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How We Got Started
Long ago (1972), when air
was clean and sex was dirty, two proud Corvette owners, who lived in the
western area of the Metropolitan St. Louis area, decided to start a
Vette Club for owners in this neck of the woods.
These two great
thinkers/owners who had this brilliant idea were Ron Reinhardt and Dave
Sanson. At that time Ron owned a 1964 Roadster and Dave owned a
1965 Coupe. The two "membership directors" went to work.
They contacted others they knew that were proud owners of a Vette.
They actually had to make phone calls and talk to others that shared
their passion. They did not have the Internet or e-mail to make
contacts. Imagine??? They invited them to a meeting.
The First Gathering
The turnout was small, with
six people showing up. The original six were Ron Reinhardt, David
Sanson, Ken Benham, Jeff Schroer, Phyllis Avery and Sorge Hull. At
this meeting the Boone Trail Vette Set was born. In 1974 the name
was changed to Boone Trail Corvette Club and the home of the club was
moved to St. Charles County, Missouri.
How Did the Club Name
Come About?
Defiance, Missouri in St.
Charles County was the last home of Daniel Boone. You remember
him, he wore the infamous coonskin cap and buckskin clothes with fringed
leather trim. An American pioneer and frontiersman (1784-1820).
He blazed the wilderness in Kentucky and later Missouri. Reckon he
was doing some advance scouting for the Vette plant in St. Louis and
eventually Bowling Green, Kentucky? A quote by Daniel: "I have
never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks."
The admittance of being lost may sound very familiar to some members of
the club. He went on his final hunting trip at the age of 83 and
died at 85. Daniel finished out his adventures living with his son
Nathan in Defiance, Missouri.
Many anecdotes of Boone
folklore are recorded. So with the same adventurer spirit and
tenacity as Daniel, the cub's initial trailblazers agreed on the name
Boone Trail Corvette Club. Thank God they did not make any by-laws
that mandated that members wear coonskin hats. However, some
members have been seen wearing clothing with "fringed" leather trim.
So over a 35 year span, there are many "tails" of Boone Trail and the
evolution and development of the club.
Racing, car shows, social
outings, community service, friendship, fun and the threads of common
interest, the love of the Vette, have woven the fabric of our club.
We are all proud to wear the BTCC member logo and be a part of NCCC.
Driving Down Memory
Lane
Some of the members, Sig
Sutherlin, Jim Schwent and Ron Reinhardt are Charter Members and still
active in the club. Here are a few updates:
Ron Reinhardt: It's hard to
believe, but Ron has not missed a meeting or sanctioned event in these
35 years. Is that commitment, passion, or compulsive behavior?
Ron is still very competitive in autocross events. Ron's original
ride, a 1964 Roadster that he campaigned with for many years, is still
in his family. You can watch Roger (Ron's son) run the "wild
Child". Nowadays, Ron runs a C6. Ron says it's better with
air and power.
Jim Schwent: both are Drag Race Record holders. Jim still holds the CLA record at 14.65 with his 1962 fuelie.
Sadly, Charter member Sig
Sutherlin passed away in October, 2009. He was an active
member to the end and
held a 1A class record with his 1966 coupe (12.78 set on 05/04/99 until
07/28/05). Sig's Automotive is one of the very few garages listed in
Corvette Fever as a place to go for Corvette repair.
Club
Activities/Accomplishments
We are part of the West
Region of NCCC. Car shows, fund raisers for local charities,
parades, rallies, autocrosses, hosting the NCCC 1998 Convention, social
outings, dine-outs, something for every interest! Our members give
generously of their time and resources and want to make certain that
members and friends have fun sharing their passion and knowledge.
In fall of 2007 we
celebrated our 35th anniversary by hosting a party. Current
members attended the party and we invited as many former members that we
could locate. We are grateful for the few former members who
traveled quite a distance to be with us and celebrate! The day
started with a very exciting and fun rally through St. Charles County
Boone "trails" aka highways and byways. About 100 folks gathered
for dinner and a slide show presentation of some of our hysterical
historical events and to reminisce. We had a special guest. Greg
Fadler, Chief Engineer of Aerodynamics of GM Racing. We all
learned a great deal about the "future" and commitment by GM to racing.
It was an unanimous vote,
the anniversary party was a success and everyone is excited about the
bright future of Boone Trail Corvette Club and what the next 35 years
will bring.
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