Page 38 - Sep 2022

Old Delina cont inued from page 37

Our drive started with a meeting in Thompson
Station and a quick relocation of the group from
the Sarah Benson Park (Who knew that every
person , dog, and truck in town would fill up every
parking space that we had planned to inhabit to get
our drive started?) to the open arms of the United
Methodist Church next door. There was both ample
parking and old shade trees, welcomed because
the temperatures were not hot but above warmish.

Much to the organizer's surprise, after the drivers'
meeting was completed and directions were
handed out, the cars still kept arriving. The more Above: Greg and Joice Kershisnik made an entrance
the merrier and nothing succeeds like success. with their shiny Austin Healey 3000 and made an
Anyone who got up on this particular Saturday impression at lunch with the gentleman taking
morning must have looked up at the brilliant blue orders. Joice ordered a Frizle Burger [fried pickles
skies with the floating, fleecy clouds and decided were involved] with no meat. "No meat," he said, "
that today was the day to head out somewhere that's a first for me." Later, we discovered that when
they'd never been before. our server was stationed in England with the Air
Force, he'd purchased a TR 6 and brought it back to
We made the 51 mile trek at a leisurely pace, geared
the States. Then, a growing family meant that he
to a speed that could be matched by the oldest car
needed a bigger car. " I loved that car, and we drove
at the drive, in this case, Gene and Lilli Parker's
it all around England, " he said with obvious
1952 MGTD, with a top speed of just over 50 mph.
nostalgia.
The small amount of blue smoke that puffed out of
the MG (for which Lilli, adorably, apologized) It's funny isn't it, how the LBC will do that to you.
before the drive began dissipated by the time we
were underway . Old MG hands observed that since
the car had, had a complete engine rebuild very
recently, it just needed more miles put on it to set
the rings and sort out the little gremlins.

There was only one setback during the drive and it
happened early on. A 1967 MGB found itself with
a dead battery . Stuart Naylor and Rick Mathis, the
sweep driver, made the aid and comfort stop, and
were able to jump start the car, before catching up
with the group.

It was off to a nearby auto parts store where a
Above: L-R Guest Jm Kendig from Monteagle filled Guy
i
new battery was installed ( For $200 you can fix
Boye's navigator seat in his MGB and spent some time
anything," said the owner. ") After googling his own
with the Rodger McLeans, backed by their MG before
route he made it to the Store in time to order
the drive began. It turned out that Kendig and Boye
lunch.
had plenty to talk about while on the road as both
were veterans and both had lived in the Chicago
area.
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