Our first-grade teacher, Miss Shuster, was an exceptional educator. She believed that young children could grasp complex concepts. Her stories about the Civil War were among our initial introductions to topics beyond our nearsighted focus on tangible play. She brought us on a field trip to the historic cemetery across the street from the school to show us the beautiful statuary, obelisks and mausoleums. She made it a point to stop at some of the modest graves of civil war veterans where small flags commemorated the soldiers’ service to our country.

We always perked up when Miss Shuster told us tales of the Civil War or showed us photographs of that bygone time. Perhaps we conflated the heroic acts of the soldiers with the good deeds of the Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy and Gene Autry. The culmination of the mini-lessons on the war was a special guest. An ancient, handsome man entered our classroom on a beautiful November day with sunshine streaming through the tall windows. He had a shock of long, well-combed, snow-white hair complemented by an equally-impressive, untrimmed white beard. His glasses glinted in the bright light; his navy-blue overcoat descended to his knees, allowing us to see his polished boots. His back was slightly bent with age; his gait was more a shuffle than a walk. He was a veteran of the Civil War. At the time, he must have been among the few living civil war veterans in Connecticut; perhaps he was the last. He had been a drummer boy. He recounted the war in the first person and described the deprivations of battle. There were no stories of deaths or mayhem; in retrospect, Miss Shuster probably counseled him to avoid such topics with us. Instead, he talked about missing home during the war years, yearning to see his parents and siblings and wondering what his vocation would be when he returned to Connecticut. Our questions were typical of our age. Did you brush your teeth? Where did you go to bathroom? Did you have a summer vacation like us?
Some occasions become noteworthy to me only after they occur, after I have time to ponder them. That was not the case with the veteran. I believe all my classmates and I understood how special it was to talk with a person who had been in the Civil War. All of us were uncharacteristically quiet, focused intently on the man. It might have been Miss Shuster’s insightful explanations of the war and the related photographs. It might have been the remarkable presence of the veteran. Whatever the reasons, the impressions of that day remained with us. We talked about the experience often as we proceeded from grade to grade. The topic never lost its allure.

Experiencing together the first day of kindergarten and the conversation with the Civil War veteran intensified relationships among us, as did other first experiences. We suffered initial segregation in first grade when some students who were not yet good readers were separated from the rest of us for special instruction. Even at a young age, we perceived the embarrassment it caused our classmates. Most of us learned to ride a bicycle during gym classes in the spring of second grade. We all took our first music lessons in second grade. One of the most unifying experiences was a planned field trip in third grade to a museum. Unfortunately, one of our friends could not go. She used a wheelchair because of a childhood disease; the museum was not barrier free. She was going to be left behind alone. Although there was an alternative activity for her, it was a heartbreaking circumstance. We turned to Miss Ahshowskis, our teacher, for guidance. With her help, our small group remained at school with our friend, spending the day together while our classmates visited the museum. Over time, nine of us developed a precious bond, although we rarely interacted outside of school because of distance. I was sad to leave them at the end of third grade. At first, I hoped to repair the separation periodically with visits back to my old school. That hope became unrealistic when a flood impacted it in 1955, scattering my friends to different schools throughout the Greater Waterbury Area. I never saw them again.

My aversion to good-byes resurfaces every November when departures from the CVR board are finalized. Board members are club leaders. They dedicate a great deal of competence and time to planning and hosting events and activities. They sustain the excellence of CVR and leave a legacy of volunteerism and achievement when they depart. I appreciate their guidance, work ethic and reliability.

When her daughter proceeded to college in 2013, Debbie and her husband, Rick, became empty nesters. Debbie initially volunteered to work on the grid at the Club Race, which takes place annually at Lime Rock Park. However, she immediately made the transition to numerous administrative responsibilities, requiring her continuous presence in the park’s tower during race days. In 2014, she became the vice-treasurer of the Club Race and the race registrar. Debbie has worked closely with three successive race directors during the last eight years. Her tasks were complex and time-consuming. The race director and she interfaced with PCA Club Race personnel, making sure all necessary preparations for the race were completed to national standards. Although the race occurs at the end of April each year, the preparations for it begin months beforehand.

Debbie’s competence and attention to detail are essential factors in the Club Race’s excellent reputation among race drivers, track officials and PCA personnel. Her pleasant personality and even temperament are also transcendent factors in the race’s success. She always remained calm in challenging circumstances which, in turn, usually calmed others. Her interactions with everyone were pleasant and respectful. She faithfully attended monthly board meetings, traveling from her home in Northwest Connecticut to the meeting location in Milford, a 130-mile round trip. Rick accompanied her. Debbie and he were a delightful presence at the meetings. Rick worked on the grid at the Club Races during the last eight years, ultimately becoming the grid captain. Upon retirement next spring, Debbie and Rick are moving to Idaho to live near their daughter.

When the cost of producing and mailing the hard-copy Challenge became prohibitive, there was an acute need to transform it to a digital format. Finding someone who had the vision, competence and will to make the transformation was a daunting task. Eric Richmond was a godsend. During the last two and a half years, he has dedicated twelve-hour days, weekends and holidays to researching design templates and creating user-friendly processes for a Challenge that is now fully digital. His setup provides content creators the independence to add their own text and photos without worrying about design parameters. In addition, the new magazine contains a calendar, color photo galleries and a place for videos. It also has a fully-functioning, self-service, classified-ad section, which registers the number of times people clicked on specific ads, which is valuable information to our advertisers. Among his most impressive and most time-consuming achievements, Eric customized an email-blast process that permits club members to read Challenge on desktops, laptops, tablets or smartphones, no matter how small the screens.

To facilitate the publication of the new digital Challenge, Eric developed detailed instructions for the submission of photos. In addition, he crafted a process using Microsoft Word and Outlook that automates a reminder email that is sent to content creators on the 20th of every month, informing them of submission deadlines. He works closely with Caroline Abba, who coordinates advertisements; Shelley Krohnengold, who creates graphics; Susan Vaccaro, who edits text; and Paul Roth, who provides photos. While he transformed Challenge to digital format, he worked closely with Webmeister Mike Keller in reconceptualizing CVR’s entire website, which involved several months of both design and build work. Throughout his time as editor, he also provided technical support to fellow board members. He leaves an impressive legacy of technological prowess, conscientious work and state-of-the-art publishing. I thank him and wish him farewell as he leaves the club to return to his Miata roots.

After more than a decade of club leadership, Maria is leaving her position as Driving Tour Chair, which includes management of the spring and fall tours, as well as the management of the Coffee Runs. Maria and her husband, Phil, planned and hosted 14 tours in New England, New York and Pennsylvania. She assumed sole responsibility for the tours when Phil became the CVR president in 2019. The tours are among the most popular club events for many of our members. With Maria’s guidance and support, Coffee Runs have flourished, trebling in number. It is now common to have at least two Coffee Runs every month during the driving season. They take place in all counties of Connecticut and parts of New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont. Approximately 300 of our members participate in them in a typical year.

In addition to being the Driving Tour Chair, Maria has been a principal volunteer at the annual Club Race for many years; she was its volunteer coordinator in 2018 and 2019. She served on several CVR committees, ranging from anniversary celebrations to charity auctions. Maria has been an autocross participant. She attended monthly board meetings. Befitting her conscientious work and contributions to the club, she is a recipient of two of CVR’s most prestigious awards: Rookie of the Year in 2008 and Enthusiast of the Year in 2017.

Maria and Phil attended every Porsche Parade since 2011, no matter the distance from home. They both have volunteered at the Parades. They have been the co-chairs of the car wash. Maria has been the co-chair of the Parade’s art show since 2018. She has also been a volunteer leader at several PCA/IMSA Porscheplatz at Lime Rock Park. At Watkins Glen International Speedway, Maria volunteered as the Zone 1 Club Race Registrar. Maria and Phil were members of the Tour Planning Committee for the 2019 Zone 1 Treffen in Vermont. They developed and led the Treffen’s Dorsett Inn Tour.

Maria’s leadership has been exceptional. Club members are fortunate to be beneficiaries of her commitment to CVR and, more broadly, to Zone 1 and PCA national. I will personally miss her; I will cherish the memories of our many interactions.

After five years of being treasurer, Don has decided to focus exclusively on perfecting his skills at driver education events next year. He succeeded his close friend, Dick Kretz, as treasurer in 2017. His involvement in DE goes back to 2005 when he purchased a 1982 black 911 SC. The first thing he did was to sign up for driver education. Don’s first instructor was Dave Vaccaro, who suggested several improvements of his driving skills. From the beginning, DE was a great experience for him. He credits Dave and other instructors for helping him become a better driver, “How does an instructor get into a 1982 911 with no ABS, no five-point harness, no roll cage with a rookie driver?” Don now drives in the White Group at DE events. (There are five DE running groups according to skill, which are green, yellow, white, black and red in ascending order.)

Don’s tenure as treasurer was particularly demanding in 2018 and 2019 when club leaders were balancing the annual costs of events and activities with the increasingly burdensome costs of publishing and mailing hard-copy issues of Challenge. The transition of Challenge to digital format was imperative and was particularly timely during the pandemic. The club’s current financial condition is excellent, attributable to Don and his close working relationships with elected officers and activity chairs. From routine accounting functions and budget analyses to financial forecasts, his work has been an invaluable asset to CVR. He has always been objective and pleasant in his interactions. I respect him with deep affection. I hope the track is kind to him in the future.

Shortly before press time for this article, Sue announced her retirement as chair of community service. She has been a CVR board member for thirteen years, sometimes working closely with her husband, Charles, who was an elected officer of the club. During the last eight years, she led the club’s charitable activities, proceeds from which were donated primarily to the Spooner House in Shelton and to Autism Families CONNECTicut. The former is operated by the nonprofit charity, Area Congregations Together, whose mission is to provide food, shelter and support services to people in need. The latter is also a nonprofit charity. It focuses on providing to families affected by autism a range of recreational and social activities that promote growth and meaningful interpersonal connections. Among other achievements, Sue produced and hosted CVR’s very popular Wayne Carini events at Mr. Carini’s restoration business, F-40 Motorsports.

In addition to her leadership in community service, Sue has been the volunteer coordinator for CVR Club Races. She has also been the coordinator of hospitality at the races. Sue has been a principal volunteer at Annual Meetings and Photofests. She has participated in driver education. She enjoys her current Porsche, a brand new 718 GTS. Above all, I will remember her kind-hearted support of individuals with great need.