Greetings to all of you. If you are a new member, this may be the first, or perhaps the second, Newsletter from GMC Western States that you are reading. If that is the case, welcome aboard, and I can assure you that you are going to have the RIDE OF YOUR LIFE in the months and years ahead!

I have a number of things I want to share with you at this time. Since "September 11" things have changed for all of us. In my own case, as many of you are already aware, while at our Roundup at Mariposa last September, I ended up in the hospital with a bad case of vertigo. Subsequently, on Dec11, my wife and soul mate Donna passed away, having fought a very aggressive cancer for over 20 years. She had knocked it down a number of times, most recently in '98, but this time she just did not have the energy to fight it any longer. That has left a very big hole in my and my family's lives. I know some of you have faced similar circumstances, have walked the same path, and know what I mean. But life must go on, and so one must adapt and do one's best with altered circumstances.

These events have sharpened my awareness of the importance of being ready for both the inevitable and the unexpected, especially when it comes to accidents, injury, sickness and death. You will have already discovered the amber colored pill/vial bottle known as the VIAL OF LIFE as part of the mailing this time. This program has become well known internationally through sponsorship by many hospitals, fire departments and local governments as a simple way of storing your personal relevant medical information to be available at times of emergency for "911 personnel." The also enclosed "HOW TO USE THE VIAL OF LIFE" instruction sheet outlines what to do with the vial and EMERGENCY INFORMATION SHEETS. I would encourage you to xerox off several more of these sheets before filling out your info so you can keep your medical data updated easily, doing so at least yearly. The suggested fridge storage area is a commonly used spot as all RVs have one. Keeping the Vial of Life and also the Medex Assistance Corporation brochure in the GMC can add to your comfort level and peace of mind as often when confronted with an emergency, one is not thinking clearly. To be readily able to direct emergency staff to the vial and/or be able to grab it and take it with you to the hospital will expedite both your care and your peace of mind.

Enclosed also this time in the packet are more of our tri folded GMC Western States advertising / application brochures. If you come across another GMCer or if someone stops to ask you about yours, dig one of these out of your vehicle and share it with them. The only way we can keep our vehicles visible, saleable, marketable and something to be desired is to keep others aware of them. Every one of us will someday come to the time when we will want to sell our vehicle. The price we can get for it will partly be dependent on whether there are buyers out there who know something about these GMCs and have an appreciation for them. This is an issue the clubs and owners have not really addressed to date but is one which is going to come more to the forefront in the years ahead, as the generation who was very aware of the RV industry of the 1970's dies off, and a new generation comes on the scene. So keep being out there advertising GMC Western States and our GMCs please! Also if you sign someone up, along with FMCA sign up, FMCA will give you a large Rand McNally Road atlas as a free gift.

Awhile back our Web Master Billy Massey was wanting to dress up our website, feeling it was getting a bit stale. One possibility is that we could make periodic changes to our web picture or have a gallery of web pictures of really nice looking GMCs. So if you have a nice picture, which has good foreground and background, send it to me. We could indicate the model, year, and maybe your name if you wished. If changes had been made to the exterior, that would not preclude showing it, but we may want to indicate this had some customization so new individuals to the website could recognize this. So please give me your input on this.

Having now been your President for three years, I feel it is now time to step down at the end of the fall roundup, which is the usual transition time. I have counted it a privilege and an honour to be your President, and must say I have enjoyed immensely representing the club and working with many of you. It has enabled me to get to know many more of you which otherwise I may not have had that opportunity. So again I am asking for your input as many of you are also members of some of the local clubs and may have noticed someone with either latent talent or someone who would do well as our President. If you have ideas, pass them on to me or to one of our State Reps. Thank you for ideas.

Lastly, don't forget to come out to where all the fun and learning takes place, our May 29--June 3 Prescott Roundup with the Cherrys and Pettits. Come and buy parts and get your GMC fixed as well. At the same time you will hear more about our fall roundup slated for Sept. 6-11 in Wyoming.

So now, in the meantime, keep her repaired, running and all six turning smoothly.

                                                                                  Claude

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