Ladies In The Region

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Category: The Rear View Mirror & Nostalgia

Published on Wednesday, 22 August 2012 15:10

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Ladies In The Region

Glancing back to 1948 when Shawnee’s car buff, Ray Utter joined the Sports Car Club of America and began the process of forming the Oklahoma Region, we see no LADIES in our mirror. For the first ten years they were there but always in the background.

According to reports in early Gasket Gazettes (your writer’s source of Club History) they supported regional events, organised social activities, prepared food for after - meeting gatherings, worked checkpoints, made name tags, made flags and did anything that had to be done.. They organised the “Rallye Sallyes”, a women’ s auxiliary. This group met separately for about one year and then disbanded because they were granted the privilege of sitting in on meetings. They were not supposed to have a voice in the Region’s affairs but could carry on their activities with support from the Region’s treasury.

However, a look at a 1958 Membership List shows something new; three ladies were named:

JEANIE RUEDY (also the first lady to be elected as an officer - Activities Chairman in 1961)

MARGARET LEWIS (wife of the late “Speedy Lewis and ex - president of the Rallye Sallyes)

JOAN C. KENNEY (Member of our region until she moved to Michigan in 1968)

Others joined as follows:

1960

MARY KAY GRUMBINE (enthusiast - drove Jaguars)

1961

ELOISE NORRIS (Corresponding Secretary in 1967, race driver, only lady driver to qualify for 6 consecutive ARRC‘s and other accomplishments too numerous to mention)

LOUISE MAYSTRIK (Lou and Jeanie were the first ladies to ever place in a National Rally - 5th in the 24 Hours of Texas in 1960)

1962

MARIE BERRY (Recording Secretary in 1963)

NORMA MAHAN (Gymkhanist and wife of Dave Dooley’s mechanic)

1963

ZEBALINE RAMSEY (Editor, race driver and all around worker)

JO ANN KERR (no reference in any newsletters)

MARGARET ENGLAND (Secretary -- 4 not consecutive years)

1964

SANDRA ENGLAND (now Sandra Saucier - Gymkhanist, wife of ex-R.E.and good committee member)

NATALIE JONES (no reference in the newsletters)

All the above mentioned ladies were the pioneers.

1965

This was the year that the Sports Car Club of America offered Spouse Members special rates and the ladies responded - as of now, we have 63 lady or spouse members, approximately 1/4 of or membership. Oklahoma Region is growing, looking ahead -- join us as we only glance in our rear view mirror.

Margaret England

Oklahoma Region Historian

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