Letter to the Editor

A BETTER IDEA


Your cover article of the FORD license plate in the March B-N brought back memories of the fun times in the club during the mid-seventies.

It is my recollection that the club toured the Auto Show in 1974, after dinner at the Como Inn, and a bus ride to and from McCormick place, courtesy of Como Inn. It was then that we discovered the fabulous license plates on the Ford vehicles. What a great source of souvenirs, door prizes and goody bag items!

After getting nowhere trying to have some donated to the club, we decided on our great "License Plate Raid'. We would return as paying customers on the last Sunday evening of the show. We came prepared with socket sets, pliers, wrenches and screwdrivers. We were a regular Swat Team!

While some members formed a shield to hide the "mechanic", it was an easy matter to collect dozens of "samples". At one point, member Sally Forhman was seen collecting her trophy from a new Ford, while it was still rotating on the turntable display. Leaving the show with our loot was part of the planning. Since it was in the dead of winter, we wore bulky, loose fitting clothes that hid the contraband.

I still have some of my "collector" plates. They were displayed on my '56 Buckskin in those days, and now on my '02 modified 'Bird as shown on these pics. Thanx for the memories, Bert.
Rudy Budach

[Editor's Comment: Rudy and Janet have been CTCC members since 1970!]