F&C Newsletter – September 22, 2013

Today is the first day of autumn in the northern hemisphere.  Autumn is the second racing season in the North Carolina Region.  With the passage of time we look forward to new experiences and reflect on past memories.  As this year begins to wane, we look forward to exciting races and events such as the NCR picnic, Goblins Go and the 13-Hour.  We should also remember some friends who have recently passed away, Phil Hennrich and Paul Eckstein.

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We’ll miss you, Phil

by James Shanks​

The North Carolina Region has lost one of its great souls. On August 20th of this year, Phil Hennrich passed away from natural causes. Near the end, he was not able to recognize his oldest friends, but we all remember him. It’s truly amazing how many people with a long history in this Region have said to me, when I would ask how they got started in the Club, “Phil Hennrich was the first member of NCR I ever met,” and following that they’d have a story about a race at Rockingham or a solo in the Raleigh area. From his earliest days, and he joined in April of 1974, Phil volunteered his time to make this Club a success. He was an active driver, the Region’s Treasurer for many years before computerization and afterward, the radio guy, and basically the go-to guy. He worked tirelessly at VIR when the Region presented that facility with its gazebo corner stations in 2002, helping to transport them and set them up and practically single-handedly built the South Course Start stand. Always ready to pitch in and help, that was Phil. We gave him a Lifetime Service award in 2005 (below, that’s then RE Kaye Fairer presenting it), but it wasn’t enough.

We’ll miss you, Phil. I’d say more, but I cannot match the eloquence and poignancy of the eulogy written by his closest friend, Chuck Stanley, our former Flag Chief.

Over to you, Chuck…

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While at the NCR Picnic, join us for this educational experience

One of our Region members, Tommy Jackson who many of you know from being a part of our Club’s activities for many years and for his assistance to Jerry Pell, as he races his Mazda Miata, has an interesting hobby, quite different from what most of you know him for in SCCA. Tommy has, for about the last dozen or so years, been very involved in the restoration and running of antique engines, most of which are from about 1900 till sometime prior to 1950. Several very large shows for the public to attend here in North Carolina are held every year where people who have literally brought these engines, that were used especially in the rural communities, back to life. The engines were used to bring a new way of powering many of the jobs that were done on the farms and early manufacturing of the day. This will allow you the opportunity to see and hear them run and get a glimpse back to the days when power making machines like these were used to first replace the use of candles to light the rural home and barn, saw lumber, pump water, bale hay, and many other activities on the farm. They could run a factory with many machines, all coupled to an engine through long leather belts and pulleys. All that you’ll need to do to get Tommy and his engines running is to stop by his display and appear interested.

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