It was nice to see the "Old Vendors from 1970" thread evolve into old friends attempting to connect with one another.
If it is feasible perhaps this thread can be used for old friends to find one another. Jim Patrick
It would be interesting to go way back into the thread archives and make a list of all the members who are missing in action. Who knows? Some simply disappeared, others passed away. Some lost interest, maybe some became to ill to post. Maybe somebody reaching out to a person who hasn't posted in a very long time would bring them back into the fold, or at the very least make them recognize that they were appreciated for their past contribution to the forum.
Ed - Your post brings to mind someone I have been wondering about. Alex Alongi used to post quite frequently but I have not seen anything from him for a long time. I remember that he mentioned that he was having some health problems but that's about the last I remember from him. I hope he's alright and just simply has gotten too busy or something and merely fell away from posting for awhile,.....???
Jim & Ed - I think you both have a good idea.
Maybe somebody could compose two lists of former Forumites. Here's my start:
KIA
John Berch, IA, 54, TT, Heart
Ken Meeks, .., .., 1914 Touring; accident
MIA
Gus Stangeland, TX, Father of this Forum
Good idea, Ralph. Ken (Meek, by the way, not Meeks) lived in St. Clair MO (about 45 miles from St Louis) and was, I believe 64 when he died.
Harold, I have also wondered about Alex from time to time.
Ralph - Another great idea!
Never met you Ralph, however, due to years of Forum activity, have come to regard you as one of those "Forum Friends" that I've just never met in person yet! I think that's what makes this Forum the second best thing about the Model T hobby,....second only to the Model "T's of course!
Hang in there Ralph,....always nice to see and read your posts,....and now more than ever! Hang in there,......harold
Did John Berch have a heart attack while out driving his car?
William, no. He was sitting at the dinner table talking to his wife and just fell out of the chair onto the floor. He died instantly as I recall. I never met him in person, but we talked together on the phone a lot. I considered him a very good friend and I still miss his posts and phone calls. Dave
Just one more reason to:
a. not talk to your wife, or
b. never sit in a chair
We need to warn the others !
On a more serious note, I am new here, but my T friend John just turned 80 and I suspect many of the good old duffers are getting way up there in age. John has been playing with T's since 1957 and is a wealth of information down to the slightest details. He knows where this stuff is stashed in a barn over here and where that guy has a basement full of stuff over there. He is amazing ! I need to develop a way to "download" his lifetime of knowledge to carry on the legacy. When he does croak out, it will be a real loss.