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OLDSMOBILE CLUB OF AMERICA EASTERN MA. GMO CHAPTER Issue #39
Ma October 2008
ROCKET POWER NEWSLETTER!!
GMO Party Again a Success
Karen Santucci’s count of GMO members and their guests was around 50 and the food and drink flowed freely at the annual GMO year end party on September 13 at the Santucci estate in Newton. The weather cooperated and it was a warm quiet night with no mosquitoes in evidence.
As usual, the food was delicious and included everything Italiano with manicottis, meatballs, sausages w/roast potatoes, eggplant parmagiana, chicken wings and antipasto. The desserts were ricotta pie, cannolis and italian cookies as well as some delicious goodies from a few of our members. Wine and beer and drinks were included. Many of the main course items had origins in the Santucci garden in the back yard.
Karen and Rich extend their sincere thanks to everyone who attended and made this an event to remember. The next GMO meeting is at Berejik Motors at 1:30 PM on Sunday October 5, 2008.
Update on George Berejik It is so nice to be able to share GOOD NEWS for a change. George's tumors have either SHRUNK - a little or remained THE SAME. This means the chemo is working. It was such a relief to hear this. We were very anxious when we went to Dana Farber yesterday. George did not sleep at all the night before. We had braced ourselves for the worst and were hoping for the best. For the first time ever we had to wait 2 hours, because they were running behind. Of course your mind plays tricks on you and your fears multiply while you are waiting. I am sure I saw gray hairs growing quickly while we waited. The Dr. came in and sat down at the computer. I said “I see you are smiling” and he said “YES I am smiling.” He was so pleased you would think it was his cancer!!! So for now George will continue his chemo as before and he will be seen at Dana Farber about every 5 or 6 weeks. Every other or third visit they will do a CT scan to monitor what the tumors are doing. The Dr. will be watching for a clinical trial for George to be in. They are coming out with new treatments constantly. The Dr. hugged George and then me. I thought I would cry. He is such a nice guy. Again we feel so lucky that we are at Dana Farber. Please keep up all your prayers and good wishes, I know they help. We are trying to keep our lives very positive and continue living as normally as possible. What ever happens in the future we will have enjoyed each day and all of you. Thank you all for caring so much. The get well cards are on the mantel and remind us everyday of all the wonderful people in our lives. Believe me, we know how very lucky we are. Sorry for not getting this out yesterday and making you wait for the news. We had several other appointments yesterday to try to make good use of our time when we are in Boston and then we had a birthday dinner at Phil and Danielle's so we didn't get home until almost 11. I was so wiped from the emotions of the day and the sleepless nights that I just couldn't type last night. Believe it or not! I was almost afraid to write because I
really couldn't believe it. You get a little numb from all this and we had been waiting since last Thurs when George had the CT so it is just sinking in now. We are so blessed. Much love, Betty Ann and George September 17, 2008
GMO Officer Elections
You will be receiving your nomination sheet shortly via email or surface mail (a copy is also included in this newsletter). These sheets are to be filled anonymously out with the name of any current GMO member you wish to nominate for each of the present offices:
a. President b. Vice President c. Secretary / Treasurer d. Events Coordinator e. Club Representative
A list of current members will be included in the mailing and you may nominate yourself or any other current member (he/she must accept the nomination). The nomination sheet must be received by November 1. After the results are tallied, the three candidates with the most nominations will be placed on the ballot. In early November, an election ballot will be mailed or emailed to each current GMO member. The ballot is to be filled out anonymously and returned by December 1 to be counted The votes will be tallied and the winners announced at the December club meeting This method will give every current GMO member a chance to participate in the process.
Ransom notes is a GMO member profile in honor of Ransom Eli Olds who founded the Olds Motor Vehicle Company on August 21, 1897. Ransom Notes is authored By GMO member David Consoli. Have you ever seen the insurance commercial where the woman stops the guy from walking off the curb? Then another Good Samaritan helps someone avoid an accident, and so on and so on. Then at the end of the commercial the slogan says “Responsibility what’s your Policy? I love that Liberty Mutual commercial. I use them for my home and auto insurance and they are a good company to deal with. This got me thinking; my insurance agent for my classic cars is a stand up guy too. As a matter of fact he just happens to be a GMO member. I decided that would make a great Ransom Notes feature. This months profile is Richard Sacchetti. Richard is the owner of Sacchetti insurance in Warwick Rhode Island. Richard’s history with Oldsmobile started in 1965 with his Brother-in-law Norman Trudeau who owned a 1955 Oldsmobile 88 2 door coupe that Richard learned to drive with. Richard recalls that he used to put his brother-in-law in a bad position with his wife Lena when Richard would treat the car like a typical 16 year-old boy. Months later Richard obtained his license and the search for his first car began. He chose a 1963 Oldsmobile Cutlass. Richard was a bit rougher on this car than his brother in laws 88. He used to race the 63 Cutlass and within the first month of owning the car he blew up the aluminum engine. Back to the drawing board so to speak. While
searching for a new vehicle, he fell in love with a 1962 Starfire Garnet Red with red interior.
“I have fond memories of the 62 Starfire”. Richard recalled. You see he not only fell in love with the car he also met his wife Patricia with the car. Unfortunately shortly thereafter in 1967 Richard was deployed to Vietnam to serve his country. He goes on to tell me about receiving a “dear john” letter from back home while he was in Vietnam. “Your girlfriend left you?” I asked. “No the Dear John letter was from my sister.” Richard replied. Richard’s sister notified him that his parents sold his beloved 1962 Starfire while he was serving in Vietnam. “How could they do such a thing”? I asked. Richard explained that they sold the car because Richard’s father would cry every time he saw the car. He missed his son and worried about him during the military conflict. The family thought it would be best to sell the car to ease his father’s pain. “Well I guess a Dear John letter about your car is better than one from your girlfriend Patricia, otherwise your son Peter would not be here today” I joked. After being discharged from the service Richard and Patricia married. They drove a 1968 Chevy Impala that Richard describes as “ordinary transportation” and Richard tells of how he always longed for another 1962 Starfire. His son Peter recalls at the age of 6 years old he would take drives with his dad for hours in search of a 1962 Starfire. “It is an experience that I remember because the Oldsmobile was such a strong love for my father” Peter said.
In 1993 Richard received a phone call from his good friend Lenny. Lenny was a childhood friend from Rhode Island who had relocated to Arizona. Lenny had come across a classified ad for1962 Starfire that was for sale. Richard asked Lenny to check the car out. After doing so Lenny called and said “Richard it’s like déjà vu”. It is the same Starfire you had as a kid.” Lenny bought the car and shipped it to Richard in February of 1993. Upon arrival Richard and Patricia got a bit emotional. After all this was the car they met and dated in before Richard went overseas. The following year in 1994 the car underwent a complete restoration. The car was an original California car, but all the rubber including the foam seats were disintegrated. Charles motors in Connecticut performed the restoration. Richard later had a custom child car seat made for the back seat that they use today when their dog accompanies them. Richard also purchased a 1962 convertible with the same color combination to match his hardtop. “It is like having twins so to speak,” I said.
I asked how Richard found out about the GMO. He said that his dear friend Everett Horton got him to join. “Everett is a good man,” I said. Richard agreed and went on to tell me about how he and Everett went to the 100th Olds anniversary in Lansing MI in 1997. Richard’s Starfire was loaded on an enclosed carrier and a 1960 Olds that was placed above leaked oil all over Richard’s Starfire. Before Richard arrived in Lansing Everett already cleaned and washed the oil off the car. WHAT A GREAT FRIEND!! Richard goes on to say many
of the people in the GMO have become friends and clients. I made mention that most of my subjects usually hope to pass on their love of Oldsmobile to their children. Since his son Peter is heavily involved in Sacchetti classic car insurance I asked does Peter have affection for Oldsmobile also? “Unfortunately not” Richard replied. Peter Sacchetti has an extensive collection of Corvettes. He started collecting Corvettes when he was a junior in high school.
I was curious how The Sacchettis went from owning classic cars to actually providing high quality classic car insurance today. Richard explained that he sold insurance for many years. After purchasing the Starfire he started attending car shows. (His first was at Berejik Oldsmobile in 1994) Since most shows run about six hours or so Richard and his wife would talk to other car enthusiasts at length about various aspects of the hobby including insurance. Richard soon came to realize that the insurance agents that were providing coverage for the classic cars really did not understand how to treat these cars. Furthermore the owners of these classic cars didn’t understand the best way to insure the classic cars. “They would insure them on a regular auto policy” Richard said. Richard goes on to explain that many agencies shy away from the classic car market because they simply do not understand the value of those cars. Many do not want to deal with the amount of work involved with insuring these cars for such a small annual premium. “I felt that the hobby needed someone local like myself to help the hobbyist,”
Richard said. Prior to his involvement in the hobby, Richard spent 20 years in the insurance business. He would sell insurance products such as home, life and auto. Today he provides all types of insurance to his clients with classic auto insurance being Sacchetti’s specialty. Richard does a lot of advertising at car events and he and Peter confirmed that that is where most of their business comes from. “We work five days a week in the agency and then five nights a week we go to shows and cruise nights,” Peter said. “This sounds like the best of both worlds. Not only are you generating revenue for yourselves you are actually having fun at different classic car venues” I said. Both Richard and Peter both admitted they love what they do and it shows in their passion for the hobby and the business. Richard likes to use this analogy. “You always want to go to the best mechanic to work on your classic car. We consider ourselves the best insurance mechanics in the area”. Well I can confirm first hand the Sacchetti experience. They just so happen to insure my Oldsmobiles. After a disappointing experience with Grundy insurance Ted Loranz told me to give Saccchetti Insurance a call. “They insure my classic Oldsmobiles and do a great job,” Ted said. So I made the switch and I am very pleased with Richard and his staff. I can’t put into words just how impressed I am with this father and son team. They really provide great service to those who love the car hobby. They are passionate and dedicated and extremely committed to their profession. “Responsibility” is definitely the Sacchetti policy. What’s your policy?
Show News A Hardy group of GMOers made the trek to the Barnstable Count Fairgrounds on Cape Cod to attend Cruisin’ New Englands World of Wheels Show on August 23, 2008.
L to R - Steve Economou, Rich Santucci, Ernie Reed, Chris Temme, Ted Loranz
The GMO cleaned up, taking all of the top 5 Oldsmobile awards and Chris Temme is taking his 1970 442 to the Super Wheels event at City Hall Plaza in Boston and Ted Loranz’s 1935 Olds Street Rod was invited to be in the ballroom at next years Elite Dream Machine’s show on July 4th at Mohegan Sun.
L to R – Shawn Monaghan, Paul Iantosca, Rich Santucci, Dave Pelletier, Karen Santucci, Bob Gobiel, Ted Loranz
(Pete Agris took the picture) The GMO had enough members at the Milford Lions show on September 21 to tie for best club participation with the Tri-Town Street Rods. This makes the 2nd year we have won there. Dave Pelletier also received 1st place in his class with his 1971 Cutlass.
Letter From the President
Well it is almost October and we are still having shows to go to and meetings to attend. What is so unusual about that, you say? Well that never happened in 1999 when I stepped into this position. GMO has come a long way baby.
I am preparing a chronological sequence of events to highlight the clubs accomplishments from 1999 to present for you to review. Look for it in the next month’s newsletter. Thank you to Karen and Rich Santucci for a spectacular Italian dinner at their home. Pearl (Karen’s mother) was as fabulous as usual and was one of the last to leave. I really enjoyed seeing so many couples there and we all enjoyed the interesting conversation. Having George and Betty Ann Berejik attend was a real treat. George always has such great automotive news and facts to share with us. Three lucky members will be attending Patriots games this season from the tickets that I was able to obtain and resell at face value - Congratulations. The Milford car show was a great time. The members and staff were among the friendliest I have ever met. We received two awards and met new friends. Congratulations to Dave Pelletier for his best of class. The NEOC Olds show again was plagued by rain this weekend. I swear, anyone who is experiencing a drought should have NEOC schedule a show
there - It ALWAYS rains for those folks. It must be some sort of a curse. They change the day, the month and now the location, one hour away from their turf, and it still rains. Sorry guys, I hope it will not be the case for the Nationals in 2010. Ground breaking news is continuing to develop. If you want to be the first to hear it, you will need to attend our next GMO meeting on Sunday October 5th at George Berejiks in Needham, MA. See details in newsletter. We have so much news to reveal to you, you do need to attend if you want to know. And finally, please do not forget to cast your nominations and ballots in the coming months. You will all be receiving them in October and November (a nominating sheet is in this newsletter). My best always, Paul Iantosca, President GMO
Glimpse of the Month By David Consoli
Shawn Monaghan, is the new kid on the Block
with his new 1977 350 engine.
Eastern Massachusetts GMO Chapter 114 West Street Medway, MA 02053-2226
GMO Officers
President Paul Iantosca – 617-543-0777
Vice President Rich Santucci – 617-899-9109
Secretary / Treasurer Ted Loranz – 508-561-7613
Events Coordinator David Consoli – 978-807-7350
New Member Recruiter Karen Santucci – 617-899-9109
Club Representative Everett Horton – 508-336-0440
GMO Chapter Website – http://clubs.hemmings.com/olds-gmo
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