Date:         Tue, 18 Mar 1997 07:06:19 -0500
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         JonR <jonreed@earthlink.net>
Subject:      Re: About the Soto Bashing....

I agree Wholeheartedly!!!

	unfortunately SOTO is Dave Heard...

	We're having a similiar, but different problem here in NH..

	Our Former Club President Bill Collins(not the listee) has decided to
form his own club exclusively for -'57 Beetles that are driven 1500 or
more a year... He has taken with him all but one of our old Club
officers.  Then ( as he is still a member of the NH club) he shows up at
our monthly meetings and dictates thru "popular" vote what we should be
doing as a club ( all the while saying how he doesn't want to run the
club...).  He can do this because of the fact that he has been in the
Vintage VW scene for so long,( he is a multi-year Past President of
VVWCCA, along with Bill Pickering founder of VVWCCA) that most New club
members take his word as Gospel...
	He continually makes comments 'bout how "anything past '67 is suspect,
and Busses don't count either...".  As we're in the midst of planning
for our Summer show, he said we should drop the Water-cooled classes as
"They're not really Vintage VWs anyway...".  That was one idea shot down
VERY quickly..!

	Yes, he has some nice cars ( 2 Hebs, the '67(Franklin Mint) KG coupe,
and a mint '62 'Vert), but why does he feel he has to tell Everyone what
VWs they must own and cherish... He is a "Purist" in the worst sense of
the word... He is very vocal in his belief that "Splits & Ovals" are the
only VWs worth taking care of...

	With all the Legislation before State and Federal governments these
days we can't afford to "divide" our support of ALL VWs into  snooty
little splinter groups... If we do, we all lose!!

	Thanx for Listening to my concerns...

			JonR