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25th Anniversary Party

   Not long ago, Cadillac designers and engineers developed a breakthrough engine system they named The North Star.  They knew this system was going to be admired and envied throughout the automotive world and they wanted a name that represented that cutting edge technology.  North Star, was that name.

   Twenty five years ago, in Minnesota, three men huddled together in the basement of Motor Deluxe Garage dreaming up an idea which was to become the genesis of a new region of the Cadillac- LaSalle Club.  And beating Cadillac design engineers to the punch by many, years, they named the new region, the North Star.  That moment in history, the birth of the North Star Region, was celebrated recently in St. Paul.

   The NSR 25^th Anniversary celebration was a resounding success.  Seventy five percent of the region’s membership attended.  Speeches were brilliant and brief; the food was excellent and inexpensive.  And besides providing great food, great service, and a great venue, Nick Mancini, and son Pat, of Mancini’s Char House, in St. Paul, Minnesota, even provided secured parking for the many fine old Caddies that brought their owners in for the occasion.

   Our region president, Jerry Steelman, did a stellar job organizing this wonderful event.  Jerry’s success lies in his ability to find volunteers, or “draftees”, to get the job done.  Folks like Bob Campbell who did a huge amount of work setting up the party itself.  Folks like Roy Boone who persuaded, (and badgered) so many vendors for gifts, that virtually every attendee, won a door prize.  The value of the total booty, was estimated to have run to somewhere near eight thousand dollars.  Others having claim to the overall success of the event, were Duane Warren, one of this region’s workhorses, and Jan Gerecke, who can do everything, and produced a substantial volume of door prizes as well.

   Dick Moeschter, our incomparable editor, shot the excellent photos accompanying this article, and Shirley, his wife, showing no concern for our calorie intake, made and gift wrapped solid chocolate Cadillacs for each and every place setting at the banquet.

   The evening festivities were punctuated by the presence of a number of dignitaries.  Chief among them was Herb Karow, Cadillac – LaSalle National Vice President.  Herb was one of the very early members of the North Star Region, and was recognized for his many contributions by an award and a speech in his honor.  NSR President, Jerry Steelman had invited Bill Edmunds to this event to speak in honor of Herb, however, illness prevented his doing so.  Mr. Edmunds did, nonetheless, send a letter of high regard for Herb, which was read at the banquet.  The names of interesting people present at Herb’s table include Cliff Anderson, the artist who created our beautiful and original club logo, Charlie Somers, the region’s first Director, and his wife Gay, and Dave Kotz, the club’s first secretary.   Just a footnote on Mr. Kotz; he always was, and still is, a member of the North Star Region.

   And we have to tell you this; Alan Clark, one of our members whom we must share with another CLC region, blessed us with his attendance coming in all the way from Maryland just for this anniversary.  Cadillac people are just the best, aren’t they?

   Sharing the podium on this eventful evening was Craig Smith, a representative of SEMA.  (Specialty Equipment Market Association).  If we may prevail upon the reader for a political moment, SEMA is very important to all of us inasmuch as it is instrumental in helping to defeat legislative threats to the automotive hobby, and the SEMA Action Network (SAN), is a nationwide partnership between vehicle clubs and the specialty auto parts industry that wants to protect this hobby.  Please find more at www.semaactionnetwork.com .

   Who could have imagined in 1978 that any legislative body would move to destroy the old cars and the act of collecting them.  Certainly not Dave Kotz, who as Secretary of the NSR, opened a letter from Ron VanGelderen, dated May 26, 1978, advising him that his region had been approved by the National club for Provisional Regional status.  And certainly not those other two fellows huddled with Dave in that basement garage all those many years ago.  Dave Kotz, the late Dick Gold, and Charlie Somers knew in 1978 this was going to be a great association, and in 2003 the fabulous 25^th Anniversary proved that it is.

Locked in second,