] ) if you have a favorite show or swap meet that the club would enjoy. It’s fun to see new places.
That’s all for now,
Mike
May 2025
President Message
First of all, I would like to thank our Vice President Tom Freund for stepping up as President for the April meeting. According to former President Tom Merring, he did a fine job. The weather is warming up and I can’t wait to get my old Chevies back on the road. Spring Carlisle will be the 23-27th this month and in May we have the club Picnic on the 24th. That is one of the best events of the year
so plan to be there with your Chevy. June will feature GM Carlisle on the 20 – 21st. The National Impala Association Convention will be held August 18 – 22 in Wisconsin this year. Check out Facebook for the details.
Rumor has it the Verne Frantz’s black ’62 convertible will be moving to its new home with VP Tom Freund. I look forward to seeing it back on the road again. After Verne died, several members have been helping Janet deal with Verne’s cars and things. On a couple occasions, Janet asked one of us to take that car out and give it some exercise. Well somehow, I was elected to do the honors twice. For those who may not know, Verne NEVER let anyone touch that car, let alone drive it. So, it was quite a thrill to fire up a real “Dual quad, 4 speed, Posi-traction 409 and run it through its paces.
We could use some “Watcha Workin On” articles for the newsletter so as we get our old iron out of storage, take a few photos and drop a few lines to John Lucas, newsletter editor extraordinaire.
Speaking of John, he suggested a club outing to the Auto Mall in Morgantown, PA. He tells me it is a very interesting place with several hundred cars for sale. There is also a huge buffet restaurant nearby so let’s plan on going there. I’m thinking Saturday June 7 looks good with Sunday the 8th as a rain date. Let me know if this works for you.
That’s all for now,
Mike
June 2025
President Massage
The annual picnic at Washington Lake Park in Sewell, NJ was a great success. We had about 24 members in attendance with 7 Late Greats. The weather was fine right up to the end when a storm threatened but only dropped a little rain during the ride home. Jim and Karen Thackeray provided the food while Big Al Bernotas handled the fire and cooking duties. The members supplied a nice selection of side dishes and desserts. Maureen Humphreys and Dawn Dennery coordinated the whole
event. 2025 is the 43d anniversary of the Jersey Late Greats. One of the founding members, Janet Frantz was there as well as one of the Charter Member, Tom Merring. Maureen baked a special cake with the number 43 on top and provided little gift boxes for everyone attending.
I had the honor of presenting a plaque to former president, Tom Merring recognizing his service during 2023 and 2024. Tom then presented the “Member of the Year” award to Emil and Cynthia Philibosian. Dawn Dennery has finalized the orders for club T*shirts so we should be seeing them at our events soon. John Lucas made a presentation about the next club outing, a trip to the
Morgantown, PA Auto Mall followed by a visit to the Shady Maple Buffet. More about that in this
newsletter. The Dennery Picnic, always a club favorite, will be held in August this year so mark
your calendars for Saturday August 9. The rain date is Sunday the 10th. That’s all for now,
Mike
July 2025
President Message
Welcome Summer! By the time you read this it will officially be Summer here in New Jersey. Tom Merring has put together a scenic cruise along the Delaware for July 19th. That should be fun even if you have driven along there before, it’s always better to be there driving with friends in a bunch of old cars. More about that in this newsletter.
John Lucas put together the June event, a visit to the Morgantown Classic Auto Mall in Pennsylvania followed by a meal at the largest buffet in America. I saw some great photos by
Maureen Humphreys. Thank you, John and Maureen. More about that elsewhere in this newsletter. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend because I fell down a couple stairs while moving furniture. (I’m Okay now)
We are all aware of how the internet has affected the old car hobby; clubs in particular.
Prior to being able to participate in forums to get information and tech help or search for
NOS parts, the best way was to join a local club and perhaps a national one as well to
network with like-minded people. Swap meets were crucial to finding the necessary parts for your old car. Now you can do that from your living room chair. Well not always. Being an active member in our chapter has resulted in a couple members locating and purchasing 3 1962 Impalas and also acquiring a group of 8 old Chevys. Why at our meeting an NOS ‘67 Chevy dog dish hub cap was bought for a very reasonable price. Another member advertised needing driver quality ’62 dog dish caps and has found at least one and it was free. Then there are the friendships forged through years of working together in pursuit of the old car hobby. I’ve made several long-term friendships. You may have heard the saying, the cars brought us together but the friendships kept us coming back.
So, let’s get our old Chevrolets out and as Diana Shore sang “See the USA in your
Chevrolet”.
That’s all for now, Mike
August 2025
President Message
Well folks, not much to write about today. The Blues Cruise along the Delaware was a fun day according to coordinator Tom Merring. Joe Torrence and I were heading to the Pennington ShopRite to meet up with everyone when my convertible developed a problem with the brakes. I was flat bedded from South Amboy safely home but it was too late to join the fun.
Last year we started a new tradition of attending Das Awkscht Fescht in Macungie, PA. Sunday August 3 is Club Day so let’s show up and enjoy the day together. This show is always interesting as it is held in a municipal park with lots of shade trees, a band shell with live music, food vendors, arts and crafts vendors and an automotive swap meet. There is also a public pool you can enjoy for a $5.00 admission fee. Pre – registration is strongly recommended. The form is attached.
Don’t miss the Annual Dennery Picnic on Saturday August 9th with the rain date Sunday
the 10th. Please remember to contact Dawn and let her know you are coming. This is always one of the highlights of the year for the club as the Dennery’s go all out to provide a good time.
The National Impala Association convention will be in the Wisconsin Dells this year from
August 18 – 22. The AACA Eastern Meet will be October 7 – 10. In my neck of the woods,
we have a cruise night in Asbury Park every Thursday, weather permitting. It’s a very casual event called The Circuit. Check it out on Facebook.
That’s all for now,
Mike
September 2025
President Message
The Dennery Picnic was the Event of the Year! If you missed this picnic, you missed a great day. Dawn and John put on a truly excellent event once again. Their yard was decked out with auto related signs everywhere. (I wonder where they all came from?) Our club was joined by members of the VCCA (Vintage Chevrolet Club of America) Several in attendance are members of both clubs. It was fun seeing a number of cars I hadn’t seen before. One in particular, a robin’s egg blue 1953 BelAir convertible was amazing. There was plenty of food and drink, our own Steve Calandra spinning records and singing, a pool, nice shady seating areas and toward the end of the day, the dessert bar! I would like to thank Jason Dennery for handling the grill duties. Good job!
Our former Vice President Ron McDermott showed up in his recently acquired 1962 Impala SS convertible. What a nice ride.
Dawn was also able to deliver the rest of our new club T-Shirts to members who had placed orders. Nice shirts, good job.
We had a short business meeting where we discussed upcoming events. There will be a regular meeting at the Yardville Clubhouse on Sunday September 7 at 3 PM. Next will be the “Parts – O – Rama” at Janet and Verne Frantz’ home in Hightstown on Saturday September 13 starting at 10:00 AM. The club is helping Janet sell Verne’s collection of car parts, mostly 1961 – 1964 Chevy stuff. So come on out, there will be good stuff at good prices.
October will bring a return of the Fall Foliage Run at Johnson’s Corner Farm in Medford, NJ. The date will probably be later in the month so the leaves will be more colorful. We will keep you posted on the date. That will be a fun day for the whole family. As a reminder, October will be the first round of nominations for the 2026 Board. We will need an Election Clerk volunteer.
That’s all for now,
Mike
October 2025
October
It was good to be back at the Yardville Clubhouse for the September meeting where we had a couple pinch hitters on the Board. Tom Merring filled in as Vice President for Tom Freund as the latter was drag racing his new 1963 409 Impala SS at the Ol’ Daze Drags at Island Dragway in Great Meadows, NJ. Jim Thackeray stepped up as Acting Secretary while Cynthia Philabosian was enjoying the last days of summer somewhere on the Jersey Shore. Warren Jablonski is back in the saddle in his job as Treasurer after being out of town on family business.
There was some discussion about our liability insurance policy and it was agreed that we need to have that coverage. There was some discussion about the VCCA (Vintage Chevrolet Club of America) and that it could be beneficial for our members to join that club as well. They are an active group in NJ.
Al Bernotas invited everyone to his son Brian’s “Garage Days” party at 2 PM Saturday October 4. The address is: 5 Bordentown/Chesterfield Rd. Chesterfield, NJ. Bring something for a Pot Luck meal. Jim Thackeray was quick to volunteer as “Election Clerk” for the upcoming Board elections. Nominations will be open at the October and November meetings with the election at the December meeting.
Saturday September 13 was the Parts O Rama at Janet and Verne Frantz’ home where we sold off quite a few parts from Verne’s collection to benefit Janet. There are still lots of good parts to be had so we’ll see what’s next. Thank you to all who participated
Karen Thackeray talked about the Wings and Wheels show at the Van Sant Airport located at
516 Cafferty Rd, Erwinna, PA coming up on October 12. Sounds like an interesting event. A
couple members are planning to attend the 348/409 Shoot Out at the Lebanon Valley Dragstrip (1746 US RT 20, West Lebanon, NY) on September 26-28.
Our club will be hosting the Fall Pumpkin Run at Johnson’s Farm on Saturday 18. See the flyer elsewhere in this newsletter and get your tickets. This will be a fun event for the whole family so be there!
Thank you, Dawn and Cynthia, for putting this together.
That’s all for now,
Mike
November 2025
President Message
This newsletter is getting out despite the fact that our own Newsletter Editor, John Lucas, is
recovering from a serious fall. Thank you, John. The club sent an Edible Arrangement to John and received a nice thank you card from him.
Cynthia Philibosian and Dawn Dennery organized the Fall Pumpkin Run to Johnson’s Corner Farm in Medford, NJ. We had perfect weather and there was a good turnout. John and Dawn Dennery in a ’64 Biscayne, Emil and Cynthia Philibosian in a ‘95 Caprice, Jim and Karen Thackeray in a ’64 SS, Ron and Julie in a ’61 SS, Mike Berry and Joe Torrence in a ’60 Impala and Tom Merring also in a ’60 Impala. The farm is really set up for this sort of event. There are picnic tables, live music, all sorts of food and crafts and a neat Hay Ride. We had a secure parking area across the street in the high school lot where coffee and donuts were provided. (Dunkin Donuts, not the shi shi kind). We went pumpkin picking in the fields where they were still on the vine. From there we drove a short distance to the Kettle and the Grill for a good lunch followed by a short meeting in the parking lot by the cars. Hats off to Dawn and Cynthia for a job well done! The big take away from the meeting was the first round of nominations for the 2026 Board. Election Clerk Jim Thackeray reports the following:
President – Tom Freund
Vice President – Dawn Dennery
Secretary – Cynthia Philibosian
Treasurer – Warren Jablonski
Sergeant at Arms – Al Bernotas
The November meeting will have the final round of nominations with the vote at the December
Holiday Party/meeting. Any additional nominations can be made then or by contacting Jim Thackeray
That’s all for now,
Mike
December
Happy Holidays! It’s that time of year, celebrations and preparation for the new year.
This will be my final President’s Message as I pass the gavel to our new President, Tom Freund. Thank you for allowing me to have been of service and thank you to the Board for their support. I’m looking forward to another good year of events with our friends and our old Chevrolets. The election nominations were un contested so our Election Clerk, Jim Thackeray, will cast one vote at the December meeting to make this official. The new Board is as follows:
President: Tom Freund
Vice President: Dawn Dennery
Secretary: Cynthia Philibosian
Treasurer: Warren Jablonski
Sergeant at Arms: Al Bernotas.
The November meeting was productive as we were able to make changes to the club By-Laws which is really just bringing things up to date. The proposals are elsewhere in this newsletter. Please take a moment to review them as we will be voting at the December to finalize this matter.
Tom Merring organized the Parts-O-Rama on November 8th to dispose of Jim Krous’ collection of vintage Chevrolet parts. The sale was quite a success and the Krous Family were thankful the club was able to help with some of the many parts. Thank you, Tom, and to all the members who participated.
The annual Holiday Party will be held in conjunction with the December meeting on Sunday, the 7th at 3 PM. Plan to attend as this is always a fun event. If you haven’t already done so, please contact Dawn Dennery to let her know how many to expect and what food to bring.
Our incoming President, Tom Freund bought Verne Frantz’ ’62 Impala SS 409 convertible and has been working diligently to getting it back on the road. He has been invited to bring the car to MCACN (Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals) in Chicago. Verne’s lifelong contributions to the old car hobby will be recognized. Jody Anderson (former President/owner of National Impala Association) is involved in this as well.
Let’s close out this year and have some fun.
See you in Yardville,
Mike