The Vintage Motor Car Club of America

An update from the Executive Vice President Mark Hamlin

- posted November 6, 2025

In lieu of my regular column, I would like to submit emails between VMCCA Treasurer Elaine and member Jim Johnson.

On July 1, 2025, at 2:10 p.m., vmccatreas@gmail.com wrote:

I received your generous contribution and kind note from the Lewis & Clark Tour yesterday! We are so grateful for this unexpected contribution to National VMCCA and most of all to all of you for your dedication, time and perseverance in bringing high quality tours to the membership. We recognize the effort and time spent in planning, preparing, and executing such tours. It is because of folks like you the organization will continue to be The Touring Club for vintage car enthusiasts.

Thank you sincerely,
VMCCA Officers
Elaine Johnsen
VMCCA Treasurer

Jim Johnson wrote:

Thank you for your words of thanks and congratulations. That means a lot coming from your position of responsibility as our treasurer and as someone who appreciates tours.

The Crawleys and Johnsons are totally aware regional tours are not required to financially share with our parent organization. This tour, and all others like it, cannot exist without VMCCA. VMCCA advertising coverage is how we draw in folks to participate. Tracy in The Bulb Horn ran our advertisement exactly as I asked in the exact issues when we needed to get the word out. The result? The tour filled! As remote as Montana is, people came. We met budget.

Ray, of course, mirrors Tracy’s tour ads. Between them, how many runs? Let’s recall: January, February, March, April, May, June for The Touring Chronicle and for three issues of The Bulb Horn. And now Holly is preparing a follow-up article for The Bulb Horn. The advertising value alone is priceless. This is all part of our successful tour fabric. It could not exist without our national VMCCA.

Regional tours should be structured with revenue sharing as a goal. Cheap tours are nice, but fiscal solvency is essential. Otherwise, the tours will die because we will have lost our national structure.

Thanks again, Elaine, for reaching out.
Jim Johnson

Mark Hamlin
VMCCA Executive Vice President